The $5 Shopify Starter store that Shopify stopped selling — and what to use instead
Shopify quietly closed its $5 Starter plan to new stores. Here is what that means, what Basic costs instead, and the same store on SpreadFront - with sources for every number.
| SpreadFront | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan, per year | €108 (Starter, €9/mo billed yearly) | $29/mo billed yearly ($348/yr) (Basic, $39/mo monthly) |
| Products on that tier | 1,000 | unlimited |
| Custom domain on that tier | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Own Stripe / PayPal, platform fee | ✓ Yes · 0% | ✓ Yes · 2% on third-party gateways |
| Catalogue managed from a Google Sheet | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Google PageSpeed score (mobile, run it yourself) | 99 · PageSpeed: demo.spreadfront.com | 58 · PageSpeed: MollyJogger, a store listed on Shopify's own examples page |
Prices verified 15 September 2026 on Shopify's pricing page and ours. PageSpeed scores are mobile performance scores we measured on 16 September 2026; scores vary between runs, so run the links yourself. Changed since? Tell us and we correct it. Shopify is a trademark of its owner.
What happened to Shopify Starter
Starter was Shopify's $5-a-month storefront for selling through social and messaging apps. It is now closed to new stores: existing subscribers keep it, but once they upgrade they cannot come back. New merchants start on Basic at $29 a month billed yearly ($348 a year), or $39 monthly, plus a 2% fee on every sale taken through a third-party payment provider such as Stripe or PayPal. SpreadFront's entry paid plan, Starter, is €9 a month billed yearly with your own domain and 0% platform fee.
Why people switch
- Starter ($5 a month) is no longer available to new stores; existing subscribers who upgrade cannot return to it. [source]
- Basic, the entry plan for new merchants, is $39 a month or $29 a month billed yearly ($348 a year). [source]
- Basic adds a 2% fee on every sale taken through a third-party payment provider; Grow charges 1%. [source]
What Shopify users say
“The single biggest complaint tag is 'Expensive,' logged 156 times, well ahead of every other con category.”
“An extra 2% if you use your own payment gateway on Basic. It adds up to real money once you are doing volume, and it never stops. That is why sellers leave.”
“Shopify did not stand behind a fraudulent purchase… Shopify is too big for its britches.”
What you give up
Honesty cuts both ways. Shopify has these, SpreadFront does not:
- The App Store and themes. Thousands of apps and a large theme market. SpreadFront has four storefront themes and no app store.
- Shopify Payments, Shop Pay and POS. One-click Shop Pay checkout, in-person selling and a payments account that needs no separate Stripe setup. SpreadFront relies on your own Stripe or PayPal and sells online only.
- Inventory and variants. Shopify tracks stock per variant and stops overselling. SpreadFront reads a Stock cell and never decrements it, and product options share one price and stock.
Move your catalogue
Shopify exports products as CSV from Products → Export. Our importer maps that file onto the SpreadFront sheet template.
Import your Shopify CSV → Importer coming - leave your email and we migrate the first stores by hand.
FAQ
Can I still get Shopify Starter?
Not as a new store. Shopify's Help Center says the plan isn't available to new stores; existing Starter customers can keep it but cannot return once they upgrade. The entry plan for new merchants is Basic.
What does Basic really cost?
$39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly ($348 a year). If you take payments through Stripe, PayPal or another third-party provider instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds 2% of each sale.
What does SpreadFront cost for the same store?
Starter is €9 a month billed yearly (€108), with your own domain, 1,000 products, card checkout on your own Stripe or PayPal and 0% platform fee. Every paid plan starts with a 14-day free trial.
What will I miss from Shopify?
The App Store and theme market, Shopify Payments with Shop Pay and POS, and per-variant inventory tracking. If you need any of those, Shopify Basic is the right tool.
Try SpreadFront Starter
Every paid plan starts with a 14-day free trial (card required, nothing charged during the trial, and a 14-day refund after billing starts). €9 a month billed yearly, own domain, 0% platform fee.
Start the 14-day trial See a live store
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