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Shopify

The mainstream SaaS standard, still dominant among DTC.

  • Starting priceFrom $29/mo
  • ModelSaaS subscription
  • Sold toStarter to mid-market
  • Last checkedOctober 2026
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At a glance

Commercial model
SaaS subscription
Architecture
IntegratedBack end and storefront ship as one product. APIs may exist, but the bundled storefront is the main way to sell.
Deployment
Cloud SaaS
Headless
Headless supportedOfficial headless APIs plus an official storefront framework or documented headless programme. Yes (Hydrogen)
Founded
2006
Headquarters
Ottawa, Canada

Who it suits

Fast-launching DTC brands and small-to-mid retailers wanting a managed platform with the largest app ecosystem.

Approximate fit by business scaleGuidance from vendor positioning and documented merchants, not a guarantee. Complexity matters as much as revenue.

  • Under $50K GMVPossible fit
  • $50K to $500KStrong fit
  • $500K to $10MPossible fit
  • $10M to $100MLess typical
  • $100M+Less typical

Strong fit at $50K to $500K GMV.

Strengths

Massive app ecosystem (16,000+), fastest time-to-launch, world-class checkout, strong POS, Shopify Payments, huge theme library.

Limitations

Theme-level customisation is limited compared to open source, third-party gateway fees, variant cap at 2,048, monthly app costs escalate.

Pricing

From $29/mo

Published starting price for the software or plan only. It does not include hosting, apps, implementation, development or running costs.

Plans
Tiered subscription, billed yearly: Basic $29, Grow $79, Advanced $299, Plus from $2,300 (monthly billing: $39, $105, $399). Starter plan for social selling is not listed on the pricing page. Third-party gateway fees 0.2% to 2%.
Transaction fees
Waived with Shopify Payments
Billing
billed yearly; $39 billed monthly
Hosting included
Yes
Quote only
No

Capabilities

Recorded as built in, in a paid tier or first-party module, through third-party apps only, or not documented.

  • B2B / wholesale

    Built in

    Built in. Documented: Company accounts, Customer-specific pricing, Net payment terms.

  • Multi-currency

    Built in

    Built in.

  • Multi-language

    Built in

    Built in.

  • Multi-store

    Higher tier

    Paid tier or first-party module.

  • Point of sale

    Built in

    Built in.

  • Subscriptions

    Built in

    Built in.

  • Multi-vendor marketplace

    Via apps

    Third-party apps only.

Market position and merchants

3.1M live stores (Store Leads, Sep 2026); $115.6B GMV in Q2 2026 (Shopify Q2 2026 results).

Documented merchants

  • Allbirds
  • Gymshark
  • Kylie Cosmetics
  • Staples Canada
  • Mattel

From vendor case studies or platform signals on the merchant's live site. Examples, not endorsements.

Platforms to compare

Sold to the same segment, ordered by how many of the same capabilities the vendor provides.