Whop vs Shopify Payments (2026): Fees, Features and Which to Use

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Quick Answer

Whop charges 2.7% + $0.30 per domestic card payment with no monthly fee, and it is built for selling digital products, memberships, courses and paid communities. Shopify Payments is the built-in processor for Shopify stores: online card rates run from 2.9% + 30c on the Basic plan to 2.25% + 30c on Plus, on top of a monthly plan from $39 ($29 billed yearly) up to $2,300. Pick Whop for a digital or membership business that wants no subscription cost. Pick Shopify for a full online store, especially one that ships physical products, manages inventory or also sells in person.

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Is Whop like Shopify?

Partly. Both give you a storefront, a checkout and a way to get paid, so either can run an online business on its own. The difference is what they are built around.

  • Whop is built around digital access: memberships, communities with chat and forums, courses, software and other digital products, plus invoicing and an affiliate program. Whop acts as the merchant of record for sales on its platform.
  • Shopify is a general online store builder: themes, product catalogs, inventory, shipping, discounts, thousands of apps and a point of sale for in-person selling. Shopify Payments is the processor that comes with it, and you remain the merchant on your sales.

A creator selling a paid community or a course will usually find Whop simpler. A brand selling physical goods, or a catalog of many products, will usually find Shopify a better fit.

Whop vs Shopify Payments fees

Figures below come from the Whop pricing page and the Shopify pricing page (US rates, checked October 2026).

FeeWhopShopify Payments
Monthly plan$0Basic $39, Grow $105, Advanced $399 (or $29, $79, $299 billed yearly); Plus from $2,300
Online card rate2.7% + $0.30 (domestic)Basic 2.9% + 30c, Grow 2.7% + 30c, Advanced 2.5% + 30c, Plus 2.25% + 30c
In-person card rateOnline focusFrom 2.6% + 10c (Basic) to 2.3% + 10c (Plus)
International cards+1.5%, plus 1% for currency conversionVaries by plan and country
Disputes$15 per disputeChargeback fee applies per dispute
Sales taxOptional tax collection and remittance add-on at 2% per transactionTax is calculated at checkout; the merchant files and remits
Using another processorWhop processes its own paymentsExtra 2%, 1%, 0.6% or 0.2% per sale by plan

Whop also lists optional add-ons (orchestration 0.8%, billing 0.5%), an affiliate processing fee of 1.25% and payout fees such as $2.50 for next-day ACH. Shopify sellers often add paid apps and a paid theme, which do not show up in the processing rate.

What $10,000 a month costs on each

Take a seller doing $10,000 a month in online sales, as 100 orders of $100 on domestic cards:

  • Whop: 100 x ($2.70 + $0.30) = $300 in card fees, no plan fee. About $300 a month before payout fees and any add-ons.
  • Shopify Basic (billed monthly): 100 x ($2.90 + $0.30) = $320 in card fees, plus $39. About $359 a month before apps.
  • Shopify Grow (billed monthly): 100 x ($2.70 + $0.30) = $300 in card fees, plus $105. About $405 a month before apps.

At this size Whop costs less. As volume grows, Shopify's lower rates on Advanced and Plus narrow the gap, and for a physical store the comparison matters less than whether the platform can run the business at all. If you turn on Whop's tax and remittance add-on, add 2% of each taxed sale.

Features side by side

FeatureWhopShopify
Best suited toDigital products, memberships, communities, coursesOnline stores, physical and digital products
Community and chatBuilt inThrough apps
CoursesBuilt inThrough apps
Inventory and shippingLimited focusBuilt in
In-person sellingOnline focusShopify POS
Affiliate programBuilt in (1.25% processing fee on affiliate sales)Through apps
Customer financingThrough partners at 15% per financed sale, after approvalShop Pay Installments where eligible
Merchant modelWhop is merchant of recordYou are the merchant

Which one to choose

Choose Whop if you sell access rather than boxes: a paid group, a course, a software license or a membership, and you want to start with no monthly fee and built-in community tools.

Choose Shopify with Shopify Payments if you run a product catalog, ship orders, sell in person or plan to rely on Shopify's app ecosystem. On Shopify, using Shopify Payments avoids the extra third-party transaction fee.

Compare other options if your offers are high-ticket. For course, coaching and digital sellers who want customer financing on one-time products, Commas is another platform to compare. Commas does not publish a processing rate; pricing is quoted per seller.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Whop like Shopify?

Partly. Both provide a storefront and checkout, but Whop is built for digital products, memberships and communities with no monthly fee, while Shopify is a full online store builder for physical and digital products with inventory, shipping and in-person sales.

Is Whop cheaper than Shopify Payments?

For most small digital sellers, yes. Whop charges 2.7% + $0.30 per domestic card payment with no monthly fee. Shopify Payments charges 2.9% + 30c on the Basic plan plus $39 a month ($29 billed yearly). Shopify's higher plans lower the card rate but raise the monthly fee.

Do I pay extra on Shopify if I use another payment processor?

Yes. Shopify adds a transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus when you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments.

Does Whop handle sales tax?

Whop offers optional tax collection and remittance as an add-on for 2% per transaction when tax is collected. It is off unless you turn it on.

Can I sell physical products on Whop?

Whop is built around digital products, memberships and communities. Sellers with physical inventory and shipping needs usually find Shopify a closer fit.

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