Free calculator
Shopify headless cost calculator
A headless Shopify store pays for a plan, card processing, and an app for each job Shopify leaves out. Hydrogen and Oxygen come with every paid plan, but full checkout customization takes Plus, from $2,300 a month. Flint’s commerce API includes checkout, orders, inventory, subscriptions, and returns with no monthly fee. Enter your store to price both, line by line.
Flint saves you
$1,481.49a month
$17,778 a year against Shopify Plus with Shopify Payments, the cheaper Shopify route for this store.
no monthly fee · free sandbox · no credit card
- Flint$3,912.80
- Shopify Plus, Shopify Payments$5,394.29
- Shopify Plus, third-party gateway$6,091.29
$3,110.80 a month of that Shopify bill is the plan and apps. Flint has no plan and needs no apps: checkout, orders, inventory, and returns come with the card rate, and subscriptions add 0.40% of the payments they collect.
- Shopify can add a variable platform fee to Plus based on revenue and business model. It publishes no rate, so none is counted.
- Shopify Tax is priced for a store created before May 13, 2026: free on the first $100,000 of sales each calendar year, capped at $5,000 a year for US orders, and shown as a monthly average.
- Recharge is priced on its cheapest plan for this volume, Recharge Starter, counting each subscription order in a month as one subscriber. Its $25 plan has no transaction fees up to 50 subscribers; above that the calculator uses the cheaper of Starter and Plus.
- Above $50,000 a month you can ask Flint for a negotiated rate. These figures use the published rate.
Line by line
Where the money goes each month.
Flint's lines are its published rates, rounded per payment the way Flint bills them. Shopify's are its US list prices, and the gateway, apps, and hosting are the vendors' own prices, marked as assumptions you can change above.
| Each month | Flint | Shopify Plus, Shopify Payments | Shopify Plus, third-party gateway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform plan | $0.00No monthly fee and no plan to outgrow | $2,300.00Plus, 3-year term | $2,300.00Plus, 3-year term |
| Card processing | $3,372.003.79% + 35¢ per card, every US card at one rate; Stripe's processing included | $2,112.00Shopify Payments, 2.25% + 30¢ on standard cards (2.95% + 30¢ on premium cards) | $2,628.00Authorize.net all-in-one, 2.9% + 30¢ · assumption |
| Gateway monthly fee | None | None | $25.00Authorize.net gateway · assumption |
| Shopify third-party transaction fee | None | None | $156.000.2% of every order on Plus, kept when you refund |
| Subscriptions | $124.800.40% of subscription payments; billing, renewals, and the buyer portal built in | $655.80Recharge Starter, $99 a month + 1.49% + 19¢ per subscription order · assumption | $655.80Recharge Starter, $99 a month + 1.49% + 19¢ per subscription order · assumption |
| Sales tax calculation | $396.00Automatic US sales tax, 0.50% of payments carrying tax Flint calculated | $171.49Shopify Tax, 0.25% per order capped at 99¢, after the first $100,000 in sales each year; averaged by month | $171.49Shopify Tax, 0.25% per order capped at 99¢, after the first $100,000 in sales each year; averaged by month |
| Returns | IncludedReturn policies, exchanges, and buyer self-serve returns | $155.00Loop Essential app · assumption | $155.00Loop Essential app · assumption |
| Checkout | IncludedYour own checkout pages, with Stripe Elements | IncludedShopify Checkout, full customization | IncludedShopify Checkout, full customization |
| Storefront hosting | $20.00Your storefront's host; assumed Vercel Pro · assumption | IncludedHydrogen on Oxygen, included on paid plans | IncludedHydrogen on Oxygen, included on paid plans |
| Total a month | $3,912.80 | $5,394.29 | $6,091.29 |
| Total a year | $46,953.60 | $64,731.52 | $73,095.52 |
Where Shopify Plus with Shopify Payments costs more
- $2,300.00 for the Shopify Plus plan. Flint has no plan.
- $531.00 more for subscriptions.
- $155.00 for a returns app. Returns are part of Flint.
Why this store runs on Plus
Basic doesn't cover full checkout customization and 3 staff logins. Grow and Advanced don't cover full checkout customization. Plus is the one Shopify plan that fits.
Shopify headless pricing
How much does Shopify headless cost?
