Etsy vs Shopify Profit Calculator
Independent estimate for United States. Shopify customer-acquisition cost is not included unless entered above. Inputs stay in your browser; confirm both account statements before pricing.
Is Etsy or Shopify cheaper for selling the same handmade or creative product? The answer changes with order volume, payment method, seller location, advertising attribution, and the Shopify plan you choose. Etsy is primarily a marketplace with per-listing and per-sale deductions. Shopify is an owned storefront with a recurring subscription, payment processing, and potentially apps, marketing, and third-party provider charges. Comparing only Etsy's transaction percentage with a Shopify card rate misses most of the decision.
This calculator gives both channels the same item revenue, buyer-paid shipping, production cost, fulfillment cost, and other order costs. It then estimates platform-specific deductions for a US or UK scenario. Use it to test unit economics, not to predict demand. Your actual statements, payment mix, tax configuration, discounts, returns, and acquisition costs will control the real result.
How to use the Etsy vs Shopify calculator
- Select the seller's US or UK location, then keep product revenue and operating costs identical on both sides.
- Choose Basic, Grow, or Advanced and enter the Shopify billing cycle and realistic monthly order count.
- Select Shopify Payments or a third-party provider, and model Etsy Offsite Ads only when that attribution scenario applies.
- Compare estimated profit and margin, then rerun a low-volume, expected-volume, and conservative advertising case.
Enter total store orders when allocating the Shopify plan, not just sales of this product. If the store processes 100 orders per month, one order carries one-hundredth of the modeled monthly subscription. Keep optional apps and paid customer acquisition in other costs when they genuinely support the order.
US and UK Shopify plan differences
| Plan | US yearly / monthly billing | UK yearly / monthly billing | Standard online card rate with Shopify Payments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $29 / $39 per month | £19 / £25 per month | US 2.9% + $0.30; UK 2% + £0.25 |
| Grow | $79 / $105 per month | £49 / £65 per month | US 2.7% + $0.30; UK 1.7% + £0.25 |
| Advanced | $299 / $399 per month | £259 / £344 per month | US 2.5% + $0.30; UK 1.5% + £0.25 |
These are the public prices and starting standard card rates displayed on Shopify US pricing and Shopify UK pricing when verified. Annual prices are monthly equivalents paid on a yearly commitment. Grow adds staff capacity and a lower card rate; Advanced adds more staff capacity, stronger international features, live third-party carrier rates, and another rate reduction. Upgrade only when the fee savings and operational value exceed the higher subscription.
For a Shopify-only payout and profit breakdown, use the US and UK Shopify fee calculator. To decide when a higher subscription pays for itself, use the Shopify plan comparison and break-even calculator. Together they expose the order economics and the monthly upgrade decision without the Etsy comparison layer.
Allocate the Shopify subscription across orders
A $39 Basic subscription allocated across ten orders adds $3.90 to each modeled order; across 100 orders it adds $0.39. This is why Shopify can look expensive during a slow launch and more efficient at scale. Do not enter zero or an aspirational traffic target. Use completed orders from a comparable month, then stress-test a weaker month. The plan is a fixed store cost, so the allocation is managerial accounting rather than a fee Shopify literally deducts from each payout.
Shopify Payments versus a third-party provider
Shopify says stores using Shopify Payments as their sole provider pay the applicable card rate but no third-party transaction fee. If you use a direct third-party provider, you pay that provider's processing charges and Shopify's additional transaction fee. The current public Basic, Grow, and Advanced rates for that additional fee are 2%, 1%, and 0.6% in both regional comparisons. Orders processed through Shopify Payments can follow different rules when Shopify Payments is used alongside another provider.
Read Shopify's official explanations of Shopify Payments costs and third-party transaction fees. Provider availability, premium or international card pricing, local methods, refunds, chargebacks, and taxes can make an account's effective rate differ from the standard card preset.
What the Etsy side includes
Etsy's standard stack includes a $0.20 listing or renewal fee, a 6.5% transaction fee, and location-based Etsy Payments processing. The modeled US processing rate is 3% plus $0.25 per order; the UK rate is 4% plus £0.20. UK sellers can also face the 0.48% Regulatory Operating Fee. Listing in a currency different from the payment-account currency can trigger Etsy's 2.5% conversion fee.
Offsite Ads are conditional. An attributed order is generally charged 15% while the shop remains below the policy's $10,000 threshold and 12% after the threshold is reached; the fee is capped at $100 per attributed order. Model both no-ad and attributed-order cases. Official references: Etsy Fees & Payments Policy, Etsy Payments Policy, and Etsy Offsite Ads. For a line-by-line audit, use the standalone Etsy fee and profit calculator.
Shopify's 2026 currency-conversion change
Starting April 6, 2026, Shopify calculates currency conversion and Multi-Currency Payout fees directly on the gross order amount. Previously, the formula used an amount after Shopify Payments fees and divided by one plus the conversion rate. The new method makes the stated conversion percentage apply directly to gross revenue, so cross-border sellers may see a small difference. See Shopify's 2026 calculation notice and local-currency guidance.
Do not add a conversion fee to every domestic order. It applies when the customer's payment currency differs from the relevant Shopify Payments payout currency. Automatic and manual market pricing can also present the cost differently. Match the calculator input to the actual transaction and payout currencies.
Compare the same product, not two different businesses
Use identical item price, shipping revenue, material, labor, packaging, and postage to isolate the channel difference. Then add channel-specific costs deliberately: Etsy Offsite Ads on the Etsy side; plan allocation, apps, payment choice, and customer acquisition on Shopify. Compare margin as well as currency profit. If those measures are easy to confuse, read markup versus margin.
Non-fee differences that often decide the winner
Marketplace discovery versus an owned store
Etsy places eligible listings inside an established marketplace where shoppers already search. Shopify gives you a dedicated storefront, but it does not automatically supply equivalent buyer intent. Search, content, email, social, partnerships, and paid campaigns may be necessary to acquire customers.
Brand and customer control
Shopify generally offers more control over design, navigation, merchandising, customer journeys, and first-party relationships. Etsy standardizes more of the experience and keeps sellers within marketplace rules. That tradeoff can matter more than a small fee difference when repeat purchases and brand equity drive the business.
Apps and operations
Shopify apps can add subscriptions or usage charges for reviews, bundles, personalization, fulfillment, analytics, and tax workflows. They can also automate work. Etsy offers a simpler marketplace workflow but still demands listing management, customer service, policy compliance, and fulfillment. Price software and owner time as real operating costs.
Should you use Etsy, Shopify, or both?
Etsy can be a practical discovery channel for a new product; Shopify can become stronger when a seller can generate repeatable traffic and spread fixed costs across enough orders. Many businesses test both, but inventory syncing, lead times, returns, customer communication, and channel-specific policies create operational overhead. Never move an Etsy-initiated transaction off-platform in violation of Etsy rules. Compare this decision with the Etsy versus Amazon Handmade calculator before adding another marketplace.
Methodology, sources, and independence
MakerGauge explains formula scope, rounding, and update practices in its calculation methodology. Our editorial policy covers sourcing, corrections, and commercial independence. Estimates may retain greater precision than the currency values displayed.
Audit the Shopify side separately before changing your plan, price, or sales channel.
Open the Shopify fee calculator