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In this post I’m going to show you how to access a Shopify trial in a way that extends the standard trial period from three days to three months.
At the end of the article, you’ll also find links to a selection of key blog posts and videos about Shopify that cover important aspects of this popular ecommerce platform.
How to turn three free days of Shopify into three months’ access
The Shopify trial is a bit of an oddity — on the one hand, being just three days in length it’s much shorter than competing platforms’ trials. On the other, it’s longer.
But how?
The reason is because once you sign up to the Shopify free trial, you get the option to use the platform for an additional three months for just $1/mo. This, in effect, turns your three-day trial into one that lasts over 90 days.
Shopify promotes this offer on certain partner websites, including Style Factory — if you’d like to avail of it, you can use this special link to do so.
Once you click the above link, you simply:
- answer a few questions about how you’d like to use Shopify
- choose a plan you’d like to try out
- pick a billing cycle and enter card details
and start your three months of additional, low-cost access to Shopify.
Using Shopify for free via ‘credits’
Recently, Shopify has also started testing a ‘credits’ system that lets Shopify store owners users gain access to its platform for free (or reduced costs). Under this system, Shopify gives you 1% of the sales you make via your store back to you in the form of credits that can be redeemed against your monthly fees.
Obviously this means that only store owners who are generating decent revenue will really benefit from this initiative, but if you anticipate using Shopify to generate high volumes of sales, then it may be of interest.
The thing to watch out for however is that this is a temporary offer that may soon be withdrawn — you can check if it’s still available in your country by clicking here.
Shopify free trial FAQ
How do I sign up for a Shopify free trial?
You can sign up for a Shopify free trial on the Shopify website.
How long does a Shopify free trial last?
A Shopify free trial lasts three days. However, if you sign up for a plan at the end of this period, you get the option to use Shopify for three months for just $1 per month.
Do I need to submit my credit card details to start my trial?
No, you don’t need to submit your credit card details to start your trial. You will need to submit your email address however, and consent to receive marketing information from Shopify.
Note: to avail of the $1 per month offer (in effect an extended trial, you will need to enter credit card details).
Can I extend a Shopify free trial?
So long as you have a good reason for requesting an extension to your trial, Shopify will often grant it. You will need to contact Shopify’s support team with your store URL (yourstorename.myshopify.com), stating the reason why you want to extend your trial.
Can I sell products during my Shopify free trial?
While you can build your store, apply a store theme and add products to collections as soon as your free trial begins, you can’t start selling anything until you’ve purchased a Shopify plan.
Can I dropship during a Shopify free trial?
While you can prepare your business for dropshipping and install the relevant apps to do so during a free trial, you will need to be on a paid-for Shopify plan to actually dropship.
What happened to the Shopify dropshipping starter kit?
For a long time Shopify offered users a ‘dropshipping business starter kit’ that bundled its free trial with some useful video and PDF guides about dropshipping. Although the sign-up page for this remains in existence, it seems as though you no longer get the resources. However, you can still access quite a lot of useful dropshipping resources and advice on the main Shopify website.
Does the Shopify trial let me use point of sale features?
You can use the 3-day trial to set up certain aspects of Shopify’s point-of-sale system, but you can’t use it to actually start accepting in-person payments via Shopify POS system. Once you extend your trial for three months at $1/mo however, you get the fully-functional Shopify POS Lite bundled with your plan at no extra cost — this lets you sell in person in one location at a time.
How do I get a 90 day free trial on Shopify?
Technically speaking, there isn’t a 90 day free trial of Shopify, but you can get access to the platform for 90+ day at a very low cost, via its ‘3 months for $1/mo’ paid trial. You can avail of this offer here.
Why have I heard about a 90 day free trial, then?
To help merchants during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shopify temporarily made a 90-day free trial of the platform available. When this free trial was withdrawn, the company introduced a ‘3 months for $1 per month’ offer, where Shopify was made available to merchants for around 90 days for just $1/mo. You can avail of this offer here.