The plan sets the floor. Hydrogen is free and Oxygen hosting is included on every paid plan, so a headless store pays what a theme store pays, and the plan it needs depends on what it does: one storefront fits Basic, while full checkout customization, a second storefront, or more than 10 locations takes Plus.
| US, online | Flint | Basic | Grow | Advanced | Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan, a month | None | $39, or $29 billed yearly | $105, or $79 billed yearly | $399, or $299 billed yearly | $2,300 (3-year) or $2,500 (1-year) |
| Headless storefronts | Any front end, through one API | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| Checkout customization | Your own pages | Limited | Limited | Limited | Full |
| Staff accounts | Unlimited seats | 0 | 5 | 15 | Unlimited |
| Inventory locations | No fee per location | 10 | 10 | 10 | 200 |
| Standard card rate | 3.79% + 35¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.7% + 30¢ | 2.5% + 30¢ | 2.25% + 30¢ |
| Premium card rate | 3.79% + 35¢ | 3.5% + 30¢ | 3.3% + 30¢ | 3.1% + 30¢ | 2.95% + 30¢ |
| Third-party transaction fee | None | 2% | 1% | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Sales tax calculation | 0.50% of taxed payments | 0.35% an order, 99¢ cap, after $100,000 | 0.35% an order, 99¢ cap, after $100,000 | 0.35% an order, 99¢ cap, after $100,000 | 0.25% an order, 99¢ cap, after $100,000 |
Shopify’s card rates are Shopify Payments’ online rates, +1% on international cards. Flint’s card rate includes Stripe’s processing.
Storefront API on Basic, Grow, or Advanced
Each of the lower plans includes one headless storefront. You build it with Hydrogen on Oxygen, or with the Storefront API in any framework you host yourself. Checkout stays on Shopify, with limited customization, and staff accounts stop at 15 on Advanced.
Plus with Hydrogen and Oxygen
Plus is $2,300 a month on a 3-year term or $2,500 on a 1-year term, with up to 25 storefronts, full checkout customization, and the lowest Shopify Payments rate, 2.25% + 30¢. Shopify may add a variable platform fee based on revenue, which it doesn’t publish.
Third-party fee
What Shopify's transaction fee means for your own processor.
Bring a processor other than Shopify Payments and Shopify charges 2% to 0.2% of every order on top of that processor's fees, depending on the plan.
Shopify’s help center calculates the fee on the products minus discounts, plus tax and shipping, and keeps it when you refund the order. On Basic, a $65 order through a third-party gateway pays the gateway’s fee and another $1.30 to Shopify. The calculator prices this route with Authorize.net’s published all-in-one rate.
Flint has no third-party fee, because the processing is part of the product: Stripe runs every card underneath, inside Flint’s 3.79% + 35¢.
Included with Flint
What the card rate pays for, with no plan or apps.
On Flint, 3.79% + 35¢ pays for the payment and the store behind it. Subscriptions add 0.40% and invoices 0.40% of the payments they collect, automatic tax 0.50% of taxed payments, and a hosted checkout on your domain $15 a month.
At 1,200 orders of $65 with subscriptions and returns, that’s $17,778 a year less than Shopify Plus.
Every Flint rate and feeFAQ
Questions about Shopify headless costs.
How much does Shopify headless cost?
A headless Shopify store pays for a Shopify plan, card processing, and any apps it needs. In the US, plans billed monthly are Basic $39, Grow $105, and Advanced $399 a month, and Plus is $2,300 a month on a 3-year term or $2,500 on a 1-year term. Hydrogen is free and Oxygen hosting is included on paid plans. Shopify Payments charges 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic down to 2.25% + 30¢ on Plus for standard online cards; another provider adds Shopify's third-party fee of 2% to 0.2%. Subscriptions and returns apps cost from nothing to $155 a month or more.
Do you need Shopify Plus for a headless store?
Not for one storefront. Basic, Grow, and Advanced each include 1 headless storefront, and Plus includes 25. Plus is the only plan Shopify lists with full checkout customization, more than 10 inventory locations, or more than 15 staff accounts, so a headless build that needs any of those runs on Plus, from $2,300 a month.
Is Hydrogen or Oxygen an extra cost on Shopify?
No. Hydrogen is Shopify's free headless toolkit, and Shopify's docs say Oxygen hosting is available at no extra charge on paid plans: Starter, Basic, Grow, Advanced, Plus, and Pause and build. Oxygen isn't available on Agentic plans. The costs of a headless Shopify store are the plan, processing, and apps.
What is Shopify's third-party transaction fee?
When a provider other than Shopify Payments takes the payment, Shopify charges 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, and 0.2% on Plus, in addition to the provider’s own fees. It’s calculated on products minus discounts, plus tax and shipping, and isn’t returned when you refund an order. Shopify’s third-party fee, explained
Is Flint cheaper than Shopify for a headless store?
