Yes — and you don't have to rebuild. Embed Shopify's cart and checkout into WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or custom code from $39/mo, with the real fee math.
March 20, 2026·Updated July 2026·21 min read·
Affiliate Disclosure
Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you sign up for a Shopify store through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Everything you need to know about adding Shopify to your existing website — skim first, then dive into the method that fits you.
Yes, you can add Shopify to any website — WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or any platform that accepts embedded code.
Buy Button is the simplest route — embed a product card, cart and checkout in about 10 minutes.
Costs start at $39/month — Basic carries the Buy Button, Shopify checkout and a 2.9% + 30¢ online card fee.
Storefront API gives full control — build a custom storefront on any frontend; Shopify documents access from Basic up.
Already on Starter? — 5% + 30¢ per online sale vs 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, which wins above ~$1,600/month.
Starter is closed to new stores — Shopify's plan page says so outright, and leaving it is one-way.
What You'll Learn
15 ways to embed Shopify on any site
2Buy Button setup, step by step
3Storefront API vs Buy Button
4True cost of each method
5WordPress, Wix and Squarespace steps
6Which method fits your stage
What's New Since Publication1Latest: August 14, 2026
Shopify closed the Starter plan to new stores
Shopify's plan page now states that the Starter plan "isn't available to new stores," and that a merchant who leaves it "can't revert back" to it. Starter was Method 2 of this guide and the cheapest way to put Shopify checkout on a site you already own; it is no longer a route a new merchant can take, so that method now describes what merchants already on Starter have, and the cheapest plan carrying the Buy Button is Basic at $39/month. Shopify publishes no date for the change and no changelog entry, so this is dated to the day we read the sentence.
This means you keep your existing design, SEO rankings, blog content, and domain while adding professional e-commerce functionality powered by Shopify's infrastructure. It's a plumbing job, not a rebuild — Shopify handles the hard parts: payment processing, PCI compliance, inventory management, order fulfillment, and fraud protection. If you're starting from zero, start with Shopify's $1/month promotional trial before you pick one of the methods below.
What exactly happens when you add Shopify to your site?
Your existing website stays exactly as it is. Shopify adds an embeddable layer on top: product cards that display pricing and images, a slide-out shopping cart, and a redirect to Shopify's hosted checkout when customers are ready to pay. Products, inventory, and orders are all managed from a single Shopify admin dashboard. Think of it as plugging a professional e-commerce engine into your existing website.
5 Ways to Add Shopify to Your Existing Website
Key takeaway
Not every Shopify website integration is created equal: one is a copy-paste snippet, another is a development project. Here's a quick overview of the 5 methods before we dive into each one:
Integration Methods at a Glance
Method
Min. Plan
Tech Skill
Best For
Buy Button
Basic ($39)
None
Bloggers, portfolio sites, simple stores
Starter One-Page Store & Product Links
Starter — closed to new stores
None
Merchants already on Starter
Storefront API
Basic ($39)
High
Custom UX, headless commerce, developers
Manual Product Embeds
Basic ($39)
Medium
Few products, static sites, minimal JS
Full Migration
Basic ($39)
Low–Med
Dedicated online stores, serious e-commerce
Which Method Is Right for You?
Key takeaway
Blogger or Content Creator
Use: Buy Button + Basic ($39/mo) Embed product cards in blog posts or portfolio pages. Keep your existing WordPress/Wix/Squarespace site. Sell merch, digital downloads, or services without rebuilding anything.
Developer or Agency
Use: Storefront API + Basic ($39/mo) Build a custom shopping experience on your client's existing site. Full control over UI, product rendering, cart, and checkout flow. GraphQL queries, React/Vue/Next.js frontend.
Small Business Owner
Use: Buy Button + Basic ($39/mo) Lower card rates save money at scale. Product collections and the full Shopify backend are included, but Basic has no additional staff accounts. Keep your existing site while managing orders, shipping, and analytics in Shopify.
Serious E-Commerce Brand
Use: Full Migration to Shopify Migrate your entire site to Shopify. Get the lowest fees, full app ecosystem, SEO-optimized product pages, blog, and everything under one roof. Start with the $1/month trial to test.
