Most "Shopify free trial" guides were written for the 14-day free trial that Shopify quietly retired in 2023. The offer has changed at least twice since then, and the current version works very differently from what a lot of people still expect.
I set up a second store last month to test the current flow from scratch. Here is exactly what you get, what you can and cannot do during the trial, and how to avoid the three mistakes that catch most new sellers off guard.
TL;DR verdict
Shopify's current trial is 3 days free followed by 3 months at $1/month -- but you need a credit card to access the $1 phase, and you cannot sell publicly until you pick a plan AND manually remove the password page. Most beginners should start on the Basic plan at $39/month. Do not choose annual billing until you have validated your first sales. See how we test for methodology.
What is Shopify's free trial offer in 2026?
Shopify currently offers a 3-day free trial followed by an extended promotional period of 3 months at $1 per month. The two phases work differently and have different requirements.
During the 3-day free phase, you can build your store -- add products, customise your theme, set up payment methods, configure shipping -- but your storefront is locked behind a password page. No one from the public can see or buy from your store. You can access the admin and draft everything, but you cannot make a live sale.
To access the $1/month phase, you must choose a paid plan and enter a credit card. Once you do, the password lock is still not automatically removed -- you have to disable it manually in your Online Store settings. After you do both of those things, your store goes live and you can start selling.
The $1/month period lasts three months. After that, you are billed at the full plan rate unless you pause or cancel.
Offer terms change regularly
Shopify has adjusted the trial structure several times since 2022. The 3-day + $1/month deal has been the standard offer since late 2024, but Shopify sometimes runs limited-time promotions (extended free periods for specific regions or referral partners). The offer described here reflects the standard terms as of July 2026.
Does the Shopify free trial require a credit card?
Partially. The initial 3-day free trial does not require a credit card. You sign up with an email address and can access the store builder immediately.
To move into the $1/month extended period, you must add a payment method. Shopify accepts major credit cards and PayPal. If you do not add a payment method before the 3 days expire, your account goes into a frozen state -- you can log in and view the admin, but you cannot make changes or publish the store until you pick a plan.
A number of people misread the signup page and expect the full trial period to be card-free. It is not. If you are not ready to enter card details, use the 3 days for store setup and be prepared to add a card before they run out.
Can you sell during the Shopify free trial?
Not during the initial 3-day free phase. Your store is password-protected for the entire free period, which means the public cannot access your storefront or complete a checkout. There is no workaround for this -- it is baked into how the trial works.
Once you pick a plan and enter the $1/month phase, you can sell. But there is a catch that trips up a disproportionate number of new sellers: choosing a plan does not automatically remove the password page. You have to do it yourself. The setting is in Online Store > Preferences > Password Protection -- uncheck the "Restrict access to visitors with a password" box and hit save.
I have seen people run paid ads to their store during the trial period and wonder why nothing is converting. The store was still password-locked the entire time. Check this before you spend anything on traffic.
Start your Shopify free trial here -- the link takes you directly to the current offer.
What should you do during the 3-day free trial?
Three days is genuinely short. If you spend day one watching tutorials or browsing themes, you will run out of time before your store is in any state to test. Here is the order that makes the most sense:
Day 1: Foundation
- Pick a theme (start with a free one -- Dawn, Sense, or Refresh all convert well)
- Set your store name, currency, and timezone
- Add your first 5-10 products with photos, descriptions, and prices
- Connect your payment provider (Shopify Payments if available in your country, otherwise PayPal or Stripe)
- Configure your shipping zones and rates
Day 2: Store build
- Complete your product catalogue
- Build your core pages: About, Contact, Returns/Shipping policy (Shopify's policy generator is adequate)
- Set up your navigation menus
- Configure your checkout settings
- Install only the apps you know you need -- every app you install starts its own free trial clock
Day 3: Review and pick a plan
- Do a complete test order (Shopify has a test payment gateway you can use without charging a real card)
- Check your store looks correct on mobile
- Choose your plan before the trial expires
- Remove the password page once your plan is active
The point of the free trial is store setup, not selling. Use it accordingly.
Which Shopify plan should you pick after the trial?
Most new sellers should start on Shopify Basic. Here is a clear breakdown of what each plan includes and who it is actually for. Shopify's full pricing page has the current numbers, though it does not always show the promotional trial offer clearly.
| Plan | Monthly price | Annual price (per month) | Transaction fee (3rd-party) | Staff accounts | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $5 | N/A | 5% | 2 | Selling via social media links only -- no full online store |
| Basic | $39 | $29 | 2% | 2 | New stores just getting started -- the default choice |
| Shopify | $105 | $79 | 1% | 5 | Growing stores doing $3K+/month in revenue |
| Advanced | $399 | $299 | 0.5% | 15 | High-volume stores or those needing advanced reporting |
| Plus | From $2,300 | From $2,300 | 0.2% | Unlimited | Enterprise -- irrelevant for most readers of this guide |
The Starter plan trap. The $5/month Starter plan sounds like the obvious choice for a brand new seller, but it does not give you a real online store. You get a "Spotlight" theme you cannot meaningfully customise, no blog, no product collections, and no custom domain name that goes to a real storefront. It is designed for selling via product links shared on Instagram or TikTok -- not for building an ecommerce website.
