Three things separate Shopify Plus from the standard plans in 2026: full checkout customization through Checkout UI Extensions, your primary store plus nine expansion storefronts, and unlimited B2B pricing catalogs. Native B2B itself is no longer a reason to upgrade, because Shopify extended it to Basic, Grow and Advanced on 2 April 2026. Most published comparisons have not caught up.
On this page: What actually differs · The B2B change · Checkout · Expansion stores · What Plus cannot do · Feature table · Do I need Plus? · When to stay · FAQ
What is the difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus?
Shopify Plus adds checkout customization, nine expansion storefronts, unlimited B2B catalogs, 200 inventory locations, unlimited staff accounts, POS Pro included for up to 200 retail locations, higher API rate limits, and lower payment processing rates. Standard plans cover everything else, including native B2B at a reduced scale. Plus starts at $2,300 per month against $399 for Advanced.
Most comparisons run to twenty or more feature rows. Three of those rows actually decide the upgrade, and one of them shrank dramatically this year.
Do I need Shopify Plus for B2B?
No, not since 2 April 2026, when Shopify extended native B2B to Basic, Grow and Advanced. Company accounts, pricing catalogs, net payment terms, purchase order numbers, quantity rules and self-serve ordering are now included on all paid plans. Plus adds unlimited catalogs against a cap of three, and direct catalog assignment to specific companies.
This is the single most out-of-date claim in the category. Of eight competing comparison pages we reviewed in August 2026, six still describe B2B as Plus-exclusive or say Advanced merchants must use third-party wholesale apps. That was true until April. It is not true now.
Why it matters commercially. B2B was one of the two strongest arguments for upgrading. If wholesale was your reason for considering Plus, the case just got considerably weaker. Three pricing catalogs covers distributors, dealers and direct accounts, which is enough for a great many wholesale operations.
Where the line still falls. You need Plus if pricing is negotiated per account rather than per tier, because that requires unlimited catalogs and direct assignment to companies and company locations. A 200-account distributor network with individually agreed rates needs Plus. Twenty accounts across three tiers does not.
Our Shopify B2B development page has the full native-versus-Plus matrix, sourced from Shopify's own documentation rather than from other agencies' blog posts.
Can I customize checkout on Shopify Advanced?
Not meaningfully. Checkout UI Extensions, which let you modify the information, shipping and payment steps, are Plus-only. Advanced gives you branding-level control through the checkout editor and nothing deeper. This is the clearest remaining separation between the plans, and for conversion-focused brands it is usually the deciding one.
What Plus actually unlocks at checkout: post-purchase upsells, custom shipping logic such as delivery date selection, loyalty widgets inside the checkout flow, conditional payment method display, and content that changes by market.
Shopify's own published figures put its checkout at up to 36% better converting than other commerce platforms on average, with Shop Pay lifting conversion up to 50% against guest checkout and reportedly 91% higher on mobile. Those are vendor claims rather than independent findings, so weigh them accordingly, but the direction explains why checkout access is what most Plus buyers are actually buying.
One thing worth knowing before you upgrade for this reason alone:
Scripts are gone. Shopify Scripts stopped executing entirely on 30 June 2026. Discount, shipping and payment logic that lived in the Script Editor no longer runs, and the replacement is Shopify Functions delivered inside an app. If you are upgrading to Plus expecting to write scripts, see Shopify app development for what the work actually involves now.
How many stores do you get with Shopify Plus?
Your primary store plus nine expansion storefronts under one contract, each with its own products, pricing, currency, language and branding, managed from one organisation. A dedicated B2B storefront does not count against the nine. Additional expansion stores beyond that are charged separately, reportedly around $250 to $300 per month each.
This is the second real differentiator and it is straightforward arithmetic. Running four regional stores on separate Advanced subscriptions costs roughly $1,600 a month in platform fees plus four separate admins to operate. Under one Plus contract they share a catalog, an inventory model and a team.
Expansion stores also carry market-specific fulfilment priorities, payouts to different bank accounts and currencies, and local staff permissions, which is what makes them genuinely operational rather than just cheaper.
Verify the per-store cost before budgeting. Published figures disagree, we have seen both $250 and $300 quoted in 2026, and Shopify does not publish it clearly. Confirm with your Plus contact.
What can Shopify Plus still not do?
Plus does not give you unrestricted checkout control. Compiled UI extension bundles are capped at 64KB, you cannot access the checkout DOM, and you cannot override CSS to fully rebrand checkout. If your requirement is rebuilding checkout from the ground up, Plus does not get you there and no Shopify plan does.
Almost no comparison page states this, because most are written by agencies selling Plus upgrades. It matters because a brand upgrading specifically to rebuild checkout will be disappointed, and finding that out after signing a three-year term is expensive.
Two more honest limits. Shopify Flow is on Advanced now, so workflow automation is no longer a Plus differentiator, though Launchpad for scheduled campaign launches remains Plus-only. And the variable platform fee replaces the flat rate above a high monthly volume, which means very large merchants do not pay $2,300 and should not plan as though they will.