Found your method?
Use the table of contents (bottom-left button) to jump directly to the detailed guide for your chosen method. Or keep reading — we'll walk through each one below.
Still not sure which method fits? Take this quick quiz for a personalized recommendation based on your skills, budget, and goals.
Which Integration Method Should You Use?Answer 5 questions to find the best way to add Shopify to your site
Question 1 of 5
What's your technical skill level?
Method 1: Embed Shopify Into Your Website With the Buy Button
Key takeaway
The Buy Button is the most popular way to embed Shopify into a website you already own — and for good reason. It's the fastest, simplest, and most cost-effective approach for most use cases, and Shopify includes the channel on Basic and higher; merchants already on Starter retain it too.
Where an embed stops being enough and a full storefront becomes the answer is a separate decision, and we work through it in Buy Button vs a full online store.
“Shopify Buy Button lets merchants generate an embeddable product card and checkout that can be placed on any type of website.”
The Buy Button generates an embeddable code snippet that renders a customizable product card with an "Add to Cart" button. When clicked, a slide-out cart appears on your page. The customer completes checkout on Shopify's PCI-compliant, conversion-optimized checkout page — handling payment processing, tax calculation, and shipping automatically.
How to Set Up the Buy Button
Key takeaway
1
Create a Shopify Account
Sign up at shopify.com/free-trial. You can start with the 3-day free trial, then continue on Basic ($39/mo) or any higher plan — Starter is no longer offered to new stores.
2
Add Your Products
In the Shopify admin, go to Products → Add Product. Upload images, set prices, write descriptions, and configure variants (sizes, colors).
3
Install the Buy Button Channel
Go to Settings → Sales channels → Shopify App Store, search for "Buy Button channel", and click Install — Shopify's setup steps cover the mobile admin too. This gives you the embed code generator.
4
Create a Buy Button
Click Buy Button channel → Create a Buy Button → select a product or collection. Customize the appearance: colors, layout, button text, and cart behavior to match your website's design.
5
Copy & Paste the Embed Code
Shopify generates a JavaScript snippet. Copy it and paste it into your website's HTML wherever you want the product to appear. On WordPress, use a Custom HTML block. On Wix, use a Code Embed element.
6
Test & Launch
Preview your page to verify the product card renders correctly. Click 'Add to Cart' to test the cart and checkout flow. Make a test purchase to confirm payments work end-to-end.
Fully Customizable
Match your website's brand
Customize colors, fonts, button text, layout style, and product details shown. The Buy Button adapts to any design system.
Responsive by Default
Works on all screen sizes
The product card and cart automatically adapt to mobile, tablet, and desktop viewports. No additional CSS required.
Secure Checkout
PCI DSS Level 1 compliant
Payments are processed on Shopify's hosted checkout — you never handle sensitive card data on your own site.
Cart with Multiple Products
Shoppers can add several items
The slide-out cart persists across pages on your site, so visitors can add items from different pages and check out once.
Multiple Payment Methods
Cards, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, GPay
Accept credit/debit cards, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other accelerated checkout methods — all through Shopify Payments.
Analytics Included
Track sales and visitors
View sales, conversion rates, and traffic data in your Shopify admin. Track which embedded products perform best across your site.
Pro tip: Embed a collection, not just single products
Instead of embedding individual Buy Buttons one by one, you can embed an entire collection. This renders a grid of products that automatically updates when you add new items to the collection in your Shopify admin. It's the closest you can get to a full store experience without leaving your existing website — note that grouping products into collections is on Shopify's unavailable list for Starter, so this route starts at Basic.
Add Shopify Products to Any Website (Buy Button and Storefront API Web Components)Step-by-step walkthrough of using Shopify's Buy Button and Storefront API web components to add e-commerce to any website.
Method 2: Shopify Starter Plan — Closed to New Stores
Key takeaway
The Shopify Starter plan was the platform's $5/month entry tier, and for a site you already owned it was the cheapest door into Shopify checkout. That door is shut. Shopify's own plan page carries the sentence in a note at the top, and the marketing page that used to sell the plan, shopify.com/starter, now redirects to the free-trial page without naming a price. Starter also has no entry on Shopify's pricing page at all.
