Difference Between Shopify and Shopify Plus

If you are considering or have already entered the ecommerce industry, then you must have heard about many ecommerce platforms, including WooCommerce, Magento, Wix, and others. However, there is one platform that has surpassed expectations, and that is Shopify! Shopify has over 4.8 million active stores worldwide. The platform is available in two versions: Shopify and Shopify Plus. Today, we are gonna know the difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus, therefore you can make informed decisions regarding your ecommerce store development. Let's get started!

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an all-in-one ecommerce platform for businesses that want to build and manage online stores. The platform provides an extensive range of tools to build an online store, manage the inventory and orders, process payments, and offer the products on multiple channels like social media, paid media, and in person.

Shopify works best for small- to medium-sized businesses that want a robust and scalable platform to launch and grow their startups and businesses. The platform supports your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy with its on-page and off-page tools. Whether you are a startup or a growing business, Shopify has the solution for all your unique needs. If you want professional guidance to create or manage your Shopify store, then you can get in touch with a Shopify web development company around you.

What is Shopify Plus?

Shopify Plus is Shopify’s premium, enterprise-grade version. It is built for high-growth and large-scale enterprises that have higher sales volume and complex operations. This version includes all of Shopify’s features and many advanced capabilities. The advanced features include full customisation, scalability, automation, access to specialized services, and much more.

This version works best for enterprises with higher sales volumes and complex needs, such as managing multiple international markets or significant wholesale operations. A Shopify Plus agency can help you create your stores on this platform.

Shopify vs Shopify Plus: Comparison

Both Standard Shopify and Shopify Plus are popular choices among various types of businesses. Choosing one between the two can be a tough decision. So, now we will compare Shopify and Shopify Plus based on other factors. This will help you to get the solution for the debate among businesses, Shopify vs Shopify Plus, which one is the best:

Custom Scripts

Custom scripts allow for advanced customization options like checkout, login, shipping, and payment options. Standard Shopify plans do not offer these custom scripts for startups, businesses, or organisations. They rely more on the theme codes and apps for the customization process. Shopify is best for small businesses and startups that prefer ease of use and don't need deep checkout customization.

Shopify Plus offers advanced custom script features through the Shopify scripts. It is designed for large-scale businesses offering enhanced customization options through advanced APIs and Liquid code. The access to Shopify scripts allows custom logic in checkout, shipping, and payment procedures. Shopify Plus, as an ecommerce platform, is more complex and needs expert guidance. You can get in touch with a Shopify partner if you want to leverage this platform to make your business or organisation grow online.

Business Size and Scalability

You can access Shopify and Shopify Plus solutions according to your business size and scalability. Shopify is best suited for the ecommerce web development of small to medium-sized businesses, as it has a lower price point to start with. It offers scalability to your ecommerce platform that has low sales volumes. If you are planning to start your ecommerce store anew, you can access Shopify web development services, which will help you create and manage your online store.

Shopify Plus is best for enterprise-level, rapidly growing, and high-sales businesses. It helps you to easily scale your business by handling high traffic and high-volume sales. The platform makes it possible by utilizing advanced automation tools and supporting multiple stores.

Account Management

Shopify is a user-friendly platform with flexible themes. It doesn't offer a dedicated account management system but only standard support. A Shopify partner can help you manage your account on this platform.

Shopify Plus users have access to the dedicated account management system and a higher level of support. You can get Shopify audiences on this platform for targeted marketing and Shopify Flow, which offers advanced automation.

Cart Recovery

Shopify offers basic cart recovery through sending automated emails to customers who leave their products in their cart. Shopify Plus offers better functionality to recover abandoned carts and prompt shoppers to finish their checkout process. Users can access a customizable recovery option by enabling custom scripts for a more specific recovery process. Shopify Plus also allows you to retarget ads using platforms like Google and Facebook. These ads will target the customers who have abandoned their carts and show them ads featuring the items that were left in their carts.

Reporting and Analytics

Shopify offers four types of reports that help you analyze the different areas of your ecommerce store, such as the marketing report, store sales report, product report, and customer report. This is ideal for businesses that want foundational data to know their performance and basic trends.

On the other hand, Shopify Plus offers advanced reporting and analytics capabilities. This helps you to gain deeper insights into your business sales and customer behavior. A Shopify Plus agency uses its reporting and analysis features to optimize the marketing strategies and search engine optimization (SEO) strategy of large businesses or brands.

Customization of Checkout Pages

Shopify offers basic branding options. On this platform, you can add a logo, change colors, and adjust fonts to differentiate your brand. But you cannot change the checkout structure or functionality beyond the basic branding. The checkout remains the same for all users.

Shopify Plus users can customize the Shopify checkout pages as per their brand image and voice. They can use Shopify scripts and APIs to modify the checkout experience. This helps in increasing the conversions and ultimately boosting the growth of the business. A reputable Shopify web development company can assist you in customizing your checkout pages and establishing your brand image in the market.

Multi-store and Global Expansion

Shopify standard plans show limited multi-store capabilities. If you want to develop multiple stores, then you would need separate accounts on this platform. Shopify works well for the development and management of a single store and makes it accessible to fewer international markets. If you want to develop a single store only, then it is a cost-effective solution for you.

Shopify Plus allows you to manage up to nine storefronts from a single admin dashboard. This makes it easy for you to scale your business across regions and currencies. With Shopify Plus, you can facilitate a better experience for your global customers with currency conversions and region-specific pricing. On this platform, new stores can be added effortlessly without the need for separate Shopify accounts for specific markets. You can access the Shopify web development services if you want to create a store on this platform.

Pricing: Shopify and Shopify Plus

Pricing is the biggest factor in choosing between Shopify and Shopify Plus solutions for most businesses, startups, and organizations. Nobody can deny the fact that Shopify’s standard plans are much more affordable, but many businesses find investing in Shopify Plus a step in the right direction.

Shopify offers three standard plans, which include Basic Shopify ($29 per month), Shopify ($79 per month), and Advanced Shopify ($299 per month). These three plans fulfill all the basic ecommerce store development needs, from customization, access to apps for better functionality to payment processing.

Shopify Plus starts at $2000 per month, but this is not a fixed price. You can expect additional costs on the basis of your specific requirements, business size, and revenue. Some high-revenue businesses pay more to get extended customization options and multiple storefronts. So, while selecting one between the Shopify and Shopify Plus solutions, always consider the cost.

Choose Digital Folks to Grow Your Shopify Store

Both Shopify and Shopify Plus are important ecommerce web development platforms for building and managing online stores. Shopify is best suited for small- to medium-sized businesses. Its features are enough for these businesses to get the optimal results. But if you have high sales and complex operations, then the Shopify platform will not be sufficient for you. It's better that you go for Shopify Plus. It is a costly plan, but it provides advanced features and functions. This ensures enhanced customization and scalability for your large-scale business.

If you are looking for a reliable Shopify web development company, then Digital Folks is the right destination for you. They are renowned for creating and managing easy-to-navigate and result-oriented e-commerce stores by using the Shopify platform.

Digital Folks is the best Shopify partner that offers Shopify and Shopify Plus solutions. They help startups, businesses, and organisations grow online. Whether you want to create a Shopify website from scratch for your startup or small-scale business or a Shopify Plus website for a large-scale, enterprise-grade business, Digital Folks has the solution for all your specific requirements.