How to Change Your Plan on Shopify (2026)

Switching your Shopify subscription plan takes about two minutes. You can upgrade, downgrade, or change your billing cycle directly from your Shopify admin, and the new plan kicks in immediately.

But here’s what most guides skip… the decision of when to switch matters more than the steps themselves. Changing plans at the wrong time can mean overpaying on transaction fees, losing access to staff accounts, or missing out on annual billing savings.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the current Shopify plan pricing, help you figure out whether an upgrade or downgrade makes sense for your store, and then show you the exact steps to make the switch on both desktop and mobile.

Shopify Plans and Pricing at a Glance

Before you switch plans, you need to know what you’re switching to. Here’s a breakdown of all current Shopify plan pricing in USD.

A few things worth noting here.

The yearly billing discount is significant. You save roughly 25% on Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans by choosing annual billing over monthly. That adds up quickly if you’re committed to your store for the long run.

Shopify also offers a promotional trial: start for free, then pay $1/mo for three months. If you’re still on a free trial or the $1 trial period, you can switch to any paid plan at any time.

When Should You Change Your Shopify Plan?

Changing your Shopify plan isn’t something you do on a whim. It should be a calculated decision tied to how your store is actually performing.

Signs You Need to Upgrade

Here are the most common signals that it’s time to upgrade your Shopify plan:

1. You’re paying too much in transaction fees. If your store processes more than $5,000/mo through a third-party payment gateway, the difference between Basic’s 2% fee and Grow’s 1% fee starts eating into your margins. Run the math on your monthly sales volume.
2. You need more staff accounts. Basic gives you one staff account. If you’ve hired a virtual assistant, a marketing person, or a fulfillment partner, you’ll need Grow (five accounts) or Advanced (15 accounts).
3. You want better reporting. Basic plan analytics are limited. Grow gives you professional reports, and Advanced gives you custom report builders with full Shopify reports and analytics. If you’re making data-driven decisions about inventory and marketing, the upgrade pays for itself.
4. Your business growth demands it. Scaling stores eventually hit ceilings on their current plan. More locations, more markets, more complex shipping rules… these all push toward Advanced or even the enterprise plan, Shopify Plus.

When Downgrading Makes Sense

Downgrading your Shopify plan isn’t failure, it’s smart cost management. Consider a downgrade if you’re:

• Paying for features you don’t use
• On Advanced but only have two staff members
• Not using custom reports
• Overspending

Seasonal businesses are another case. A store that does 80% of its revenue in Q4 might benefit from upgrading to Advanced during peak season and switching back to Grow for the rest of the year.

One honest warning though: downgrading might result in losing access to certain features. If you’re using Advanced’s custom checkout scripts or third-party calculated shipping rates, those stop working when you drop to a lower plan. Review what you’ll lose before you switch.

Important Considerations Before Changing Shopify Plans

Before you switch your Shopify plan, it’s crucial to weigh a few key considerations to ensure a smooth transition and avoid any unexpected surprises:

Prorated Billing Explained

Shopify doesn’t charge you the full price of the new plan immediately. Instead, it calculates a prorated amount based on how much time is left in your current billing cycle.

Here’s how it works in practice. Say you’re on Basic ($39/mo paid monthly) and you upgrade to Grow ($105/mo) halfway through your billing cycle. Shopify credits you for the unused portion of Basic and charges you only for the remaining days on Grow.

This means you won’t get double-charged. And if you’re downgrading, the credit from your current plan gets applied to the new, lower-priced plan.

Feature Access Changes

When you upgrade, new features activate right away. When you downgrade, you lose access to features exclusive to your previous plan.

Here’s what typically changes between plans:

• Staff accounts drop to the new plan’s limit (extra users lose access)
• Reports revert to the new plan’s reporting tier
• Shipping features like real-time carrier rates (Advanced only) get disabled
• International pricing and duty/import tax features (Advanced and Plus) are removed

The key move here is to audit your current feature usage before downgrading. Go to Settings > Plan in your admin and review what your current plan includes.

Billing Cycle Considerations (Monthly vs Annual)

Changing your Shopify billing cycle is technically a plan change too, and it’s one of the most impactful switches you can make.

If you’re currently paying monthly for any Shopify subscription plan, switching to annual billing saves you roughly 25%. On the Grow plan, that’s the difference between paying $1,260/year (monthly billing) and $588/year (annual billing). That’s $672 back in your pocket.

When you change your billing cycle, a new cycle starts immediately. You’ll receive a bill for the full upcoming period at the new rate, and any remaining credit from your old cycle gets applied.

One thing to keep in mind: annual plans require upfront payment for the full year. Make sure your cash flow supports it before committing.

How to Change Your Shopify Plan (Step-by-Step Guide)

The actual process of switching your Shopify plan is quick. Here’s how to do it on both desktop and mobile.

On Desktop

Step 1: From your Shopify admin, click Settings > Plans

Step 2: You’ll see your current plan details, click Change plan

Step 3: Shopify shows all available plans with their features, credit card rates, and pricing. Take a moment to compare, then click Start plan on the one you want.

Step 4: Review your payment method, and click Subscribe

And that’s it! Your store is now switched to the new Shopify plan. Your admin dashboard will reflect the updated features and pricing.

On Mobile (Android & iOS)

You can also change your Shopify plan from your mobile phone on the go with similar steps:

1. Install and open the Shopify app on your mobile devices
2. Tap the … button, and then tap Settings > Plan.
3. Click Change plan
4. Review the currently available plans, and then click Choose plan
5. Choose from the available options the plan that suits your needs. Click Select
6. Review your payment method, then click Subscribe

The mobile steps mirror the desktop process almost exactly. The only difference is the button labels are slightly different

Common mistakes to avoid when changing Shopify plans.

After walking through hundreds of Shopify plan changes, here are the mistakes I see store owners make most often:

• Switching plans mid-campaign. If you’re running a flash sale or a big ad push, your billing resets the moment you switch. A new invoice hitting your card mid-campaign can cause a failed payment if you’re close to your credit limit. Time your plan change for a quiet week.
• Not testing checkout after downgrading. This is the one most merchants skip. You’ve read what can change, but the only way to confirm nothing broke for your store is to place a test order. Check shipping rates, tax calculations, and discount codes.
• Upgrading for a single feature you can get from an app. Some merchants jump to Advanced for better reports when a $20/mo analytics app would give them the same data. Before upgrading, check the Shopify App Store for the specific feature you need. The app might be cheaper than the plan difference.
• Locking into annual billing too early. The 25% discount is attractive, but if your store is less than six months old or your revenue swings month to month, you could end up paying for a full year of a plan that doesn’t fit by month three.

Bottom Line

Changing your Shopify plan is a two-minute task. The bigger question is when to switch and which plan actually matches where your business is right now.

Here’s the quick summary:

• Upgrade when transaction fees, staff limits, or reporting gaps are costing you more than the plan price difference
• Downgrade when you’re paying for features you don’t use
• Switch to annual billing if you’re committed to Shopify for the year… the 25% savings is too good to ignore
• Always check feature access before downgrading so nothing breaks

Your Shopify plan should grow with your store. Review it every quarter, and don’t be afraid to change it when your needs shift.

FAQs

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