Shopify has seen tremendous growth in its eCommerce journey, They have added plenty of features and functions that could streamline small to large businesses, and They have plans for all kinds of e-commerce businesses.
Features Comparison: Shopify vs Shopify Plus
Features
Shopify
Shopify Plus
Shopify admin,
Only one store from one dashboard
Handle 10 stores in one dashboard
Shopify POS Pro
$89/month/location
Free for all locations
Multiple Themes
Add up to 20 themes in a Shopify account
Add Up to 100 Themes in a Shopify plus account
API
Standard API Calls
Additional API calls Access to special API for Giftcards, multipass login, and user APIs
Wholesale Channel
❌
✔️
Customizable Checkout
❌
✔️
Script Editor
❌
✔️
Launchpad
❌
✔️
Avalavar Avatax
❌
✔️
Launch Team
❌
✔️
Shopify Pricing
They have in total 5 plans
Shopify lite ($9/mo) – This plan doesn’t have a store building option but has a cart feature that assists in selling products on existing websites, social media, or offline stores.
Basic ($29/mo) – This plan includes store building features with standard features
Shopify ($79/mo) – This plan includes all $29 plan features with some additional features
Advanced ($299/mo) – This plan includes all $79 plan features with some additional features
Shopify Plus ($2000+/mo) – Shopify Plus has all Shopify features in addition it has provided access to Enterprises features and freedom in developer features
Shopify Plus pricing starts from $2000/month but this can vary as per the volume and kind of business. To enquire about the pricing users need to talk to Shopify plus support and they will reply instantly. Users need to fill out the below details about the business and Shopify will reply with the pricing and details.
Enhanced Features
Shopify organization admin,
Shopify organization admin is a dashboard for managing multiple stores, inventory, and staff from a single location. You can assign and manage staff for all stores from a single place.
Get Access to Analytics and Reports for whole organizations and also for each of the different stores’ data like customers, sales, profit, etc.
No more requirement for third-party apps to create the workflow for stores, With Shopify plus users, can create flows for each of the stores and also integrate flows with Shopify apps. Implement and reuse a workflow for multiple stores.
Manage users and their roles by store and organization level, Specify users and their permission at the store and organization level.
Shopify POS
Shopify POS Pro costs $89/month for each location which can be costly for offline stores operating in multiple locations. In Shopify Plus all that is included within the plan and no additional costs on Shopify POS Pro
Multiple Themes
In Shopify Plus users can add up to 100 themes in the account manager and try out the themes to publish the best among the 100 themes.
Wholesale Channel
The wholesale channel allows you to sell products to other businesses and also sell on wholesale marketplaces like the handshake. Using this channel you can create a separate password-protected storefront and create custom wholesale/draft orders for wholesale customers.
Wholesale channel
Developer Options
API
APIs are vital for businesses setting and exchanging communication between multiple stores, offsite services, servers, datasets, etc
Shopify provides two types of APIs Admin and Storefront API to interact with the systems inside the shop’s ecosystem and outside of it.
Both Shopify and Shopify plus provide most of the API features, but the below API is only available in Shopify Plus
Gift cards – Gift cards are used as an alternative payment method to enhance customer experience.
Multipasslogin – multipass login lets to retrieve customers using another website
User – This allows you to permit the level of access a staff member can have to your store.
If you want to know more about these APIs and their implements check this documentation
Customizable Checkout
In Shopify plus users can get access to the checkout liquid file and customize it. This is an essential feature for better branding at checkout. In Shopify the checkout customization is limited.
Script Editor
Scripts are small lines of codes that are been used to create customizable carts and checkouts to enhance user experience, this will help you in creating specialized discounts like offering discounts on users buying certain quantities or upon choosing a payment method. However, users can only run one script at a time.
These are multiple scripts that can be created in Shopify plus Line item scripts, Shipping scripts, Payment scripts
Integration and apps
Shopify Plus Includes all integration that basic Shopify plans to offer in addition to that it has some advanced apps and Special integrations.
Transporter app – This app lets users import products, customers, orders, etc through CSV files to the Shopify store. the transporter app lets users extract data and convert them into CSV file
Bulk account inviter – This is a good app that enables sending bulk notifications to existing customers to activate their accounts. This app is not available on the basic Shopify plans users need to have Shopify plus plan to enable it.
Avalavar Avatax – This is paid service available for Shopify plus only. It provides automated real-time tax calculations based on more than 1200 tax jurisdictions. This will provide accurate tax rates which will be helpful for creating tax reports.
Launchpad – Launchpad app is good for creating, scheduling, and customizing events. This will let users create an event for special occasions, for certain products, and execute these events for a timestamp. users can change the theme for a dedicated event and revert to the basic theme once the event ends. read more on how to use launchpad
Shopify Plus Applications
There are many other advanced apps for Shopify plus users, users can seek more information from Shopify plus support.
Users can make use of APIs or SDKs to integrate with existing ERP, CRM platforms, and Inventory & fulfillment services to the Shopify Plus store.
Shopify Plus Integrations
Support and Resources
Shopify provides good support but as users shift to Shopify plus the support and resources will increase as they provide various helpful resources, and guides, and assign a separate team and experts to the user’s store to help in managing and operating the store.
Shopify assigns a launch team that guides on setting up and migrating the shop and recommends strategies, and roadmaps to help with integration and technical things. They will make sure you set up the store faster.
Shopify Plus offers membership to their Facebook community page where they will share key strategies and experiences with other Shopify plus users. They offer Shopify Plus academy training on key topics related to growing your business.
Get Exclusive beta programs to preview and influence the product roadmap.
Get technical and store-growing solutions with Shopify plus a partner agency.
Shopify Support Screenshots
FAQ: Shopify vs Shopify Plus
What is the difference between Shopify Plus and Shopify?
Shopify Plus is the most upgraded version of Shopify, It contains all of the basic Shopify features and in addition to that, it offers features and integration required to operate and manage big enterprises.
What is the difference between Shopify Plus and Shopify advanced?
You should consider the Advanced Shopify plan if you want to accommodate your growing business, make the most use of standard Shopify features and use analytics to find expansion, Whereas Shopify Plus gives merchants access to the advanced tools they need to convert more customers and streamline, and automate their operations.
When should you switch to Shopify plus?
If you are business has already hit over a million dollars annually, that’s the best time to switch to Shopify Plus, It opens up lots of growth tools so you can scale it further. Shopify Plus pricing starts from $2000/month and its price varies with your business volume.
What are the benefits of Shopify plus?
These are some benefits of Shopify plus over standard Shopify, 1. Unlimited staff accounts 2. Manage multiple stores from a single location 3. Access to checkout liquid file and additional API 4. Various Advanced apps and channels 5. Priority support and guidance on growing businesses
How do I migrate from Shopify to Shopify plus?
Shopify plus has a transporter app that helps in migrating store data like sales, customers, products, etc from a different platform or from Shopify to Shopify plus.
Why is Shopify plus so expensive?
Shopify Plus is designed for enterprises that make a good return on their business, These companies that have annual revenue of around $1M can afford them. Shopify gives you freedom with their API, liquid file, and plenty of automation which is good for large businesses to achieve automation.
How many stores can you have on Shopify plus?
You can have up to 10 different stores in Shopify plus.
Declan Kingston mainly works around strong Data to create powerful visuals, complex graphs to make the right decision for companies. He has been working in this field for over 8 years, has a strong knowledge of eCommerce platforms and website builders. He has worked with Ethereum and Looker Data Sciences, Inc. (now part of Google Cloud).
