Shopify Free Trial 2026: Get Three Months for $1 Per Month

Shopify currently gives new merchants a three-day free trial without requiring a credit card. Eligible US users can then continue on Basic, Grow, or Advanced for $1 per month during their first three months.

This means Shopify does not offer three completely free months. The standard promotion costs $3 in total after the initial free period, before the subscription moves to its regular price.

You can build a store, add products, customise a theme, install apps, and configure core settings during the free trial. However, you must select a paid plan before you can activate checkout and begin accepting real orders.

How the Shopify free trial works in 2026

The current Shopify pricing offer starts with three free days. Shopify does not require a credit card when you create the trial account.

After the free period, eligible merchants can select a qualifying plan and pay $1 per month for three months. Standard subscription pricing begins when that promotion ends unless the merchant cancels or changes the store’s status.

Shopify states in its free trial documentation that trial lengths and promotional rates can vary. Your location, account eligibility, and signup link can affect the offer you receive.

Stage	Price	What you can do
Initial trial	Free for three days	Build and configure the store without entering card details
Promotional period	$1 per month for three months in the US	Activate an eligible plan, launch the store, and accept orders
Standard subscription	Regular plan price	Continue operating the store with all features included in the selected plan

How to claim the Shopify trial

You can begin the trial directly through Shopify. The signup process asks for an email address and several details about the type of business you plan to operate.

You can skip some setup questions and return to them later. The trial starts when Shopify creates the store, so it helps to prepare your product images, descriptions, pricing, and policies before signing up.

1. Open Shopify’s official free trial page.
2. Enter your email address and create an account.
3. Answer the introductory questions or skip eligible steps.
4. Enter a store name and business location.
5. Open the Shopify administration dashboard.
6. Add products, configure the design, and prepare the store.
7. Select an eligible paid plan before launching.

The official Shopify trial page confirms that no credit card is required for the initial three days.

Do you need a credit card for Shopify’s free trial?

You do not need to submit credit card details to begin the three-day free trial. Shopify lets you access the administration dashboard and most store-building tools after creating an account.

You must add an accepted payment method when choosing a paid subscription. This includes entering the three-month promotional period where it is available.

If you do not select a plan before the free period ends, Shopify pauses the store. It does not automatically charge you or activate a subscription.

Can you sell during the Shopify free trial?

You cannot process normal customer orders while the store remains on the unpaid trial. Shopify requires merchants to select a paid plan before they can activate checkout.

You can still perform most of the preparation needed for launch. This includes adding products, creating collections, editing themes, writing policies, configuring tax settings, and installing sales applications.

After selecting a plan, you can set up a payment provider and test checkout. Shopify’s test order guide states that payment gateway testing becomes available after the merchant chooses a paid plan.

• Add physical or digital products.
• Create product collections.
• Customise free or premium themes.
• Configure shipping regions and rates.
• Add store policies and contact pages.
• Install compatible Shopify apps.
• Prepare Shopify POS settings.
• Connect an existing custom domain.

Can you use a custom domain during the trial?

Shopify says merchants can connect an existing custom domain through the store administration area. They can also purchase a new domain through Shopify or another registrar.

Connecting a domain does not activate checkout or make an unpaid trial store ready to accept orders. You still need to select a subscription and complete the launch settings.

The company’s free trial information confirms that existing domains can connect to Shopify from the administration dashboard.

What happens when the Shopify trial expires?

Shopify pauses a trial store when the three free days expire without a plan selection. The public store and checkout remain unavailable until the owner chooses a subscription.

Shopify keeps the products, theme customisations, settings, and other store information. The merchant can sign in later, choose a plan, and continue working.

If you selected a plan before the trial ended, Shopify waits until the free period expires before starting subscription charges. An eligible promotional rate then applies before standard billing begins.

What should you do during the three-day trial?

Three days gives merchants little time for research and experimentation. Prepare your business details before registering so you can spend the trial building the store.

Start with essential launch tasks. Decorative changes, advanced applications, and paid themes can wait until you have a working catalogue and checkout structure.

Day	Main objective	Recommended tasks
Day 1	Create the foundation	Select a theme, enter store details, add products, and organise collections
Day 2	Configure operations	Set up shipping, taxes, payments, policies, navigation, and domains
Day 3	Test and prepare to launch	Review mobile pages, select a plan, test checkout, and remove store restrictions

Day 1: Build the store foundation

Choose a simple theme and add your first products. Each product should have a clear title, original description, price, stock status, photographs, and accurate shipping information.

