Pricing overview
Start on Lite for small stores, host on Railway when you want your own stack, or pick Shepherd Plus for plugin access you manage yourself. Fully managed hosting is available when you want us to run the stack.
* Pricing does not include any outside provider fees for shipping, payment processing, or other services. For a complete breakdown of all fees, please see the comparison below.
Self host on Railway
you run the stack · hosting only
Shepherd Lite
small stores · shared host
Shepherd Plus
your plugins · you run your stack
Fully Managed
turnkey · we run your stack
Replatforming an existing store?
Moving from Shopify, WooCommerce, or another platform? We migrate catalogs, orders, and integrations onto Shepherd, with custom pricing for multi storefront teams and high order volume.
Compare plans and platforms
Pick a Shepherd plan, then compare subscription costs, volume fees, plugins, and marketplace charges against Shopify, Etsy, and other platforms, all in one table.
Third-party fees (e.g. payment processing) vary by provider. Data is indicative; verify on each platform.
| Feature / fee | Shepherd.CommerceSelf host on RailwayView plans | ShopifyPricing | WordPress / WooCommercePricing | BigCommercePricing | EcwidPricing | eBayPricing | EtsyPricing | WixPricing | SquarespacePricing | MagentoPricing | PrestaShopPricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment processing (CC) | Your processor | 2.9% + $0.30 or your processor | Your Processor | 2.2%-2.9% + $0.30 or your processor | Your processor | ~2.9% + $0.30 | 3% + $0.25 | 2.6%-2.9% + $0.30 | 3% or Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 | Your Processor | Your Processor |
| Platform subscription | Free | $29-399/mo | Free | $30-300/mo | $35-149/mo (*$5/mo for < 10 products) | - | Etsy Plus $10/mo (optional) | $29-159/mo | $23-49/mo | Free (OS) or Adobe $22k+/yr | Free (OS) or Ready ~$25/mo |
| Hosting | ~$10/mo typical | Included | $10-50+/mo typical | Included | Included | - | - | Included | Included | Your own or Adobe cloud | Your own or PrestaShop cloud |
| Plugins & apps | $5/mo per optional plugin | Typically $5-50/mo | Typically $20-50/mo | Many paid | Typically $5-15/mo | - | - | Many free and paid options | Limited; most built-in | Many free and paid options | Many free and paid options |
| Listing / marketplace fees | - | - | - | - | - | 50 free/mo, then $0.35 each | $0.20/listing (4 mo) | - | - | - | - |
| Volume based fees | - | Tiers reduce % at scale | - | Platform fees scale with sales | Platform fees vary by product count | Varies by category | % on every sale | - | - | Enterprise by volume | Depends on hosting |
| Ease of use? | Deploy from our Railway template; you run database, API, and storefront hosting. No platform fee, add products and connect payment and shipping in admin. | Hosted platform; you manage products, theme, and apps. Low infra effort. | You manage hosting, WooCommerce, plugins, and updates. Full stack effort. | Hosted; you manage products and apps. Low infra effort. | Hosted or embed; you manage products and add-ons. Low effort. | Marketplace; you list items and manage orders. Low infra effort. | Marketplace; you list and manage orders. Low infra effort. | Builder + hosting; you manage products and design. Low effort. | Hosted; you manage products and design. Low effort. | Self-host or Adobe; you or your team manage the full stack. Very high effort if you're not deeply familiar with the platform. | You manage hosting, modules, and updates. Significant effort. |
| Scalability? | Managed scaling on Railway for database, API, and storefront layers. | Scales well; tier limits and transaction % can add significant cost at volume. | Scales with your hosting and caching; you tune performance. | No transaction fees at any tier; good for high volume. | Suited to small catalogs; scales with plan and product limits. | Massive scale; marketplace fees and policies apply. | Craft/handmade scale; fees on every sale. | Builder limits; best for small to mid volume. | Commerce tiers have limits; best for small shops. | Enterprise-grade. Suited to high volume and complexity. | Scales with hosting and modules; good for mid to large. |
| Notes | Self host on Railway; you pay hosting only. | All-in-one; transaction fees add up at scale. | Flexible; you maintain hosting and plugins. | No transaction fees; good for high volume. | Good for small catalogs; scales with plan. | Marketplace; fees impact margin. | Craft/handmade; fees on every sale. | Builder + ecommerce; tiered processing. | Design-focused; transaction fee on lower tier. | Enterprise-grade; high cost for full edition. | EU-friendly; module costs add up. |
| Est. 50 orders/mo total | ~$10/mo hosting + optional plugins | ~$80-500+/mo | ~$30-90+/mo | ~$30-300/mo | *$40-160/mo | ~10-12% of GMV + listing | ~9.5% + $0.25/sale + listing | ~$30-160/mo | ~$25-50/mo | ~$0 (OS) to $2k+/mo | ~$0-50+/mo |
Disclaimer. This comparison table is for general informational purposes only. Pricing, fees, and feature data are compiled from public sources for small to mid sized ecommerce needs and may have incomplete, outdated, or inaccurate information. You should verify current terms directly with each provider before making decisions. Ease of use, scalability, and other assessments reflect our experience and opinion only; they are not professional advice and do not constitute a recommendation for or against any platform. Third-party product and company names may be trademarks of their respective owners. We believe this comparison constitutes fair use and lawful comparative commentary. If you believe any information here is incorrect or should be updated, please contact us. Use of this page is at your own risk; we disclaim all warranties and liability for reliance on this content.