Quick answer
Choose Etsy if you have no audience yet: it shows your listings to its own shoppers and has no subscription fee on Etsy Standard, but it charges $3.30 in fees on a $30 sale. Choose Shopify if you already bring your own buyers: the same sale costs $1.17 in card fees, plus $39 a month for the Basic plan. You can also run both, with Etsy for its shoppers and Shopify for buyers who come to you directly.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in the comparison or the fee example. See where Nation fits.
How we compared
The short answer to Shopify vs Etsy: Etsy brings shoppers to your listings and takes more of each sale. Shopify takes less of each sale and charges a monthly plan, and most of its buyers have to come from you. Both were checked against the same four questions, and the first one decides more than the fees do.
- Who brings the buyers Etsy is a marketplace that shows your listings to shoppers already on the site. Shopify gives you a store of your own, so most buyers come from what you do: social posts, ads, email, search or word of mouth.
- Fees on each sale Percentage and fixed fees on one order, read from each platform's own fee page for a US seller.
- Fixed monthly cost What you pay in a month with no sales, at the plan a small seller would start on.
- Rules and limits Fees you cannot switch off, listing rules and what you control about the store.
Shopify vs Etsy at a glance
Each platform is shown at the plan a small seller would start on. The source and check date for every number are listed under each platform and at the end of the page.
Shopify vs Etsy fees on one $30 sale
Fees are easier to compare on one order than as percentages. The example is one $30 candle, paid by card, with free shipping and no sales tax. On Shopify Basic that sale pays card processing of 2.9% + 30¢, and there is no transaction fee with Shopify Payments. On Etsy it pays a listing fee of $0.20 per listing, a 6.5% transaction fee and 3% + $0.25 for payment processing.
- Shopify baseline $1.17 plus $39 a month Card 2.9% + 30¢ $1.17
- Etsy $3.30 no monthly plan Listing $0.20, Transaction 6.5% $1.95, Processing 3% + $0.25 $1.15
Assumes a $30 item, free shipping, no tax, a standard US card paid online, no ads and no currency conversion. Shopify uses Shopify Payments; another payment provider adds 2% on Basic. Etsy's Offsite Ads fee is left out because it applies only to orders that came from one of Etsy's offsite ads. Etsy's shop setup fee is left out too: it is a one-time, non-refundable fee for opening your shop, and the cost varies by location.
Shopify and Etsy in detail
Both platforms get the same five lines: price, fees per sale, what it is strong at, who it is best for and its main limit.
The baseline. Shopify is an own-store builder: you get an online store of your own and bring buyers to it yourself.
- Price
- Basic plan $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly. New stores get 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months.
- Fees per sale
- Card processing of 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, and no transaction fee with Shopify Payments. Another payment provider adds 2%.
- Strong at
- Control over your own store and brand. Basic includes themes and templates, and you can integrate with 1000s of apps.
- Best for
- Sellers with an audience who sell enough each month to cover the plan.
- Limit
- The plan fee is due in months with no sales, and you have to bring most of the traffic yourself through social posts, ads, email or search.
Etsy calls itself the marketplace for original items from real people. It shows your listings to its own shoppers, and you pay for that reach through higher fees on each sale.
- Price
- There is no subscription fee on Etsy Standard. Etsy Plus is optional at $10 a month. Etsy may also charge a one-time, non-refundable fee for opening your shop; the cost varies by location.
- Fees per sale
- A 6.5% transaction fee and 3% + $0.25 processing on the order. The listing fee is $0.20 per listing, and a listing expires after 4 months.
- Strong at
- Reach without an audience: your listings sit in a marketplace where shoppers already search.
- Best for
- Sellers starting out with no audience of their own.
- Limit
- Etsy allows only items made, designed, handpicked, or sourced by a seller, and sourced items are limited to craft and party supplies, and items that are personalized with a buyer’s custom text or image. Offsite Ads charge a fee on orders that come from Etsy's offsite ads, up to $100 per order: shops under $10,000 in sales over the past 365 days can opt out, and pay 15% if they stay in. Shops that reach that threshold pay 12%, mandatory for the lifetime of the shop.
