Marketplaces
Etsy vs Shopify
Real fees on $25, $100 and $500 — and when to pick each. Shopify keeps you more on a $100 sale.
| Sale price | Etsy fees | Etsy you keep | Shopify fees | Shopify you keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25.00 | - $2.83 | $22.18 | - $1.03 | $23.98 |
| $100.00 | - $9.95 | $90.05 | - $3.20 | $96.80 |
| $500.00 | - $47.95 | $452.05 | - $14.80 | $485.20 |
Based on each platform’s standard 2026 fees with no add-ons. Use the calculators for your exact category, store tier, or promoted listings.
When to pick Etsy
- Built-in traffic of millions of craft shoppers.
- No monthly subscription — pay per listing and sale.
- Best for starting out without a marketing budget.
When to pick Shopify
- Your own branded store with full design control.
- Lower per-sale fees once your volume scales.
- Keep all customer data and email list yourself.
A marketplace fee against a subscription
Etsy takes a share of every sale: about 9.95% on a $100 order (listing fee, 6.5% transaction fee, 3% + $0.25 processing). Shopify takes no commission when you use Shopify Payments; you pay card processing — 2.9% + 30¢ was the last openly published US Basic rate — plus a monthly plan. That makes the comparison a break-even calculation rather than a fixed answer: Etsy is cheaper when you sell little, Shopify when you sell enough to spread the subscription thin.
At a $100 average order, the per-order gap is about $6.75 in Shopify's favour ($9.95 vs $3.20). Against a $39 monthly Basic plan (the US list price), Shopify pulls ahead at roughly six orders a month. At a $30 average order the gap per order is about $2.20, and the break-even rises to about 18 orders a month.
| Orders per month at $100 | Etsy fees | Shopify fees + $39 plan | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | $29.85 | $48.60 | Etsy |
| 6 | $59.70 | $58.20 | Shopify |
| 20 | $199.00 | $103.00 | Shopify |
| 100 | $995.00 | $359.00 | Shopify |
What the fee buys on each side
Etsy's 10% buys a marketplace with buyers already searching for handmade and vintage goods; the store is the traffic. Shopify's plan buys a store with no traffic at all — every visitor comes from your own marketing, and that is the cost the fee table cannot show. Sellers who move from Etsy to Shopify to save fees usually discover the saving is real and the sales are not, unless they already have an audience.
Two Shopify caveats: if you do not use Shopify Payments (unavailable in some countries) Shopify adds a third-party transaction fee of 2% on Basic on top of your gateway's fee; and Shopify's public pricing page no longer prints its card rates, so check the rate in your own admin rather than in an article.
The common answer: both
Many makers keep Etsy for discovery and run Shopify for repeat customers, where the 10% no longer applies and the customer relationship is theirs. Etsy's Offsite Ads (12–15% on attributed sales, mandatory above $10,000 in trailing sales) is often the trigger: once a shop crosses that line, moving repeat buyers to a Shopify store is the cleanest way to stop paying it.
Go deeper
Other comparisons
Frequently asked questions
At what point is Shopify cheaper than Etsy?+
At a $100 average order, around six orders a month on the $39 Basic plan; at a $30 average order, around 18. Below those volumes Etsy's per-sale fee costs less than Shopify's subscription.
Does Shopify take a percentage of sales like Etsy?+
Not with Shopify Payments. You pay only card processing plus the plan. If you use another payment provider, Shopify adds a 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow) or 0.6% (Advanced) transaction fee on top of that provider's charge.
Which is cheaper, Etsy or Shopify?+
On a $100 sale, Shopify keeps more of your money. Etsy charges $9.95 on $100 (you keep $90.05); Shopify charges $3.20 (you keep $96.80). The answer can flip on very small or very large orders — use the full calculators for your exact numbers.
When should I choose Etsy?+
Built-in traffic of millions of craft shoppers. No monthly subscription — pay per listing and sale. Best for starting out without a marketing budget.
When should I choose Shopify?+
Your own branded store with full design control. Lower per-sale fees once your volume scales. Keep all customer data and email list yourself.
Can I use both Etsy and Shopify?+
Yes — many sellers cross-list to spread reach and compare what sells where. Just price each listing to cover that platform's specific fees so you stay profitable on either.
Where do these fee numbers come from?+
Each platform's published 2026 fee schedule, verified against its official help center. We update the rates as they change — see our methodology for details.