The short answer
Shopify Plus starts at about $2,300 a month on a 3-year contract, or $2,500 on a 1-year contract, while Advanced costs $299 a month billed yearly.
Lower card rates on Plus rarely cover that difference: by our math, you need more than half a million dollars in monthly card sales before the savings pay for the plan. Most brands move to Plus for what it unlocks: full checkout customization, serious B2B, separate stores per market and room for a larger team. See the 7 signals you're ready.
Shopify Plus pricing vs other plans
| Feature | Basic | Grow | Advanced | Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly, billed yearly | $29 | $79 | $299 | From $2,300 (3-year) or $2,500 (1-year) |
| Monthly, billed monthly | $39 | $105 | $399 | Contract only |
| Online card rate (Shopify Payments) | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.7% + 30¢ | 2.5% + 30¢ | 2.25% + 30¢ |
| Extra fee with an external gateway | 2% | 1% | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Additional staff accounts | None | 5 | 15 | Unlimited |
| Inventory locations | 10 | 10 | 10 | 200 |
US prices. Plus card rates can vary by country and by contract, and very high-volume stores move to a variable platform fee based on revenue. Shopify doesn't publish that rate, so if your volume puts it on the table, ask your Shopify contact for the number in writing before you sign.
Shopify Plus vs Advanced: the break-even math
The jump from Advanced to Plus adds about $2,000 a month to your plan ($2,300 minus $299). What does Plus give back in fees?
At $300,000 a month, Plus costs you $1,251 more per month than Advanced.
Plan fee and online card rate only; the 30¢ per order is the same on both plans.
See the numbers
| Monthly sales | Plus vs Advanced |
|---|---|
| $0 | +$2,001 |
| $200,000 | +$1,501 |
| $400,000 | +$1,001 |
| $600,000 | +$501 |
| $800,000 | +$1 |
| $1,000,000 | −$499 |
- With Shopify Payments, the online card rate drops from 2.5% to 2.25%, a saving of 0.25% of your card sales. To recover $2,000 a month, you need around $800,000 a month in card sales, roughly $9.6M a year.
- With an external payment gateway, Shopify's extra fee drops from 0.6% to 0.2%. That 0.4% recovers $2,000 at around $500,000 a month in sales.
- On a 1-year contract the gap grows to about $2,200 a month, and the break-even moves up to roughly $880,000 a month ($550,000 with an external gateway).
So unless you're near those numbers, don't upgrade to save on fees. Upgrade because you need something only Plus does. The figures use the rates in the table above; plug in your own rates and contract to get your exact number.
What Plus adds, and what works on every plan
Several things brands assume need Plus already work on lower plans. The difference is in checkout, custom apps, B2B at scale, extra stores and room for a bigger operation.
On every plan
-
Selling in several countries
Local currencies and domains from one store, with Shopify Markets.
-
Automations
Tagging, alerts and inventory workflows with Shopify Flow.
-
Custom discount and shipping logic
Through public apps built on Shopify Functions.
-
Basic B2B
Company accounts, price lists and payment terms, up to 3 catalogs.
Only on Plus
-
Checkout you can customize
Fields, upsells, trust content and logic in every checkout step, through checkout extensions that survive updates.
-
Functions in your own apps
Custom rules for discounts, shipping and payments in apps built for your store.
-
B2B without limits
Unlimited catalogs for wholesale and trade customers.
-
Expansion stores
Up to 9 additional stores for a market or a brand that needs its own storefront.
-
Room to grow
Unlimited staff, 200 locations, much higher API limits and bot protection.
If something from the left column is your only reason to upgrade, you probably don't need Plus yet.
Is Shopify Plus worth it? 7 signals you're ready
Tick the ones that apply to your store.
0 of 7 ticked.
Ask us about your storeOne or two signals: stay on Advanced and revisit in six months. Three or more: Plus is worth a serious look.
Moving from Advanced to Plus
Upgrading isn't a migration: it's a plan change on the same store, so your products, customers, orders and theme stay where they are. What needs planning:
- Rebuilding any checkout customizations as checkout extensions.
- Reviewing your apps, since some charge more on Plus or offer Plus-only features.
- Setting up expansion stores, staff permissions and B2B if you'll use them.
If you want a team to plan and build the move, see our Shopify development service.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Shopify Plus cost per month?
From about $2,300 a month on a 3-year contract or $2,500 on a 1-year contract, plus card or gateway fees. Very high-volume stores move to a variable fee based on revenue.
What's the difference between Shopify Advanced and Plus?
Plus adds a fully customizable checkout, custom apps with Shopify Functions, unlimited B2B catalogs, expansion stores, unlimited staff and higher API limits, at several times the price.
Do I need Plus to customize checkout?
For content and logic inside the checkout steps, yes. Branding and the thank-you and order status pages can be customized on every plan.
Does Shopify Plus charge transaction fees?
Not with Shopify Payments. With an external payment gateway, Shopify charges 0.2% per transaction.
Can I downgrade from Plus?
Plus is sold on 1- or 3-year contracts, so it depends on your agreement. Check the term and the exit conditions before you sign.
Is Shopify Plus worth it for a small store?
Rarely. A small store usually gets more from conversion work and speed on Advanced or Grow than from paying for Plus.
About the author
Leads the engineering behind our Shopify and WordPress builds, from custom themes to integrations.
