Shopify vs. Shopify Plus: Essential Features for Merchants to Know

Want to understand the difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus? Then you’ve come to the right place. This blog covers everything to know about Shopify and Shopify Plus, helps people make an informed decision. 

Statistics show that 26% of all e-commerce sites are built using Shopify, that is approximately 4.80 million Shopify websites.  

Shopify offers a user-friendly solution for launching and managing the online business. Shopify Plus provides advanced essential features for merchants, taking the e-commerce journey to the next level.

Shopify vs. Shopify Plus: A Detailed Comparison of Features

Let’s explore the core functionalities and differences between the platforms Shopify and Shopify Plus.

Shopify Plus Features you need to know - ColorWhistle

Pricing

Shopify is a recommended platform for small to mid-sized businesses. The best choice depends on the specific needs and business type. Shopify offers three main plans:

  • Basic – $39 per month
  • Shopify – $105 per month
  • Advanced – $399 per month

Shopify Plus is ideal for businesses managing a large number of Shopify stores in multiple locations. This plan starts at $2,300 per month on a 3-year term, the exact cost can vary depending on the sales volume. Additionally, the third-party transaction fee is 0.2%.

Note: Shopify offers an annual billing option that can save you up to 25%. If users choose not to use Shopify Payments, transaction fees will vary depending on the plan (0.5% – 2%). Shopify also offers a free trial, allowing the user to test the platform before making a choice.

Customization

Shopify offers a user-friendly interface for customizing Shopify themes with just a simple drag and drop. Basic HTML and CSS knowledge is enough for further customization beyond these drag-and-drop options. However, Shopify does not provide any option for checkout page customization

Shopify Plus takes customization a step further with theme code editing (Liquid editing). This allows users to completely customize the layout, functionality, and overall look and feel of the store. While customizing the checkout page is a valuable essential feature of Shopify Plus. This offers a wide range of options like custom fields, custom valuation, custom pricing, custom scripts, custom design, multilingual checkout, and much more.

App Exclusives

Shopify offers a vast number of over 8,000 third-party applications available in the Shopify app store. The apps can help with tasks like marketing, inventory management, shipping, customer service, and more. With so many options available, it’s important to carefully research and choose the apps that best suit the specific business needs and goals.

Shopify Plus allows users to access high-quality apps directly within the platform. While there are many valuable apps available, here’s a closer look at a few exclusive Shopify plus features for large businesses: 

  • Launchpad: This app allows users to schedule theme and price changes in advance. This helps avoid the need for last-minute changes during busy periods or special occasions. Create a launch and schedule it for the desired date and time.
  • Shopify Flow: It is a powerful automation tool. It helps create workflows to automate repetitive tasks within the Shopify store. For example, to set up abandoned cart emails with discount codes.It can be done with Flow, simply set a trigger (e.g., a customer abandons a cart), add a condition (e.g., abandoned cart value exceeds $50), and define the action (e.g., send an email with a discount code).
  • Shopify Script: It allows users to write custom scripts to modify specific aspects of the checkout page. Here are the three main types of Shopify scripts: Line item scripts, shipping scripts, and payment scripts. 

Note: To modify this, knowledge of Javascript and familiarity with Shopify’s API is required. 

Get inspired to create your own high-converting store! See our blog post showcasing 21+ Shopify Plus website examples.

Did You Know:

There are 1.75 million Shopify merchants.

Account Management and Support

Shopify provides 24/7 chat support. It provides limited access to a library of helpful resources on the Shopify Help Center, including articles, tutorials, and webinars. Additionally, the Shopify Community allows users to connect and discuss ideas with other Shopify users.

Shopify Plus offers a more comprehensive support experience. It provides priority 24/7 phone support with faster response times, and a dedicated account manager will be assigned to assist with any technical issues (Merchant Success Program). Shopify Plus also grants access to all courses within the Shopify Academy, providing in-depth learning materials.