What this changes for you depends on where you stand. If you are opening your first store, Starter is not on the menu — the cheapest plan that carries the Buy Button is Basic at $39/month, and the channel is included there at no extra charge, so Method 1 above is your route.
If you are already on Starter, nothing has been taken away: the plan keeps working, and the rest of this section is the setup you have. What you cannot do is leave and come back — Shopify states that a merchant who changes plan "can't revert back to the Starter plan."
Shopify does not say when this happened
Shopify publishes the restriction but not its date: there is no changelog entry for the closure, and the wording carries no "as of" line. We read the sentence on Shopify's plan page on August 14, 2026 and date it to that reading, not to an announcement. If you are budgeting around a $5 rung you saw quoted somewhere older, that quote predates this change.
What a merchant already on Starter has:
Buy Button channel — embed products on any external website; included on every Shopify plan
A simple one-page online store — product pages and a contact page on the Spotlight theme; Shopify states other themes and customization options aren't available
Shopify checkout — the same conversion-optimized checkout used by all Shopify plans
Product links — shareable links for social posts and messaging apps
Mobile point of sale — sell in person from your phone, where the card rate is 5% + 0¢
Shopify apps and order management — install apps and handle orders, shipping, and customer data in the Shopify admin
Starter plan limitations — if you are already on it
Starter does not include a full online store with theme customization, blog, or custom pages — Spotlight is the only theme available. Online card fees are higher too: 5% + 30¢ per online sale with Shopify Payments on standard cards, against 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic. Shopify's own unavailable list for Starter is staff accounts, product collections, new templates, third-party carrier-calculated shipping rates and the POS Pro upgrade. Discount codes are not on that list — Shopify documents them among the features every plan gets. For a complete plan comparison, see our Shopify Pricing Explained guide.
Platform-Specific Integration Guides
Key takeaway
WordPress
Use Custom HTML block or plugin
In the WordPress editor, add a Custom HTML block and paste the Buy Button embed code. Alternatively, install the 'Shopify Buy Button' plugin for a dedicated widget. Works with both Classic Editor and Gutenberg.
Wix
Use Embed Code element
In the Wix Editor, click Add → Embed → Custom Code. Paste the Shopify Buy Button code. Position and resize the element on your page. On Wix Studio, use the 'Custom Element' component.
Squarespace
Use Code Block or Code Injection
Add a Code Block in the Squarespace page editor and paste the embed code. For site-wide cart, add the script to Settings → Advanced → Code Injection (header).
Webflow
Use Embed component
Drag an Embed component from the Add panel, paste the Shopify Buy Button code. Works in both the Designer and published site. For dynamic pages, place the embed inside a Collection item template.
Custom HTML/Static Sites
Paste directly into HTML
Paste the embed code into your HTML file at the desired location. The script tag loads asynchronously and won't block page rendering. Works with any static site generator (Hugo, Jekyll, 11ty, Astro).
Any Other Platform
If it accepts HTML, it works
Any website builder or CMS that lets you add custom HTML or JavaScript can use the Shopify Buy Button. This includes Ghost, Notion (via Super.so), Carrd, and more.
Method 3: Storefront API (Headless Commerce)
Key takeaway
For developers who want complete control over the shopping experience, Shopify's Storefront API is the most powerful integration method. It's a GraphQL API that gives you access to product data, collections, cart management, and checkout — without any pre-built UI.
One plan detail worth checking before you scope the work: Shopify's plan comparison grants one headless storefront on Basic, Grow and Advanced and 25 on Plus, and Basic is limited to restricted data access through the APIs. Shopify doesn't document headless storefronts on Starter — the comparison starts at Basic — so treat Basic ($39/mo) as the realistic floor for a headless build rather than the $5 tier.
This is the "headless commerce" approach: Shopify handles the backend (products, inventory, payments, orders, shipping), while your existing website handles the frontend (product display, cart UI, user experience). You build the bridge between them using API calls.
