Comparison · Updated 2026-08-09 · Sources
TikTok Shop vs Shopify Fees 2026
TikTok Shop is a marketplace referral model (US often ~6% of sale, plus creators / FBT). Shopify is a subscription + payment processing + app stack for your own storefront — no TikTok-style referral on pure DTC orders, but you pay fixed monthly costs and usually buy your own traffic.
Shopify plan prices, card rates, and app bills vary by country and tier — treat numbers below as illustrative 2026 planning ranges, not official quotes. Verify in Shopify admin billing and TikTok Seller Center. Neither platform is “free.”
Fee models at a glance
| Cost line | TikTok Shop (typical) | Shopify (illustrative ranges) |
|---|---|---|
| Core take | Referral ~6% US most categories; ~9% UK/EU common | Monthly plan (entry often ~$29–$39/mo band; higher plans more — verify live) |
| Payment processing | Generally included in US referral | Often ~2.5–2.9% + fixed ¢/txn (Shopify Payments; plan/country dependent) |
| Marketplace / transaction extras | Referral is the main platform cut | Extra % possible if not on Shopify Payments (plan-dependent) |
| Discovery / affiliates | Creator commissions often 10–20% of attributed sales | Ads, influencers, email — you set; not a fixed Shop % |
| Fulfillment | FBT placeholders or self-ship | Self, 3PL, or Shopify Shipping labels — your rates |
| Software stack | Seller Center tools; optional ads / promos | Apps, themes, subscriptions — often $20–$200+/mo combined at scale |
| Traffic | In-app content + creators (+ optional ads) | You own CAC: ads, SEO, email, social |
Shopify figures are order-of-magnitude bands for education only. Card rates, plan names, and third-party fees change — check the official Shopify pricing page and your invoice. We do not invent plan prices here.
$30 product: worked example
Shared assumptions: sell price $30, COGS $9, light parcel, no paid ads in the base case. TTS matches our calculator (US, 6% referral, 15% creator, FBT placeholder, 8% returns). Shopify = dated planning band as of 2026-09 — verify shopify.com/pricing and your invoice. Line items: seller fees explained · fees by country.
Sell price $30 · COGS $9 · light parcel · no paid ads in the base case
US 6% referral · 15% creator · FBT placeholder · 8% returns → net ≈ $10.55 (~35%); without creator ≈ $15.20.
Full TTS line items: TikTok Shop vs Amazon fees.
Same $30 / $9 COGS. Basic-plan amortization sketch ~$39/mo → ~$1.95/order at 20 orders/mo · ~$0.39/order at 100 orders/mo. Card processing often ~2.9% + $0.30 (Shopify Payments entry band — verify live). Source: Shopify pricing.
- Card processing (~2.9% + $0.30) → ~$1.17
- Creator / marketplace referral → $0 on pure DTC
- COGS → $9.00
- Ship + pack (example) → ~$4.00
- Rough return drag → ~$0.40
- Variable net before ads & software ≈ $15–16 (~50–53%)
- Plan amortization: ~$1.95/order @ 20/mo · ~$0.39/order @ 100/mo (before apps)
Takeaway: TTS net ≈ $10.55 vs Shopify variable ≈ $15–16 before CAC/plan. Plan + apps + traffic can erase Shopify’s variable edge; 15% creator + FBT can erase TTS’s “cheap 6%” story.
Run your SKU — Strong / OK / Fragile / Kill + Lever #1
Prefills the free TikTok Shop calculator. Marketplace peer: vs Amazon fees.
When which stack wins (short)
- TTS often wins early when in-app content/creators drive sales and Shopify’s ~$39 plan + apps still cost ~$2/order at ~20 orders/mo.
- Shopify often wins at volume when owned traffic is cheap enough that ~2.9%+$0.30 + amortized plan (~$0.39 @ 100 orders) beats 6%+15% creator + FBT (~$10.55 net TTS).
- Hybrid — TTS referral/creators on Shop orders; Shopify plan/processing on DTC — model each channel; don’t paste 15% creator onto pure storefront sales.