Shopify Pricing In Canada: All The Associated & Hidden Costs

In Canada, Shopify pricing starts from 7 CAD/month to over 2,600 CAD/month with 5 plans available.

This comprehensive guide will delve deeper into Shopify pricing in Canada, breaking down all the subscription plans it currently offers online merchants and all the additional costs.

Key Takeaways

• Shopify offers 5 subscription plans tailored to Canadian businesses, from the budget-friendly Starter plan to the feature-rich Shopify Plus.
• Beyond the core pricing plan, be mindful of additional costs, including credit card processing fees, app charges, domain registration, and theme purchases, as they collectively shape your overall budget.

Shopify Plans In Canada: Overview

Before diving into the finer details, let’s take a walk through the key components of Shopify’s pricing structure in Canada that merchants should notice.

As an e-commerce platform, the price lies most on the essential elements of Shopify plans, including subscription fees, free trial offerings, billing frequencies, credit card rates, and shipping discounts. 

More specifically, for those who use the online international or Amex credit card, the rate will range from 3.3% to 3.5% + 30¢ CAD for the three main plans (Basic, Shopify, and Advanced).

In Canada, Shopify’s pricing structure also comes with perks such as the ability to sign up for a 3-day free trial and a special deal of just $1 for the first month.

For businesses with a physical presence, Shopify’s “Retail” package at 119 CAD/month offers a powerful Point of Sale (POS) system. This solution allows you to seamlessly integrate your online and in-store sales operations.

Additionally, the cost of available apps and extensions on the Shopify App Store varies significantly, with prices starting as low as 6 CAD per month for basic apps to a few hundred CAD dollars for advanced apps. A premium theme’s price for your store can range from approximately 150 USD to nearly 400 USD for a one-time payment.

Is Shopify Pricing In Canada Different From Other Places In The World?

Typically, compared to the USA (which accounts for the most market share of Shopify by country) and other regions like the UK, Australia, and South Africa Shopify pricing in Canada has a similar core structure, with pricing plans offering consistent features.

One key consideration for Canadian Shopify merchants is the exchange rate between the Canadian Dollar (CAD) and the United States Dollar (USD). Currently, the value of CAD is weaker than the USD. This means that when pricing is converted from USD to CAD, the equivalent cost for a Shopify plan in Canada may appear higher.

Another factor contributing to perceived differences in pricing between Canada and the United States is regional taxation. Tax regulations can vary significantly between countries and regions, affecting the final cost of Shopify plans and services.

While this can create the perception of a price difference, it’s important to note that it’s often the result of currency valuation rather than actual changes in the plan’s cost. 

Shopify Subscription Plans In Canada

Starter

The Shopify Starter Plan costs a budget-friendly 7 CAD per month. Merchants can sell on social media, marketplaces, messaging apps, and in person.

With this affordable option, merchants can get:

• A simple online store including product pages, a contact page, and Shopify’s fast and secure checkout
• A mobile POS to sell in person anywhere and accept payments with just your smartphone
• Linkpop, the link in bio tool designed for commerce
• Access to Shopify apps
• Shopify order management and integrated fulfillment network
• 24/7 customer support ensures timely assistance with inquiries and issues.

The Shopify Starter plan caters to budding merchants embarking on their e-commerce journey, aiming to reach customers via social media and messaging apps while enjoying the simplicity of a streamlined online store.

Basic

One of the three main plans of Shopify, which is also the most popular choice of this platform, is the Basic plan.

The plan costs 51 CAD per month for the monthly bill and 38 CAD per month for the annual bill. Under this plan, online transactions incur a per-transaction credit card rate of 2.9% plus 0.30 CAD, while in-person purchases are subject to a 2.7% fee.

The Basic Plan marks the essential and comprehensive entry level for dedicated online store owners. It includes:

• A full-function online store
• List and sell an unlimited number of products
• Sell on multiple sales channels, includingonline marketplaces and social media
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Up to 45% shipping discount
• Standard reports with 60+ reports to track the store’s performance 
• Expand your market by selling in 33 different currencies

As the most fundamental plan, it’s ideal for those either launching a new online store or enhancing an existing one. It particularly suits small businesses aiming to establish a robust online store with versatile selling options, such as dropshipping.

Shopify

The Shopify plan is set at 132 CAD per month, but this can be reduced to 99 CAD per month if you opt for the annual payment option. This plan entails a credit card rate of 2.7% + 0.30 CAD per transaction for online sales. For in-person card transactions, the fee stands at 2.6%.

The Shopify plan encompasses all the features and offerings found in the Basic plan, plus

• Five additional staff accounts.
• Up to 50% shipping discounts 
• Shipping insurance when using Shopify Payments adds an extra layer of protection for shipments.

For growing businesses seeking to enhance their online presence and broaden their sales channels, the Basic plan provides an excellent opportunity. It can handle the operation and management of high-volume stores.

