How Long Is the Shopify Free Trial and How Does It Work?

If you’ve been looking into Shopify, you’ve probably seen the phrase “start for free” more than once. It sounds straightforward, but the actual free trial setup isn’t as obvious as it used to be. The length has changed over time, and there’s often confusion about what’s truly free and what isn’t.

This article breaks it down in plain terms. How long the Shopify free trial lasts, what you can do during it, and what happens once that initial period ends - without sales language or fine-print gymnastics. For anyone deciding whether Shopify is worth trying, this is the part that matters most.

What Is the Shopify Free Trial?

At its core, Shopify’s free trial allows you to try out the platform without committing to a paid plan. It’s designed to give you a chance to explore the features and tools of Shopify, build your store, and get a feel for how everything works before you make a financial commitment.

The idea is simple: Shopify wants you to see the value of their platform first-hand, so you can decide if it’s the right fit for your business. However, it’s not just a generic “trial” like you might find on other platforms. Shopify’s free trial offers an opportunity to really get into the platform and start building your business.

How Long Does the Shopify Free Trial Last?

In the past, Shopify offered a 30-day free trial. But as of 2026, Shopify has updated its free trial offering. It’s now a 3-day trial for €1/month for the first three months. This new model lets you dip your toes into the platform at a minimal cost while still getting access to most of the core features.

What does that mean for you? It means that you can explore the platform for just a small amount of money, see if it meets your needs, and then decide whether to keep it after the trial period. The idea behind this model is to encourage businesses to start setting up their stores, testing out integrations, and getting their feet wet without having to commit to a full monthly payment right away.

This 3-day trial might seem short, but it gives you enough time to test the waters and begin building your store. If you’re serious about setting up a shop, you’ll likely want to start adding products, customizing your store, and exploring features like payment gateways and shipping options early on.

What’s Included in Shopify’s Free Trial?

During your trial period, you get access to many of Shopify’s key features. While you won’t be able to launch your store live to the public until you upgrade to a paid plan, you can still get a feel for the platform and start preparing your store.

Here’s what’s included during the free trial:

1. Full access to Shopify’s store editor: You’ll be able to create and customize your online store’s layout, upload products, and set up collections and categories.
2. Product management: Add, edit, and organize your product listings. You can also create discount codes and set up taxes and shipping settings.
3. Payment setup: Shopify lets you set up your payment gateways during the trial, so you can test out how payment processing works before you go live.
4. Shopify themes: You can explore a variety of Shopify themes (some free, some paid) to give your store a professional look. You can also customize these themes to match your branding.
5. Shopify Apps: You can browse and install apps from the Shopify App Store to extend your store’s functionality. Many apps are free, while others are paid.
6. Analytics and reports: You’ll have access to Shopify’s built-in analytics and reporting tools to track your store’s performance. However, some advanced features may be limited during the trial.
7. Customer support: Even during the free trial, you can contact Shopify’s 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, or phone.

What You Can’t Do During the Shopify Free Trial

While the free trial gives you access to a lot of the platform’s features, there are still some limitations to keep in mind:

• No live selling: You won’t be able to process real orders or go live with your store until you upgrade to a paid plan. The trial is meant for testing and preparation only.
• Limited app usage: While you can explore apps and install many for free, some premium apps may require a paid plan to unlock their full functionality.
• Advanced features: Some of Shopify’s more advanced features, like Shopify Plus, aren’t available during the trial. These are reserved for businesses with higher sales volumes and more complex needs.
• Custom domain: During the trial, you’ll only be able to use a Shopify subdomain (yourstorename.myshopify.com). If you want a custom domain, you’ll need to purchase one or upgrade to a paid plan.

What Happens After the Free Trial Ends?

Once your 3-day Shopify trial ends, you’ll be prompted to choose a plan. Shopify offers several pricing tiers, each with its own set of features and benefits. Let’s break down the available options:

Basic Plan: Starting at $29/month

The Basic Plan is ideal for solo entrepreneurs or small businesses just starting out. It provides the essential tools to set up your online store and manage basic sales. You get everything you need to get your store running, including 24/7 customer support and access to Shopify’s world-class checkout system.

