Shopify is a valued online eCommerce platform for many small to medium businesses who want to sell their products online. Utilized by over 1 million businesses across 175 different countries, Shopify is the leading eCommerce platform in the world.
Shopify’s website is simple, user-friendly, and accommodating with various ‘packages’ that help personalize your Shopify experience. The normal Shopify site offers standardized pricing plans such as ‘Basic’, ‘Shopify’, and ‘Advanced Shopify’. These standardized packages are well suited for small to medium businesses as they gain access to key features such as a standalone store, multilingual selling, multi-currency payment, drop shipping tools, and point-of-scale functionality.
However, as your business grows, you may find yourself intrigued by the premium Shopify version, Shopify Plus. Shopify Plus offers, for the most part, the same great features you get with the standardized pricing plans available on Shopify, but upgraded.
With a Shopify Plus account, businesses gain access to new features such as dedicated support, the underlying code to your storefront, and the Organization Admin tool that allows you to operate multiple storefronts through one account.
Shopify Plus is more geared towards bigger brands and companies that are well-known and bring in millions of dollars in revenue every year; think Nestle, Gymshark, and Polaroid.
So, which is better for you and your shop – Shopify or Shopify Plus? Keep reading and find out!
Shopify vs. Shopify Plus – Which is Better?
Although both are built using the same tech, have the same user interface, and have the same core functionality, there are some features that elevate Shopify Plus to be a premium version.
However, for small to medium businesses, the more advanced features and apps associated with Shopify Plus may prove to be useless and only serve to complicate your shopfront – which in the end hurts your business rather than helps it. Choosing to go with Shopify Plus simply because it’s a premium version isn’t a good enough reason to enroll you and your business, especially since you pay premium pricing for it.
To help see whether Shopify Plus is the right fit for your business, continue reading as we go through the key features offered by Shopify Plus.
Key Differences between Shopify Plus and Shopify
We talked about a few key differences between Shopify and Shopify Plus, however, there are still more important distinctions that may sway you to choose one over the other. Below is a list of key features offered by Shopify Plus that you can’t get with normal Shopify packages.
Access to the Merchant Success Program
Shopify Plus has more dedicated support systems in place than regular Shopify. The Merchant Success Program is one such example.
Shopify Plus’s Merchant Success Program, offered exclusively to those with a Shopify Plus account, is a valuable business tool that comes in the form of a 24-hour support line, a catalog of online training videos, and resources to help you plan for the success of your business. Not only that, but Shopify’s Plus Merchant Success Program puts you in contact with other entrepreneurs and business owners in the form of social media groups, helping you build a community of like-minded individuals.
This kind of support is top-tier, especially If your business is bringing in millions in revenue every year and you face a lot more high-stakes questions and hurdles that need immediate solutions.
Dedicated Account Manager (Launch Engineer)
This feature goes hand-in-hand with the Merchant Success Program. A Launch Engineer, or Launch Manager, is there to closely help and guide you through the entire set-up process of your shop. Whether that’s setting up your storefront or connecting you to business partners to help with projects, your dedicated Account Manager is there to guide you through it.
Access to more Advanced Apps
With a normal Shopify account, business owners are granted access to a large catalog of apps and integrations to help personalize their shop. However, once you move into the Shopify Plus tier, you immediately get access to even more apps so that you can get advanced control of your shopfront.
Some of the apps you get access to include code-free automation tools, flash sale planners, data importers, and so much more. These apps are key to creating an online shop that is entirely yours and runs exactly how you need it to run.
Even more Customized Theme Templates
Having a Shopify Plus account allows you to completely personalize your storefront with customizable theme templates. Liquid, Shopify Plus’s template customization tool, lets you easily make changes to your storefront down to the code level so you can create the online shop you’ve always dreamed of.
Fully Customizable Checkout
Another sizeable difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus is the ability for Shopify Plus businesses to completely customize their checkout. This is important, especially as an enterprise-level business to give valued customers a superior experience while using your online shop.
With a Shopify Plus account, you are given full access to the code behind the checkout templates which you can manipulate and alter to meet your needs. You can also utilize the script editor to add features such as shipping cost estimators, automated discounts, and customized payment options.
Ability to Run Multiple Stores through One Dashboard
Whether you’re expanding your business or branching out, having the ability to control, monitor, and manage multiple shops through a single account is a must. No more having to transfer any coding, settings, and information; with Shopify Plus this is all automated and you can manage all storefronts through one user-friendly dashboard, simplifying your life and business even more.
Although Shopify and Shopify Plus have the same foundations in coding, interface, and structure, there are a few vital differences that make one better for your store than the other.
In the end, small to medium businesses should stick to the standard Shopify packages while larger businesses pulling in substantial revenue should consider moving up into Shopify Plus to access the great support systems that’ll help you manage your store.
However, we can’t tell you which to choose for your online commerce shop since all businesses are as unique as the people who run them. Both have positive characteristics and at the end of the day, you know which is better for your business. Using either version of Shopify is sure to elevate your online store, especially with all the great features that come with both.
With a normal Shopify account, business owners are granted access to a large catalog of apps and integrations to help personalize their shop. However, once you move into the Shopify Plus tier, you immediately get access to even more apps so that you can get advanced control of your shopfront.
Some of the apps you get access to include code-free automation tools, flash sale planners, data importers, and so much more. These apps are key to creating an online shop that is entirely yours and runs exactly how you need it to run.
With a normal Shopify account, business owners are granted access to a large catalog of apps and integrations to help personalize their shop. However, once you move into the Shopify Plus tier, you immediately get access to even more apps so that you can get advanced control of your shopfront.
Some of the apps you get access to include code-free automation tools, flash sale planners, data importers, and so much more. These apps are key to creating an online shop that is entirely yours and runs exactly how you need it to run.