What happens if I subscribe to a Shopify paid plan while I’m still on a free trial?
If you take out a paid Shopify subscription whilst you’re on a free trial, you won’t lose any of your trial days — charges won’t commence until your trial expires.
How do I cancel my Shopify trial?
If you don’t subscribe to a paid-for Shopify plan or trial extension during your 3-day trial, then your Shopify account will simply be frozen at the end of the free trial. You won’t be charged anything. However, if you start a $1/mo paid trial, then you’ll get charged the full Shopify subscription fees after three months. You can learn more about cancelling a Shopify store here.
Can I cancel Shopify after my free trial?
Yes. You can cancel your plan at any point — with any outstanding balance (transaction fees, shipping label charges, app subscriptions etc.) being charged at the point of cancellation. You can also avail of the option to pause payments for your Shopify store.
Does Shopify automatically charge me after the free trial?
No. If you don’t choose a pricing plan during your free trial, your account will be frozen at the end of it — you won’t be charged for anything. However, your store won’t work again until you subscribe to a plan or a paid trial.
Can I install apps from the Shopify app store whilst on a free trial?
Yes, it’s perfectly possible to install apps from the Shopify app store during the free trial period. You may not be able to use all their features until you upgrade to a paid plan, however.
How do I accept payment using Shopify?
You can accept credit card payments with Shopify via its built-in payment gateway, Shopify Payments, or alternatively use a third-party payment gateway (over 100 are available). If you go down the latter route however, transaction fees will apply.
Are Shopify themes free?
At time of writing, there are 13 free Shopify themes and 210 paid-for ones available. The paid templates cost between $140 and $500 (this is a one-off payment).
How much does Shopify cost?
Shopify fees vary from $5 to $399 per month, depending on the plan you choose (Shopify Starter, Basic Shopify, Shopify or Advanced Shopify). An enterprise plan, ‘Shopify Plus,’ is also available — prices for this are negotiable, but it typically costs between $2,300 and $2,500 per month. You can learn more about these fees and the differences between plans in our guide to Shopify pricing or our article on determining the true costs of a Shopify website.
Are there any discounts available for Shopify?
The main discount that’s available for Shopify right now is its $1 per month offer — this lasts for three months and you can access it here.
Additionally, if you pay for your Shopify trial on an annual basis, you can reduce your subscription fees by 25%. To avail of this reduction in fees, sign up for a Shopify trial using this link, then when your trial ends, choose to pay annually when upgrading.
Finally, if you’re a nonprofit organization, you can avail of two discounted Shopify plans: a ‘Shopify NPO Lite’ subscription and a ‘Shopify NPO Full’ one. These are priced at $29 and $99 per month respectively, and are similar to the ‘Basic’ and ‘Shopify’ plans (but come with enhancements like lower transaction and credit card fees, and unlimited staff accounts). You may need to contact Shopify directly to learn more about these plans, however, and an application process is involved.
How do I contact Shopify?
To contact Shopify, you need to log in to your Shopify account and then visit the support page on the company’s website. Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to pick the topic that you need support with. You’ll see a page with resources about that topic — and if you scroll down to the bottom of it, you’ll see a ‘Get support’ section containing a list of ways you can contact Shopify (on most plans, you can access live chat and email support; Shopify Plus users get phone support too).
Do other ecommerce platforms offer free trials?
Most of Shopify’s competitors offer free trials. You can learn more about alternative online store platforms in the ecommerce reviews section of the Style Factory website, or you can check out our resource on the Squarespace free trial here.
Does Shopify have a 14-day trial?
Shopify’s trial length was originally 14 days, but it has been reduced to just three. However, once the three-day trial is over, you can use the platform for three months at very little cost ($1 per month) — this effectively gives you an extended trial period.
Why is the Shopify trial only three days in length?
Shopify’s trial length and structure is definitely unusual by comparison to those of its competitors. It’s likely that the company has settled on the three-day limit plus $1 per month offer by looking at conversion rates and establishing that this proposition generates the most Shopify subscriptions. In fairness to the company, however, the $1 per month for three months offer provides merchants with a lot of value, and effectively gives them a longer trial period than those typically provided by competing solutions.
