Shopify $39 Plan (Basic).

Here is the same explanation, but in clear, professional English, focused on what the $39 Shopify plan (Basic) really allows and limits, especially if you know CSS, JavaScript, Liquid, and can use apps.

Shopify $39 Plan (Basic).

Real advantages, limitations, and what you can actually build.

✅ What the $39 Shopify (Basic) plan includes.

🛒 Core e-commerce features.

✔ Fully functional online store.
Product pages, collections, cart, and Shopify’s native checkout are included.

✔ Unlimited products and collections.
There is no product limit.

✔ Order, customer, and inventory management.
Includes basic reports and sales analytics.

✔ Multiple sales channels.
Sell on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Google Shopping, and marketplaces via apps.

✔ Built-in blog.
Simple blogging system for content marketing and SEO.

✔ Free SSL + hosting + CDN.
Secure HTTPS, fast loading, and global infrastructure included.

✔ Abandoned cart recovery.
Built-in automated emails to recover unfinished purchases.

✔ 24/7 support.
Chat and email support from Shopify.

✔ Access to the Shopify App Store.
Thousands of apps for marketing, SEO, shipping, upsells, reviews, automation, etc.

🔧 Customization & development capabilities.

✅ What you can customize and build.

✔ Theme editing and custom themes.
You can fully customize or build themes using:

HTML.
CSS.
JavaScript.
Liquid (Shopify’s templating language).

✔ Custom CSS & JavaScript.
You can modify styles, animations, UI behavior, and frontend logic inside the theme.

✔ Liquid logic.
Dynamic rendering of products, collections, metafields, conditions, loops, and layouts.

✔ Metafields (custom data fields).
Add structured custom data to products, collections, pages, and customers (e.g., specs, size charts, extra content blocks).

✔ App installation & integration.
Apps can add:

Advanced filters.
Product options.
Reviews.
Upsells / cross-sells.
Subscriptions.
Forms & popups.
Marketing automation.

✔ External integrations via APIs.
You can connect Shopify to:

CRMs.
ERPs.
Inventory systems.
Analytics platforms.
Using REST or GraphQL APIs via external apps or services.

✔ Custom storefront logic (frontend-only).
You can implement advanced UI/UX behaviors using JS combined with Liquid and metafields.

🚫 Limitations of the $39 Shopify plan.

❌ Plan-level limitations.

✖ Checkout customization is very limited.
You cannot modify checkout HTML, logic, or flow.
Full checkout customization requires Shopify Plus.

✖ Limited staff accounts.
Only 2 staff users are included.

✖ No advanced reports.
Professional and advanced analytics are locked to higher plans.

✖ Carrier-calculated shipping rates not included.
Real-time shipping rates from external carriers require higher plans or apps.

✖ No Shopify Flow (advanced automation).
Automation must be done through apps.

✖ Blog system is very basic.
Not a full CMS like WordPress.

⚠️ Platform-level technical limitations (important).

✔ You cannot run PHP inside Shopify.
Shopify does not support PHP execution on store hosting.

✔ PHP is only possible via external apps.
You can build apps using PHP, Node.js, or other backends and connect them via API.

✔ JavaScript and CSS only affect the frontend.
You cannot modify Shopify’s backend logic or admin behavior.

✔ No database access.
You cannot access Shopify’s internal database directly.

✔ Checkout logic is locked.
Even with JS/Liquid, checkout behavior cannot be altered beyond branding and settings.

💰 Additional costs to expect.

Even though the plan is $39/month, common extra costs include:

Transaction fees if not using Shopify Payments.
Paid apps (many advanced features require subscriptions).
Premium themes ($100–$400 one-time).
Custom app development (if you need advanced backend logic).

🧠 What you can realistically build on the $39 plan.

✅ You can build:

✔ A professional, scalable e-commerce store.
✔ Fully customized UI/UX using CSS + JS + Liquid.
✔ SEO-optimized product and content pages.
✔ Advanced product layouts with metafields.
✔ Marketing funnels using apps.
✔ External system integrations via APIs.
✔ A semi-headless frontend (with limitations).

❌ You cannot:

✖ Customize checkout flow or logic.
✖ Run server-side code inside Shopify.
✖ Replace Shopify’s cart or payment system.
✖ Build complex backend workflows without apps.
✖ Use Shopify as a full CMS or backend framework.

📌 Bottom line.

The $39 Shopify Basic plan is powerful on the frontend, especially if you:

Know CSS, JavaScript, and Liquid.
Use apps strategically.
Integrate external services via API.

But it is intentionally locked on the backend and checkout.

Shopify is a hosted commerce platform, not a general-purpose web framework.

Shopify $39 Plan (Basic)