Shopify vs. Shopify Plus (2024 Compare) – Forbes UK Advisor

Shopify is one of the most well-known platforms for e-commerce merchants of all sizes. But what happens if your business expands beyond the scope of Shopify’s standard plans? Enter Shopify Plus, which bills itself as an omnichannel platform for enterprises.

Here we take a look at Shopify and Shopify Plus so you can decide which product is right for your needs.

Shopify vs. Shopify Plus: In Brief

Shopify’s three standard plans, Basic, Shopify, and Advanced, offer users a platform to start, grow, and manage their businesses. Sellers selling everything from personalized T-shirts to digital downloads can build a customized online store and sell through a variety of channels, including online, mobile, in-store, and via social and online media trading platforms.

No coding knowledge is required, and Shopify provides good customer support 24/7, making it an ideal setup for small businesses. As your business grows and your needs change, you can upgrade your Shopify account to a higher plan by simply changing your account preferences.

But let’s say those personalized T-shirts start flying off the shelves? Then you add other goods and sell even better. So, not only do you run an online store, but you have also added locations throughout the country and are thinking about franchising. In this case, it’s worth switching to Shopify Plus, which is an extension of the original offer. Launched in 2014 to provide a scalable, customizable enterprise solution, Shopify Plus gives business owners more choice and control when it comes to their websites and stores.

price list

Shopify’s standard plans come with flat, transparent pricing tiers, so choosing the best option for your business should be easy. Basic costs £19 per month, Shopify costs £49 per month and Advanced costs £259 per month (paid annually). However, all of them cost just £1 for your first month, which serves as a trial to see which one best suits your needs and budget. Learn more in our Shopify pricing guide.

Shopify Plus pricing is more complex than standard plans because the final fees you’ll pay are based on your sales volume. Any business will pay at least $2,300 per month for standard setups and integrations (the UK website lists the price of Shopify Plus in dollars, but it’s around £1,820). Shopify Plus then transitions to a revenue-based model once the company reaches $80,000 (about £63,000) in monthly sales.

Shopify features

Shopify makes it easy for anyone to create a storefront by providing professional themes, branding, domain names, and customizations like blogging. Various cart and store management options are also available, including abandoned checkout recovery, automatic carrier shipping rates, customer profiles and refunds.

There’s also plenty of room for marketing and SEO, with Google Ads credits, discounts, and social media integration. You’ll also have access to analytics, mobile app capabilities, and various levels of product organization. Finally, Shopify offers dedicated 24/7 support, which provides users with a support team available 24/7 via email, live chat, and phone.

Learn more: Read Forbes Advisor’s Shopify review

Shopify Plus features

Shopify Plus includes all the standard Shopify features plus additional resources designed to help sellers achieve higher revenues and sales. The Shopify org admin allows you to manage all the stores in your organization from one place.

The management tools in your Shopify org admin that Shopify Plus merchants can use only include Users, Store, and Shopify Flow. Additionally, customers have access to advanced apps designed for fast-growing businesses, and Shopify Plus supports additional application programming interface (API) calls that enable integration with custom apps. In addition to additional integrations and permissions, users also gain access to the Seller Success Program, Shopify Plus Partner Program, Shopify POS Pro, and the Shopify Plus Facebook community.

How to choose between Shopify and Shopify Plus

When choosing a platform for your e-commerce business, you should consider factors such as budget, customer service, contracts, and additional features. When considering switching from Shopify to the much more expensive Shopify Plus, it’s necessary to take a deeper look at the details of these factors and determine which ones will determine your final decision.

Conclusion

Shopify is a multi-dimensional, user-friendly platform designed for e-commerce businesses of all sizes, from small merchants just starting out to larger brands that have expanded into multiple retail outlets. And while many of these companies will need to upgrade their Shopify plans as they grow, moving to Shopify Plus is a whole different ball game.

Due to its high costs, Shopify Plus is more than just the standard top-tier Shopify plan. Instead, the software is aimed at enterprise sellers; those who have both funding and requirements for higher levels of support. In short, unless your business is making millions of pounds a year, stick with the traditional Shopify plan until your ship(s) arrive.