Shopify
6.8/10Shopify is an e-commerce platform for building online stores. It includes built-in marketing tools: Shopify Messaging for email and SMS campaigns, customer segmentation, and automations.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
Shopify is a commerce platform for running an online store. Its marketing layer is built on store data. Shopify Messaging, formerly Shopify Email, lets merchants send campaigns and automated flows such as welcome, winback and upsell emails. It uses a drag-and-drop editor with templates that pull in store branding and products. Customer segments are built from Shopify's own data, such as purchase history, location and tags. Sidekick AI drafts copy and suggests send times. Pay-per-send SMS is available in select countries. Reports cover opens, delivery, sales and conversions. Abandoned cart recovery is part of the core platform. The marketing tools suit small and mid-sized merchants who already sell on Shopify and want email without paying for a separate tool. Pricing has two parts. The store subscription in USD is Basic at $39 a month, Grow at $105 and Advanced at $399 on monthly billing, about 25% less on annual billing. Plus starts at about $2,300 a month. Messaging includes 10,000 emails a month free on every plan, then costs $1 per 1,000 emails, with volume discounts after 300,000. Shopify connects to a large app store, and many merchants add dedicated tools such as Klaviyo or Omnisend. The main limitation is depth. Independent comparisons report no or very limited A/B testing, simpler segmentation and reporting than Klaviyo, and that the tools only work for Shopify stores.
Our Rating
Who Shopify is best for
Good fit
Low entry plans and 10,000 free emails a month suit small merchants.
New stores get marketing tools built in without buying a separate email platform.
- Mid-Market7/10
Grow and Advanced plans scale well, though marketing teams often add Klaviyo for depth.
Less suited
Agencies widely build and manage Shopify stores, but the email tooling is limited to Shopify.
Shopify Plus serves large brands, but its native marketing tools are basic for enterprise needs.
Testing, segmentation and reporting are shallower than in dedicated marketing platforms.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Every plan includes 10,000 free emails a month, and billing is by emails sent rather than by contact count.
- Email templates pull in store branding and products automatically, so merchants can build shoppable campaigns without design work.
- Segments and automations use native order and customer data, with no syncing to another tool.
- Abandoned cart recovery and multichannel selling are part of the core platform.
- A large app ecosystem lets merchants add tools such as Klaviyo or Omnisend when they outgrow the native features.
Cons
- Independent comparisons report that A/B testing for emails is missing or limited to subject lines.
- Segmentation and reporting are simpler than in dedicated email platforms such as Klaviyo.
- The marketing tools only work with Shopify stores.
- Total cost climbs with paid themes, paid apps and transaction fees, and the free trial is short.
- SMS is only available in select countries.
Key Features
Shopify Pricing
Basic
or $348/year (save 26%)
- 10,000 free emails per month
- No additional staff accounts
- Up to 10 inventory locations
- Online card rate 2.9% + $0.30
- Email campaigns and pay-per-send SMS
- 2% fee when using third-party payment providers
Grow
or $948/year (save 25%)
- 5 staff accounts
- 10,000 free emails per month
- Up to 10 inventory locations
- Online card rate 2.7% + $0.30
- 1% fee when using third-party payment providers
Advanced
or $3,588/year (save 25%)
- 15 staff accounts
- Up to 2x API rate limits
- 10,000 free emails per month
- Online card rate 2.5% + $0.30
- 0.6% fee when using third-party payment providers
Plus
- Unlimited B2B catalogs
- 25 headless storefronts
- Unlimited staff accounts
- Up to 10x API rate limits
- Up to 200 inventory locations
- From $2,300 per month on a 3-year term, as listed by a third-party guide
Starter
- Sell through social and links
- Online card rate from 2.9% + $0.30
- $5 per month as listed by a third-party guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Every plan includes 10,000 emails a month. After that, emails cost $1 per 1,000, and rates drop after 300,000 emails a month. There is no separate contract.
Yes. Shopify Messaging offers pay-per-send SMS campaigns in select countries. SMS is billed separately from email.
Independent comparisons say native A/B testing is missing or very limited. Merchants who need it usually add Klaviyo or a similar app.
Shopify offers a short free trial, reported as three days, and has run promotions with the first months for $1. There is no permanent free plan.
Annual billing is about 25% cheaper. For example, Basic drops from $39 to $29 a month.
Forms are handled by the separate free Shopify Forms app rather than inside the email editor.
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