Feature comparison
| Advanced | Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $399 | From $2,300 (3-year term) |
| Checkout UI Extensions | No | Yes |
| Expansion storefronts | 0 | 9, plus a B2B store |
| Native B2B | Yes, 3 catalogs | Yes, unlimited catalogs |
| Catalogs assigned per company | No | Yes |
| Inventory locations | 10 | 200 |
| POS Pro | ~$89 per location | Included to 200 locations |
| Staff accounts | 15 | Unlimited |
| Shopify Flow | Yes | Yes |
| Launchpad | No | Yes |
| Third-party gateway surcharge | ~0.6% | ~0.2% |
| Online card rate (US) | ~2.5% + $0.30 | ~2.15% + $0.30 |
| Staging stores | No | Unlimited |
| API rate limits | Standard | Higher |
| Merchant Success Manager | No | Yes |
Payment rates vary by country and are confirmed during the Plus sales process. Treat them as the widely-reported US position rather than your quote.
Do I need Shopify Plus?
You need Plus if any one of these is true: you require checkout customization beyond branding, you run or plan more than one storefront, your B2B pricing is negotiated per account rather than per tier, you operate more than ten inventory locations, or you run more than roughly twenty retail locations on POS. If none apply, Advanced at $399 is the correct answer.
Note what is not on that list. Revenue is not a qualifying criterion on its own. A brand doing $10M a year on a single DTC storefront with a standard checkout and tiered wholesale pricing has no operational reason to be on Plus, whatever a sales conversation suggests.
The financial case is separate from the feature case, and it turns on four independent break-even thresholds rather than a revenue number. Our Shopify Plus cost guide works through each one, including the point at which payment processing savings alone cover the upgrade.
When you should stay on Advanced
Single storefront, standard checkout, fewer than fifteen staff, wholesale that fits three pricing catalogs, and under ten inventory locations. Those five conditions describe most brands considering the upgrade, and all five are served fully by a $399 plan.
Four situations where we tell brands to stay:
- Your reason is B2B and your pricing is tiered. Post-April 2026 this no longer requires Plus. Three catalogs is a lot of wholesale.
- Your reason is a revenue milestone. Crossing a revenue threshold is not an operational requirement. Wait for a constraint you can name.
- Your reason is automation. Shopify Flow is on Advanced. Only Launchpad is Plus-only, and scheduled campaign launches are a nice-to-have rather than a $23,000 a year problem.
- You want to rebuild checkout entirely. Plus will not let you. See the limits section above.
You can upgrade at any time without replatforming, which is the point most missed in this comparison. The decision is reversible in one direction and cheap to defer.
What changes when you upgrade
Upgrading is a plan change, not a migration. Your store, data, theme and apps carry over. What needs building is the capability you upgraded for.
- Checkout work. UI extensions built as app extensions, plus any Functions logic replacing dead Scripts. See Shopify app development.
- Expansion store architecture. Deciding what each storefront owns and what is shared, which is a data-ownership decision before it is a build. Related: Shopify ERP integration.
- B2B configuration. Companies, catalogs, terms and buyer permissions. See Shopify B2B development.
- POS rollout, if retail is the reason. See Shopify POS and multi-location retail.
If you are moving to Shopify from another platform rather than changing plans, that is a different project entirely. Start with Shopify Plus migration services.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus?
Plus adds checkout customization through UI Extensions, nine expansion storefronts, unlimited B2B pricing catalogs, 200 inventory locations, unlimited staff accounts, POS Pro for up to 200 retail locations, higher API limits and lower payment processing rates. Standard plans cover everything else, including native B2B at a smaller scale.
Do I need Shopify Plus for B2B?
No. Since 2 April 2026 native B2B has been available on Basic, Grow and Advanced, with company accounts, pricing catalogs, net terms and self-serve ordering included. Plus adds unlimited catalogs against a cap of three, and direct catalog assignment to companies. If your pricing is tiered rather than negotiated per account, you do not need Plus for wholesale.
Can I customize checkout on Shopify Advanced?
Only at the branding level. Checkout UI Extensions, which modify the information, shipping and payment steps, are Plus-only. This is the clearest remaining difference between the plans.
Is Shopify Plus worth it?
It depends on whether you have an operational requirement, not on your revenue. Plus is worth it if you need checkout customization, more than one storefront, per-account B2B pricing, more than ten inventory locations, or more than roughly twenty POS locations. If none of those apply, Advanced does the same job for $399.
How many stores can I have on Shopify Plus?
Your primary store plus nine expansion storefronts, each with its own products, pricing, currency and branding under one organisation. A dedicated B2B storefront does not count against the nine. Additional stores are charged separately, reportedly around $250 to $300 per month each.
Do I have to migrate to upgrade to Shopify Plus?
No. Upgrading is a plan change. Your store, data, theme and apps carry over unchanged. What needs building is the capability you upgraded for, such as checkout extensions or expansion store architecture.
Is Shopify Flow only on Plus?
No, Shopify Flow is available on Advanced. Launchpad, for scheduling campaign and price changes, remains Plus-only. Automation on its own is no longer a reason to upgrade.
What are the transaction fees on Shopify Plus?
There is no separate Shopify transaction fee when Shopify Payments is your primary gateway. Using a third-party gateway adds a surcharge of roughly 0.2% on Plus against about 0.6% on Advanced. Card processing on Plus is widely reported at approximately 2.15% plus $0.30 per online transaction in the US.
At what revenue should I move to Shopify Plus?
There is no revenue threshold. Shopify does not gate Plus by revenue and there is no operational reason tied to it. The upgrade is justified by a named capability requirement or by arithmetic on payment processing, POS licensing or storefront count.
Work out which plan you need
Bring your storefront count, your wholesale pricing model, your retail location count, your payment gateway, and whether checkout customization is a real requirement. Those five answers settle it in one call, and if the answer is Advanced we will say so.
