Shopify Plus VS Shopify: Which is Better for Business Owners
Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform with millions of active buyers and sellers. If you plan to start a Shopify store, you may be overwhelmed by the numerous choices provided by the platform, including Shopify Plus vs Shopify. So, which option is better?
As a Shopify seller, you need an online store with features to fulfill your clients’ needs and facilitate sales. The payment methods must be efficient and seamless to ensure convenience. Also, you must offer exceptional customer support services to clients.
The good news is that both Shopify Plus and Shopify provide tools to help sellers manage orders, drive sales, and grow their customer base. However, Shopify Plus has some features that the Basic Shopify plan lacks, and we’ll be going over these differences.
But before we explore the differences, let’s look at what Shopify and Shopify Plus are.
What is Shopify vs Shopify Plus?
Shopify is among the most popular e-commerce platforms where retailers can run their businesses online. This marketplace provides the tools to help you operate and grow your digital store. The Shopify plan is ideal for business startups that are yet to expand.
Shopify also provides a more advanced version, Shopify Plus, to help large businesses or enterprises run their businesses. This Shopify plan is ideal for companies with many store networks that eventually decided to launch their operations online.
Generally, Shopify Plus has all the tools in the core Shopify plan and additional features to fulfill their clients’ needs. We’ll help you understand the differences between Shopify vs. Shopify Plus. You’ll be able to make informed decisions after reading this guide.
Shopify Plus vs Shopify: What Are the Key Differences?
Shopify Plus and Shopify offer tools to help sellers complete sales. However, variations come in the number of features available to sellers. For instance, Shopify Plus has extra customization tools to help businesses scale. We’ll look at the differences in terms of:
- Themes and Customization
- Checkout and Payment Processing
- Number of Authorized Staff Accounts
- Custom Apps and AI Integrations
- Customer Support and Services
- Fees and Pricing
Themes and Customization
Both Shopify and Shopify Plus have themes, but the latter has more themes.
Shopify
Shopify allows sellers to change themes using the editor provided. You can use this tool to build an experience aligning with your brand. Unfortunately, the Shopify plan is not ideal for advanced customizations, so you can’t make some changes to your store.
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus provides access to Shopify Liquid, an open-source language template that allows users to edit CSS or HTML. This tool can perform advanced customizations and help you make significant changes to your themes. The good news is that you’ll gain access to more templates available in standard, professional, and premium plans.
Checkout and Payment Processing
A good Shopify plan allows sellers to customize their checkout experience and payment methods to fulfill your customers’ needs. Here are the differences.
Shopify
When setting up the checkout page on your Shopify store, you’ll use the Checkout tool. It’s a fundamental way to add necessary features to your store’s user experience. But on the flip side, Shopify limits you on the kinds of payment services to integrate.
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus offers several checkout options and integrations to process payments, such as Stripe and Authorize.net. With Shopify Plus, you can customize your checkout system by changing your shipping method, order review, and payment method. You’ll also access Script Editor to customize shipping methods and payment options.
Number of Authorized Staff Accounts
The number of staff accounts can influence your Shopify store’s success.
Shopify
With the Shopify plan, the number of staff accounts you can have is limited, depending on your service level. The staff accounts allowed are suitable for a small team. That means the plan won’t sustain your business needs when it expands.
Shopify Plus
With Shopify Plus, you can have unlimited staff accounts, allowing you to increase your personnel without incurring additional costs. Besides, this plan gives you control over account permissions. You can grant access to any person in your team to work on the online store. As the store owner, you have more control over staff actions in the store.
Custom Apps and AI Integrations
Any seller who plans to expand their online stores on Shopify will need more custom apps and API integrations to optimize their services.
Shopify
The Shopify plan doesn’t support many integrations like in Shopify Plus. However, you can still integrate the platform with CRM and logistics integrations. The bad news is that you can’t access the Multipass option with a standard Shopify plan.
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus supports several integrations, including private or custom apps. With this plan, you’ll gain access to exclusive apps to boost the performance of your online store. An enterprise-level company needs Shopify Plus to operate smoothly.
Here are some integrations you’ll access when you have a Shopify Plus account.
- Shopify Flow: Has e-commerce automation tools to help sellers identify the triggers and conditions that accompany specific actions. You can automate time-consuming tasks with workflows, such as risk and order management.
- Shopify Launchpad: This integration allows sellers to automate their marketing campaigns. With this tool, you can schedule and coordinate sales for product launches and stock refills. You’ll also access performance tracking in real-time.
Shopify Plus also provides the Multipass login option to redirect website visitors to your Shopify store. They won’t need separate login credentials to access your Shopify store.
Customer Support and Services
Effective customer services can help you win your clients’ trust and loyalty. However, the level of customer support in Shopify and Shopify Plus varies significantly.
Shopify
A Shopify plan has robust customer support options, including community forums and an online help center. You can also enjoy direct assistance 24/7 over the phone, email, or live chat. In other words, you’ll receive essential support services.
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus provides additional customer support services to help subscribers deliver their services seamlessly. You can offer personalized services to your customers.
Shopify Plus grants access to the Merchant Success Program, which has more support options. This program also offers training to help you maximize your potential. You’ll also get support through webinars, online courses, and checklists to grow your business.
Fees and Pricing
Shopify has three plans: Basic, Shopify, and Advanced. Since Shopify and Shopify have different features, their fees and pricing vary greatly.
Shopify
The Basic plan comes with features to help you start an online business. It costs $29 per month. The Shopify plan costs $79 per month and provides up to five staff accounts. You’ll also get discounted shipping rates.
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is the most expensive plan because it has advanced features for enterprise-level businesses. The pricing starts at $2,000 per month, depending on your monthly sales volume. When your monthly sales exceed $800,000, Shopify’s charging system will change into a revenue-based model. So, you will pay a Shopify Plus fee of 0.25 percent but not over $40,000 of the monthly revenue.
Final Words
Shopify and Shopify Plus have different features that suit different kinds of businesses. You can confidently choose an option that fulfills your business needs now that you understand the differences between Shopify Plus vs Shopify. The Shopify Plus option is best for large businesses that have attained an enterprise level.