Create collections that help customers browse related products. You should also check the store currency, time zone, measurement system, and business address.

• Select a suitable free theme.
• Add at least five complete products.
• Create essential product collections.
• Set the store’s currency and time zone.
• Enter inventory and shipping details.
• Review product pages on a mobile device.

Day 2: Configure payments and store policies

Set up Shopify Payments where the service supports your country. Merchants in unsupported locations can connect one of Shopify’s approved third-party providers.

Add shipping zones for every location you intend to serve. Check rates carefully, as missing or incorrect shipping rules can prevent customers from completing checkout.

Create privacy, refund, shipping, and terms pages. Shopify provides policy templates, but merchants should review and adapt them to their business and local legal requirements.

Day 3: Test the store before launch

Select an eligible paid plan and configure the payment gateway. You can then place simulated orders using Shopify Payments test mode or the Bogus Gateway.

The Shopify test order instructions explain how to check payment flows without charging a real card.

1. Add a product to the cart.
2. Enter a test customer address.
3. Confirm that shipping rates appear correctly.
4. Check tax calculations.
5. Complete the simulated transaction.
6. Review the confirmation email.
7. Check the order inside Shopify admin.
8. Disable test mode before accepting real payments.

Which Shopify plan should you choose?

Shopify offers Starter, Basic, Grow, Advanced, and Plus. The right choice depends on whether you need a complete online store, staff access, advanced reports, international tools, or enterprise features.

Basic will suit many new merchants who want a full ecommerce website. Grow targets expanding businesses with small teams, while Advanced adds stronger reporting and international commerce features.

Shopify publishes current prices and payment rates on its official plan comparison page. Rates differ by location and billing cycle.

Plan	Designed for	Important distinction
Starter	Social selling and shareable product links	Provides a lightweight storefront rather than the full Basic experience
Basic	Solo entrepreneurs and new online stores	Includes the core tools needed to operate a complete ecommerce website
Grow	Small teams and growing businesses	Adds staff accounts and lower payment rates
Advanced	Larger stores and international sellers	Adds advanced reporting and stronger international tools
Plus	Enterprise organisations	Provides advanced B2B, checkout, automation, and organisational controls

Is Shopify Starter suitable for a full online store?

Starter focuses on selling through social media, messaging applications, and shareable links. It costs less than Basic but offers a more limited storefront and customisation experience.

Merchants who want a conventional ecommerce website should usually consider Basic. It provides a fuller theme experience, product organisation, checkout, reporting, sales channels, and content tools.

Shopify allows merchants to change their plans as business requirements develop. You do not normally need to create another account simply because you started on Starter.

Should you choose annual Shopify billing?

Annual billing can reduce the effective monthly subscription price. However, Shopify charges the annual amount upfront after the promotional period ends.

Monthly billing gives new businesses more flexibility while they test demand, advertising costs, returns, fulfilment, and profit margins. It may provide the safer starting point for an unproven store.

Shopify’s billing guidance states that changing from monthly to annual billing during a promotional trial takes effect after that promotion finishes. The full annual payment then becomes due.

How much does a Shopify store cost?

The subscription price represents only one part of a Shopify store’s operating costs. Merchants may also pay for processing, applications, themes, a domain, marketing, fulfilment, and professional services.

Shopify Payments removes Shopify’s additional third-party transaction fee, although standard card-processing charges still apply. Merchants using an external provider can pay both the provider’s processing fee and an additional Shopify transaction fee.

Cost	Required?	Typical considerations
Shopify plan	Yes for an active store	Varies by plan, region, and billing cycle
Payment processing	Yes when accepting electronic payments	Depends on the provider, card type, country, and plan
Domain	Optional	Usually billed annually
Theme	Optional	Shopify provides free themes, while premium themes carry a one-time cost
Applications	Optional	Can involve monthly, annual, or usage-based charges
Advertising	Optional	Costs depend on the channel, market, and campaign

How many free Shopify themes are available?

Shopify maintains a collection of free themes designed around different industries and catalogue sizes. Dawn remains a popular general-purpose option for new stores.

The total theme count changes as developers publish, update, and remove designs. Shopify’s theme marketplace currently promotes more than 800 free and paid themes, so fixed counts can become outdated quickly.

