What Shopify costs a South African shop
Shopify's South African pricing page shows its plans in US dollars. Paid monthly, Basic is US$25 and Grow is US$65. Paid a year upfront, they drop to US$19 and US$49 a month. Advanced is US$399 monthly or US$299 a month yearly.
The part that catches South African shops is the payment fee. Shopify charges no extra fee when you use its own Shopify Payments, but Shopify Payments is not offered in South Africa. Here you use a local provider like Yoco, PayGate or PayFast, and Shopify adds a third-party transaction fee on each of those sales: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced. That comes on top of what your provider already charges for the card.
| Monthly sales | Storeforge Shop | Shopify Basic, paid monthly | Shopify Basic, paid yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| R5 000 | R299 | R514 | R414 |
| R20 000 | R299 | R814 | R714 |
| R50 000 | R299 | R1 414 | R1 314 |
Shopify column: plan fee converted at US$1 = R16.55 and rounded (R414 monthly, R314 a month yearly), plus 2% of sales taken through a third-party provider. Card fees from Yoco, PayGate or PayFast are the same whichever platform you use and are left out of both columns. Paid Shopify apps are also left out. Source: shopify.com/za/pricing and Shopify's Shopify Payments supported countries page, both checked 1 October 2026.
What Storeforge is
Storeforge is the online shop platform run by ForgeLab, a small company in Johannesburg. The Shop plan is R299 a month and includes products with variants and stock, discount codes, delivery fees with a free-delivery threshold, a phone-friendly checkout, Meta Pixel and Google tag, order emails, and CSV export of your products, orders and customers.
Card payments go through your own Yoco, PayGate or PayPal account, so the money goes from your customer to you. We take nothing per sale. You can also take EFT, pay on delivery, or sell on account to trade customers.
Where Shopify is the better choice
Shopify has thousands of apps and themes, staff accounts, multiple currencies and markets, point-of-sale hardware, and support around the clock. If your shop depends on a particular Shopify app, sells in many countries, or needs a feature on that list, stay on Shopify.
Storeforge suits a South African shop that sells to South Africans, wants a fixed rand price, and would rather have a person on WhatsApp than a stack of apps. It does not have an app store. A few things are not built yet, including courier booking from the dashboard, weight-based delivery rates, gift cards, and PayFast or Ozow payments. Ask us if you need one of those, and we will tell you straight whether it is coming.
Side by side
| Storeforge Shop | Shopify Basic | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | R299 | US$25 monthly or US$19 a month yearly |
| Currency billed | Rands | US dollars |
| Fee per sale with a South African provider | None | 2% |
| South African payment options | Yoco, PayGate, PayPal, EFT, pay on delivery, on account | Third-party providers such as PayFast and Yoco |
| Own domain | Yes | Yes |
| Apps and themes | Built-in features only, five colour palettes, custom theme on request | Large app store and theme store |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | 3 days, then US$1 a month for 3 months |
| Support | WhatsApp and phone, Johannesburg, weekdays | 24/7 chat |
| Leaving | CSV export of products, orders and customers | CSV export |
Moving from Shopify to Storeforge
- Start a 14-day trial at shops.forgelab.co.za. No card needed.
- Paste your Shopify shop address, or upload the product CSV from your Shopify admin. Products, photos, prices, variants and wording come across.
- Connect Yoco, PayGate or PayPal, set your delivery fees and free-delivery amount, add discount codes, and place a test order.
- Point your domain at the new shop. It stays registered where it is, in your name.
- Cancel Shopify once the new shop is taking orders. Shopify's apps and customer passwords do not carry across, so check which apps you rely on before you switch.
If you would rather not do it yourself, we do the setup with you. Send your shop address on WhatsApp to 073 429 5517.
Common questions
Is Shopify Payments available in South Africa?
No. South Africa is not on Shopify's list of countries where Shopify Payments is offered (checked 1 October 2026). South African stores take card payments through a third-party provider such as Yoco, PayGate or PayFast, and Shopify then charges its third-party transaction fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
How much does Shopify cost per month in South Africa?
Shopify's South African pricing page lists Basic at US$25 a month paid monthly, or US$19 a month paid yearly. At US$1 = R16.55 (1 October 2026) that is about R414 or R314 a month, before the third-party transaction fee and any paid apps.
What is the cheapest Shopify alternative in South Africa?
There are several. Storeforge by ForgeLab is R299 a month in rands with no fee per sale and a 14-day free trial. Compare the monthly fee, the currency you are billed in, any fee per sale, and which South African payment providers each one supports.
Can I move my Shopify store to Storeforge?
Yes. Paste your Shopify shop address or upload Shopify's product CSV and your products, photos, variants and wording come across. Your domain stays where it is registered and you point it at the new shop.
Is ForgeLab connected to Shopify?
No. ForgeLab is an independent South African company. Shopify is a trademark of Shopify Inc., and we name it on this page only to compare prices.
Shopify is a trademark of Shopify Inc. ForgeLab is an independent company and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Shopify. Shopify's name is used here only to identify the product being compared. Prices change, so check Shopify's own pricing page before you decide.