Which one fits you
You have no audience yet and need shoppers to find you.
Etsy
Etsy brings its own shoppers and has no subscription fee on Etsy Standard. You pay for that reach in fees: $3.30 on a $30 sale against $1.17 on Shopify.
You are testing an idea and expect only a few sales a month.
Etsy
A slow month costs only the listing fee of $0.20 per listing and fees on what sells, since there is no subscription fee on Etsy Standard.
You have a following on Instagram or TikTok and send buyers to a link.
Shopify
Your buyers already come from you, so Etsy's reach adds less. Each $30 sale costs $1.17 in card fees, plus $39 a month for the Basic plan once the trial offer ends.
You want your own brand and a store outside a marketplace.
Shopify
A Shopify store is your own site, which you design and send buyers to. An Etsy shop sits inside Etsy and follows its rules, including that every item must be made, designed, handpicked, or sourced by a seller.
You sell on Etsy and want a simple site of your own without moving.
Etsy with Pattern
Etsy's Pattern tool lets you create a personalized website for $15.00 a month after a 30-day free trial. For items already on your Etsy shop, there are no additional listing fees to list items on your Pattern site.
You want marketplace shoppers and your own store at once.
Both
Keep Etsy for its shoppers and send your own audience to Shopify. Shopify's own sync app, Marketplace Connect, says new connections to Etsy can't be made at this time, so plan how you will keep listings and stock counts in step.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. Because pricing is not announced yet, it is not compared on fees here.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. Nation is not compared here and will not be added to the fee example until signup is public and pricing is published.
Describe what you makeDisclosure and method
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. Nation is not compared here and will not be added to the comparison until signup is public and pricing is published.
The page compares Shopify and Etsy for a US seller of physical products. Neither platform paid to be included, and none of the links are affiliate links.
Every fee was read on the platform's own pricing or fee page on 2 Oct 2026, then re-read in a separate check. Each platform's section names its source, and the full list is below.
Questions about Shopify vs Etsy
Etsy or Shopify: which is better for a new seller?
Etsy is usually the easier start for a new seller with no audience, because Etsy shows listings to its own shoppers and has no subscription fee on Etsy Standard. Shopify suits a new seller who already has followers or a customer list, since most Shopify buyers have to come from you. Once the trial offer ends, Shopify Basic costs $39 a month even in a month with no sales.
What are the fees on Shopify vs Etsy?
Shopify vs Etsy fees on a $30 card sale come to $1.17 on Shopify Basic and $3.30 on Etsy. Shopify charges 2.9% + 30¢ with Shopify Payments, plus $39 a month for the Basic plan. Etsy charges $0.20 per listing, a 6.5% transaction fee and 3% + $0.25 for processing, and there is no subscription fee on Etsy Standard.
Is Shopify cheaper than Etsy?
Shopify is cheaper than Etsy on each sale, but only Shopify requires a monthly plan. On a $30 sale Shopify takes $1.17 in fees and Etsy takes $3.30, but Shopify Basic adds $39 a month whether or not you sell. Shopify comes out cheaper only once you make enough sales each month for the lower fees to cover the plan, and those buyers have to come from you.
Does Shopify bring you customers the way Etsy does?
Shopify does not bring you customers the way Etsy does. Etsy is a marketplace where shoppers search and find your listings. A Shopify store is your own site, so most visitors arrive through what you do: social posts, ads, email, search engines or word of mouth. That reach is what Etsy's higher fees pay for.
Can I sell on Shopify and Etsy at the same time?
You can sell on Shopify and Etsy at the same time: Etsy for marketplace shoppers and Shopify for repeat buyers and social media traffic. The cost is two sets of listings and stock counts to keep in step. Shopify's own Marketplace Connect app cannot make that link for you now: its help page says new connections to Etsy can't be made at this time.
Is Nation an alternative to Shopify or Etsy?
Nation is not an alternative to Shopify or Etsy that you can compare today. Nation is an AI store builder, it is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, and its pricing is not announced yet. Unlike Etsy, no shopper marketplace has been announced. Nation will be added to this comparison once signup is public and pricing is published.