Is LaunchMyStore cheaper than Shopify?

At the entry level, yes. LaunchMyStore Starter is $24/month billed yearly ($30 monthly) against $29 (or $39) for Shopify Basic, and it includes premium themes that Shopify stores often pay extra for, with free product reviews from Foundry Reviews, LaunchMyStore's own reviews app. Stores that need variants use Gold at $70/month billed yearly.

Does Shopify charge transaction fees?

Only if you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced. LaunchMyStore charges 0% platform transaction fees on every plan and gateway; you pay only your gateway's rate.

Can I move my Shopify store to LaunchMyStore?

Yes. Export your products from Shopify as a CSV and upload it with the Shopify importer, included on Gold and Platinum. Book a free call and we'll run a live import with you.

Can I use my Shopify theme on LaunchMyStore?

LaunchMyStore themes use Liquid, the same templating language as Shopify themes, so the structure will be familiar to you or your developer. Premium LaunchMyStore themes are included on every plan.

When is Shopify the better choice?

When you need a specific app from its App Store of over 16,000 apps, sell more than 5,000 products, run physical shops with Shopify POS hardware, or need Shopify Plus. Shopify's ecosystem is the largest in ecommerce.

Does LaunchMyStore have AI like Shopify Sidekick?

Yes. Every plan includes the Nova AI agent in your admin, an AI content suite, and an MCP server so Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor can manage your store. Shopify includes Sidekick and AI connectors on every plan too.

CompareUpdated November 2026

LaunchMyStore vs Shopify More included, fewer fees.

LaunchMyStore Starter is $24 a month billed yearly against $29 for Shopify Basic. It charges 0% platform transaction fees on all 34+ gateways, where Shopify adds up to 2% unless you use Shopify Payments, and it includes premium themes and 104 storefront languages by default, with free product reviews from Foundry Reviews, its own reviews app. Shopify wins on app choice and unlimited products.

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Found us through ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity or Gemini? New stores get 2,000 bonus Nova AI credits that never expire with code ASKAI. See the offer

Included by default

What does LaunchMyStore include by default?

0% platform transaction feesOn every plan and every gateway. You pay only your payment provider's own rate.
104 storefront languagesIncluded by default on every plan.
Nova AI agentSets up and runs your store from chat on every plan, with an MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor.
Product reviews, freeFree with Foundry Reviews, LaunchMyStore's own reviews app.
Premium themesIncluded on every plan, with the visual theme editor.
34+ payment gatewaysStripe, PayPal, Square, Tap Payments, PayTabs and more, on every plan.
POS included free on Platinum2 seats included. On Starter and Gold, POS is an add-on at $49 per store per month.

$24/mo

LaunchMyStore Starter, billed yearly

Shopify Basic: $29/mo billed yearly, $39 monthly

0%

Platform fee on every gateway

Shopify adds 2% on Basic unless you use Shopify Payments

$0

For premium themes

Shopify's paid themes cost $100–$500 each

104

Storefront languages, included by default on every plan

Shopify allows up to 20 below Plus

The short answer

LaunchMyStore or Shopify: which fits your store?

Shopify is the biggest name for good reasons: its app store and retail tools are hard to beat. LaunchMyStore is for merchants who want more of the essentials included and no penalty for choosing their own gateway.

Choose LaunchMyStore if

You want to keep your own gateway, such as Stripe, Square or Authorize.Net, with no extra platform fee on top.
You'd rather have premium themes included, and product reviews free with Foundry Reviews, LaunchMyStore's own reviews app, than pay for them.
You sell, or plan to sell, in more than 20 languages.
You want a lower price to start: $24/mo billed yearly, or $30 month to month.
You're moving from Shopify and want a built-in Shopify importer and Liquid-based themes.
You want a till as well as a website: POS is included free on Platinum (2 seats), or $49 per store per month on Starter and Gold, against $89/mo per location for Shopify POS Pro.

Choose Shopify if

You need a specific app from Shopify's App Store of over 16,000 apps.
Your catalog is larger than 5,000 products. Shopify plans have no product limit.
You run physical shops and want Shopify's POS hardware and POS Pro.
You want Shop Pay's built-in checkout network.
You need enterprise features from Shopify Plus.