It depends on the Shopify plan and apps your store needs. Flint has no monthly fee and charges 3.79% + 35¢ per card payment, with checkout, orders, inventory, returns, and the buyer portal included, subscriptions at 0.40%, and no third-party fee. At 1,200 orders of $65 a month with subscriptions, returns, and full checkout customization, Flint costs $1,481.49 a month less than Shopify Plus. Shopify Payments' card rate is lower than Flint's, so a store that fits Basic or Grow with free apps can cost less on Shopify; the calculator prices both for your numbers.
Can I keep Shopify and use Flint as the checkout?
No. Section 2.3.18 of Shopify’s API terms bars an alternative to Shopify Checkout for Shopify merchants without Shopify’s express written authorization. Flint replaces the store’s backend instead: products, variants, stock, orders, tax, and checkout move to Flint, and your storefront keeps its design. Headless checkout on Flint
Sources
Where every Shopify and app price comes from.
US prices: Basic $39, Grow $105, Advanced $399 billed monthly ($29, $79, $299 yearly), Plus from $2,300. Shopify Payments online standard and premium card rates, +1% international, third-party fees, staff accounts, inventory locations, headless storefronts, and checkout customization per plan. Shopify pricing (US)
www.shopify.com · checked 2026-10-25Plus in USD: $2,500 a month on a 1-year term, $2,300 on a 3-year term; a variable platform fee may apply based on revenue and business model; up to 25 Hydrogen storefronts on Oxygen. Shopify Help Center: Shopify Plus
help.shopify.com · checked 2026-10-25Oxygen is available at no extra charge on paid Shopify plans and isn't available on Agentic plans. Shopify developer docs: Hydrogen and Oxygen fundamentals
shopify.dev · checked 2026-10-25Shopify provides the Storefront API, the Customer Account API, and checkout; Hydrogen doesn't include checkout UI, because checkout stays on Shopify. Shopify developer docs: Hydrogen
shopify.dev · checked 2026-10-25Charged when a third-party provider takes the payment, in addition to its fees; calculated as [(products - discounts) + tax + shipping] x rate; not returned on refunds. Shopify Help Center: Third-party transaction fees
help.shopify.com · checked 2026-10-250.35% per US order on Basic, Grow, and Advanced and 0.25% on Plus, capped at 99¢ an order. Stores created before May 13, 2026: free on the first $100,000 of sales in each calendar year, with fees capped at $5,000 a year per region. Stores created on or after: free until $100,000 in lifetime sales, with no yearly cap listed. Stores above $25,000,000 a year are priced by agreement. Shopify Help Center: Shopify Tax pricing
help.shopify.com · checked 2026-10-25Authorize.net all-in-one: $25 a month and 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Used as the third-party gateway assumption. Authorize.net pricing
www.authorize.net · checked 2026-10-25Authorize.net is a third-party provider a Shopify store can set up, and one of the gateways Shopify lists for subscription apps. Shopify Help Center: Subscription considerations
help.shopify.com · checked 2026-10-25Shopify Subscriptions, Shopify's own app: free. Shopify App Store: Shopify Subscriptions
apps.shopify.com · checked 2026-10-25Shopify Subscriptions works with Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen, and Stripe (select merchants), and sells through a custom storefront as well as the online store. Shopify Help Center: Shopify Subscriptions eligibility
help.shopify.com · checked 2026-10-25Recharge's $25 a month plan: no transaction fees for the first 50 subscribers. Starter: $99 a month and 1.49% + 19¢ per transaction. Shopify App Store: Recharge Subscriptions
apps.shopify.com · checked 2026-10-25Recharge Starter $99 a month and 1.49% + 19¢ per transaction; Plus $499 a month and 1.34% + 19¢ on a 12-month term. Recharge pricing
getrecharge.com · checked 2026-10-25Loop Essential: $155 a month. Shopify App Store: Loop Returns & Exchanges
apps.shopify.com · checked 2026-10-25Customers can request returns from their order status page, and you approve or decline them. Shopify Help Center: Self-serve returns
help.shopify.com · checked 2026-10-25Vercel Pro: $20 a month. Used as the default storefront hosting on Flint. Vercel pricing
vercel.com · checked 2026-10-25
last reviewed 2026-10-25 · corrections: Flint Help
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Start
Price your store's first order in the sandbox.
The sandbox is free, with no credit card and no sales call. Create a product with variants, take a test payment on your own checkout page, and read every fee on the payment.
Create an account from your terminal
Node SDK
Then read these
- 01Build a headless storefrontCatalog, cart, and orders from your framework
- 02Build your own checkoutStripe Elements on your page, paid from your backend
- 03Flint pricingEvery rate and fee, with Stripe and Shopify compared
- 04
- 05
3.79% + 35¢ on cards · no monthly fee · free sandbox · no credit card