Annual vs monthly billing

The tradeoffs between paying monthly and paying annually for Ordinary — the 17% discount, how cancellation works, and when to switch.

Ordinary Written by The Ordinary Team · Updated

Annual vs monthly billing

Every paid plan is available in monthly or annual cadence. Annual saves you 17% — effectively “two months free.”

How the discount works

At every GMV bracket, the annual price is 10 × the monthly price (instead of 12). The math works out to ~17% off, or the equivalent of two months free.

Example (<$250K Starter):

  • Monthly: $99/mo × 12 = $1,188/yr
  • Annual: $990/yr (effectively $82.50/mo)
  • Savings: $198/yr

What changes when you switch

  • Nothing in the product. Features, limits, integrations are identical.
  • You get billed once (annual) instead of every month.
  • Cancellation refund math is different — see below.

When to pick annual

  • You’ve been on Ordinary 60+ days and know you’re sticking with it.
  • You want to simplify accounting (one invoice per year, not 12).
  • Your CFO prefers capex-style predictability over opex.

When to pick monthly

  • You just installed — try before committing.
  • You’re uncertain about plan tier and might need to switch often.
  • Your cash flow prefers small recurring charges.

Most teams start monthly and switch to annual after 1-2 months.

Switching cadences mid-subscription

Monthly → Annual

  • Current monthly subscription is cancelled.
  • New annual subscription starts; you’re charged the full annual amount immediately (at the discounted rate).
  • Shopify prorates any unused monthly portion against the annual charge.

Annual → Monthly

  • Technically possible but unusual. You’d lose the discount. Usually better to just ride out the annual and switch at renewal.

What happens at renewal

  • Monthly subscriptions auto-renew every ~30 days as long as your Shopify account is in good standing.
  • Annual subscriptions auto-renew once per year on the anniversary of your original approval.

Shopify emails you about upcoming renewals (usually 3-7 days ahead).

Cancellation

You can cancel at any time — Settings → Billing → Change plan → Free.

  • Monthly: you keep paid access through the end of the current cycle. No further charges.
  • Annual: same — keep access through the end of the prepaid year. Shopify doesn’t refund unused annual time by default. If this creates a real problem, email support@tryordinary.com and we can help.

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