“The Storefront API is the foundational layer of custom storefronts. It provides you the commerce primitives to build custom, scalable, and performant shopping experiences.”
Shopify Developer Documentation — Building with the Storefront API — Shopify.dev · View source (shopify.dev)
Full UI Control
Build any shopping experience
No pre-built components or design constraints. Render products, cart, and checkout flow exactly as you want. Use React, Vue, Svelte, or vanilla JS.
GraphQL API
Efficient, typed data fetching
Query exactly the data you need — product titles, prices, images, variants, inventory levels. No over-fetching or under-fetching.
Secure by Design
Public API tokens are safe
Storefront API uses public access tokens that are safe to expose in client-side code. They only grant read access to published products and write access to carts.
Performance Optimized
No fixed per-minute limit for buyer traffic
Shopify doesn't cap requests from real buyers at a fixed rate — it throttles automated bot and crawler traffic and limits checkout creation instead. Advanced gets up to 2x and Plus up to 10x limits on select APIs (the GraphQL Admin API — the Storefront API's row reads None on every plan).
Getting Started with the Storefront API
Key takeaway
1
Install the Headless Channel
In your Shopify admin, install the Headless channel from the Shopify App Store. This gives you Storefront API access tokens and a central place to manage API permissions.
2
Create a Storefront
In the Headless channel, click 'Add Storefront' to generate a Storefront API access token. Configure which products and collections are accessible via the API.
3
Query Products via GraphQL
Use the Storefront API endpoint (https://your-store.myshopify.com/api/2026-07/graphql.json) to fetch product data. Pin the current stable version — Shopify ships a new one every quarter and each version stays accessible for about a year, so 2026-07 is the version to use as of July 2026.
4
Build Cart & Checkout
Use the Cart API (part of Storefront API) to create carts, add/remove line items, and generate a checkout URL. Redirect customers to Shopify's hosted checkout to complete payment.
5
Render on Your Frontend
Display product data and cart state using your frontend framework of choice. Use React components, Vue templates, or plain HTML/JS — Shopify doesn't dictate your UI.
When to use Storefront API vs Buy Button
Use the Buy Button when you want a quick, no-code embed for a few products. Use the Storefront API when you need a fully custom shopping experience — custom product pages, real-time search, dynamic filtering, personalized recommendations, or when you want products to feel native to your existing site design. The API is also the right choice if you need server-side rendering for SEO.
Method 4: Embed Products via Custom Code
Key takeaway
The Buy Button JS library is the underlying JavaScript SDK that powers the Buy Button channel. You can use it directly to create product embeds with more customization options than the visual builder offers.
This approach sits between the no-code Buy Button and the full Storefront API in terms of complexity and flexibility. You write JavaScript to define product components, cart behavior, and styling — but Shopify handles the heavy lifting of rendering, cart state, and checkout redirection.
Shopify's own setup for the library starts with a Storefront API access token from a custom app — created in the Dev Dashboard or with the Shopify CLI, since new custom apps can no longer be made in the admin — after which you mark the products and collections that app may read.
Shopify names no plan floor for the library itself; the plan-independent route is the no-code Buy Button channel, whose generated embed code Shopify tells you to paste unedited.
Check your library version before you ship
The library's foundation moved: Shopify's JS Buy SDK was deprecated in January 2025 and is no longer maintained, and the Checkout APIs it depended on were retired. The practical consequence is a hard version floor: you need Buy Button JS ^3.0.4 (or the "latest" CDN build) for checkout to work at all. For anything you expect to maintain for years, Shopify names the Storefront API client — Method 3 — as the future-proof path.
Ideal for static sites and custom CMS
If your website is built with a static site generator (Hugo, Jekyll, 11ty, Astro) or a headless CMS (Contentful, Sanity, Strapi), the Buy Button JS library is often the best fit. Drop the script into your template, configure it with your product IDs, and Shopify handles the rest.
Method 5: Full Migration to Shopify
Key takeaway
Sometimes the right answer isn't "add Shopify to your existing website" — it's "move your website to Shopify." This is especially true when e-commerce is (or will become) the primary purpose of your site.
