Shopify vs. Shopify Plus: These 8 Differences You Should Know

Shopify Plus and Shopify may seem similar in name, as if one is "just" a kind of pro version with extended functionality of the other. After all, this business model is often encountered within the software and e-commerce landscape. In fact, the differences between the two systems are much more profound: starting from the target group, to a number of basic functions, to support and various background processes, Shopify Plus and Shopify are sometimes very different. In this article, we will therefore compare the two systems with each other. But first, we'd like to talk about the different plans and how to decide which one is right for you.

What plans does Shopify offer and which plan is the right one?

Shopify offers different versions of their store system. First, we will show you what plans are available and how to choose the right one.

Shopify offers the following plans:

Since there is no specification as of when which version of the system should be used, we can only give you recommendations here:

Now that you have an overview of the different plans, let's go over the most essential differences of Shopify vs Shopify Plus.

#1: Target audience - Enterprise solution vs. E-commerce startup

Shopify and Shopify Plus differ significantly in one respect: their respective target groups. Shopify is designed to enable even non-professionals to get started in e-commerce. They can start their own online store within a few days and usually do not need any programming knowledge. Particular emphasis is also placed on simplicity when it comes to operation.

Shopify Plus, on the other hand, is the Canadian system's enterprise solution and is aimed primarily at high-revenue companies with a broad product portfolio and international target markets.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the other differences in our list result from this target group orientation. After all, small and medium-sized companies in local markets have different requirements for their online store than a global player.

#2: Pricing model - monthly fixed price against revenue commitment for up to 10 stores

When comparing Shopify prices and Shopify Plus prices, the differences are immediately apparent. Shopify knows three standard plans: Basic (36 € / month) Shopify (105 € / month) and Advanced (384 € / month). Shopify Plus costs are tied to revenue and thus variable, but a minimum of $2,300/month is charged. This sum alone shows the focus of the enterprise solution. However, it should not go unmentioned that in addition to the costs for a Shopify plan, costs for various paid apps can always be added. The final price of the system therefore always depends on the requirements of your store.

Shopify Plus has many functions already integrated that would only be possible under Shopify with the help of a paid app. In addition, the system offers the option of connecting up to 10 stores. This is particularly interesting for companies that sell internationally and have, for example, a .com, .de, .it and .fr domain. They can easily clone their store and operate it in another language.

For companies that operate multiple domains under Shopify Advanced with the help of various paid apps, switching to Shopify Plus could be interesting, not least because of these differences.

#3: Customizing - seamless integration and more customizability for the enterprise platform

Shopify Plus is designed as a plug-and-play platform and offers more integrations than the simple Shopify. Various ERP and CRM systems can be connected directly to Shopify Plus, including SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, and Acumatia, for example. For brick-and-mortar retail, companies also get full access to the Pro version for the ShopifyPOS in-house POS system. This would cost $89/month for traditional Shopify.

Shopify Plus customers get access to the Pro version of the ShopifyPOS checkout system.

Shopify Plus also has other strong APIs that can be used to connect to important tools or systems, including:

• Third-party logistics (3PL)

• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

• Product Information Management (PIM)

• Warehouse Management Software (WMS)

• Inventory Management Systems (IMS)

• Order Management Systems (OMS)

Headless commerce is also no problem with Shopify Plus. Especially the Storefront API, but also the GraphQL APIs convince with their strong performance. They offer all options for custom frontends or integrations with other software solutions.

In addition, Shopify's enterprise solution is more customizable, for example, the checkout process can be very easily adapted to your company's corporate design and individual requirements. With the Script Editor app, you can offer your customers an individualized shopping experience and show them exclusive discounts, for example. The Script Editor is only available for Shopify Plus.

#4: Automation - Shopify Flow and Launchpad exclusively for Shopify Plus

A high level of automation within your processes saves time and creates resources that you can use elsewhere. In a head-to-head comparison of Shopify vs. Shopify Plus, the latter offers Shopify Flow and Launchpad, two exclusive apps that help you automate and schedule your business processes.

With Shopify Flow, you create automated process chains for a wide variety of areas of your business, including:

• Customer service

• Marketing

• Inventory control

• Order management

• Risk management

Launchpad allows you to structure and plan various events, such as product releases or discount promotions. For these, you can set custom themes or run custom Shopify scripts in the checkout.

#5: B2B commerce - Shopify Plus with its own business-to-business portal

Shopify is primarily aimed at direct-to-customer brands. Shopify Plus, on the other hand, is suitable for both B2C and B2B customers. Using the wholesale channel, you can give your customers access to a separate B2B store that has a number of features specific to this segment, for example:

• Quantity discounts and price scales

• User defined prices

• Configuration of shipping requirements

• Special wholesale products

#6: Unlimited number of employee accounts

Another difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus is the employee accounts. While Shopify's basic plan offers a limited number of employee accounts, Shopify Plus lets you add unlimited accounts. This way, you can give any of your team members access to the online store at any time.

#7: Support

Shopify Plus customers have access to the Merchant Success program. This provides them with support from Shopify Plus consultants (Merchant Success Managers), Solution Engineers, and the Launch Team. In addition, the Shopify Plus Support Hotline is available 24/7 to provide immediate assistance with any issues that arise.

#8: Bandwidth

Unlike Shopify, Shopify Plus can handle a high volume of visitors. That's why many big brands also rely on Shopify Plus. One of them is LIVE FAST DIE YOUNG (LFDY). Here, for example, it had to handle a high volume of visitors in March 2021, when LFDY had 35,000 active users on its store thanks to a big product drop. Shopify Plus easily withstood that. No wonder, since Shopify Plus serves more than 600,000 merchants with around 80,000 requests per second at peak times.

Our conclusion on the Shopify vs. Shopify Plus comparison

Comparing Shopify and Shopify Plus, some differences can be noticed - significant is of course the price level, which is completely different for Shopify Plus than for Shopify. The enterprise platform justifies this with numerous exclusive features not found on any of the three Shopify plans. Some of these can noticeably simplify the business processes of medium-sized and large companies, and the exclusive wholesale channel, in turn, makes it possible to address a completely different customer group.