Shopify Plus opens capabilities no standard plan can match custom checkout experiences, native B2B wholesale, headless storefronts, enterprise integrations, and multi-market expansion at scale. We build them properly, and we have been doing it since 2017.
Shopify Plus is not simply a higher-priced version of standard Shopify. It is a meaningfully different platform tier with capabilities that are architecturally impossible on lower plans. These are the ones that matter most.
The most significant Plus-exclusive capability. Custom React-based UI components embedded directly into Shopify's hosted checkout without touching the underlying checkout.liquid file that Shopify is deprecating.
Custom server-side logic running inside Shopify's infrastructure extending discount, shipping, payment, and cart behaviour beyond standard platform capabilities. The current-generation replacement for Shopify Scripts.
Decouple your front-end presentation from Shopify's back-end using Shopify's Storefront API and Hydrogen (or Next.js / Nuxt) to build custom front-end experiences with maximum performance and design freedom.
Shopify Plus includes dedicated B2B commerce features company accounts, customer-specific pricing, net payment terms, and draft order management — without requiring a separate wholesale platform.
Scale internationally without managing separate platforms. Shopify Markets on Plus supports localised pricing, currencies, domains, and languages plus up to 9 expansion stores from a single organisation account.
Shopify Flow Plus's enterprise automation builder allows complex workflows to be triggered by store events without custom code. Combined with enterprise-grade API rate limits for system integrations.
Not every merchant needs Shopify Plus. This comparison covers the capabilities that differ most meaningfully between plans to help you assess whether the upgrade is right for your business.
| Feature | Standard Shopify | Shopify Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Checkout Extensibility (custom UI) | Not available | Full access |
| Shopify Functions (advanced types) | Limited function types | All function types |
| Native B2B wholesale features | Not available | Full B2B suite |
| Shopify Flow automation | Not available | Included |
| Expansion stores | 1 store only | Up to 9 expansion stores |
| Shopify Markets | Basic Markets | Full Markets + expansion stores |
| Transaction fees | 0.5%–2% (plan dependent) | 0.25% or 0% (Shopify Payments) |
| API rate limits | Standard limits | 10x higher limits |
| Launchpad (campaign scheduling) | Not available | Included |
| Organisation admin (multi-store) | Not available | Included |
| Dedicated merchant success manager | Not included | Included |
| Headless commerce support | Via Storefront API | Full support + Hydrogen |
From a complete Shopify Plus store build to specific Plus-only feature implementations we scope every engagement in detail and deliver against a clear milestone plan. No generalist agency guesswork, no learning on your budget.
We build on Plus the same way we build standard Shopify with clean Liquid code, OS 2.0 architecture, performance-conscious development, and direct implementation rather than handoff to a third party. The only difference is the additional complexity and capability of the Plus platform.
Shopify Plus is not a plug-and-play solution. Every Plus-specific feature requires deep platform expertise to implement correctly and incorrectly implemented Plus features are worse than not having them at all.
Enterprise projects require more rigour than standard builds more comprehensive discovery, more detailed architecture planning, and more thorough testing. Our Plus engagement process reflects that without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.
Shopify Plus is Shopify’s enterprise plan, designed for high-volume merchants, fast-growing D2C brands, and B2B operations. It provides significantly greater customisation capability than standard Shopify plans including Checkout Extensibility, Shopify Functions for custom commerce logic, native B2B wholesale features, multi-store management, Shopify Flow automation, and higher API rate limits.
Shopify Plus starts at approximately $2,300 per month (as of 2024) and includes a dedicated merchant success manager, access to Shopify’s Plus-partner ecosystem, and direct priority support. The plan’s value is most apparent for high-volume stores where the reduced transaction fees alone can offset the higher plan cost.
Shopify Plus is worth serious consideration in any of these situations: your store is generating $500,000 to $1 million or more in annual revenue (where transaction fee savings become meaningful); you require custom checkout UI upsell blocks, loyalty displays, custom form fields; you need native B2B wholesale functionality; you want to expand internationally across multiple markets at scale; you need complex automation beyond standard app capabilities; or you are hitting API rate limits with enterprise integrations.
We are happy to run a cost-benefit analysis based on your current order volume and average order value to assess whether Plus makes financial sense for your business right now.
