Source-backed analysis11
Review basis
Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.
11 reference sourcesInformation updated Nov 10, 2026
How we review
Shopify Review
Hosted commerce platform with a huge app store; costs grow as you scale
By AppDuo Editorial Team · Updated
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- API
On this page
Decide at a glance
Our verdict
Shopify suits sellers who want a store that works out of the box, selling across web, POS, social and marketplaces, with a large app ecosystem and no servers to manage. The trade-off is that subscription, app and transaction fees add up quickly, and Shopify Payments covers only 41 countries and regions (Vietnam is not one), so sellers elsewhere pay extra for a third-party gateway.
Best for: Sellers who want to launch a store quickly without coding or running a server.
Skip it if: Sellers who need a built-in local payment gateway and want to avoid third-party gateway fees.
Pros
- The Shopify App Store lists 21,000+ apps to extend a store, per Shopify's homepage.
- Sells across the online store, POS, social media, marketplaces and AI chats, with inventory and orders synced between them.
- The iOS app holds 4.7/5 from about 43,000 ratings on the US App Store.
Cons
- Subscription fees are non-refundable under the terms, and cancelling goes through support.
- Third-party payment gateways carry an extra 0.2% to 2% fee depending on the plan.
All pros and cons · Who is it for?
Cons
- Shopify Payments is available in only 41 countries and regions; Vietnam, for example, is not on the list.
- Trustpilot shows 1.3/5 from about 5,300 reviews, with most complaints about fraudulent stores, support and billing.
Best for
- Brands selling on a website, in physical stores (POS), on social media and on marketplaces at the same time.
- Larger businesses that need Plus for higher API limits, up to 200 inventory locations and unlimited staff accounts.
Skip it if
- Anyone who wants full ownership of the source code and self-hosted data.
Problems it solves
Experience & key features
What Shopify is
Shopify is a subscription e-commerce platform run by the company of the same name, headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. Per Wikipedia it launched in 2006, founded by Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake, growing out of their 2004 snowboard shop Snowdevil. Sellers build a store, list products, take payments and process orders without running infrastructure. Shopify's About page says businesses have made more than $1 trillion in sales on the platform.
Key features
Per the App Store description, sellers manage products, variants, collections, domains and customer accounts, and sync inventory and orders across the online store, POS, social media, marketplaces and AI chats. The app also covers discounts, sales analytics, barcode scanning and the Sidekick AI assistant. For developers there are APIs, headless storefronts (1 on the first three plans, 25 on Plus) and a large app store.
Pricing and value
Per the official pricing page, Basic is $25 per month ($19 billed yearly), Grow $65 ($49), Advanced $399 ($299) and Plus from $2,300 per month. The fee for third-party gateways falls from 2% on Basic to 0.2% on Plus. POS Pro costs an extra $89 per month per location on the first three plans. The current offer is a 3-day trial, then $1 per month for 3 months. The terms do not refund subscription fees. Shopify's help centre does not list Vietnam among Shopify Payments countries, so sellers there need a third-party gateway and pay the fee above.
More analysis
Who it is for
Shopify fits sellers who want a ready-made platform and a broad app ecosystem. Those who prioritise owning the code, self-hosting or avoiding a monthly platform fee may look at WooCommerce, the open-source WordPress plugin. Haravan and Sapo are other hosted platforms worth comparing. Public ratings are mixed: the app holds 4.7/5 on the US App Store, while Trustpilot shows 1.3/5, with many complaints coming from shoppers at stores built on Shopify.
Screenshots
Plans & pricing
Prices last verified Nov 10, 2026
Basic
Business$25/mo
$19/mo billed yearly
$25 per month, or $19 per month billed yearly. 2% fee on third-party payment providers, no staff accounts, up to 10 inventory locations.
Grow
Business$65/mo
$49/mo billed yearly
$65 per month, or $49 per month billed yearly. 1% fee on third-party payment providers, 5 staff accounts, up to 10 inventory locations.
Advanced
Business$399/mo
$299/mo billed yearly
$399 per month, or $299 per month billed yearly. 0.6% fee on third-party payment providers, 15 staff accounts, higher limits on select APIs.
Plus
BusinessContact sales
The pricing page lists "from $2,300 per month" with no yearly price. 0.2% fee on third-party payment providers, unlimited staff accounts, up to 200 inventory locations.
- Free plan limits
- There is no permanent free plan. Per the pricing page, new stores get a 3-day free trial, then pay $1 per month for the first 3 months.
- Free trial
- 3-day free trial · no credit card
Cancellation & refunds
Section 5.10 of Shopify's Terms of Service says Shopify does not provide refunds, and section 14.4.2 repeats this on termination. Fees are paid in advance in 30-day billing intervals, and cancelling means contacting Shopify Support.