What are the main alternatives to Shopify?
Popular alternatives to Shopify include Wix, Squarespace, Square, Webflow and WooCommerce.
Other Style Factory resources about Shopify
Style Factory is an official Shopify partner. Accordingly, we produce a lot of strictly impartial content to help ecommerce businesses decide if Shopify is the right platform for them. We also provide resources to support existing Shopify users.
Below you’ll find links to our some of our key Shopify articles.
Shopify reviews and comparisons
- Shopify review — an in-depth, impartial look at the platform that outlines all its pros and cons.
- Shopify vs Amazon — the differences between using Shopify (a hosted solution) and Amazon (a huge online marketplace) to sell goods online.
- Shopify vs BigCommerce — we put two of the most similarly featured online store builders head-to-head.
- Shopify vs Big Cartel — how Shopify compares to one of the cheapest ecommerce solutions available.
- Shopify vs eBay — the differences between using Shopify and a platform that has been traditionally associated with online auctions and product listings.
- Shopify vs Etsy — the differences between using Shopify and ‘arts’-focused ecommerce platform Etsy (including Etsy’s Pattern product).
- Shopify vs Printify — how Shopify stacks up against a print-on-demand solution that lets you build a simple online store for free.
- Shopify vs Shopify Plus — how the ‘regular’ version of Shopify compares to the enterprise-grade one.
- Shopify vs Squarespace — how Shopify stacks up against another leading online store builder, Squarespace.
- Shopify vs Square — the differences between using Shopify and another ecommerce platform with a large set of POS features for in-person selling.
- Shopify POS vs Square — a deep dive into the key differences between the point-of-sale systems offered by Shopify and Square.
- Shopify vs Wix — how Shopify compares to one of the world’s most popular website builders, Wix.
- Shopify vs WooCommerce — how Shopify compares to the leading ecommerce plugin for WordPress.
- Shopify vs WordPress YouTube comparison — a video guide to the differences between Shopify and WordPress.
- Shopify Pricing Plan Comparison (YouTube) — a video guide to choosing the best Shopify plan.
Shopify how-to guides and product information
- ‘What is Shopify?’ guide — a simple overview of the platform an how it works.
- How to dropship with Shopify — our step-by-step guide to setting up a successful Shopify dropshipping store.
- Shopify print on demand guide — a step-by-step guide on how to get a successful Shopify POD business off the ground.
- Shopify POS Pro vs Lite (YouTube) — video guide to the key differences between Shopify’s two point-of-sale plans.
- Shopify side hustles — 25 ideas on how to generate revenue from a Shopify-powered business.
- How to start your own Shopify store — our step-by-step tutorial on creating a Shopify store from scratch.
- How to use Printful with Shopify — a guide to connecting one of the web’s leading print on demand apps to Shopify.
- How to rename your Shopify store — how to change the your Shopify store name in just a few clicks.
- How to sell music on a Shopify store — top tips on how to sell digital and physical music formats using Shopify.
- How to sell eBooks with Shopify — a step-by-step guide on how to sell digital books using the platform.
- How to sell digital products with Shopify — a step-by-step guide on how to sell downloadable products on a Shopify store.
General ecommerce resources
- What is dropshipping? — an overview of dropshipping and how to do it right.
- What is a point of sale system? — our video guide to point of sale and how to choose a POS system that meets your business’ needs.
- How to make an online store — a step-by-step guide to creating a brand new ecommerce site.
- LinkedIn guide to the Shopify free trial — our ‘quick’ guide on how to get access to secret ways to save on Shopify.
Video resources about Shopify
Below you’ll find some of our video reviews and comparisons involving Shopify. For all our latest Shopify videos and tips on running an online business, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Shopify tutorial for beginners
Detailed guide to starting a Shopify store | Launch checklist for Shopify
