Recently, Shopify made some changes to its free trial. The $1 for 3 months trial is no longer available for new users. However, they can still claim the 30-day free trial to access the features.
In this guide, I’ll cover:
- Step-by-step guide to claim the Shopify free trial
- What’s included in the free trial
- Pricing after the free trial
Let’s dive right into the post.
Current Shopify 30 Days Free Trial
Shopify offers a 3-day free trial that new users can claim without adding their card details.
Once the trial period is over, merchants can pick one of the paid Shopify plans and pay $1 to extend their trial to 30 days.
However, they will need to add their card details or PayPal account in order to activate the trial extension.
How to Claim the Shopify Free Trial?
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to claim the Shopify free trial:
1. Visit the Shopify Free Trial Page: Go to the Shopify website or directly navigate to the free trial page from the top right corner.
2. Enter Your Email Address: You’ll see a field to enter your email address. Fill this in with your email and click on the button to start your free trial.
3. Create Your Store: After entering your email, you’ll be prompted to create a password and name your store. The store name will become part of your temporary Shopify domain (e.g., mystorename.myshopify.com).
4. Fill Out Your Details: Next, you’ll be asked for a few more details about your store and your experience with selling. This helps Shopify tailor the experience to your needs.
5. Choose a Plan: Select a plan (Basic or Shopify) for your 3-day free trial. You won’t be charged for choosing the plan.
6. Dashboard Access: Once the initial setup is complete, you’ll have access to your Shopify admin dashboard. From here, you can add products, customize your store, and set up payments and shipping.
7. Add Card Details to Extend Your Trial: If you decide to continue with Shopify after the trial, you will need to enter your credit card information. Shopify will charge $1 to extend your trial for 30 more days. However, this is not required just to start the trial.
Is the Shopify 90-day Free Trial Still Available?
No, the Shopify 90-day free trial at $1/month is no longer available. Shopify stopped offering the 90-day free trial on January 29, 2024. However, you can still claim a 3-day free trial and then extend it for 30 days at $1.
Along with that, Shopify is offering $50 App Store credit once you start the $1 free trial.
Shopify Free Trial For Black-Owned Businesses
Shopify and Operation collaboratively started the “1 Million Black Businesses (1MBB)” program in 2020. It’s designed to help new businesses provide support and resources so they can thrive and grow. The goal of this program is to scale one million Black-owned businesses by 2030.
Through the Shopify 1MBB program, merchants can get an extended 120-day free trial of Shopify. This is enough time to build an online store from scratch and scale it to new heights.
Along with the extended trial, you will also get educational resources, mentorship, marketing opportunities, and financial guidance that will help you scale faster.
Shopify Free Trial History
Shopify experimented with its free trial duration over the years. From 2018 to 2022, they constantly offered a 14-day free trial for regular Shopify users.
During this period, they also offered 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day free trials to selected merchants through partnerships and promotions that were also stopped.
Since November 2022, they reduced the 2-week free trial to 3 days. But. they also offered a 3-month trial at $1/month on its Basic plan after the three-day trial.
Now, new Shopify merchants are left with a 30-day trial at $1 after the initial 3-day trial period.
Shopify Free Trial Features
During the Shopify free trial, you’ll have access to a wide range of features that allow you to set up and test your online store fully. These features include:
- Storefront Website Builder: You can use Shopify’s customizable store themes and a drag-and-drop editor to design your store’s appearance.
- Product Management: Add products to your store, set prices, and manage inventory.
- Marketing Tools: Access to Shopify’s marketing tools to help you reach your audience and promote your products.
- SEO Features: Optimize your store for search engines to improve visibility.
- Payment Gateway Setup: Configure payment gateways so you can accept payments online from customers.
- Order Processing: Test the order process from checkout through to fulfillment.
- Analytics: View reports and analytics to understand customer behavior and sales performance.
- Apps and Add-ons: Explore the Shopify App Store to find additional features and integrations.
What Happens After Shopify Free Trial?
Once your 3-day subscription is over and you haven’t added your card details, your Shopify account will freeze, and automation will stop working. But that doesn’t mean Shopify will delete the customization and data you have added to your store.
You can activate your account by choosing a plan and adding payment details to your account. Make sure to activate your account within 90 days. Shopify only retains the data within 90 days after the trial.
Shopify Pricing After the Free Trial
Once your 3-day free trial subscription period is over, you will be prompted to subscribe to a paid plan. The plans are categorized into multiple tiers for small to large businesses. You can choose from these Shopify plans according to your sales and eCommerce needs:
| Shopify Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price | Suitable For |
| Starter | $5/month | – | Selling through social media, email, messaging apps |
| Retail | $89/month | $79/month | Online + POS (Point of Sale) sellers |
| Basic | $39/month | $29/month | New online businesses with a small product range |
| Shopify | $105/month | $79/month | Growing businesses that need more features |
| Advanced | $399/month | $299/month | Larger businesses with high-volume sales |
| Shopify Plus | $2,300/month | Custom (1 to 3 year term) | Enterprise-level businesses that need tailored services and dedicated support |
As I mentioned above, the free trial is available for Basic and Shopify plans. The $1 for 1 month is applicable for all the plans except the Shopify Plus plan.