Advanced

The Shopify Advanced plan in Canada is priced at 517 CAD per month, but it drops to 389 CAD per month when billed annually, offering significant cost savings. Online credit card rates for this plan are set at 2.4% per transaction, with an additional 0.30 CAD charge. The in-person transaction fee is also at 2.4%

The Shopify Advanced plan is tailored for businesses operating in both online and physical spaces. It includes all features of the Shopify plan and:

• 15 additional staff accounts
• Enhanced 24/7 live chat
• Custom reports and analytics
• 10x check-out capacity
• Support for third-party calculated shipping rates, providing precise shipping cost calculations.
• Up to 53% shipping discounts
• Collecting duties and import taxes at the checkout streamlines the international sales process.

It is an ideal choice for established businesses with high-volume sales, extensive teams, and advanced e-commerce needs. It offers features and capabilities suited for those looking to scale their operations and streamline complex tasks, making it an excellent fit for enterprises aiming to achieve substantial growth.

Plus

The Shopify Plus plan, tailored for enterprise-level businesses, comes at the cost of 2,600+ CAD per month, providing an extensive range of premium features. Credit card rates and transaction fees are custom.

With this top-tier plan, users can get:

• The option to host and manage ten stores using one account
•  Fully customizable checkout
• Headless commerce
• Guaranteed server uptime
• Enhanced API access
• ‘White glove’ level of support via a dedicated ‘Merchant Success’ program
• Access to more apps and integrations
• More sophisticated options for selling in multiple currencies
• Advanced sales automation tools
• Access to premium training resources, like the ‘Shopify Plus Academy.’
• Integrated   Shopify POS Pro for comprehensive in-store solutions

Shopify Plus caters to merchants with exceptionally high online sales volume, demanding higher store location limits, substantial budgets, and a need for streamlined workflow automation. It’s a premium solution designed to meet the complex needs of large-scale e-commerce businesses.

Which Shopify Plan Is Best For Canadian Merchants?

The Shopify plan is a strategic choice for emerging businesses to expand their sales. It accommodates the trend of omni-channel retailing in Canada, where consumers shop both online and in physical stores. Given the evolving consumer behavior, Canadian merchants looking to adapt to these shifts can benefit from this plan.

With the growth of e-commerce in Canada, businesses are expanding their product catalogs and catering to a broader customer base. The Advanced plan aligns with this growth trajectory, offering more advanced features and support for more extensive inventories that give more opportunities to compete with other components.

What’s Included In All Shopify Plans?

Free myshopify.com Domain

By default, Shopify pricing plans include a complimentary myshopify.com domain. This feature is a convenient starting point, catering to startups and those looking for an easy entry into e-commerce but may not fully serve established businesses seeking a distinct online identity.

If you already own a registered domain, you can seamlessly link it to Shopify and have full control over its management through the Shopify admin panel at no additional cost.

Additionally, Shopify offers the option to buy a custom domain name to enhance the professionalism and branding of your website.

SSL Certificate

Shopify provides free SSL certificates, simplifying the process for merchants to secure their websites. It encrypts data transmitted between the website and customers, ensuring that sensitive information, such as payment details, remains secure. With just a few clicks, merchants can transition their Shopify-hosted store pages to the secure HTTPS protocol. 

Activating your free SSL certificate on Shopify is hassle-free; all you need to do is log in to your newly created online store, and Shopify will automatically generate and install an SSL certificate on all URLs as soon as your domain is linked.

Hosting

Shopify is a complete e-commerce solution where every brand using the platform is hosted on Shopify’s servers without additional costs for external hosting. The platform handles the infrastructure, server maintenance, and performance, allowing businesses to focus on managing their stores and customers.

More specifically, Canadian merchants would get:

• Unlimited bandwidth in every plan, eliminating overage fees and welcoming high traffic periods.
• Automatic and cost-free software updates equip your online store with the latest features and technology.
• A global network of servers and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to ensure fast and dependable website loading for customers across the globe.
• High traffic levels, managing around 4,000 checkouts per minute before throttling, making it suitable for even the most traffic-intensive online stores.

Shopify Free Trial In Canada

Typically, the Shopify trial period in Canada lasts 3 days, which provides a reasonable amount of time to get acquainted with Shopify’s tools and see if they align with your e-commerce needs. This timeframe is consistent with the duration of free trials in other regions.

The trial comes with:

• No requirement for credit card information or payments.
• Access to core features for store setup and configuration.
• Theme selection and customization options
• The ability to explore and install apps from the Shopify App Store.

However, you can not sell your products or services during the free trial. It requires subscribing to a paid plan to activate checkout and launch your store.

You can use the free trial to initially set up your store. As the free trial draws to a close, you can claim the $1 for 30 days deal to start your online business with minimum initial cost.

Shopify Themes and App Costs In Canada

Themes

The pricing of Shopify themes in Canada is a significant consideration for businesses looking to establish a unique and professional online presence. While Shopify offers free themes that are perfectly functional, many businesses opt for premium themes to achieve a specific look and functionality right from the start. 

Premium themes for Shopify typically cost between approximately 150 USD and nearly 400 USD, depending on the theme’s features, design, and customization level. These themes are designed by professional developers and often come with additional support and updates.

