What is Shopify? Complete guide for entrepreneurs in 2026

Shopify is currently the largest e-commerce platform in the world. More than 4 million stores in 175 countries run on Shopify — from small startups to major brands like Gymshark and Allbirds. But what is Shopify exactly, how does it work and is it the right choice for your business? In this article I give you an honest, complete answer.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is a fully hosted e-commerce platform. This means: you build your store using Shopify’s software, and Shopify handles the rest — hosting, security, updates, bandwidth and technical infrastructure.

You pay a monthly subscription (more on this below) and get access to:

• A user-friendly admin dashboard
• A checkout that works globally
• Hundreds of themes and apps
• Built-in payment methods (Shopify Payments, iDEAL, Bancontact)
• Extensive reporting and analytics
• 24/7 customer support from Shopify itself

How does Shopify work in practice?

Shopify works via a SaaS model (Software as a Service). You log into your Shopify dashboard, add products, adjust your design and manage orders — all via a browser. No hosting needed, no server to maintain and no updates to install manually.

When a customer places an order, the payment processes automatically via the Shopify checkout. You get a notification, pack the order and ship it. It’s that simple.

Shopify or an alternative?

Shopify isn’t the only e-commerce platform. There are alternatives:

WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress. Free to install, but you’re responsible for hosting, security and updates yourself. For entrepreneurs without technical knowledge, this is often more trouble than it’s worth. Read my in-depth comparison between Shopify and WooCommerce.

Lightspeed and Magento are powerful platforms, but are complex and expensive to manage. They’re mainly suitable for large organisations with a technical team.

Wix/Squarespace are simpler than Shopify, but lack the e-commerce depth — especially if you want to scale.

For most SME entrepreneurs, Shopify offers the best balance between ease of use, scalability and costs.

What does Shopify cost?

Shopify offers three main plans:

Plan	Monthly cost	Transaction fee
Basic	€29/month	2% (0% with Shopify Payments)
Shopify	€79/month	1% (0% with Shopify Payments)
Advanced	€299/month	0.5% (0% with Shopify Payments)

Note: these are subscription costs. The costs of building the store itself are a separate one-time investment. Want to know what a complete Shopify store build costs? Read that in a separate article.

What are Shopify themes?

A Shopify theme determines the appearance of your store. Shopify has its own Theme Store with free and paid themes (€200–€400 one-off). As an official Shopify Partner we work with professional themes that we fully customise to your brand identity.

Want a completely unique design? Then we build a custom theme from the ground up. See how that works on our Shopify store build page.

Shopify Apps: how does the ecosystem work?

The Shopify App Store contains more than 8,000 apps. With these you extend your store with extra functionality — from loyalty programmes and product reviews to advanced reporting and upsell tools.

Apps cost on average €5 to €50 per month. We advise you on which apps genuinely add value for your situation, so you don’t pay for something you never use.

Is Shopify suitable for large stores?

Absolutely. Shopify scales with you — from your first sale to millions in annual revenue. For larger organisations there’s Shopify Plus, the enterprise plan with extra functionality, lower transaction fees and more customisation options. Read more about Shopify Plus in a separate article.

Shopify for Dutch and European entrepreneurs

Shopify fully supports:

• iDEAL (via Mollie, Buckaroo or Shopify Payments)
• Bancontact (for Belgian customers)
• PostNL, DHL and other carriers (via apps)
• Automatic VAT calculation for NL/EU

As an official Shopify Partner we help you not only with building your store, but also with the Dutch/European-specific settings that many non-specialist agencies overlook.

Conclusion

Shopify is a powerful, user-friendly e-commerce platform that for most entrepreneurs is the best choice. You pay a transparent subscription, get a scalable platform and don’t have to worry about technical infrastructure.

Ready to get started? Book a free build conversation and discover what a Shopify store can do for your business.