A full migration means using Shopify as both your e-commerce backend and your website platform. You get access to 1,200+ Shopify themes (24 of them free, the paid ones a one-off $100–$500), the full theme editor, blog functionality, SEO tools, and the lowest available transaction fees. For a detailed walkthrough of what the full Shopify platform offers, see our guide on How Shopify Store Works.
Coming from Squarespace specifically? Our dedicated Squarespace to Shopify migration guide walks through moving products, customers, and URLs without losing your existing SEO rankings.
When Full Migration Makes Sense
E-commerce is your primary business
You want the lowest transaction fees (2.9% on Basic)
You need full SEO control over product pages
You have 50+ products and need a full catalog
You want access to the full Shopify app ecosystem
When to Stay Embedded
Your website is your brand (portfolio, blog, agency)
You sell only a handful of products
You have strong SEO on your current platform
You don't want to learn a new platform
Your hosting costs are minimal or free
Method Comparison: Side by Side
Key takeaway
Feature Comparison by Integration Method
Feature
Buy Button
Storefront API
Full Migration
Setup time
10 minutes
Days–weeks
Days–weeks
Technical skill required
None
Advanced JS/GraphQL
Basic–Medium
Keep existing site
Yes
Yes
No (rebuild)
UI customization
Colors, layout
Complete control
Theme editor
Product page SEO
No
Yes (custom)
Yes (built-in)
Discount codes
Yes (all plans)
Yes
Yes
Lowest online card rate
5% + 30¢ (Starter; existing merchants only)
2.9% + 30¢ (Basic)
2.9% + 30¢ (Basic)
App ecosystem access
Limited
Via API
Full (21,000+ apps)
True Cost Breakdown: Adding Shopify to Your Website
Key takeaway
The table and chart below compare Starter at $5/month against Basic at $39/month. Read them as the maths for a merchant already on Starter, deciding whether to move up — not as a choice a new store gets to make, since Starter is closed to new stores.
Shopify quotes Starter's rate as "from" 5% + 30¢ for online sales on standard cards — premium and international cards cost more, and Shopify does not publish those rates for Starter. Here's where the crossover point happens:
Basic rates from Shopify Pricing; Starter rates as Shopify last published them (July 2026). Assumes Shopify Payments online standard card rates, monthly billing, and $50 average order value.
Cost Breakdown by Plan & Revenue
Monthly Revenue
Starter Total
Basic Total
Savings (Basic)
$500/mo
$33/mo
$57/mo
+$24/mo
$1K/mo
$61/mo
$74/mo
+$13/mo
$2K/mo
$117/mo
$109/mo
−$8/mo
$5K/mo
$285/mo
$214/mo
−$71/mo
$10K/mo
$565/mo
$389/mo
−$176/mo
$25K/mo
$1405/mo
$914/mo
−$491/mo
The $1,600/month rule — if you are already on Starter
Below roughly $1,600/month in online sales, staying on Starter ($5/mo) still costs less despite its higher transaction rate. Above that threshold, Basic saves you money: on monthly billing ($39/mo at 2.9% + 30¢) the crossover works out to $1,619/month, and because both plans charge the same 30¢ per order, it doesn't move with your average order value. Pay for Basic annually instead ($29/mo) and the crossover drops to about $1,143. At $10K/month, Basic saves $176/month compared to Starter. For a deep dive into all Shopify plan costs, see our Shopify Pricing Explained guide.
Estimate Your Shopify Costs
Key takeaway
The calculator below models the full plans only — Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. It does not include the $5 Starter tier, so use the table above for Starter and the calculator for everything from Basic up. It also starts with a $100/month apps budget, which is why its Basic figure runs higher than the table's; set apps to $0 to compare the two directly.
Shopify Cost Calculator
Enter your estimated monthly numbers to see the true cost across all Shopify plans.
BasicBest
$489
per month
Plan fee$39
Processing$350
Apps$100
% of Revenue4.9%
Grow
$535
per month
Plan fee$105
Processing$330
Apps$100
% of Revenue5.3%
Advanced
$809
per month
Plan fee$399
Processing$310
Apps$100
% of Revenue8.1%
Plus
$2,685
per month
Plan fee$2300
Processing$285
Apps$100
% of Revenue26.9%
* Estimates based on Shopify Payments rates. Actual costs may vary based on location, currency, and negotiated rates. Does not include theme, domain, or developer costs.
