As your eCommerce brand scales, choosing between Shopify vs Shopify Plus isn’t just a technical decision — it’s a strategic one. For startups and growing brands, standard Shopify offers the essentials to launch and run an online store. But for brands doing serious volume, expanding globally, or struggling with workflow bottlenecks, Shopify Plus may be the missing growth lever.
In this guide, we’ll break down 7 key differences between Shopify vs Shopify Plus — from pricing and features to automation and scale-readiness. Whether you’re evaluating your first upgrade or planning a future migration, you’ll get expert insights from S Software Ltd to help you decide what’s right for your stage of growth. If you’re specifically comparing Shopify vs Shopify Plus, this blog provides the clarity you need to make a confident decision.
Table of Contents
What Is Shopify and Shopify Plus?
Shopify is a powerful and user-friendly eCommerce platform that enables businesses to sell online, manage orders, and customise their storefronts. It’s ideal for startups and growing brands looking for a lean, scalable solution with access to hundreds of apps and themes.
Shopify Plus is the enterprise-grade version of Shopify, designed for high-growth businesses needing advanced customisation, automation, and multi-store capabilities. It offers deeper integrations, higher performance thresholds, and more control over checkout and workflows, making it perfect for scaling brands, B2B operations, and international expansion.
Choosing between Shopify vs Shopify Plus depends on your business stage, goals, and operational needs. This Shopify plan comparison will help you identify where your brand fits.
Why Comparing Shopify vs Shopify Plus Matters
If you’re navigating platform decisions, understanding Shopify vs Shopify Plus is more than just ticking boxes. It’s about choosing the infrastructure that supports your business today and scales with you tomorrow. Many brands start on standard Shopify but encounter friction as they grow — limitations that Shopify Plus is built to solve.
This guide moves you from wondering “What’s the difference?” to confidently answering, “Which one is right for me?”
Shopify vs Shopify Plus: Quick Overview Table
To help you get a fast snapshot of the core differences, here’s a side-by-side Shopify plans comparison. This table outlines how Shopify vs Shopify Plus differ in pricing, feature access, scalability, and support, so you can see which solution aligns best with your growth strategy.
| Feature | Shopify | Shopify Plus |
| Pricing | £25–£259/month | Starts at £1,800–£2,000/month (tiered) |
| Custom Checkout | No | Full access to checkout.liquid and Shopify Scripts |
| Automation Tools | Limited | Launchpad, Flow, and advanced scheduling |
| API Access | Standard limits | Higher rate limits for integrations |
| B2B/Wholesale Tools | App-dependent | Built-in B2B suite |
| Global / Multi-Store Support | One storefront | Up to 10+ storefronts in one organisation |
| Staff Accounts & Permissions | Limited | Unlimited + advanced permission controls |
| Support Level | Live chat and email | Dedicated Merchant Success Manager |
Is Shopify the Right Starting Point for Your Brand?
If you’re just launching your eCommerce business or are in the early growth stages, Shopify offers a lean, intuitive solution to get started quickly and cost-effectively. It’s a great fit for:
- Early-stage eCommerce businesses
- Brands doing under £500k per year
- Stores with smaller product catalogues
- Companies not yet needing ERP, CRM, or B2B workflows
Shopify provides access to essential features, a wide app ecosystem, and easy theme customisation, all with a straightforward interface. It’s ideal for businesses testing and refining their offer without significant overheads. However, as your operations scale, limitations like manual workflows and lack of multi-store capabilities emerge — a strong signal that it’s time to consider Shopify Plus.
Is Shopify Plus the Right Platform for Your Scaling Brand?
If your business has outgrown basic storefront functionality and you’re facing scaling friction, Shopify Plus is designed to remove those barriers. It’s built for fast-growing and established brands needing more control, automation, and enterprise-grade support.
