Shopify Plus is for stores doing $1M+ in annual revenue that need features standard Shopify doesn't offer — custom checkout, B2B, and enterprise automation. If you're below that threshold, Shopify Advanced ($399/mo) gives you everything you need. Here's the full breakdown.
The Key Differences at a Glance
| Feature | Shopify Basic / Advanced | Shopify Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $39 – $399/mo | From $2,300/mo |
| Custom checkout scripting | ✗ Not available | ✓ Full access |
| B2B wholesale portal | ✗ Not available | ✓ Native B2B |
| Shopify Flow automation | ✗ Not available | ✓ Full access |
| Launchpad (sale events) | ✗ Not available | ✓ Included |
| Expansion stores | 1 store only | Up to 9 stores |
| Transaction fees | 0.5% – 2% | 0% (own gateway) |
| Staff accounts | 2 – 15 | Unlimited |
| Dedicated support | Standard support | Launch engineer |
| API rate limits | Standard | 4× higher |
What Shopify Plus Actually Unlocks
1. Custom Checkout Scripting
This is the biggest unlock and the main reason high-revenue brands upgrade. Standard Shopify locks the checkout — you cannot add upsells, custom fields, loyalty point redemption, or any logic to the checkout flow. Shopify Plus gives you full access via checkout.liquid (legacy) and Checkout Extensibility (current standard).
For brands running upsells at checkout, gift message flows, or complex discount logic, this alone justifies the cost — a single well-placed checkout upsell on a $5M/year store pays for Plus many times over.
2. Native B2B Wholesale
If you sell to both consumers and wholesale buyers, managing that on standard Shopify requires workarounds — separate stores, password-protected pages, manual price adjustments. Shopify Plus B2B is native: company accounts, customer-specific pricing, net payment terms, and quote workflows all built in without third-party apps.
3. Shopify Flow Automation
Flow lets you build automated workflows without touching code. Tag high-value customers automatically, pause products when inventory drops below a threshold, send internal Slack alerts when fraud is detected, trigger fulfillment flows — and hundreds of other business logic rules. For operations-heavy brands, Flow replaces hours of manual work every week.
4. Launchpad for Product Drops & Sales
Scheduling a flash sale on standard Shopify means staying up until midnight to manually change prices. Launchpad lets you schedule price changes, theme swaps, discount activations, and inventory releases at a precise time — then automatically revert after the event ends. Essential for brands doing product drops or Black Friday events at scale.
5. Multi-Storefront Management
One Plus contract covers up to 9 expansion stores — different regions, brands, or channels, all under one umbrella. Each store can have its own language, currency, product catalogue, and checkout. You manage everything from one Shopify admin.
When to Stay on Standard Shopify
If your store is doing under $1M/year, Shopify Advanced ($399/mo) is the right plan. You get third-party calculated shipping rates, advanced reporting, 15 staff accounts, and 0.5% transaction fees — which covers the needs of the vast majority of growing ecommerce brands.
The honest rule: If you're not hitting the ceiling of standard Shopify — limited checkout, no B2B, no Flow — you don't need Plus. The $2,300/mo starting cost is only worth paying when the features you're unlocking directly generate more than that in additional revenue.
When to Upgrade to Shopify Plus
Consider Plus when any of these are true:
- You're doing $1M+ in annual revenue and checkout upsells or custom logic would meaningfully lift that
- You sell B2B and DTC and need separate pricing without a second store
- You're running frequent product drops or flash sales that need scheduling automation
- You need multiple storefronts for different regions or sub-brands
- Your operations team is spending hours on manual workflows that Flow could automate
- You need custom API integrations with an ERP or 3PL at higher call volumes
How Much Does Shopify Plus Cost?
Shopify Plus starts at $2,300/month (billed monthly) or $24,000/year on an annual plan. For high-volume stores generating over $800,000/month in revenue, pricing switches to a revenue-share model at 0.25% of monthly revenue — capped at $40,000/month.
That cost covers up to 9 expansion stores — making the per-store cost much more reasonable for international brands running multiple regional storefronts.
Thinking about upgrading to Shopify Plus? We build and migrate Plus stores — custom checkout, B2B portals, ERP integrations, and everything in between.
See Our Shopify Plus Service →Shopify Plus vs Shopify: The Bottom Line
Shopify Plus is a genuinely powerful platform for enterprise brands — but it's not for everyone and the $2,300/mo price tag makes the decision straightforward: if the features Plus unlocks will generate more than that in additional revenue, upgrade. If not, Advanced handles everything you need.
The most common reason brands upgrade is custom checkout scripting — adding a well-designed upsell at checkout on a store with serious volume can easily add 5-15% to revenue. The second most common is B2B — managing wholesale without a separate store is genuinely valuable.