Etsy takes a cut of every sale; Shopify charges a monthly plan but lower per-sale fees. Enter your numbers to find the monthly break-even.
| Etsy | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $0 | $27 / $65 / $399 |
| Per-sale cost | ~6.5% + 3% payment + $0.20 + $0.25 | 2.9% / 2.7% / 2.5% + $0.30 |
| Built-in buyers / discovery | Yes — Etsy search & marketplace | No — you drive your own traffic |
| What you can sell | Handmade, vintage, craft supplies | Anything you choose |
| Store / brand ownership | Limited — you follow Etsy rules | Full ownership and customization |
At low order volumes Etsy wins because there is no monthly fee and it sends you buyers. As you grow, Shopify's lower per-sale percentage overtakes Etsy once the savings cover the subscription — that's the cross-over the calculator shows. But fee math is not the whole decision: on Etsy you rent access to an audience; on Shopify you own the store but must bring your own traffic (ads, SEO, social). Many sellers start on Etsy and add Shopify once they have repeat customers.
On a pure fee basis, Shopify Basic becomes cheaper per sale once volume is high enough that the lower payment percentage offsets the $27 subscription. At a handful of orders a month, Etsy's no-monthly-fee model is cheaper. Enter your real volume to see the exact point.
It is the number of monthly orders where Shopify's per-order savings exactly equal its subscription fee. With a $40 item it is typically in the low dozens of orders for Basic; use the calculator for your price.
Yes — the subscription includes hosting, your storefront, SSL and the website builder. Etsy gives you a shop page inside its marketplace but not a standalone site.
If you use a third-party payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments, an additional 2% / 1% / 0.6% applies by plan. Apps and themes may also cost extra; the calculator assumes Shopify Payments and no paid apps.
Yes, a common path is to validate products and learn what sells on Etsy, then open a Shopify store to build an owned brand and capture repeat customers, linking the two over time.
Many sellers validate on Etsy, then move to Shopify to build an owned brand and keep repeat customers.
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