You should consider Shopify Plus if your brand fits:
- £1M+ in annual revenue
- Complex checkout logic or multi-step funnels
- Integration needs with ERP, CRM, or headless architectures
- Plans to expand internationally with multi-storefronts
- B2B/wholesale operations requiring custom pricing
When brands encounter growth bottlenecks — like clunky integrations or sluggish campaign rollouts — Shopify Plus brings the operational efficiency to break through. At S Software Ltd, we’ve helped brands streamline workflows, automate operations, and boost conversions with Shopify Plus Speed Optimisation Tactics.
What Sets Shopify and Shopify Plus Apart?
Choosing the right platform isn’t just about where you are now — it’s about where you’re going next. To help you see what you gain by upgrading, here’s a deep dive into the core differences between Shopify and Shopify Plus. From pricing to automation and support, this section breaks down the most important features that can impact your scalability, team efficiency, and long-term growth.
Once you’ve identified whether Shopify or Shopify Plus suits your current business stage, it’s time to dive into the specific features and services that separate these two platforms. Understanding these differences can help you determine if the extra investment in Shopify Plus delivers meaningful value for your operations, marketing, and customer experience.
Pricing
- Shopify: £25–£259/month depending on plan
- Shopify Plus: Starts at approx. £1,800/month, scaling by usage and services
While the cost difference is significant, the return is in saved time, reduced app dependence, and higher conversions.
Support & Service
- Shopify: Live chat, forums, and email support
- Shopify Plus: Dedicated Merchant Success Manager, launch engineers, and priority response times
This is a major benefit for teams launching campaigns or integrating third-party systems.
Customisation & Development
- Standard Shopify: Theme customisation only
- Shopify Plus: Access to checkout.liquid, Shopify Functions, and advanced developer tools
This allows for personalised checkout experiences, tailored funnels, and conversion-focused custom workflows.
Automation & Advanced Features
- Shopify: Manual app-based workflows
- Shopify Plus: Built-in Launchpad, Flow, Script Editor
You can automate flash sales, handle B2B-specific logic, and deploy sitewide changes at scale.
Limitations That Hold You Back in Shopify — and How Shopify Plus Solves Them
Shopify is a strong starting point, but as your store grows, limitations can emerge, from customisation and automation to B2B functionality and scalability. Here’s a breakdown of common barriers and how Shopify Plus helps brands overcome them.
| Shopify Limitation | Solved by Shopify Plus |
| Limited staff permissions | Unlimited roles with custom access |
| No wholesale channel | Built-in B2B management tools |
| Checkout can’t be customised | Full checkout control via Shopify Scripts |
| Limited API calls for ERP/CRM integrations | Higher API thresholds for smoother performance |
| No multi-store support | Manage up to 10+ regional storefronts |
| Manual workflow reliance | Automate with Flow and Launchpad |
Brands dealing with growing pains quickly realise that Shopify Plus is not just an upgrade — it’s a revenue enabler.
Is Shopify Plus Worth the Investment for Growing Brands?
When your store consistently hits monthly revenue milestones, scaling becomes non-negotiable, and Shopify Plus turns from an option into a strategic growth driver. With advanced automation, powerful global infrastructure, and future-proof strategies like Shopify Plus Migration SEO, Shopify Plus positions your brand for sustainable success.
For most scaling brands, Shopify Plus isn’t an expense — it’s a revenue enabler. It delivers high-impact advantages like advanced checkout customisation, built-in B2B functionality, enterprise-grade automation, and dedicated merchant support. More importantly, it eliminates the hidden costs of inefficiency: delayed campaigns, manual processes, clunky integrations, and conversion leaks.
At S Software Ltd, we’ve helped brands recover their Shopify Plus investment in under six months. One client saw a 43% lift in conversions after we customised their checkout and eliminated the need for five third-party apps. That kind of ROI isn’t rare — it’s what Shopify Plus was designed for.
How to Know When It’s Time to Upgrade to Shopify Plus
Not every brand needs Shopify Plus right away, but if you’re growing fast, some signs will start to emerge. You might find your team patching together too many apps, struggling with limited backend access, or hitting performance issues during key sales periods. These are more than just technical hiccups — they’re signals that your store is ready for a more powerful solution.
