You want one number. Your real monthly Shopify cost, not the marketing price.
Most sellers budget the $25 subscription (about PHP 1,525) and stop there. Then the first PayMongo payout arrives short, and they cannot figure out why. This guide walks you through every line item so your first month’s bill has zero surprises.
What You’ll Need
- A rough idea of your monthly sales target (even a guess helps)
- A DTI or SEC business registration (needed to open a PayMongo account)
- A valid ID and Philippine bank account or GCash for payouts
- 20-30 minutes to compare the three Shopify plans side by side
- A calculator, or use StoreStarter’s free startup cost calculator
Step 1: Pick Your Shopify Plan
Shopify sells three core plans for new stores. Here is what each one costs and includes, per Shopify’s official pricing page:
| Plan | Billed Monthly (USD) | Billed Monthly (PHP, ~₱61/USD) | Billed Yearly (USD/mo) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $25 | ~₱1,525 | $19/mo | First-time sellers, testing the platform |
| Grow | $65 | ~₱3,965 | $49/mo | Sellers with consistent monthly sales |
| Advanced | $399 | ~₱24,340 | $299/mo | Higher-volume stores needing better shipping rates |
Grow used to be called “Standard,” so you may still see that name in older reviews. Shopify bills in USD, so your actual peso charge depends on your card issuer’s exchange rate that day, not a fixed peso price. The table above uses a snapshot rate (~₱61/USD); expect it to drift a little either way.
For your first store, start on Basic. You get a full storefront, unlimited products, and abandoned cart recovery. Grow and Advanced mainly buy you lower transaction fees and better reporting, features you do not need until you have real sales volume.
Step 2: Grab the Discounted Trial If It’s Running
As of this writing, Shopify’s pricing page offers new signups the first three months at $1/month (about ₱60), instead of the full $25.
Promotional offers change or end without notice, so confirm it is still showing in your account before you commit a card. If it is live, it buys you three months to list products, connect PayMongo, and test whether Shopify fits your business, for less than the price of a meal.
Do not treat the discount as your real budget. Plan around the full $25/month (~₱1,525) rate. Anything less is a bonus.
Step 3: Budget for PayMongo Payment Processing
Shopify Payments does not operate in the Philippines. To accept GCash, Maya, or cards, you need a third-party gateway, and PayMongo is the standard choice for Filipino Shopify stores.
PayMongo’s fee depends on how your customer pays, per PayMongo’s published pricing:
| Payment Method | PayMongo Fee | Cost on ₱30,000 in Sales |
|---|---|---|
| GCash | 2.23% | ~₱669 |
| Maya | 1.79% | ~₱537 |
| Credit/Debit Card | 3.125% + ₱13.39 per transaction | ~₱938 plus ₱13.39 per card sale |
There is no monthly gateway fee, just the per-sale cut. Cards cost noticeably more than e-wallets once you add the fixed fee, especially if you get a lot of small orders. Most Filipino stores see a mix of GCash, Maya, and card payments, so your real blended rate lands somewhere between these numbers depending on how your customers pay.
Setup takes about 30 minutes. You will need your DTI or SEC registration documents ready, since PayMongo verifies businesses before activating live payments.
Step 4: Add Shopify’s Own Transaction Fee
Here is the part most beginners miss entirely. Because you are using PayMongo instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify charges its own extra transaction fee on top of whatever PayMongo takes.
That fee is 2% on the Basic plan, 1% on Grow, and 0.6% on Advanced, per Shopify’s pricing page. On ₱30,000 in monthly sales, Basic-plan sellers pay Shopify an additional ~₱600, separate from the PayMongo cut.
This is the single biggest reason a “$25/month” plan ends up costing meaningfully more once real sales come in. Budget for it now instead of getting surprised later.
Does this sound like your situation? Run your numbers through StoreStarter’s free startup cost calculator and see your realistic monthly total before you commit to a plan. Takes about 5 minutes. Free, no signup.
Step 5: Factor In Your Domain Name
Every new Shopify store gets a free .myshopify.com subdomain. It works, but it looks unfinished to customers browsing on their phones.
A custom .com domain typically costs ₱700-900/year, whether you buy it through Shopify or a separate registrar like Namecheap. That works out to roughly ₱60-75/month if you spread it across the year. Buy this before your first paid ad or Shopee cross-post, since a proper domain builds trust faster than a myshopify.com link ever will.