Limitations & Trade-offs of Adding Shopify
Key takeaway
Every integration method has limitations. Being upfront about these helps you make the right choice:
No Native Product SEO
Buy Button products aren't indexable
Products embedded via Buy Button load via JavaScript and aren't crawled by search engines as standalone pages. For product SEO, you need the Storefront API with SSR or a full Shopify migration.
Higher Fees on Starter
5% + 30¢ online vs 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic
The Starter plan's higher transaction rate makes it expensive at volume. At $5K/month revenue, you'd pay $285 in total vs $214 on Basic — a $71/month difference.
Limited Design Control
Buy Button offers basic customization only
The visual Buy Button builder offers color, layout, and text customization — but you can't fully match complex brand designs without using the JS SDK or Storefront API.
Split Admin Experience
Two platforms to manage
You'll manage content on your website platform and products/orders on Shopify. This dual-admin workflow adds operational overhead. Full migration eliminates this split.
Shopify-Hosted Checkout
The payment step is Shopify's, not yours
With Buy Button and Starter, the cart and the payment step are Shopify's own checkout rather than a page you control, so the final step of the purchase sits outside your site's design and analytics. Editing that checkout's colours, fonts and logo requires Basic or higher, and advanced checkout customization is Plus-only. If your store itself runs on Shopify with your domain connected, checkout already runs on your own domain, free and automatically, on every plan.
No Collections on Starter
Products can't be grouped
Shopify's unavailable list for Starter includes grouping products into collections, so the collection-style Buy Button embed needs Basic ($39/mo) or higher. New templates and carrier-calculated shipping sit on the same list; discount codes do not. Staff accounts are a separate story — Shopify documents zero on Starter and zero on Basic, so extra users start at Grow.
The Bottom Line
Key takeaway
Adding e-commerce to your existing website doesn't require rebuilding anything. Shopify gives you five integration paths — pick the one that matches your technical comfort and budget.
Don't overthink it. If you have an existing website and want to sell a few products, start with the Buy Button. It takes 10 minutes, costs $39/month on Basic, and you can always upgrade later.
The beauty of Shopify's integration options is that they scale with you — from a single Buy Button to a fully headless commerce architecture. Start simple, validate demand, and upgrade when the data tells you to.
Want the Setup Handled for You?
If you'd rather not wire up the Buy Button or Storefront API yourself, our Shopify store setup service gets your existing website connected to Shopify checkout, correctly configured, in days.
Yes. The simplest method is using the Shopify Buy Button — you generate an embed code in your Shopify admin and paste it into any WordPress page or post using a Custom HTML block. Shopify also offers a dedicated WordPress plugin (Shopify Buy Button for WordPress) that simplifies the process. Your WordPress site keeps its design, SEO, and content while Shopify handles the e-commerce functionality (cart, checkout, payments, order management).
Yes. Both Wix and Squarespace allow you to embed custom HTML/JavaScript. Generate a Buy Button embed code from your Shopify admin, then paste it into a Code Embed block on Wix or a Code Block on Squarespace. The product card, cart, and checkout are all handled by Shopify. Your existing site design remains unchanged. Note that Wix and Squarespace have their own e-commerce features — Shopify integration makes sense when you want Shopify's superior checkout, payment processing, or inventory management.
For a store you open today, it is Basic at $39/month with the Buy Button channel included — 2.9% + 30¢ per online sale. The $5 Starter plan was the cheaper answer until Shopify closed it: its plan page states that Starter "isn't available to new stores" (read August 14, 2026). If you are already on Starter you keep it, with its 5% + 30¢ online rate, and Basic costs you less above roughly $1,600/month in sales.
