Shopify vs Customer.io pricing: which is cheaper for your team?
Shopify's cheapest paid tier (Basic) lists at $29/month, which beats the other on entry pricing. Mid-tier and enterprise math can flip the answer — use the per-tier table below to see the real cost for your team size at each tier.
Calculate the cost for your team
Shopify pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39 | $29 | month | Entry ecommerce plan. |
| Grow | $105 | $79 | month | More staff and reporting features. |
| Advanced | $399 | $299 | month | Advanced reports and lower card rates. |
| Plus | $2300 | $2300 | month | Enterprise commerce starting benchmark. |
Customer.io pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $100 | $100 | month | 5,000 profiles, 1 million emails per month, 2 object types, billed monthly. |
| Premium | $1000 | $1000 | month | Custom volumes, 10 object types, billed yearly; emails billed at $0.12 per 1,000 over baseline. |
Feature by feature
The non-pricing differences that drive the real decision.
| Capability | Shopify | Customer.io |
|---|---|---|
| Billing model | month | month |
| Pricing model | Store plan pricing plus payment and app costs | Profile and email-volume tiered |
| Cheapest paid tier | Basic at $29/month | Essentials at $100/month |
| Mid-tier benchmark | Advanced at $299/month | Premium at $1000/month |
| Total paid tiers published | 4 | 2 |
| Last verified | 2026-05-16 | 2026-05-17 |
Best for…
Hand-picked use cases mapped to the winner.
| Use case | Winner |
|---|---|
| Lowest entry price (10-person team) | Shopify Basic |
| Most pricing tiers (room to grow) | Shopify (4 tiers) |
| Predictable per-seat billing | Neither (both flat/usage) |
| Most recently verified pricing | Customer.io |
Choose Shopify when
- Shopify's base plan is only part of the cost.
- Entry tier (Basic) at $29/month is your budget ceiling.
- Plus comparisons should include checkout customization, B2B, automation, and payment-rate assumptions.
Choose Customer.io when
- Customer.
- Entry tier (Essentials) at $100/month is your budget ceiling.
- Enterprise pricing is fully custom with negotiated volumes and dedicated professional services available on top of the platform fee.
Switching considerations
Watch the hidden fees on both sides. Shopify: Payment processing, third-party transaction fees, paid apps, themes, and agency work can exceed the base plan. Customer.io: Additional profiles cost $0.009 each above the included tier Always confirm with the vendor before purchase.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper for a 10-person team, Shopify or Customer.io?
At entry tier and 10 seats on annual billing: Shopify Basic comes to $29/mo; Customer.io Essentials comes to $100/mo. Shopify is the cheaper entry-tier choice at this team size.
Does Shopify have more pricing tiers than Customer.io?
Shopify publishes more paid tiers (4 vs 2). More tiers usually means more granular ways to grow without re-platforming.
Which pricing was verified more recently?
Shopify's pricing was last verified 2026-05-16; Customer.io's on 2026-05-17. Both pages link to the vendor's official pricing source so you can re-check before committing.