Integration and API Access

Shopify offers integration with a vast number of third-party tools and services through its app store. Sometimes setting up integrations can require technical knowledge or additional apps.  Shopify also provides API access for developers to build custom integrations, but the API call limitations are applicable.

Shopify Plus offers integrations with popular business tools like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and marketing automation platforms. This reduces the need for a complex setup. Additionally, Shopify Plus has significantly higher API call limits compared to Shopify, allowing for deeper customization and complex integrations needed for large-scale operations.

Staff Management and Point of Sale (POS)

POS Definition: It is a sales app that allows the merchant to make sales in person and manage the store inventory directly from the Shopify account. This streamlines the sales process and keeps track of inventory.

Shopify offers limited staff account access (Up to 15 accounts) depending on the plan. For point-of-sale needs, Shopify offers a separate app, Shopify POS, which can be purchased for an additional monthly fee.

Shopify Plus allows customers to create and manage an unlimited number of staff accounts. permissions and access can be controlled by the admin. Shopify Plus includes Shopify POS Pro free of charge, a more advanced version with essential features like inventory management across multiple locations, retail analytics, and staff permissions.

B2B Wholesale Features

Shopify offers minimal features for B2B wholesale. While it allows to create customer groups and assign them specific pricing tiers, it lacks dedicated features for managing wholesale channels. 

Shopify Plus offers built-in B2B features designed for wholesale businesses, eliminating the need for third-party apps. It allows users to manage B2B transactions directly through the Shopify store. The Shopify B2B wholesale features include:

  • Create custom catalogs. 
  • Set unique payment terms and currencies.
  • Manage multiple locations under one company profile.
  • Include purchase order (PO) numbers.
  • Additional features like discounts. APIs, and custom themes.
FeaturesShopifyShopify Plus
Pricing$29 – $299/monthStarts at $2,300/month
Third-party Transaction feeUp to 2%Minimal Transaction Fee - 0.2%
CustomizationBasic CustomizationAdvanced, including checkout
Checkout capacityUp to 10x40x
Exclusive API access and endpointsNot AvailableAvailable
POSPOS LitePOS Pro
Staff AccountsUp to 15 accountsUnlimited
Customer Support24/7 chat supportPriority 24/7 phone support
Inventory locations10200
Headless storefronts125

Did You know

45.9% of Shopify Plus stores are in United States

Shopify Features in Summer Update 2024

Shopify just released a major update, the Summer ’24 Edition. This update focuses on unifying the platform for better workflow across all aspects of Shopify, making it faster, more resilient, and more tightly integrated. Watch the video to explore everything this “Unified Shopify” offers.

Conclusion: 

As a business owner, it is important to create a personalized and engaging shopping experience. If the store isn’t personalized and feels generic, users are more likely to leave. Thankfully, Shopify and Shopify Plus offer a variety of essential features for merchants to personalize the store and improve customer experience. 

Feeling overwhelmed by the complexities? Wait! We are there for you. At ColorWhistle, we have dedicated Shopify developers ready to help. We offer Shopify development services to transform the online store to the next level.

What’s Next?

Now that you’ve had the chance to explore our blog, it’s time to take the next step and see what opportunities await!

CW Content Marketing Team
About the Author - CW Content Marketing Team

ColorWhistle's content team is a group of rockstar writers and curators who create killer content for clients across industries. From blog posts to social media campaigns, ColorWhistle's content team creates content that captivates audience with content that educates, entertains, and inspires. With a passion for creativity and expertise in digital marketing, the team has what it takes to make your brand stand out in a crowded online space. In short, they're the wordsmith wizards that you want on your side for content that on-brand and on-trend.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ready to get started?

Let’s craft your next digital story

Our Expertise Certifications - ColorWhistle
Go to top
Close Popup

Let's Talk

    Sure thing, leave us your details and one of our representatives will be happy to call you back!

    Eg: John Doe

    Eg: United States

    More the details, speeder the process :)