Many users of other eCommerce engines and online store owners wonder if Shopify is available for free, if there is such a thing as a free Shopify plan, and if a free Shopify is realistic. We will answer right away: yes and no - there is a free Shopify trial, which allows you to test the engine and make a final decision whether to switch to the paid version. In this article, we will show, among other things, how to set up Shopify for free, how the Shopify free trial works, and how much Shopify costs after the trial period.
Free Shopify trial
Is Shopify free? We answered in the introduction that it is not possible to have Shopify on a free plan, but there is a free Shopify trial. It allows you to explore the entire panel, store settings, applications, templates, and their customization from the perspective of a manager.
Shopify trial duration
The free Shopify trial version can be explored for 3 days, and during this time, we do not incur license costs.
As a Shopify agency, we have the ability to create development stores for our clients, which means that when migration to Shopify takes, for example, several weeks, we do not have to worry about a few-day trial and immediately switch to the paid version. Instead, we can work within the free version and change it only when it becomes necessary to continue project activities.
How to set up Shopify for free
So, how to set up Shopify for free? Just go to shopify.com and click ‘Start free trial’:
Then you need to register using your email address, Google, Apple or Facebook:
How to use Shopify for free
How to use Shopify for free to get the most value? It is very important in the whole process that the panel looks the same when Shopify is free as it does when we are already on the paid version, so we get to know the environment in which we will later actually operate (if we decide to go for the paid version).
In my opinion, it is definitely worth it to:
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add example products to learn what data we can enter and what the whole process looks like (of course, during migration, in most cases, we do not manually migrate product data, but regardless, it is worth knowing the data structure and possibilities in Shopify):
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create manual and automatic collections (smart collections):
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create all possible types of discounts to understand their mechanism:
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create several pages and an example menu,
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create a blog post,
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go through the Markets tab and create at least one dedicated market:
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look into the analytics tab to verify what data we can analyze directly within Shopify,
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check template customization within the 'Online store' tab (you can install any template and verify its settings and possibilities),
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visit the Shopify App Store,
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regarding Shopify settings, it's also worth getting to know the tabs for shipping, payments, checkout, customer accounts, locations, languages, customer privacy, and policies.
When we have the free Shopify trial period, it is also worth taking a look at the entire Shopify App Store section, but it is worth noting that the number of apps is huge, so it can be a bit overwhelming at first, but if we know what we are looking for, it is definitely better to explore the entire App Store.
How much does Shopify cost after the trial period
The cost of Shopify after the trial period depends on which plan you ultimately decide on. There are three standard licenses and one enterprise version. Prices as of July 2026 are:
|
Annual payment |
Monthly payment |
|
|
Basic |
PLN 948 / year |
PLN 109 / month |
|
Grow |
PLN 2868 / year |
PLN 319 / month |
|
Advanced |
PLN 14640 / year |
PLN 1630 / month |
|
Plus |
No annual billing option |
From EUR 2,100 / month |
