How the trial works
What you can and can't do on the trial
During the 3 free days you can add products, set up collections, pick a theme, explore settings and install apps. Your store stays in private mode, so customers can't buy yet. According to Shopify's help pages, to start taking orders you choose a paid plan and set up a payment provider. Paid apps added during the trial are charged on your next invoice, so install carefully.
What you pay after the trial
Here's a rough first year on the Basic plan, paying monthly, for a store doing 300 orders a month with an average order of ₹800 and 40% of orders paid online:
| First year | |
|---|---|
| Trial and intro months (3 × ₹20) | ₹60 |
| Basic plan, months 4–12 (9 × ₹1,994) | ₹17,946 |
| Shopify's 2% fee on online payments (₹96,000 a month) | ₹23,040 |
| Apps for COD, shipping, GST, WhatsApp (example ₹4,000 a month) | ₹48,000 |
| Total before gateway fees | ₹89,046 |
The payment gateway's own fee comes on top. Your app bill could be lower or higher; it's the number most worth checking. Our Shopify pricing guide has the full breakdown by plan.
Getting the most out of the trial
- Have your product photos, prices and descriptions ready before you start, so the free days go on testing, not typing.
- Apply for your payment gateway early. Approval can take longer than the trial.
- Make a list of the apps you'd need for COD, shipping, GST invoices and WhatsApp, and add up their monthly cost.
- Place real test orders, including a COD order and a cancellation, before you decide.
- Work out the monthly cost at three times your expected orders, not just at launch.
If you want something free for good
D2 Commerce OS isn't a trial. It's free forever while you're under 100 orders a month, and the free plan already includes UPI and COD checkout, WhatsApp order updates and GST invoices, so there's no app bill to add. Past 100 orders you pay ₹10 an order, with no monthly plan. If you're already on Shopify, you can also keep it and add our COD, delivery and reporting behind it.