No, and the door is shut in both directions. Shopify's plan page states that the Starter plan "isn't available to new stores" (read August 14, 2026), so a second store cannot be opened on it either, and a store already on Basic, Grow, Advanced or Plus cannot downgrade to it. The same page adds that a merchant currently on Starter who changes plan "can't revert back to the Starter plan." If you want an embed on a second website, run the Buy Button on the plan you already pay for — every plan includes the channel.
No. That's the core advantage of methods like the Buy Button and Storefront API. You keep your existing website exactly as it is — same design, same hosting, same SEO rankings — and simply add Shopify-powered e-commerce elements where needed. You only need to rebuild if you want a full Shopify-hosted online store with themes, which is the full migration path (Method 5).
Minimally. The Buy Button JavaScript library is lightweight and loads asynchronously, so it doesn't block your page rendering — it is a single async script, not a theme-wide framework. For Storefront API integrations, performance depends entirely on your implementation. In both cases Shopify's CDN serves the assets from edge servers near your visitors, so the Core Web Vitals impact is typically negligible.
Buy Button payments run through Shopify's checkout. You can use Shopify Payments — not available in every country — or a third-party gateway, on which Shopify adds a surcharge: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, 0.2% on Plus. Starter, which Shopify has closed to new stores, was last published at 5% — a figure that now matters only to merchants already on it, so confirm it in your admin.
Two different things get confused here. A Buy Button keeps the shopper on your page for browsing and the cart, but the payment step itself is Shopify's checkout rather than a page you control. Editing that checkout's colours, fonts and logo starts on the Basic plan, and advanced checkout customization is Plus-only. Separately, if your store runs on Shopify with your domain connected, checkout on your own domain is free and activated automatically for all merchants.
Yes. The Buy Button is fully responsive and works on all screen sizes. The product card, cart overlay, and checkout flow automatically adapt to mobile viewports. The cart appears as a slide-out panel on mobile devices. Shopify's checkout is also mobile-optimized with accelerated checkout options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay.
Yes, but with limitations. The Buy Button supports physical products, digital products, and services. For subscriptions, you'll need a subscription app like Recharge or Bold Subscriptions, and the integration may require using the Storefront API instead of the basic Buy Button embed. Digital product delivery (download links, license keys) works through Shopify's built-in digital downloads app or third-party apps like SendOwl.
Your existing site's SEO is unaffected — the Buy Button embeds as JavaScript, so your page structure and URLs don't change. Buy Button products don't create indexable product pages on your site, and Starter's own one-page storefront is a separate Shopify-hosted store, so whatever it ranks for builds authority there rather than on the website you already own. For product SEO, choose the Storefront API or migration.
The Buy Button is a sales channel — the embed code itself — and it is included in every Shopify plan. Lite was a plan built around that channel and point of sale, for merchants selling without an online store. Shopify states that "The Lite plan isn't available to new stores", and its Starter page carries the same line, so a store opened today starts on Basic. Merchants still on Lite keep it, but can't switch back once they change plans.
Yes. All products and inventory are managed centrally in your Shopify admin, regardless of which integration method you use. If you sell the same product via Buy Button on your website and through another Shopify sales channel (like Shop app or social media), Shopify sends inventory updates from your store to the connected channel. With Marketplace Connect, an eBay sale reduces Shopify inventory when the "Stock Level" quantity rule is selected. Shopify tracks stock levels, sends low-inventory alerts, and can automatically hide out-of-stock products.
The Storefront API itself has no usage fees, but Shopify doesn't document headless storefronts on Starter — its plan comparison starts at Basic, granting one headless storefront on Basic, Grow and Advanced and 25 on Plus, with Basic limited to restricted data access. Implementation needs frontend skills. There is no fixed per-minute request limit for real buyer traffic.
Front-end developer specializing in Shopify since 2017. Experienced in building custom Liquid themes, optimizing storefront performance, and integrating third-party apps. Directs the editorial process behind Shopify Ecom: sets each topic, and checks facts, links, and interactive elements before publication.
This article was written entirely by AI under human editorial direction. The editor sets the topic and structure, runs multi-stage validation on facts, links, and interactive elements, and verifies the output is useful from a business perspective. All claims are checked against official Shopify sources. Details may change — always confirm critical data at shopify.com.