Apps

Investing in premium plugins available on the Shopify App Store to enhance the store’s capabilities is indispensable in the fierce competition in Canada. The cost of these plugins can fluctuate significantly, with prices depending on the specific functionalities and features they offer. 

Typically, prices for these plugins start as low as 5 USD, equivalent to approximately 6.70 CAD per month, and can extend to several hundred dollars.

The price of a plugin is influenced by factors such as its complexity, the range of features it provides, and the level of customization it allows. These plugins cover a wide array of functionalities, from enhancing SEO and marketing tools to streamlining inventory management and order processing.

Domain Pricing In Canada

Shopify provides two options for securing a custom domain. You can purchase one directly from your Shopify dashboard or transfer a domain you’ve acquired from a third-party seller. 

If you opt for a Shopify domain name, the cost typically ranges from 15 to 18 USD per year (20.6 to 24.7 CAD). This pricing includes domain registration and management, and Shopify ensures a hassle-free experience by handling all the technical aspects, such as DNS configuration. This option is often convenient for businesses looking for an all-in-one solution, simplifying the domain acquisition process.

Alternatively, if you wish to use a domain from a third-party registrar, you can acquire it separately from platforms like GoDaddy, DreamHost, etc. Prices for domain registration with third-party registrars typically range from approximately 10 CAD to around 30 CAD per year. This choice gives businesses more control and flexibility over their domain, as they can manage it directly through the registrar.

Shopify Canada Shipping Fees and Discounts

With Shopify, Canadian merchants can seamlessly integrate with major carriers like Canada Post, UPS, and FedEx to offer various shipping rates and options to customers.

The beauty of partnering with Shopify is that it doesn’t add any extra charges for essential services like label printing, carrier tool integration, or package dispatch.

In fact, Shopify goes a step further by extending shipping discounts. The level of discount you receive depends on your Shopify plan:

• On the Basic plan, shipping rates can be reduced by up to 45%.
• The Shopify plan boasts even more impressive savings, with discounts of up to 50% on shipping rates.
• The Advanced plan takes it a notch higher, offering potential discounts of up to 53% on shipping rates.

Additionally, Shopify streamlines the shipping process with user-friendly label software that allows you to print labels directly on a standard printer such as Dymo LabelWriter 4XL, Bixolon, Zebra, and Brother QL, eliminating the need for specialized equipment. 

For Canadian merchants, purchasing Canada Post shipping labels through Shopify can yield substantial savings of up to 58% on shipping rates, adding another layer of cost-efficiency to the e-commerce shipping process.

Shopify Point Of Sale Pricing In Canada

Shopify POS seamlessly integrates a high-end point-of-sale system with the Shopify e-commerce platform. All Shopify Plans can get access to Shopify POS  to sell in person. The Starter, Basic, Shopify, and Advanced plans are packed with the free version – Shopify POS Lite, facilitating card transactions and synchronizing your online inventory. You can choose to pay extra fees of $89 USD per location per month to upgrade to Shopify POS Pro to unlock advanced features such as local pickup, exchange processing, local delivery, and purchase order management.

Shopify Plus plan comes ready with Shopify POS Pro, allowing enterprises to sell omnichannel effortlessly.

Otherwise, Shopify offers two plans for merchants to access tools designed specifically for in-person sales and straightforward features for establishing an online presence.

• Starter ($7 CAD per month): Credit card rates are 5% + 0¢ CAD for in-person transactions and 5% + 30¢ CAD for online sales. It is designed for casual sellers, including
  • 1 POS lite location
  • 1 admin account
  • 1 POS login for point-of-sale operations
  • A simple online store
• Retail ($119 CAD per month, or $105 CAD if paid annually): The competitive credit card rates are: 2.7% + 0¢ CAD for in-person transactions and 2.9% + 30¢ CAD for online sales. It caters to retail businesses
  • 1 POS Pro location
  • 2 admin accounts, facilitating collaborative management.
  • Unlimited POS logins for seamless in-store operations
  • A simple online store

Taxes

If you’re new to Shopify, your first task is to determine if sales tax collection applies to your products and regions, which involves registering with relevant tax agencies. Once this is sorted, Shopify allows you to configure your tax settings to ensure you accurately charge the correct rates for your sales throughout Canada. 

For established Canadian sellers on Shopify, you also have the option to update your store with the latest Canadian sales tax features. 

Typically, if your store exceeds a certain sales threshold for sales taxes, you may be required to register to collect and remit Canada’s Goods and Services Tax (GST). Canadian sales often involve a 5% GST applied to most transactions. In certain provinces, you’ll encounter an additional provincial sales tax (PST) or a harmonized sales tax (HST) that combines the GST with the provincial tax. 

This diversity in sales tax requirements underscores the importance of understanding the specific tax regulations in your operating regions.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Shopify’s pricing structure in Canada is not significantly different from the standard USD pricing listed on most Shopify websites, based on the exchange rate.

By offering an array of pricing plans designed to meet the needs of businesses at various stages of growth with the flexibility and scalability it provides, Shopify remains a reliable partner for both emerging startups and established enterprises in the Great White North.

FAQs