So, you’ve got a smashing Shopify site for your eCommerce business - or you’re considering getting one and you’re presented with the option - Shopify or Shopify Plus. On the surface, this may seem like a simple, potayto, potahto situation, however we’re here to help you understand the differences between the two and decide which one is right for your business.
At a glance
Shopify is a user-friendly ecommerce platform that helps businesses build an online store and sell through one streamlined dashboard. Shopify Plus is a next level option for businesses with next level volumes of traffic and transactions on their site. If your online turnover is more than £1,000,000 a year - Shopify Plus is probably the better option for you, but let’s break it down.
Best of Shopify at scale
So some of the features that we really like with Shopify include:
- Unlimited products & unlimited bandwidth
- Fraud analysis
- Discount codes
- Custom pricing by market
- Abandoned cart recovery
With Shopify Plus you can also benefit from the following:
- An average launch time of 90 days
- 24/7 priority technical support
- Ecommerce automation tools to automate sales campaigns, promotions, and common tasks
- A built-in wholesale channel solution
- Unlimited staff accounts
- Manage multiple stores in one location
- Import data with third-party apps
- Scripts and script editor
- Extensive checkout customisation
Here’s a handy table with some comparisons for 2024:
| Shopify | Shopify Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | £19 per month for Basic, £49 per month for Shopify and £259 per month for Advanced | Costs begin at $2,300 per month for a 3 year contract or $2,500 per month for 1 year. |
| Payment Processing Fees | Basic: 2% + 25p GBP online 1.7% + 0p GBP in person & 2% 3rd-party payment providers. Shopify: 1.7% + 25p GBP online 1.6% + 0p GBP in person & 1% 3rd-party payment providers. Advanced: 1.5% + 25p GBP online, 1.5% + 0p GBP in person & 0.6% 3rd-party payment providers | Credit card fees vary by country. 0.15% per transaction for third-party payment processors; if you use Shopify Payments, this fee is waived |
| Sales Limits | Technically unrestricted, but Shopify gently suggests a limit of 100,000. If you’re exceeding that amount, it’s definitely time to consider a Shopify Plus plan. | Unrestricted sales limits |
| Contract Length | Billed yearly | 1 year or 3 year contracts |
| Software Support | 24/7 live support via email, phone or chat | Priority 24/7 live support via email, phone or chat |
| Extra Features | Sell unlimited products (including digital products), abandoned cart recovery, gift cards and professional reports | All the listed Shopify features, plus an advanced report builder and real-time carrier shipping |
| Best For | Ecommerce businesses of any size, selling any products, who are netting under £1 million in annual revenue | Enterprise-level businesses who are consistently selling hundreds of thousands of products and bringing in well over £1 million annually |
In conclusion, it really depends on the size and complexity of your business, or potential scale you’re looking to build. Shopify is a great starting point for businesses looking to get their foot in the door of eCommerce - and Shopify Plus is just the next logical step.
If you’re looking for the solution to your own eCommerce challenge, get in touch with our friendly Shopify experts today to see how we can help.