Short answer
Etsy's per-order fees are more visible because the marketplace bundles discovery, listing, transaction, and payment services. Shopify can have lower payment fees on an order, but a seller should also include a monthly plan, apps, domain, and the cost of finding customers. The best comparison depends on order value, monthly volume, and acquisition cost.
What to include in an Etsy vs Shopify fee comparison
| Cost area | Etsy | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace or storefront | Listing and transaction fees can apply | Monthly plan and domain costs can apply |
| Payment processing | Varies by country and Etsy Payments terms | Varies by plan, country, card, and payment setup |
| Customer acquisition | Marketplace search is part of the platform, while ads may still apply | Seller normally funds ads, content, email, partnerships, or other acquisition |
| Optional services | Offsite Ads, currency conversion, and account-specific services may apply | Apps, themes, third-party payment fees, and operations tools may apply |
| Business costs outside the platform | Product, labor, packaging, fulfillment, seller-paid shipping, returns, and support | |
Worked $50 order comparison
In the controlled US comparison on this site, a $50 Etsy order has an estimated $5.20 in core listing, transaction, and payment fees. A comparable Shopify Basic order using the modeled domestic card rate has an estimated $1.75 payment fee before monthly plan, app, domain, and customer-acquisition costs. These are planning assumptions, not a recommendation or universal rate.
At 300 monthly orders, a hypothetical $120 combined Shopify plan-and-app cost adds $0.40 per order. A seller should also allocate the actual cost of acquiring an order. That is why an order-fee-only comparison can be misleading.
How to decide
- Start with a representative order value, discount, shipping charge, and destination.
- Use the rate tied to your Etsy shop and Shopify plan, not a generic rate.
- Allocate fixed Shopify costs across realistic monthly order volume.
- Add ads, content, affiliates, or other acquisition costs for each channel.
- Run both options through a full profit calculation.
Frequently asked questions
Is Etsy or Shopify cheaper for a new seller?
A new seller may value Etsy's marketplace demand, while Shopify may offer a lower order-level payment cost. Compare the cost to acquire customers and total monthly fixed cost before deciding.
Do Shopify fees include advertising?
No. Advertising and most acquisition costs are separate from Shopify's plan and payment processing fees.
Do Etsy fees include every seller cost?
No. Materials, labor, packaging, fulfillment, seller-paid shipping, returns, and many advertising costs are separate from Etsy's platform fees.