Phonova verdict: Shopify is the most complete hosted commerce platform in this group, but a Kenyan store is not ready to budget until it names a supported gateway, adds Shopify’s third-party provider fee, and prices required apps and currency conversion.
Price and terms checked 2026-08-11: Basic was $29/month billed annually or $39 month-to-month on the checked pricing material; country pricing, tax, gateway and third-party transaction fees vary.
Shopify: the decision in one table
| Core product | Hosted storefront, product catalogue, checkout, SSL, bandwidth and administration |
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| Basic reference price | $29/month equivalent annually or $39 month-to-month on checked material |
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| Third-party fee | Up to 2% on Basic when an external payment provider is used |
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| Gateway cost | Charged separately by the selected provider; settlement currency/timing vary |
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| Portability | Products/customers/orders can be exported, but theme/app/checkout behaviour is not a portable store runtime |
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| Compliance | Shopify publishes PCI DSS Level 1 platform compliance; merchant responsibilities remain |
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Kenya payments are the first architecture decision
Do not write ‘Shopify supports M-Pesa’ without selecting and verifying a currently listed Kenya gateway. The gateway controls onboarding, settlement, refund handling, supported currencies and its own fee; Shopify can add a third-party transaction fee when Shopify Payments is not used.
Build a real cost model with the plan, gateway percentage/fixed fee, Shopify third-party fee, paid theme, essential apps, currency conversion, domain, email and implementation. An app-heavy Basic store can cost more than a higher plan or a different platform.
Shopify earns its premium through operations
Products, variants, inventory, orders, discounts, checkout, hosting and security updates are integrated. That operational consistency is the reason to choose Shopify over assembling many plugins—not a promise that every local tax, delivery or payment workflow works without configuration.
Exporting data is not exporting the store
Shopify supports CSV exports for major business data, but the complete hosted checkout, theme customisation and app behaviours do not become a self-hostable Shopify application. Maintain scheduled data exports and document every paid app or custom integration required to rebuild elsewhere.
PCI scope is reduced, not eliminated
Shopify states that its platform is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant. The merchant still controls staff accounts, installed apps, customer-data handling, policies, fraud processes and any external systems. Require MFA and least-privilege staff access.
Who should choose Shopify in Kenya
Choose it for a serious catalogue where reliable commerce workflows and a mature ecosystem justify the total cost. Avoid it for a tiny brochure catalogue or when the required Kenya gateway, settlement currency or third-party fee makes unit economics unattractive.
Questions buyers actually need answered
Does Shopify have native M-Pesa in Kenya?
Do not assume so. Select a currently supported Kenya gateway and verify its M-Pesa, onboarding and settlement terms.
What is the Basic third-party transaction fee?
The checked material states up to 2% when an external payment provider is used, in addition to the gateway’s own fees.
Can I export my Shopify store?
You can export important data, but the complete hosted checkout, apps and theme behaviour are not a portable self-hosted store.
Is Shopify PCI compliant?
Shopify publishes PCI DSS Level 1 compliance for the platform; merchants retain responsibilities for accounts, apps, data and operations.
Evidence boundary
This is a buying analysis, not an invented hands-on test. We verified the published offer and policies, separated introductory equivalents from money charged, and discounted claims we could not independently benchmark. Recheck the final checkout and keep an independent backup or export before moving a production service.
Sources checked
