Shopify Free Trial 2026: How It Works and What Happens Next

Shopify currently offers new merchants a three-day free trial without requiring a credit card. Eligible US merchants can then select a paid plan and receive promotional pricing of $1 per month for the first three months.

The free period mainly gives users time to build and configure a store. Merchants can add products, customise a theme, organise collections, configure shipping, and explore Shopify’s administration tools.

However, a trial store cannot accept normal public orders until its owner selects a paid plan, activates a payment provider, and removes any storefront password or inactive checkout restriction.

What does the Shopify free trial include?

Shopify’s current pricing page advertises three days free, followed by promotional pricing for eligible plans. In the United States, the standard offer is currently $1 per month for three months.

The first three days do not require a credit card. The trial starts as soon as the merchant creates the Shopify account, not when they begin designing the store or adding products.

Shopify notes in its free trial documentation that the duration and promotional price may vary by location and signup date. Merchants should therefore confirm the offer displayed during registration.

Trial stage	What merchants can do	Payment requirement
Three-day free trial	Build the store, add products, test themes, and configure settings	No credit card required
Promotional paid period	Launch the store and accept customer orders	A payment method and eligible paid plan are required
Standard subscription	Continue operating the store with the selected plan	Full plan price applies after the promotion

Can you sell during the Shopify free trial?

Merchants can prepare products and test store features during the free trial, but they must choose a paid subscription before opening the online store to the public and accepting normal orders.

New online stores typically start with a storefront password or inactive checkout. Shopify’s password page instructions state that merchants can remove password protection only after choosing a pricing plan.

Selecting a plan activates checkout, but merchants should still review their storefront access settings before promoting the store. A password page can remain active until the owner manually disables it.

1. Choose an eligible Shopify subscription plan.
2. Add or confirm a valid billing method.
3. Set up Shopify Payments or another supported payment provider.
4. Go to Online Store > Preferences.
5. Find the Store access section.
6. Disable password protection and save the change.
7. Open the storefront in a private browser window to confirm that customers can access it.

What happens when the three-day trial ends?

If a merchant has not selected a paid plan when the free trial expires, Shopify pauses the store. The merchant can still return later, choose a subscription, and continue with the products, designs, and settings created during the trial.

Merchants who select a plan during the trial keep their work and can activate checkout. Shopify says subscription charges begin after the free period ends, with any eligible promotional price applied before the standard rate.

The company’s trial support page also warns that promotional rates depend on eligibility. Changing the plan or billing cycle during a promotion may affect how the offer applies.

What should you do during the three-day trial?

Three days gives new merchants little time to explore every Shopify feature. Store owners should focus on the elements required to test the business and prepare the website for its first visitors.

The first priority should be the product catalogue. Each listing needs a clear title, accurate description, price, inventory status, photographs, shipping details, and relevant product options.

Merchants should then configure payments, taxes, shipping regions, policies, navigation, and contact information. They should also test the storefront on both desktop and mobile devices.

Day	Recommended tasks
Day 1	Select a theme, set the store details, and add the first products
Day 2	Configure payments, shipping, taxes, policies, and navigation
Day 3	Test checkout, review the mobile layout, choose a plan, and prepare for launch

Which Shopify plan should beginners choose?

Shopify offers several plans, including Starter, Basic, Grow, Advanced, and Plus. Prices, payment-processing rates, and available features can vary by country.

Basic will suit many first-time merchants who want a complete online store. It includes an online storefront, product management, checkout, reporting, sales channels, and access to Shopify’s app and theme ecosystems.

Merchants should compare the latest rates on Shopify’s official plan comparison before subscribing. The page shows local pricing, billing options, card rates, and third-party payment fees.

• Starter suits merchants who mainly sell through links, messages, and social platforms.
• Basic targets solo entrepreneurs operating a complete online store.
• Grow adds staff accounts and lower payment rates for expanding teams.
• Advanced adds more international, reporting, and shipping capabilities.
• Plus targets larger businesses with complex commerce requirements.

Starter and Basic serve different types of sellers

The lower-priced Starter plan does not provide the same complete storefront experience as Basic. It focuses on lightweight selling through social platforms, messages, and shareable product links.

Basic provides the stronger starting point for merchants who need a conventional ecommerce website with a catalogue, collections, theme customisation, checkout, navigation, and content pages.

Shopify lets merchants manage and change their subscription through the administration area. Store owners should choose a plan based on the features they need rather than assuming the cheapest option will support a complete online shop.

Should you choose monthly or annual billing?

Annual billing usually reduces the effective monthly subscription price, but it requires an upfront commitment. A monthly plan costs more over a full year but gives a new business greater flexibility.