And here is the part Shopify does not make obvious: if you sign up for the Starter plan and then decide you want a full store, you cannot upgrade to Basic through the normal flow. You end up needing to contact support or start a new account. Several forum threads confirm this dead end. If you want a real store, go to Basic from the start.
Why not go annual immediately? The annual billing discount is 25%, which sounds compelling. But Shopify does not give prorated refunds on annual subscriptions. If you commit to a year at $348 (12 months at $29) and discover in month 2 that ecommerce is not working for you -- or that Shopify is the wrong platform for your product type -- you cannot get that money back. Start monthly. Switch to annual once you have 2-3 months of sales data and know the model works.
What is the true cost of running a Shopify store?
The base plan fee is only part of what you will pay. I tested a lean but realistic store setup for a first-time seller, and here is what the first year actually costs.
| Cost item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic plan (monthly) | $39/month | Or $29/month if annual -- but start monthly |
| Custom domain | $14-20/year | Buy from Shopify or register elsewhere (Namecheap, Google Domains) |
| Premium theme | $0-$400 one-time | Free themes (Dawn, Sense) are genuinely good -- most new stores do not need a paid theme |
| Email marketing app (e.g. Klaviyo) | $0-$45/month | Free up to 250 contacts on Klaviyo; paid tier kicks in as you grow |
| Review app (e.g. Judge.me) | $0-$15/month | Judge.me has a solid free tier |
| Page builder (e.g. Shogun, Pagefly) | $0-$39/month | Free themes with native sections reduce the need for this |
| Abandoned cart / upsell app | $0-$20/month | Shopify's native checkout abandonment covers the basics on Basic plan |
| Payment processing (Shopify Payments) | 2.9% + $0.30/transaction | Industry standard; no extra Shopify fee if using Shopify Payments |
| Payment processing (3rd-party, Basic plan) | ~5% total | 2% Shopify fee + ~2.9% processor fee -- significant for high-volume stores |
The realistic monthly cost for a lean first store is $80-$150 once you factor in apps and payment processing. Budget for that, not $39.
If you are outside the 39 countries where Shopify Payments is available, the 2% additional transaction fee on Basic is material. A store doing $5,000/month in sales pays $100/month in Shopify transaction fees alone, on top of whatever your payment gateway charges. At that volume the Shopify plan ($105/month, 1% transaction fee) often works out cheaper in total.
What are the best AI tools to set up during your Shopify trial?
The three-day trial period is the right time to connect the tools that will drive your store once it goes live -- not after. These are the ones worth setting up before you remove the password page.
Email marketing from day one. Klaviyo connects to Shopify in under 10 minutes and sets up automated welcome, abandoned cart, and post-purchase sequences. The free tier covers 250 contacts, which is more than enough while you are building. By the time you hit your first 500 subscribers, those flows will have recovered their setup cost multiple times over. The full breakdown of Klaviyo's AI features is covered in this guide.
Product photography. If your product photos are shot on a phone with a plain background, Flair AI or Pebblely can generate professional lifestyle backgrounds in minutes without a photo studio. Both have free tiers that are adequate for a first catalogue.
AI-generated product descriptions. Shopify's built-in Magic feature will draft product descriptions from a few keywords. They are functional rather than great, but faster than writing 50 descriptions from scratch. Use them as a starting draft and edit for your brand voice.
Social content. Set up at least one social channel and schedule your first week of content before your store goes live. Blotato can generate a week of posts from a single product URL. You want traffic sources ready on launch day, not two weeks later.
The full list of tools worth connecting to a new Shopify store is covered in Best AI Tools for Shopify Store Owners.
How do you cancel the Shopify trial before being charged?
If you want to avoid being charged at the end of the $1/month period, you need to either cancel your account or pause your store before the promotional period expires.
To cancel: go to Settings > Plan > Cancel subscription. This immediately freezes your store. Your data is retained for 30 days, after which it is deleted.
To pause: the Pause and Build plan ($9/month) lets you keep your store active in a read-only state -- customers can browse but not buy -- while you take a break. Useful if you need more time before launching rather than wanting to quit entirely.
What Shopify does not do is send a prominent reminder before billing kicks in. You should set a calendar reminder for the end of your promotional period so you are not surprised by the full plan charge. Shopify's Terms of Service (Section 5) state that subscription fees are non-refundable, and support exceptions are inconsistently granted.
Start your trial here if you are ready to go -- the standard offer is currently 3 days free plus 3 months at $1.