Privacy
Per its privacy policy, Shopify collects identifiers, payment details, purchase history, device and IP information and browsing behaviour. For Shop app users the list also includes sensitive data such as precise location (with permission) and the contents of connected email inboxes. Shopify says it does not "sell" personal data as defined under US law, but shares it with service providers, advertising and marketing vendors, and the merchants you buy from. When a merchant closes a store or stops paying, Shopify keeps store information for two years before deletion begins. The terms say Shopify does not take ownership of merchants' materials but requires a licence to host and use them. Per Wikipedia, customer data from up to 200 merchants was stolen in 2020; Shopify blamed two rogue support staff.
Shopify alternatives
Frequently asked questions
Does Shopify have a free plan?
No permanent free plan. The pricing page lists a 3-day trial followed by $1 per month for 3 months.
What do you pay on Shopify beyond the plan fee?
Per the pricing page: 0.2% to 2% per transaction if you use a third-party gateway, $89 per month per POS Pro location on the first three plans, plus any paid apps you install.
Does Shopify refund when you cancel?
No. Section 5.10 of the Terms of Service says Shopify does not provide refunds. To cancel, you contact Shopify Support and follow the instructions they send.
Can sellers in Vietnam use Shopify Payments?
No. Vietnam is not among the 41 countries and regions on the help centre's list; in that case Shopify says you need a third-party payment provider.
Review evidence & sources11
Scores
- Ease of use
- 8.2
- Features
- 9.0
- Value for money
- 6.8
- Performance
- 7.5
- Support
- 6.2
- Privacy & security
- 6.5
Why this score
The App Store description says sellers build and edit a store without coding, and the iOS app holds 4.7/5 from about 43,000 ratings. No independent ease-of-use rating was available, so the score stays at a solid rather than top level.
Why this score
Very broad scope: multichannel, POS, B2B, payments, APIs, headless and 21,000+ apps. A leader among hosted commerce platforms.
Why this score
Entry pricing of $19 to $25 per month is accessible, but transaction fees, paid apps, POS Pro at $89 per month per location and the no-refund policy push total cost up.
Why this score
Shopify runs the infrastructure, so sellers have no servers to manage, and upper plans get higher API limits. No independent speed or uptime data was available, so the score is not higher.
Why this score
A help centre and support team exist, but 87% of Trustpilot reviews are 1-star, many describing support as hard to reach, cancellation as difficult or charges continuing after cancelling, and the page notes Shopify does not reply to negative reviews. Many reviewers are shoppers of third-party stores rather than merchants, so the score is not lower.
Why this score
The policy is clear about data types and user rights, but it allows sharing with advertising vendors and, for Shop users, covers precise location and email contents. The 2020 insider data theft is a mark against it.
What users say
- App Store (Việt Nam)4.8/5 · 485
- App Store (US)4.7/5 · 43,446
- Trustpilot1.3/5 · 5,295
Sources
- Vendor-providedShopify pricing pageNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedShopify privacy policyNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedShopify Terms of ServiceNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedShopify About pageNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedShopify homepageNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedShopify Help Center: admin languagesNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedShopify Help Center: Shopify Payments supported countriesNov 10, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (US)Nov 10, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (Việt Nam)Nov 10, 2026
- review-siteTrustpilot: shopify.comNov 10, 2026
- Community-reportedWikipedia: ShopifyNov 10, 2026
Specs & compatibility
- Developer
- Shopify Inc.
- Headquarters
- Canada
- Launched
- 2006
- Category
- Business
Capabilities
- Public API
- Integrations
- Templates
- AI features
- Real-time collaboration
- Mobile app
Platforms
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- API
Interface languages
- Vietnamese
- English
- Japanese
- Chinese
- Spanish
- French
- Korean
- German
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Thai
- Indonesian
Integrations
- Shopify App Store (21.000+ ứng dụng)
- Shopify Admin API
- Shop Pay
- Dropshipping apps
- Marketplaces
Support
- Help center
- Live chat
- Community forum
Change history
- Company.Moves its US listing from the NYSE to Nasdaq.
- Company.Lays off about 20% of staff and sells its logistics arm to Flexport.
- Company.Announces the acquisition of Deliverr for $2.1 billion.
Full change history (6)
- Update.Customer data from up to 200 merchants is stolen; Shopify blamed two rogue support staff, who were laid off.
- Company.Goes public, raising more than $131 million.
- Launch.Shopify launches, after the founders' snowboard store Snowdevil (2004).
About the author
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