Side by side

LaunchMyStore vs Shopify, feature by feature

Shopify facts checked in November 2026 on Shopify's US pricing page, help center, Theme Store and App Store. Numbered notes link to each source.

LaunchMyStore compared with Shopify, checked November 2026
	LaunchMyStore	Shopify
Cost
Entry plan	LaunchMyStoreStarter: $24/mo billed yearly, $30 monthly	ShopifyBasic: $29/mo billed yearly, $39 monthly¹
Next plan up	LaunchMyStoreGold: $70/mo billed yearly, $83 monthly	ShopifyGrow: $105 monthly¹
Fee for using your own gateway	LaunchMyStoreNone. 0% on all 34+ gateways	Shopify2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced) unless you use Shopify Payments¹
Free trial	LaunchMyStore7 days, $0 to start	Shopify3 days free, then $1/mo for 3 months¹
Store and design
Premium themes	LaunchMyStoreIncluded on every plan	Shopify24 free themes; paid themes cost $100–$500 each²
Product reviews	LaunchMyStoreFree with Foundry Reviews, LaunchMyStore's own reviews app	ShopifyNeeds a third-party app, e.g. Judge.me (free plan, or $15/mo)³
Storefront languages	LaunchMyStore104 languages, included by default on every plan	ShopifyUp to 20 (30 on Plus)⁴
Products	LaunchMyStore100 (Starter), 1,000 (Gold), 5,000 (Platinum)	ShopifyUnlimited on every plan¹
App store	LaunchMyStore55+ apps	ShopifyOver 16,000 apps⁵
Selling
Payment gateways	LaunchMyStore34+, including Stripe, PayPal, Square and Authorize.Net	ShopifyShopify Payments, or a third-party provider with the fee above¹
Multiple currencies	LaunchMyStoreIncluded on Gold and Platinum	ShopifyLocal-currency checkout needs Shopify Payments¹
Subscriptions	LaunchMyStoreIncluded on Gold and Platinum, billed through Stripe	ShopifyFree with Shopify Subscriptions, Shopify's own app⁶
Digital products	LaunchMyStoreIncluded on Gold and Platinum	ShopifyFree with Shopify Digital Products, Shopify's own app⁷
Point of sale	LaunchMyStoreIncluded free on Platinum (2 seats); on Starter and Gold, an add-on at $49 per store per month	ShopifyBasic in-person selling on every plan; POS Pro $89/mo per location⁸
AI
AI assistant in the admin	LaunchMyStoreNova AI agent on every plan	ShopifySidekick on every plan⁹
Manage the store from Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor	LaunchMyStoreMCP server on every plan	ShopifyConnectors for ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools¹⁰
AI product descriptions and SEO	LaunchMyStoreAI content suite on every plan	ShopifyContent writing in Sidekick⁹

Included (plan noted where it starts higher) Via an app or add-on, or with a fee or limit Not available

Sources

Shopify facts checked November 2026 on the pages listed. Plans and prices change, so confirm on Shopify's own site before you decide. LaunchMyStore facts are from our pricing page.

What you pay

What does year one cost on Shopify or LaunchMyStore?

The subscription is only part of the bill. Here is year one with what new stores most often add on Shopify, priced from Shopify's own pages, against the LaunchMyStore plan that covers it.

An online store on the entry plans

An online store on the entry plans
Year one, billed yearly	LaunchMyStore	Shopify
Plan	LaunchMyStore$288 (Starter)	Shopify$348 (Basic)¹
Premium theme	LaunchMyStore$0 (included)	Shopify$320 (typical paid theme)²
Product reviews	LaunchMyStore$0 (Foundry Reviews, free)	Shopify$180 (Judge.me, $15/mo)³
Total	LaunchMyStore$288	Shopify$848

Judge.me also has a free plan, and Shopify's free themes would lower its total too. Using your own gateway instead of Shopify Payments adds 2% on Basic: $1,000 on $50,000 of sales. Starter suits stores without size or color variants; Gold ($840/yr) includes variants, multi-currency, subscriptions and digital products.

The same store with one physical shop

Selling in person too, at one location, with Shopify's paid POS Pro.

