Short answer: move to Shopify Plus when your store needs features or scale that standard Shopify cannot provide, such as unlimited B2B price lists, deeper checkout customization, multiple regional stores or dedicated support, and when your sales volume makes the higher fee a small share of revenue. If you are not there yet, Shopify’s Grow or Advanced plans usually cover what you need.
This guide compares Shopify and Shopify Plus on the things that matter when you are deciding, from cost and checkout to B2B and international selling, based on my work building and optimizing stores on both.
What is the difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus?
Shopify Plus is Shopify’s enterprise plan. It runs on the same platform as the standard plans (Basic, Grow and Advanced), so your theme, apps and admin work the same way. The difference is in limits, advanced features and support: Plus adds deeper checkout customization, more automation, expansion stores for other regions or brands, higher API limits and a dedicated support team.
Shopify vs Shopify Plus at a glance
| Area | Shopify (Basic, Grow, Advanced) | Shopify Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Fixed monthly plans | From $2,300/month on a 3-year term or $2,500/month on a 1-year term; high-volume stores pay a percentage of sales instead |
| Checkout | Branding and settings | Deep customization with checkout extensibility and checkout UI extensions |
| B2B / wholesale | Core B2B: up to 3 catalogs, company profiles, payment terms, volume pricing | Unlimited catalogs, catalogs assigned directly to companies and locations, partial payments and deposits |
| Automation | Shopify Flow | Flow plus Launchpad for scheduled sales and product drops |
| Stores | One store per plan | Up to 9 additional expansion stores for regions, brands or B2B |
| Support | Standard Shopify support | Priority support and a dedicated success contact |
Pricing and plan details change, so confirm current figures on Shopify’s own pricing page before you decide. The figures above come from this 2026 pricing guide, and the B2B details from Shopify’s changelog (April 2026).
Signs your store is ready for Shopify Plus
- Your checkout needs custom logic or UI that settings and apps cannot handle, like custom fields, upsells or rules at checkout.
- You sell wholesale at scale and need customer-specific pricing beyond three catalogs, or deposits and partial payments.
- You run several regions or brands and want separate storefronts managed under one account.
- You run big launches or sales and want to schedule and automate them with Launchpad.
- Your team spends hours on manual tasks that automation could handle.
- The fee is a small share of revenue. At $2,300 a month, the plan makes more sense the more you sell.
When standard Shopify is still the better choice
Many growing brands do not need Plus yet. Since April 2026, core B2B features are available on standard plans, and most stores can reach strong conversion rates with a well-built theme, a fast storefront and good product pages. If your main problems are traffic, conversion or speed, the upgrade alone will not fix them. Shopify conversion rate optimization and speed optimization usually deliver more for the money.
What changes for development on Shopify Plus?
From a developer’s side, Plus mainly opens up the checkout and advanced logic:
- Checkout extensibility: custom checkout and thank-you page blocks built as extensions, replacing old checkout.liquid edits.
- Shopify Functions: custom discount, shipping and payment rules, including logic that used to live in Shopify Scripts.
- Expansion stores: separate storefronts that share your team and apps.
- Higher API limits: useful for ERP, PIM and other integrations that sync a lot of data.
How to move from Shopify to Shopify Plus
Upgrading an existing Shopify store to Plus does not require a migration: your products, customers, orders and theme stay where they are. The work is in using the new features well, for example rebuilding checkout customizations, setting up B2B or launching expansion stores. If you are moving from another platform such as Magento, WooCommerce or Shopware, that is a full Shopify migration.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Shopify Plus cost?
Shopify Plus starts at about $2,300 per month on a 3-year term or $2,500 per month on a 1-year term, and very high-volume stores pay a small percentage of sales instead. Check Shopify’s pricing page for current terms.
Can I get B2B features without Shopify Plus?
Yes. Since April 2026, standard plans include core B2B features such as up to 3 catalogs, company profiles, payment terms and volume pricing. Plus is still needed for unlimited catalogs and deposits.
Is my theme compatible with Shopify Plus?
Yes. Shopify Plus uses the same themes as the standard plans, so your current theme keeps working after the upgrade.
Do I need a Shopify Plus developer?
You need one to use the Plus-only features well, especially checkout extensibility, Shopify Functions and B2B. See Shopify Plus development.
Not sure if Shopify Plus is right for you?
Book a short call and I will review your store, your growth plans and your current setup, then tell you honestly whether upgrading will pay off. Get a free quote or book a call.