Shopify Plan: Starting at $79/month

The Shopify Plan is designed for growing businesses. It includes all the features from the Basic Plan, plus additional tools like reporting, more staff accounts, and professional reports to help you scale. If you need more than just the basics, this plan is a solid step up.

Advanced Plan: Starting at $299/month

The Advanced Plan is built for larger businesses with more complex needs. It includes advanced analytics, third-party calculated shipping rates, and more extensive reporting tools. If you’re scaling up and need more control over your operations, this plan is tailored to help you manage higher volumes of sales and customers.

Shopify Plus: Starting at $2,300/month

The Shopify Plus Plan is made for large-scale businesses with significant sales volumes. It offers everything from customizable checkout options to dedicated support and enterprise-level features. This plan is best suited for high-traffic stores that require a more robust infrastructure to handle a large number of orders and customer interactions.

What Happens If You Don’t Upgrade?

If you haven’t upgraded to a paid plan by the end of your trial, your store will be frozen. This means you won’t be able to access or make changes to your store until you select a plan and begin paying.

Don’t worry about losing your data right away, though. Shopify will hold onto your store information, like products, customer details, and other settings - for a period of time. However, if you fail to upgrade, your store will eventually be deleted.

Can You Extend the Shopify Free Trial?

Currently, Shopify doesn’t offer a way to extend the free trial beyond the 3-day period. Once your trial ends, you’ll need to choose a paid plan to continue using the platform.

However, if you’re still unsure whether Shopify is the right choice for your business, you can take advantage of the low-cost $1/month offer for the first three months of any paid plan. This gives you more time to test out the platform and see if it works for your needs before committing to the full monthly price.

Why Should You Try Shopify’s Free Trial?

Here are a few reasons why you might want to give Shopify a try:

• Easy setup: Shopify’s user-friendly interface makes it easy to get your store up and running in no time.
• Scalable: Whether you’re starting small or planning to scale your business, Shopify can grow with you.
• Extensive support: From live chat to detailed help guides, Shopify offers plenty of support to help you succeed.
• E-commerce tools: Shopify provides a comprehensive set of e-commerce tools for everything from product management to customer tracking and reporting.

How We Help Shopify Stores Make the Most of the Free Trial

When a Shopify free trial starts, time matters. Three days go by fast, and guessing which ads, messages, or audiences might work is the easiest way to waste that window. That’s exactly where Extuitive comes in.

We help Shopify merchants create, test, and launch ads without burning budget or relying on gut feeling. By connecting your Shopify store, we generate ad creatives and test them against over 150,000 AI agent consumers modelled on real-world behavior. Instead of waiting weeks for feedback or spending money just to see what sticks, you get early signals on purchase intent before scaling anything.

Our platform is built for speed and clarity. We identify target audiences, generate creative, and test performance in minutes, not weeks. For founders using a Shopify free trial, this means you can leave the trial period with real insight, not assumptions. You know which messages resonate, which visuals work, and which products deserve attention before you spend your first serious ad dollar.

In short, we remove guesswork from early-stage marketing. Shopify gives you the tools to build a store. We help you make sure people actually want what you’re selling, faster and at a fraction of the cost of traditional testing.

Final Thoughts

Shopify’s free trial gives you an excellent opportunity to explore the platform before committing. While it’s now a 3-day trial with a $1/month charge for the first three months, it still offers great value for testing out Shopify’s features. You’ll get access to many essential tools and features, giving you a strong foundation to decide if Shopify is the right platform for your e-commerce business.

Just be aware of the trial’s limitations, mainly, the inability to go live with your store until you upgrade to a paid plan, and make sure you’re ready to choose a plan when your trial ends. Once you’re up and running, Shopify can be a powerful ally in growing your online business, and that first step starts with their free trial.

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