Etsy fees vs Shopify fees (2026)
Etsy takes a cut of every sale; Shopify takes a fixed monthly rent and a smaller payment cut. Which is cheaper depends entirely on your volume. Here's the comparison at real price points.
The fee structures side by side
| Etsy | Shopify (Basic, monthly) | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $0 | $39/month |
| Payment processing | 3% + $0.25 | 2.9% + $0.30 online |
| Commission per sale | 6.5% of item + shipping | None |
| Listing cost | $0.20 per listing, 4 months | Unlimited products included |
| Built-in traffic | Yes — Etsy marketplace search | No — you bring your own traffic |
Example: a $25 + $5 shipping sale
On a single $25 sale with $5 shipping (US seller, no Offsite Ads):
- Etsy takes $3.30 ($0.20 listing + $1.95 transaction + $1.15 processing) — about 11% of the order.
- Shopify takes $1.02 in payment fees (2.9% + $0.30 on $30) — about 3.4% of the order, plus your $39 monthly plan.
The crossover is roughly 30–40 sales per month: below that, Etsy's no-fixed-cost model is cheaper; above it, Shopify's lower per-sale rate wins — before you even count Shopify's checkout and customization freedom.
Which should you pick?
- Start on Etsy if you have no audience — its built-in search traffic is worth more than the fee difference early on.
- Move to (or add) Shopify once you have repeat customers, an email list, or 30+ sales a month.
- Many sellers do both: Etsy for discovery, Shopify for repeat buyers and higher-margin branded sales.
Run your exact numbers first: Etsy fee calculator. Rates as of 2026 — confirm current pricing on etsy.com and shopify.com.