Shopify vs Etsy: which costs less at different sales volumes?
Etsy charges a share of every sale. Shopify charges a monthly plan and a smaller share of every sale. So the cheaper platform depends on how many orders you get. This guide compares the two at several volumes using the same inputs as our shopify vs etsy fees calculator, and then covers the costs that a fee table cannot show.
How the fees are built
On Etsy, each order pays a transaction fee on the item price plus the shipping you charge, a payment processing fee with a percentage and a fixed part, and a listing fee. Some orders also pay an Offsite Ads fee when they come from Etsy’s advertising outside the marketplace.
On Shopify, you pay a monthly plan, any apps you install, and card fees on each order: a percentage that is lower on higher plans plus a small fixed fee. If you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, there is an extra percentage on top.
The structure explains the result. Etsy’s cost scales with sales from the first order. Shopify has a fixed cost that you pay at zero sales, and then a lower cost per order.
The comparison at five volumes
Inputs: an item price of $35.00, $5.00 shipping charged, Shopify Basic billed annually, $30.00 of apps, 10% of Etsy orders from Offsite Ads and a marketing cost for the Shopify store of 5% of sales.
| Orders a month | Etsy fees | Shopify cost |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $48.50 | $93.60 |
| 50 | $242 | $232 |
| 100 | $485 | $405 |
| 300 | $1,455 | $1,097 |
| 1000 | $4,850 | $3,519 |
At low volume Etsy costs less, because Shopify’s fixed costs are spread over few orders. As volume grows, the gap closes and then reverses.
Where the two cross
With these inputs the crossover is about 43 orders a month. Below that, Etsy costs less. Above it, Shopify does. The exact number moves with your assumptions, so use the calculator rather than this table for your own case.
The marketing assumption matters most
Etsy’s fees buy you access to buyers. A Shopify store does not come with traffic. So the comparison depends on what it costs to bring buyers to your own store. The table shows how the 100-order result changes with that assumption.
| Own-store marketing | Shopify cost at 100 orders | Etsy fees at 100 orders |
|---|---|---|
| 0% of sales | $205 | $485 |
| 5% of sales | $405 | $485 |
| 15% of sales | $805 | $485 |
If you already have an audience, marketing for your own store may cost little. If you start from nothing, a store with no buyers is more expensive than any fee table suggests.
What fees do not show
- Control. On your own store you own the customer list and the design. On Etsy you follow the marketplace’s rules.
- Time. A store takes longer to build than an Etsy shop.
- Risk. Etsy can change its fees or policies, and so can Shopify.
- Both at once. Many sellers list on Etsy for discovery and run a store for repeat customers.
Which Shopify plan, and does it change the answer?
Higher Shopify plans cost more each month but charge a lower card rate. That only pays off when your sales are large enough for the saved percentage to exceed the extra plan price. At small volume, Basic is almost always the better fit, and moving up a plan makes the crossover with Etsy later, not sooner. Try each plan in the calculator with your expected order count before you pay for a higher one.
The same logic applies to billing. Paying for a year up front lowers the monthly price in the figures we use, but it commits cash before the store has earned anything. For a first store, many sellers prefer monthly billing until they know the orders are real.
Offsite Ads and other fees that change the picture
Etsy’s Offsite Ads fee applies only to orders that come through its advertising away from the marketplace, and the rate differs for shops above and below an annual sales threshold. Because it is charged as a share of the whole order, it can be the largest single fee on those orders. The calculator averages it over the share of orders you enter, so try a low and a high share to see the range.
On the Shopify side, the equivalent surprise is the extra percentage on sales through a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, and the monthly price of apps. None of these is hidden, but they are easy to leave out of a first estimate.
A simple way to decide
Start with Etsy if you are testing a product at low volume. Look at a store of your own once your orders are steady and the crossover is within reach, or when you want to own the customer relationship. Run both calculators with your real numbers: the etsy shop startup cost calculator for what a sale earns, and the shopify monthly cost calculator for what a store costs each month.
Fee figures were last reviewed on 10 November 2026. Platforms change fees, so confirm on Etsy’s and Shopify’s own pages.
Calculators for this guide
This guide gives general estimates for planning, not financial, tax or legal advice. Platform fees change; confirm current prices on each provider’s own site. Fee data last reviewed 10 November 2026.