The Shopify Theme Store lets merchants filter the catalogue by price, industry, catalogue size, layout, and supported features.

Can you install apps during the Shopify trial?

You can install compatible applications from the Shopify App Store while setting up the trial store. However, some features may remain unavailable until you select a paid Shopify plan.

Applications maintain their own billing terms and trial periods. Installing an app does not guarantee that its free trial will align with Shopify’s trial or promotional period.

Check every application’s price, renewal date, and usage charges before installing it. Remove unnecessary paid apps before their individual trial periods expire.

Can you use Shopify POS during the trial?

You can configure parts of Shopify POS during the three-day trial, but you need an active paid plan before accepting real in-person payments.

Shopify POS Lite comes with eligible Shopify subscriptions. POS Pro costs extra and adds features such as detailed staff permissions, advanced inventory tools, exchanges, and enhanced customer pickup options.

Merchants should also purchase or connect compatible payment hardware before launching an in-person store.

How Shopify Rewards credits work

Eligible merchants can earn credits that reduce future Shopify subscription charges. The programme applies different rates and limits based on the plan and payment method.

Official Shopify offer documentation says eligible merchants can receive 1% back on sales processed through Shopify Payments and 0.5% on qualifying transactions handled through other providers.

• Basic supports up to $5,000 in credits on $500,000 in eligible sales.
• Grow supports up to $7,500 in credits on $750,000 in eligible sales.
• Advanced supports up to $10,000 in credits on $1 million in eligible sales.
• Separate limits apply to eligible Shopify Plus agreements.

The promotion may not cover every merchant, country, transaction, or plan. Shopify also applies programme terms, eligibility conditions, and earning limits.

Shopify Rewards are not the same as store credit

Shopify Rewards subscription credits reduce eligible charges on a merchant’s Shopify bill. They do not give customers credit to spend in the online store.

The official offers page explains which plans qualify, how credits accrue, and the maximum amount merchants can earn.

Because Shopify can change or withdraw promotional programmes, merchants should review the current terms rather than building long-term financial projections around rewards.

How to cancel the Shopify trial

You do not need to cancel an unpaid trial if you never selected a subscription. Shopify pauses the store after the free period and does not begin automatic plan charges.

If you selected a paid plan or entered the promotional period, you must deactivate the store before the next regular charge. Shopify does not treat uninstalling the mobile app or ignoring the store as cancellation.

Shopify’s store deactivation guide provides the current cancellation process.

1. Sign in using the store owner account.
2. Open Settings in Shopify admin.
3. Select Plan.
4. Choose Cancel trial or Cancel plan.
5. Review outstanding charges and alternative plans.
6. Select a cancellation reason.
7. Enter the account password.
8. Confirm the deactivation.

What happens to your data after cancellation?

Shopify retains information from a deactivated store for up to two years. This gives the owner an opportunity to reactivate the business without rebuilding the catalogue and theme.

Outstanding amounts can still become due when the merchant cancels. These may include app fees, transaction charges, shipping labels, domains, and other services already used.

The deactivation instructions also recommend reviewing third-party apps and domains because some external providers continue billing outside Shopify.

Can you pause a Shopify store instead?

Eligible merchants can move to Pause and Build after the free trial ends and the store has used a paid plan. The reduced-price option keeps access to the administration dashboard while disabling checkout.

Customers can continue browsing products, but they cannot complete purchases. Merchants can use the pause period to redesign the store, prepare new inventory, or take a temporary break.

Some applications can continue charging while the store remains paused. Review or uninstall paid apps before switching plans.

Can Shopify extend the free trial?

Shopify does not advertise a general trial-extension programme. Support may help with account or billing issues, but merchants should not assume that requesting more time will produce an extension.

The current Shopify trial terms focus on the displayed trial period and any promotional rate applied to the account.

Limited promotions can appear through particular campaigns, regions, or partners. The terms shown during signup control the account’s actual offer.

Is the Shopify free trial worth it?

The Shopify free trial provides enough access to inspect the dashboard, build product pages, test themes, and decide whether the platform suits your business.

The three-day period is short, but the subsequent $1-per-month promotion gives eligible merchants more time to operate a live store at a low platform cost.

However, merchants should plan for the full subscription rate and additional expenses after the offer ends. Payment processing, applications, marketing, domains, fulfilment, and returns can cost considerably more than the promotional plan fee.

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