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Shopify vs Shopify Plus

Introduction

In this post, we will examine the key differences between Shopify and Shopify Plus, helping you determine which option best aligns with your eCommerce goals.

As a Shopify Expert who works with brands across both plans, I’ll walk through the key differences to help you decide.

Pricing Comparison

Let’s start with one of the biggest deciding factors: cost.

Shopify Pricing

Plans range from £25/month (Basic) to £344/month (Advanced). These plans offer all the essential features to run a small to medium-sized online store. View Shopify pricing

Shopify Plus Pricing

Starts at around £1,600/month, with pricing scaling based on your business revenue. While this is a significant jump, it includes enterprise-level features and dedicated support tailored for fast-growing brands.Many of the world’s biggest brands run on Shopify Plus. Here’s a look at 25 of them and what makes Shopify their platform of choice. Learn more about Shopify Plus

Features & Capabilities

The price difference comes with a substantial boost in features. Let’s explore what you get with each option.

Customisation & Design

Let’s start with one of the biggest deciding factors: cost.

Shopify

Access to themes and the ability to customise with the theme editor or by editing Liquid files.

Shopify Plus

Full control over your site, including a completely customisable checkout, perfect for optimising conversions.This is where working with a Shopify designer on a bespoke store build really pays off; you get full control of the design rather than being constrained by theme settings. Shopify Plus checkout customisation

Checkout Experience

Shopify

Standard checkout with limited customisation.

Shopify Plus

Tailor your checkout experience with custom fields, branded elements, and dynamic discounting.

Automation & Workflows

Shopify

Basic automation features.

Shopify Plus

Shopify Flow lets you create advanced workflows, like automating inventory alerts or segmenting VIP customers. Discover Shopify Flow

API Access & Integrations

Shopify

Access to standard APIs.

Shopify Plus

Greater API rate limits and access to more advanced APIs for custom app development. Shopify API documentation

Support & Guidance

Shopify

24/7 support via live chat, email, and phone.

Shopify Plus

A dedicated Merchant Success Manager, plus priority support and strategic guidance. Shopify support

Which Shopify plan Should I Use?

Choosing between Shopify and Shopify Plus ultimately depends on your business’s size, growth stage, and specific needs.

Shopify

Ideal for small to medium-sized businesses that need a robust, easy-to-use platform without a hefty price tag.

Shopify Plus

Best for large or rapidly growing brands (typically generating £750k+ per year) that need advanced features, scalability, and hands-on support.

Final Thoughts

If you’re a smaller business or just starting out, Shopify’s core plans likely offer everything you need to build and run a successful online store. But if you’re scaling quickly, need a custom checkout, or want enterprise-level automation, Shopify Plus could be the game-changer that helps you level up.

If you’re ready to build or upgrade your Shopify store, I’d love to help. Take a look at my Shopify web design services and get in touch.

Feel free to contact me — I’d love to help you navigate your Shopify journey and build a store that grows with your business!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus?

The main differences come down to customisation, scale, and support. Shopify Plus gives you full control over the checkout experience (something standard Shopify locks down), access to higher API rate limits for complex integrations, Shopify Flow for advanced automation, and a dedicated merchant success manager. It’s designed for brands that have outgrown the standard plan’s limitations.

How much does Shopify Plus cost?

Shopify Plus pricing typically starts from around £1,800 per month on a long-term contract, or approximately £1,950 per month on a shorter rolling agreement.

For high-revenue stores generating more than £630,000 per month, pricing can shift to a revenue-based model (around 0.35% of monthly turnover), allowing costs to scale alongside growth. This structure makes Shopify Plus most cost-effective for brands operating at significant ecommerce volume.

When should a brand upgrade from Shopify to Shopify Plus?

The clearest triggers are: when you need to customise the checkout beyond what standard Shopify allows; when your store requires complex B2B or wholesale functionality; when you’re processing over £1 million per year and the transaction fees on standard Shopify start to add up significantly; or when your integrations are hitting API rate limits. For most stores, these issues don’t arise until they’re well past the £500k–£1m annual revenue mark.

Can you customise checkout on standard Shopify?

Standard Shopify allows limited checkout customisation — you can change colours and add a logo, but you cannot modify the checkout layout, add custom fields, or embed third-party scripts. Shopify Plus unlocks full checkout customisation through checkout.liquid (and increasingly through Checkout Extensibility), which is why it’s so valuable for brands with specific upsell flows or B2B requirements.

Is Shopify Plus worth the cost?

For the right business, yes — the combination of reduced transaction fees (Shopify Plus waives third-party transaction fees entirely), checkout customisation, and automation capabilities can deliver significant ROI. However, for stores doing under £500k annually, the cost of Plus rarely justifies itself. The honest answer is: it depends on which specific limitations you’re hitting on your current plan.

Does Shopify Plus include dedicated support?

Yes. Shopify Plus merchants get a dedicated merchant success manager as well as priority support, including faster response times and access to Shopify’s Plus-specific partner ecosystem. For growing brands, having a direct line to Shopify support rather than dealing with generic customer service is one of the practical benefits people don’t always think about.

Freelance Shopify Designer and Shopify expert Anthony Bliss

This article was written by Anthony Bliss, a Shopify Expert & Freelance Shopify Designer specialising in UX and UI design for DTC brands. With 20+ years of design experience and 6+ years focused exclusively on Shopify, Anthony helps brands create stores that convert.

Learn more about Anthony’s Shopify design services