You picked your payment setup because it was convenient: one dashboard, one bill, done. A couple of years and a lot more sales later, you wonder whether convenience is quietly costing you a few hundred dollars a month.
ShelfPerks vs Shopify Payments comes down to bundled versus separate pricing. Shopify Payments charges a set rate per card payment that falls as you move up Shopify plans, and Shopify adds a transaction fee if you use another processor. ShelfPerks lets you choose and switch processors such as Stripe, Fiserv, Helcim or Stax. Through ShelfPerks, Helcim and Fiserv with Clover offer interchange-plus pricing. Other processors, including Stripe and Stax, are flat rate only for now. For in-store sellers with steady volume, a separately priced processor can cost less, but only your own numbers can confirm it.
Key takeaways
- As listed on Shopify's pricing page in October 2026, Shopify Payments in-person rates are 2.6% + 10¢ on Basic, 2.5% + 10¢ on Grow and 2.4% + 10¢ on Advanced.
- Shopify lists an extra transaction fee of 2%, 1% or 0.6%, depending on plan, when you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments.
- ShelfPerks works with Stripe, Fiserv, Helcim and Stax, lets you switch processors, and charges a $20 per provider account, per location, per month integration fee.
- In our hypothetical examples using Helcim's published interchange-plus margins and an assumed 1.5% average interchange, a ShelfPerks setup cost less at all three volumes, with the gap growing as sales grew.
- Shopify's strength is tight integration between its online store and payments, so stores that sell mostly online should weigh that carefully.
How does Shopify Payments pricing work?
Shopify Payments is Shopify's built-in payment processor. Your rate depends on your Shopify plan. As listed on Shopify's US pricing page in October 2026:
| Shopify plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing (per month) | Online card rate | In-person card rate | Third-party provider fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39 | $29 | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.6% + 10¢ | 2% |
| Grow | $105 | $79 | 2.7% + 30¢ | 2.5% + 10¢ | 1% |
| Advanced | $399 | $299 | 2.5% + 30¢ | 2.4% + 10¢ | 0.6% |
The third-party provider fee is the detail to watch. You can use another processor with Shopify, but Shopify lists an added transaction fee for doing so. That makes Shopify Payments the default choice for most Shopify merchants, and it means your processing rate is tied to your Shopify plan rather than negotiated separately.
The upside is real: one company, one dashboard, and an online store that connects directly to your payments. For a store that sells mainly online, that can be worth a slightly higher rate.
How does ShelfPerks handle payment processing?
ShelfPerks is a Store Operating System, so payment processing is a choice rather than a built-in requirement. Through ShelfPerks Payments, you can connect Stripe, Fiserv, Helcim or Stax, and you can change processors later if another one offers a better deal. ShelfPerks also says you do not have to change your current payment provider to start using it.
What you pay with ShelfPerks has three parts:
- Your ShelfPerks plan. Free at $0, Standard at $29.95 a month billed annually or $34.99 billed monthly, Plus at $99.95 annually or $119.99 monthly, and Premium at $199.95 annually or $249.99 monthly.
- The payment provider integration fee. $20 per provider account, per location, per month.
- Your processor's own fees. These depend on the processor and the pricing model. Through ShelfPerks, Helcim and Fiserv with Clover offer interchange-plus pricing. Other processors, including Stripe and Stax, are flat rate only for now. ShelfPerks' payments page advertises processing "as low as 1.83% + 25¢."
ShelfPerks also connects to Coinbase Commerce for crypto payments, and with some processors you can take Tap to Pay on iPhone through the ShelfPerks iPhone app.
Which costs less? Three worked examples
The examples below are hypothetical. They compare in-person card sales only, use monthly billing for both platforms and pick the cheapest Shopify plan at each volume.