Shopify Plus is built for brands that’ve outgrown the basics and want to scale smarter, not harder. So, how do you know when it’s time to switch?
If you answer “yes” to any of these, it may be time:
- Are you processing over £80k/month in revenue?
- Do you need regional storefronts or currencies?
- Are you relying on custom fulfilment or ERP/CRM integrations?
- Do you want to automate product launches and sales rollouts?
- Is your team limited by manual processes or app dependency?
If you’re nodding along, we recommend speaking with a Shopify Plus strategist.
Which Shopify Plan Aligns with Your Growth Goals?
By now, you’ve seen how Shopify and Shopify Plus differ in features, flexibility, and scalability. But the real question is: which one fits where your brand is today, and where it’s headed next?
Here’s a quick recap to guide your decision:
- Choose Shopify if you’re just getting started, working with a tight budget, or not yet dealing with complex backend processes or integrations.
- Choose Shopify Plus if you’re scaling globally, need automation, or want to build customised customer experiences, and Shopify Plus Scaling Features align with your next milestones.
If you’re still unsure? Book your free Shopify Plus strategy session today — and start scaling smarter.
At S Software Ltd, we specialise in helping ambitious eCommerce brands make the right platform choice and execute flawlessly. Book your free Shopify Plus strategy session
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the main difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus?
Shopify is built for startups and smaller brands looking for an easy-to-use, all-in-one eCommerce platform. It offers a streamlined experience to launch and grow a store with essential features. Shopify Plus, on the other hand, is designed for high-growth or high-volume businesses. It offers more customisation, automation, and infrastructure to support advanced workflows, integrations, and large-scale operations.
Is Shopify Plus only for enterprise brands?
No. While it was originally aimed at large businesses, many DTC brands generating £1M+ in annual revenue adopt Shopify Plus to unlock advanced features and scale smarter. It’s ideal for businesses outgrowing standard Shopify features but not yet at traditional enterprise size.
How much does Shopify Plus cost in the UK?
Shopify Plus starts at around £1,800/month in the UK. Pricing varies depending on revenue and specific business needs. While this may seem high, the platform often replaces multiple apps and manual processes, delivering long-term savings and efficiency.
Can I upgrade from Shopify to Shopify Plus?
Yes. Upgrading is seamless and doesn’t require starting from scratch. With the help of an experienced Shopify Plus agency like S Software Ltd, the migration includes SEO preservation, checkout customisation, and automation setup for a smooth transition.
What are the benefits of Shopify Plus?
Shopify Plus delivers access to advanced checkout customisation (via checkout.liquid and Scripts), higher API limits, automation tools like Flow and Launchpad, support for B2B and wholesale, multi-storefront management, and a dedicated Merchant Success Manager.
Is checkout customisation really that valuable?
Yes, especially for brands with complex purchase flows or upselling strategies. For example, one of our clients increased conversions by 38% after we implemented dynamic checkout logic with Shopify Scripts. These changes help streamline customer journeys and increase AOV.
Can Shopify Plus help with global expansion?
Definitely, with Shopify Plus, you can manage multiple regional storefronts under one organisation. This allows for localised content, currencies, tax settings, and fulfilment rules — essential for international brands looking to scale efficiently.
Does Shopify Plus support B2B/wholesale?
Yes. It includes a native B2B suite that enables company-specific pricing, quantity-based discounts, customer-specific checkout experiences, and account portals. These features eliminate the need for third-party apps or workarounds.
Is Shopify Plus faster than regular Shopify?
On average, Shopify Plus stores are 18% faster than regular Shopify, especially under high traffic. The enhanced infrastructure and increased API limits also contribute to more reliable performance during sales spikes or product launches.
Is Shopify Plus worth it long term?
Absolutely. For scaling brands, the investment in Shopify Plus pays off in faster execution, higher conversions, reduced tech debt, and the ability to scale globally with confidence. Many S Software Ltd clients see ROI within a few months of switching.