Affiliate disclosure: some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Shopify
Build a storefront you own for merch, digital products, and courses, with your customer list in your hands instead of a platform's.
Creators with proven demand building a branded store for merch, digital products, or courses.
Creators who want one or two products live today with zero configuration, or anyone still testing whether their audience buys at all.
For creators with a real catalogue and a buying audience, Shopify is the store to build on; if you are still testing demand, start on something simpler like Gumroad or Fourthwall and move over when volume justifies the setup.
Affiliate link, no extra cost to you. How we test →
Overview
Shopify is the platform for creators turning an audience into a product business: print-on-demand merch, digital downloads, courses, all under your own domain on a theme you control. Buyer emails and purchase history belong to your store, so you can reach customers directly instead of hoping an algorithm shows them your next post. Basic runs $29/mo on annual billing and covers a full storefront with apps, email, and abandoned-checkout recovery built in. If you are still testing whether anyone will buy, start on a lighter checkout tool and move here when sales justify the setup time.
Pros
- The store reads as yours on every real plan: custom domain and your own theme, and the default "Powered by Shopify" footer link is removable in theme settings.
- Customer data is yours. Buyer emails and purchase history live in your store, with segments, automations, and 10,000 free Shopify Email sends a month built in.
- Four major print-on-demand suppliers connect directly: Printful, Printify, Gelato, and Gooten, with no inventory to hold.
- Digital products run through Shopify's free Digital Downloads app, which delivers files up to 5GB automatically after purchase.
- Scales without re-platforming: the same store carries you from first sale to Advanced volume, and card rates drop as you upgrade (2.9% + 30¢ on Basic down to 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced).
Cons
- Real setup time. A theme, products, fulfillment, taxes, and payments all need configuring before the first sale. Treat it as a weekend project, not a 20-minute launch.
- The plan price is the floor. Skipping Shopify Payments adds 2% per sale on Basic, and the app store steers you toward paid apps that raise the monthly bill as the store grows.
- Support on standard plans is 24/7 live chat only; phone support is reserved for Plus. If you want a human on the line when checkout breaks, that costs enterprise money.
Features
- Print-on-demand merch: Printful, Printify, Gelato, and Gooten integrate directly. Pick a supplier per product line and never touch inventory.
- Digital product delivery: Shopify's free Digital Downloads app sends files up to 5GB automatically after purchase, with download limits you control. Plan on Basic or above to use it.
- Customer data ownership: unlimited contacts, segments, and marketing automations included. Shopify Email sends 10,000 emails a month free, then $1 per extra 1,000.
- Brand control: custom domain and custom storefront theme, with 24 free themes to start from; the default "Powered by Shopify" footer credit is removable in theme settings.
- Abandoned checkout recovery on Basic and up: emails buyers who bail mid-purchase. Starter does not include it.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $5/mo | Checkout links, no full storefront · 5% fee per sale · Default pages only |
| BasicRecommended | $29/moannual, or $39/mo monthly | Full storefront + apps · 2% fee without Shopify Payments · No extra staff accounts |
| Grow | $79/moannual, or $105/mo monthly | 5 staff accounts · 1% fee without Shopify Payments · Lower card rates |
| Advanced | $299/moannual, or $399/mo monthly | 15 staff accounts · 0.6% fee without Shopify Payments · Lowest standard card rates |
The number that matters is the fee structure, not the sticker. Every plan adds a fee if you skip Shopify Payments (2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced), and Starter takes 5% of every sale even through Shopify Payments. Starter at $5/mo is not a store: it is checkout links with default pages only, on a myshopify subdomain. For most creators, Basic on annual billing ($29/mo, or $39 month-to-month) is the working plan, and new stores get a 3-day free trial followed by $1/month for the first 3 months.
Check current Shopify pricingPricing changes often and varies by region, currency, and active promotions. Always confirm the current price, and any live deals, on the official pricing page before you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
More Creator Business tools
Earn affiliate commissions from 35,000+ brands on products you already recommend, with no follower minimum and no applications.
Read review →Puts GPT 5.2, Claude, Gemini, and more in a sidebar on any tab for the price of one subscription, with a fair-use cap to know about.
Read review →Generates batches of ad banners, copy, and product shots from one brief, with unlimited previews and credits spent only on downloads.
Read review →