A first-time merchant may prefer monthly billing until the store generates consistent sales. This approach limits the initial commitment while the owner tests demand, advertising costs, fulfilment, returns, and profit margins.

Before confirming annual billing, merchants should review the total charge rather than focusing only on the lower monthly equivalent. Promotional pricing and billing choices can also differ by region.

How much does a Shopify store really cost?

The subscription represents only one part of the operating cost. Merchants may also pay for a domain, premium theme, third-party apps, email marketing tools, advertising, shipping, and payment processing.

Shopify does not charge a setup fee for its main plans. However, card-processing rates apply, and Shopify can charge additional transaction fees when a merchant uses a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments.

App charges can also begin during the free trial. Shopify states that paid app subscriptions or usage fees may appear on the merchant’s first invoice after the trial.

Cost category	Required?	What affects the price?
Shopify subscription	Yes, for an active store	Plan, country, and billing cycle
Payment processing	Yes, when accepting card payments	Plan, provider, country, and transaction type
Domain name	Optional	Registrar and domain extension
Theme	Optional	Free or premium design
Apps	Optional	Features, usage, and app developer pricing
Marketing	Optional	Advertising channels and campaign size

Shopify Plus has separate pricing

Shopify Plus targets enterprise merchants and does not follow the same simple monthly pricing structure as the standard plans.

According to the official Shopify Plus pricing page, plans start at $2,300 per month on a three-year term or $2,500 per month on a one-year term for standard setups. More complex businesses may pay a variable platform fee.

Most new sellers do not need Plus. Basic, Grow, or Advanced will usually provide a more appropriate feature set and lower financial commitment.

How to cancel a Shopify trial or subscription

Merchants who have not chosen a paid plan do not need to take further action when the trial expires. Shopify freezes the store until the owner selects a subscription.

Those who already selected a plan must manually cancel it. Shopify’s store deactivation guide directs owners to Settings > Plan, where they can select Cancel trial or Cancel plan.

Only the store owner can deactivate the store. Shopify Support cannot complete the cancellation on the merchant’s behalf.

1. Sign in as the Shopify store owner.
2. Open Settings.
3. Select Plan.
4. Choose Cancel trial or Cancel plan.
5. Review domains, apps, and outstanding charges.
6. Select a reason for closing the store.
7. Enter the account password and confirm cancellation.

Shopify keeps deactivated store data for two years

Deactivating a store does not normally delete all store information after 30 days. Shopify guarantees that the store’s information will remain available for two years, allowing the merchant to reactivate it without rebuilding everything.

The official cancellation documentation says merchants can request earlier deletion of customer personal information. Data erasure follows a separate process and can prevent the store from being restored.

Merchants should also review domain renewals and third-party services before closing. Some providers bill customers outside Shopify and may continue charging until the merchant cancels directly.

Can you pause a Shopify store instead?

Eligible merchants can use Shopify’s Pause and Build option after their free trial has ended and the store has moved to a paid plan.

The option keeps access to the Shopify administration area at a reduced subscription rate. Customers can browse the storefront, but checkout remains inactive, so they cannot complete purchases.

Merchants should inspect recurring app costs before pausing. Some app subscriptions may continue generating charges unless the store owner uninstalls or cancels them.

Important checks before launching

Before removing the password page, merchants should complete a test order and review every part of the customer journey. This includes product pages, cart behaviour, delivery rates, taxes, confirmation emails, and refund information.

Shopify’s store access guidance explains that disabling password protection makes the website available to anyone. Merchants should complete essential pages and policies before saving that change.

• Confirm that product prices and inventory are correct.
• Test payments or use Shopify’s test mode.
• Check shipping rates for every intended market.
• Review the store on a mobile phone.
• Add contact, privacy, shipping, and refund information.
• Connect the correct domain.
• Remove the storefront password.
• Open the public store in a private browser window.

Is the Shopify free trial worth using?

The Shopify free trial gives prospective merchants enough access to test the store builder, add products, configure core settings, and decide whether the platform suits their business.

However, three days creates a tight setup window. Merchants will get more value from the trial when they prepare product photographs, descriptions, prices, shipping rules, and policies before creating the account.

The extended promotional period provides more time to test real sales at a low subscription cost. Merchants should still budget for the full plan price, payment processing, apps, marketing, and other operating expenses once the promotion ends.

Who should consider Shopify Plus?

Shopify Plus suits businesses that need enterprise checkout controls, extensive B2B features, large international operations, high staff limits, or more complex organisational support.

The Plus plan details show a substantially higher commitment than Shopify’s standard subscriptions. Small and newly launched stores should usually begin on a lower plan and upgrade when their operational needs justify it.

Choosing a plan should depend on sales volume, staff requirements, payment costs, reporting needs, and international operations rather than the size of the promotional discount.

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