For the ShelfPerks side, we used Helcim's published in-person interchange-plus margins (0.40% + 8¢ up to $50,000 a month, 0.35% + 7¢ from $50,000 to $100,000) and assumed an average interchange cost of 1.5%. That assumption is an illustration. Your real interchange depends on your customers' cards, and a store with many premium rewards cards will see a smaller gap. Helcim and Fiserv with Clover are the interchange-plus options through ShelfPerks, but Fiserv quotes its markup directly, so it is not modeled here.
| Monthly card sales | Transactions | Shopify Payments (plan + in-person rate) | ShelfPerks (plan + $20 fee + sample processor) | Difference per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | 143 | Basic: $183.30 | Standard: $161.43 | $21.87 |
| $25,000 | 333 | Basic: $722.30 | Standard: $556.63 | $165.67 |
| $75,000 | 1,786 | Grow: $2,158.60 | Plus: $1,652.51 | $506.09 |
What the examples show
At low volume, the gap is small, and Shopify's simplicity may be worth it. As volume grows, the percentage you pay matters more than the plan fee, so the difference widens. At $75,000 a month in this example, the gap is about $6,000 a year.
Two cautions keep this fair. First, the ShelfPerks figures depend on the assumed interchange cost, so ask a processor to price your actual statement. Second, the Shopify plans include an online store, while ShelfPerks' built-in e-commerce starts on the Plus plan. If you need a website, compare Plus or Premium, not Standard.
What should you compare beyond the processing rate?
The rate is only part of the cost. Before you choose, check:
- Your effective rate today. Divide your total processing fees by your total card sales for the last three months.
- Where you sell. Mostly online, mostly in-store, or both? Shopify's rates differ by channel, and so do most processors'.
- Switching costs. How easy is it to change processors later? With ShelfPerks, you can change processors without changing your store system.
- Hardware. What do you already own? ShelfPerks runs on PC, Mac, Android and iOS phones and tablets and works with supported printers, scanners and cash drawers.
- Back-office needs. Inventory, purchase orders, supplier management, staff roles and expense tracking are built into ShelfPerks' Store Operating System.
- Extra features you need in-store. Self checkout, for example, is included on ShelfPerks Premium or available as a $100 a month add-on on Standard and Plus.
Which setup is right for your store?
Shopify Payments makes the most sense for stores that sell mainly online, already run on Shopify and value one integrated system above everything else. A separately priced processor through ShelfPerks makes more sense for stores that sell mostly in person, have growing card volume and want the freedom to change processors when rates change.
For a broader comparison of the two platforms, read our Shopify POS vs ShelfPerks guide. For how processor connections work in ShelfPerks, see our payment processing guide.
To run your own numbers, start a 14-day free trial of ShelfPerks Premium features, no credit card required, and ask Helcim or Fiserv with Clover for an interchange-plus quote, or Stripe or Stax for their flat rate, against your current statement.
Frequently asked questions
What does Shopify Payments charge for in-person sales?
As listed on Shopify's US pricing page in October 2026, in-person card rates are 2.6% + 10¢ on Basic, 2.5% + 10¢ on Grow and 2.4% + 10¢ on Advanced. Online rates are 2.9% + 30¢, 2.7% + 30¢ and 2.5% + 30¢ on the same plans.
Does Shopify charge extra if you use a different payment processor?
Yes. Shopify lists a transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced when you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments.
Which payment processors work with ShelfPerks?
ShelfPerks works with Stripe, Fiserv, Helcim and Stax, and connects to Coinbase Commerce for crypto. Through ShelfPerks, Helcim and Fiserv with Clover offer interchange-plus pricing. Other processors, including Stripe and Stax, are flat rate only for now. You can switch processors, and ShelfPerks charges a $20 per provider account, per location, per month integration fee.
Is ShelfPerks cheaper than Shopify Payments?
It depends on your volume and card mix. In our hypothetical examples, a ShelfPerks setup with a sample interchange-plus processor cost $21.87 less a month at $5,000 in card sales and $506.09 less at $75,000. Compare quotes on your own statement before deciding.
