E-commerce Tools13 June 2025

How to Cancel Shopify Subscription and Close Your Store


Follow this step-by-step guide to safely cancel your Shopify subscription and close your store while managing domains and third-party app billing.

Deciding to move on from Shopify is a bigger process than simply clicking a single button. If you leave without completing a few key steps first, you can end up with unexpected charges from third-party apps or an auto-renewed domain. This guide walks you through every stage of the cancellation process — from cleaning up your account to understanding what happens to your data afterward.

For a related walkthrough, see the step-by-step Shopify plan cancellation guide.

Before You Cancel: What to Check First

Shopify surfaces a checklist of three important items before it allows you to complete a cancellation. Working through these in advance prevents billing surprises after your store closes.

1. Cancel All Third-Party App Subscriptions

Many apps installed on your store run their own independent billing cycles that are separate from your Shopify subscription. Canceling your store plan does not automatically cancel these. If you leave them active, the app developers can continue charging your payment method.

The safest approach is to go to Apps and Sales Channels in your Shopify admin and uninstall every app before proceeding. If you remember which apps carried paid subscriptions, you can cancel those individually first. Either way, do not skip this step.

2. Disconnect Additional Store Accounts

If a business partner or collaborator has been granted access to your store, remove that connection before you deactivate. This keeps your administrative control clean and avoids any access issues after closure.

3. Disable Automatic Domain Renewal

If you purchased your domain through Shopify, the platform will automatically renew it on an annual basis unless you explicitly turn that off. After your store closes, you do not want an unexpected domain charge arriving a year later. Navigate to your domain settings, find the automatic renewal toggle, and disable it.

How to Cancel Your Shopify Plan: Step by Step

Once the three checklist items above are handled, the actual cancellation is straightforward.

  1. Log in to your Shopify admin panel.
  2. Click Settings in the bottom-left corner of the dashboard.
  3. Select Plan to see your current subscription details.
  4. Scroll down and click the option to cancel your plan.
  5. Shopify will present you with a few options at this point (see the section below).
  6. Confirm that you have reviewed all the listed information by checking the acknowledgment box.
  7. Click Continue to finalize the deactivation.

Once completed, your store will be deactivated and your plan billing will stop. There will be no further subscription charges from Shopify itself.

Pause vs. Cancel: Which Option Is Right for You?

When you reach the cancellation screen, Shopify does not force an immediate closure. It offers three paths:

  • Cancel the plan — fully deactivates your store and ends billing.
  • Pause the store — keeps your store data intact for a reduced monthly fee of $10 (or €10, depending on your region). Your storefront goes offline to customers, but you can continue building or editing in the background.
  • Start a new store — opens a fresh Shopify account.

If you are genuinely done with Shopify, select the full cancellation. If you are unsure and want time to evaluate alternatives without losing your work, the pause option gives you that breathing room at a lower cost.

Online business owner managing an ecommerce website from a laptop

What Happens to Your Store Data?

Shopify retains your store data — including product images, descriptions, and settings — for two years after deactivation. This means if you change your mind within that window, you can log back in with your original email address and pick up exactly where you left off. Nothing needs to be rebuilt from scratch.

If you have data you want to keep regardless, export your product catalog, customer list, and order history as CSV files before you cancel. This gives you a local backup independent of Shopify's retention period.

Considering Shopify Alternatives

If the reason you are leaving is that Shopify felt too complex or expensive for your needs, there are beginner-friendly alternatives worth considering. Both Wix and Hostinger are noted in the video as easier options for building an online store, particularly for those who found Shopify's learning curve steep.

FeatureShopifyWixHostinger
Ease of UseModerateHighHigh
E-commerce FocusHeavyMediumHigh
PricingHigherVariableBudget-friendly
Beginner-FriendlyModerateYesYes

For a detailed look at Wix as a platform, the Wix Review 2026: Is It Still the Best Website Builder? covers its current strengths and limitations. If Hostinger interests you, the step-by-step guide to creating an online store with Hostinger walks through the full setup process.

Final Recommendation

Canceling your Shopify subscription is a manageable process as long as you complete the pre-cancellation checklist: uninstall third-party apps, disconnect additional accounts, and disable automatic domain renewal. Skipping any of these steps is the most common reason people face unexpected charges after they think their store is closed.

If you are moving to a new platform, both Wix and Hostinger offer a gentler onboarding experience for beginners who found Shopify's setup more demanding than expected.

Try Wix for your online store

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© 2026 Julian Weber · All rights reserved