Step 6: Budget for Apps
Shopify’s App Store has thousands of free and paid tools: email marketing, upsells, reviews, inventory sync with Shopee or Lazada. Start with free apps only for your first month.
Once you add paid apps, typical costs for a small Filipino store run about ₱580-1,750/month total, depending on how many you install and their tiers. Add one app at a time. Cancel anything you are not actively using after 30 days, most beginners install five apps and use two.
Step 7: Add Up Your Realistic Monthly Total
Here is a worked example for a Basic-plan seller doing ₱30,000 in monthly sales through PayMongo, assuming most customers pay by GCash:
| Line Item | Monthly Cost (PHP) |
|---|---|
| Shopify Basic subscription (billed monthly) | ~₱1,525 |
| PayMongo GCash fee (2.23%) | ~₱669 |
| Shopify’s added transaction fee (2%) | ~₱600 |
| Custom domain (spread across year) | ~₱65 |
| One paid app | ₱580-1,750 |
| Estimated total | ~₱3,440-4,610 |
If most of your customers pay by card instead, swap the PayMongo line for ~₱938 plus ₱13.39 per transaction (3.125% + fixed fee), which pushes the total higher. Bill annually instead of monthly and the subscription line drops to about ₱1,160, since Shopify’s yearly rate is $19/mo instead of $25/mo.
That is well above the $25 sticker price. It is not a hidden trap, it is just math that most pricing pages do not show you upfront. Once you know it, you can price your products to cover it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Budgeting only the subscription price
The $25/month (~₱1,525) you see advertised is the smallest line item once you factor in PayMongo fees and Shopify’s own transaction fee. Budget the full stack from day one.
2. Upgrading to Grow or Advanced too early
Grow and Advanced lower your transaction fee percentage, but you need real sales volume before that discount outweighs the higher subscription cost. Stay on Basic until your monthly sales consistently justify the math.
3. Forgetting the annual billing discount
Shopify’s own pricing page shows roughly 24-25% off for paying annually instead of monthly across all three plans. If you are confident you will stick with the platform past month three, annual billing lowers your effective monthly cost meaningfully.
4. Installing too many paid apps in month one
Every app you add is another recurring charge stacked on top of your subscription and payment fees. Launch with free apps, add paid ones only when you can point to a specific problem they solve.
5. Staying on the free myshopify.com subdomain long-term
It is fine for your first week of testing. Past that, the missing custom domain quietly costs you customer trust, and trust is what actually drives Filipino online sales.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Shopify cost per month in the Philippines?
Shopify Basic runs $25/month (about PHP 1,525 at ~₱61/USD), Grow runs $65/month (about PHP 3,965), and Advanced runs $399/month (about PHP 24,340), per Shopify’s official pricing page. On top of that, budget for PayMongo processing fees since Shopify Payments is not available here. Most new Filipino sellers on Basic land between PHP 2,800 and PHP 4,600/month all-in.
Are there extra fees on top of the Shopify subscription in the Philippines?
Yes, two of them. First, PayMongo charges 2.23% for GCash, 1.79% for Maya, and 3.125% plus a PHP13.39 fixed fee for cards, per PayMongo’s published pricing. Second, Shopify adds its own transaction fee (2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced) because you are using a third-party gateway instead of Shopify Payments.
Is there a cheaper way to try Shopify before committing?
Shopify currently offers new signups a discounted trial: $1/month (about PHP 60) for the first three months on select plans, per Shopify’s pricing page. Promotional offers can change or end at any time, so confirm it is still live in your account before you count on it. It is enough time to list products and test whether the platform fits before paying full price.
Does Shopify charge extra because Shopify Payments is not available in the Philippines?
Yes. Shopify Payments only works in a limited list of countries and the Philippines is not one of them. That forces Filipino sellers onto a third-party gateway like PayMongo, which triggers Shopify’s added transaction fee (2% on Basic) on top of PayMongo’s own processing rate, per Shopify’s pricing page.
You Just Built Your First Real Shopify Budget
Most beginners guess at their Shopify costs and get blindsided by month two. You now know every line item before spending a peso.
Run your own numbers through the startup cost calculator to see your total based on your actual sales target, then decide if Basic makes sense or if you should wait and sell on Shopee a little longer first.
5 minutes. Free. No signup required.