After the paid trial, you will be charged the regular amount, as explained in the table.
If you want to save money, pay upfront by choosing the annual subscription. It will give you a flat 25% discount on monthly plans.
How to extend the Shopify free trial?
Since Shopify offers only a three-day free trial, users can extend the trial period to 1 month by just paying $1. All they have to do is enter your card details and choose a plan. For a maximum extension period, apply for the Shopify 1MBB program and extend your trial limit to 120 days.
Benefits of Trying Shopify for Free
Here are some core benefits of trying Shopify for free:
- Test the platform: A free trial allows you to explore Shopify’s features and assess whether it meets your e-commerce needs without any financial commitment. This hands-on experience helps you make an informed decision about adopting Shopify as your e-commerce solution.
- Set up your store: During the trial, you can set up your online store, customize your theme, add products, and configure settings to get a feel for the platform. This initial setup process familiarizes you with Shopify’s interface and helps you understand how to manage your store effectively.
- Evaluate ease of use: Shopify is known for its user-friendly interface, and the free trial allows you to gauge how intuitive and easy it is to navigate the platform. This evaluation helps determine if Shopify aligns with your technical skills and business requirements.
- Explore app integrations: Shopify offers a wide range of third-party app integrations to extend your store’s capabilities. During the trial, you can explore the Shopify App Store and test relevant apps to assess their compatibility and potential benefits for your business.
Tips to Maximize Your Trial Period
If you want to get the most out of your trial period, here are some proven tips you can follow:
- Plan your store layout and design: Before diving into the trial, sketch out your store’s structure, navigation, and visual elements. Having a clear plan helps you efficiently set up your store during the trial period and ensures a cohesive user experience.
- Prioritize essential features: Focus on testing features that are critical to your business operations, such as payment gateways, shipping options, inventory management, and customer support. Ensure these core functionalities meet your requirements and integrate seamlessly with your workflow.
- Populate your store with sample data: Add sample products, descriptions, images, and pricing to create a realistic store environment. This allows you to test various scenarios, such as checkout processes, discount codes, and shipping calculations, to ensure a smooth customer experience.
- Experiment with different themes: Shopify offers a wide selection of themes, both free and paid. Try out various themes to find the one that best represents your brand, aligns with your products, and provides the desired user experience. Customize the chosen theme to match your brand identity.
- Test third-party apps: Explore the Shopify App Store to discover extensions that can enhance your store’s functionality, automate tasks, and integrate with other tools you use. Test relevant apps during the trial to evaluate their performance, compatibility, and potential impact on your store’s operations.
- Set up analytics and reporting: Integrate Shopify’s built-in analytics or explore third-party analytics apps to gain insights into your store’s performance. Configure reporting dashboards to track key metrics such as sales, traffic, and customer behavior, enabling data-driven decision-making from the start.
Conclusion: Claim A 30 Days Shopify Free Trial
Shopify’s free trial options have evolved over time, now offering a 3-day free trial that can be extended to 30 days for just $1.
Although the 90-day trial at $1/month is no longer available, new users can still use the current trial to explore Shopify’s exclusive set of eCommerce features.
After the trial, users can choose from various pricing plans that cater to different business sizes and needs. They can also save by opting for annual billing.
FAQs:
1. Can I still get a 90-day trial on Shopify?
No, as of January 29, 2024, Shopify no longer offers the 90-day trial for $1/month. However, you can start with a 3-day free trial and then extend it to 30 days for $1.
2. How to get the Shopify 14-day free trial?
Shopify reduced the 14-day free trial to 3 days. Now, new users can access the features for only three days.
3. Does Shopify offer discounts on its plans?
Currently, there are no deals available to claim on Shopify plans. However, merchants can pay upfront for an annual subscription to get a flat 25% discount.
4. Is there a limit on Shopify free trial?
During the Shopify 3-day free trial, you can use all the features and tools without any restrictions.
5. How to cancel Shopify free trial?
To cancel your Shopify free trial, log in to your Shopify account and go to the “Settings” page, then click on “Plan and permissions” and select “Cancel trial.” Your trial will be canceled immediately, and you will not be charged if you cancel before the end of the 30-day free trial period.
6. How many products can you sell on Shopify for free?
With Shopify’s free trial, you can sell an unlimited number of products without any cost for 30 days. After the trial period ends, you’ll need to choose a paid plan to continue selling products on your Shopify store.
