Dev vs Live Store
Shopify development (trial) stores have different billing behavior than live production stores.
Development stores
When your Shopify store is in development/trial mode:
- Only Free plan features are available
- Paid plan charges are test-only — no real payment processed
- Billing page shows: “This is a trial store — paid plans use test charges only”
- All core features work (COD verification, up to 50 messages)
Going live
When your development store transitions to a live store:
- Dashboard banner: “Your store recently went live. Choose a paid plan…”
- Test subscriptions do not carry over
- Plan resets to Free until you subscribe to a paid plan
- Re-subscribe from Billing with real Shopify charges
Test vs active charges
| State | Billing page message |
|---|---|
| Dev store | ”This is a trial store — paid plans use test charges only” |
| Live store, test sub | ”Active Shopify charge is a test subscription” |
| Live store, active sub | Normal billing with real charges |
Recommendation
- Test COD verification on your dev store (Free plan, 50 messages)
- Go live on Shopify
- Subscribe to Starter or Pro from Level Billing
- Approve pay-per-message billing for unlimited sends
Related
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