Checkout Extensibility is Shopify Plus’s framework for adding custom UI components directly into the Shopify-hosted checkout experience. Built with Shopify’s Checkout UI Extensions SDK using React, it allows Plus merchants to embed custom elements upsell offer blocks, gift message fields, loyalty point displays, custom delivery options, post-purchase offer pages without modifying the underlying checkout.liquid file.
This matters because Shopify is deprecating checkout.liquid for Plus merchants, making Checkout Extensibility the only upgrade-safe way to customise the checkout experience on Plus going forward. Custom checkout.liquid modifications will eventually stop working.
The key Plus-exclusive features are: Checkout Extensibility (custom checkout UI); native B2B wholesale (company accounts, net terms, customer pricing); Shopify Flow (enterprise automation); expansion stores (up to 9 additional stores under one account); organisation admin (manage all stores from one dashboard); Launchpad (campaign scheduling); 10x higher API rate limits; and a dedicated merchant success manager.
Some Shopify Functions types are available on standard plans, but certain advanced Function types are Plus-only. Transaction fees are also significantly lower on Plus — 0.25% vs up to 2% on lower plans which can be the primary financial justification for high-volume stores.
Headless commerce separates the front-end presentation layer from Shopify’s back-end commerce engine. Instead of a Shopify Liquid theme, headless builds use a custom front-end (Next.js, Shopify Hydrogen, or Nuxt) connected to Shopify via the Storefront API giving complete front-end design and performance freedom.
Headless delivers maximum performance and flexibility but is significantly more complex and expensive to build and maintain. It is genuinely the right choice when you need sub-second page loads, complex editorial experiences, or custom multi-channel commerce and the wrong choice when a well-optimised Liquid theme would achieve the same outcome at a fraction of the cost. We give an honest assessment of which approach is right for each client.
Yes. Shopify Plus includes a dedicated native B2B feature set: company accounts (separate buyer organisations with multiple contacts and addresses), customer-specific price lists, net payment terms (net 15, 30, 60), purchase order references, quantity rules, volume pricing, and draft order creation for sales rep-assisted orders.
For more complex B2B requirements custom approval workflows, highly complex product catalogue permissions per account, or deep ERP integration additional custom development built on the Plus B2B foundation may be needed. We assess your specific B2B requirements during discovery to determine what the native Plus features cover and where custom development is required.
Yes. Shopify Plus supports multi-currency and multi-language selling through Shopify Markets Shopify’s native international commerce framework. With Markets, you can configure localised pricing, currencies, domains or subfolders, and languages for different geographic markets from a single Shopify Plus store.
Shopify Plus also supports expansion stores up to 9 additional stores under a single organisation account for brands that prefer or require separate regional stores with independent catalogues, inventory, and configurations. Choosing between a Markets-based single-store approach and expansion stores is a strategic architecture decision we guide during discovery.
Shopify Plus development costs depend entirely on scope. A complete Plus store build custom design, theme development, checkout extensibility, and standard integrations — typically starts from $15,000 to $50,000+. Specific Plus features are scoped individually: checkout extensions from $3,000 to $15,000, Shopify Functions from $2,000 to $10,000, headless builds from $30,000 to $150,000+, enterprise ERP integrations from $10,000 to $50,000+.
We never provide estimates without fully understanding the requirements. Every Plus engagement begins with a discovery session that produces a detailed scope and itemised cost breakdown.
Yes. Moving from standard Shopify to Shopify Plus is a plan upgrade your store, products, orders, and customer data all remain in place. The migration work involves implementing and configuring the Plus-only capabilities you want to use: Checkout Extensibility, Shopify Flow automations, B2B setup, multi-market configuration, and upgrading any custom apps or integrations to use current-generation APIs.
The complexity and cost of a Plus migration depends on how many Plus features you want to activate immediately and the state of your current store’s codebase. We conduct a pre-migration audit to identify what needs to be built, updated, or deprecated before and after the plan upgrade.
"Axis Web Art developed our website. They are easy to work with, thorough, and responsive. We have been very happy with their service."
"Great work, they know how to change your theme effectively without any issues. Fixed a few tiny issues moments after identifying them. Always a pleasure to work with this team of highly skilled players."
"We crafted a soothing online shopping experience for Bubbaroo, a leading Australian baby sleep bag brand. Our Shopify store design and development focused on safety, comfort, and parent peace of mind."
Tell us about your business, your current platform, and what you need Shopify Plus to do. We will assess your requirements and put together a clear, detailed proposal.
No-obligation conversation · Response within 24 hours · Official Shopify Partner since 2017