The same store with one physical shop
Year one, billed yearly	LaunchMyStore	Shopify
Plan	LaunchMyStore$288 (Starter)	Shopify$348 (Basic)¹
Point of sale	LaunchMyStore$588 (POS add-on, $49 per store per month)	Shopify$1,068 (POS Pro, $89/mo per location)⁸
Premium theme	LaunchMyStore$0 (included)	Shopify$320 (typical paid theme)²
Product reviews	LaunchMyStore$0 (Foundry Reviews, free)	Shopify$180 (Judge.me, $15/mo)³
Total	LaunchMyStore$876	Shopify$1,916

On Platinum ($1,584/yr), POS is included free with 2 seats. Shopify includes basic in-person selling on every plan at no extra cost; POS Pro is its paid upgrade, charged per location.

How we calculated this: Plans at US list prices, billed yearly. Shopify POS Pro and app plans at their monthly price × 12; the theme at the most common paid-theme price in Shopify's Theme Store. Card processing fees apply on both and are left out. The public code FLAT20 takes 20% off any plan.

Why merchants switch

Why merchants move from Shopify

The parts of a Shopify bill that LaunchMyStore folds into the plan.

Keep your gateway, skip the fee

Shopify charges 2% on Basic when you use a provider other than Shopify Payments. LaunchMyStore charges 0% on all 34+ gateways.

Premium themes, included

Shopify's paid themes cost $100–$500 each. LaunchMyStore includes premium themes and a theme editor on every plan.

Free reviews from LaunchMyStore's own app

Shopify no longer offers its own reviews app. Product reviews on LaunchMyStore are free with Foundry Reviews, its own reviews app.

104 languages, not 20

Shopify caps stores below Plus at 20 languages. Every LaunchMyStore plan supports 104.

Familiar themes

LaunchMyStore themes use Liquid, the templating language Shopify themes are written in, so developers feel at home.

An AI agent and MCP on every plan

Nova works inside your admin, and the MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor manage products, orders and discounts.

Moving from Shopify

Moving from Shopify, step by step

The Shopify importer comes with Gold and Platinum. Book a free call and we'll run a live import of your catalog with you.

Start your free trial Get help moving

Moving from Shopify?Step-by-step migration guide

Step 1

Start your free trial

Create your store for $0 and take 7 days to set it up.

Step 2

Export from Shopify

In your Shopify admin, go to Products → Export and download the CSV.

Step 3

Import into LaunchMyStore

Open the product importer, choose Shopify and upload the file.

Step 4

Connect your payments

Use Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.Net or any of 34+ gateways, with 0% platform fees.

Step 5

Choose a theme

Pick a premium theme at no extra cost and edit it visually.

Step 6

Point your domain

Connect your domain, place a test order and go live.

Frequently asked questions

Pricing, fees, moving your catalog and where Shopify is the better fit.

Still deciding? Email us

Keep comparing

How LaunchMyStore compares with other platforms

LaunchMyStore vs WooCommerce

WooCommerce is free to install. Hosting, extensions and upkeep aren't.

LaunchMyStore vs Wix

A store-first platform you can re-theme any time, with no fee on subscriptions.

LaunchMyStore vs BigCommerce

BigCommerce moves you up a plan as sales grow. LaunchMyStore plans don't cap your sales.

LaunchMyStore vs Squarespace

0% platform fees on every plan, 34+ gateways and 104 languages built in.

LaunchMyStore vs Ecwid

104 languages by default, free reviews and a staff seat on the entry plan; Ecwid adds them on Business.

LaunchMyStore vs Square Online

Choose any of 34+ gateways instead of Square only, and sell in 104 languages.

LaunchMyStore vs Etsy

Your own store with 0% platform fees next to Etsy's 6.5% per order, with the math worked through.

LaunchMyStore vs Salla

Salla is cheaper for Saudi stores selling at home. LaunchMyStore suits selling abroad.

LaunchMyStore vs Zid

Zid Pay fees worked through in SAR, and 104 languages against Zid's two.

All platforms side by side

Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, BigCommerce and Squarespace in one table.

Keep your gateway. Keep the 2%.

Start your free trial

Start your 7-day free trial for $0.
0% platform transaction fees on every plan.