Shopify Plus vs Regular: When to Upgrade
If you’re running a growing Shopify store, it’s only a matter of time before the question comes up: “Should we be on Shopify Plus yet?”
It’s a big step up in both capability and cost, so the honest answer is still: it depends – on your revenue, your operational complexity, and how ambitious your growth plans really are.
This guide breaks down what Shopify Plus actually gives you, when it makes commercial sense, and when you’re better off staying exactly where you are.
Quick overview: Shopify vs Shopify Plus
Shopify’s regular plans (Starter through Advanced) cover the essentials for most small to mid-sized merchants, with pricing typically from around £20-£300 per month, plus transaction fees depending on your payment setup.
Shopify Plus is Shopify’s enterprise tier, aimed at high-growth and more complex brands. Pricing generally starts from around £2,000 per month on longer-term contracts, again with processing fees depending on your setup.
In return, Plus unlocks things you simply don’t get on regular plans: deeper checkout customisation, higher API limits, built-in B2B functionality, automation tools, and priority support.
Key differences that actually matter
If you’re weighing up the extra cost and wondering what you really get for it, these are the differences that tend to matter most in practice:
| Feature | Regular Shopify | Shopify Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Overall fit | Ideal for most small to mid-sized brands that need a solid, reliable platform. | Better once you’re scaling quickly, managing more complexity, and need extra control. |
| Checkout & conversion | Shopify’s standard checkout performs well, but customisation is limited. | Proper checkout customisation, advanced logic, and testing right at the point of purchase. |
| APIs & integrations | Handles common tools (Klaviyo, reviews, subscriptions, etc.) without issues. | Built for heavier integrations like ERPs, WMS, CRMs, and bespoke systems. |
| Automation & campaigns | Fine for straightforward promos and workflows. | Automates large sales, launches, and operational tasks at scale. |
| B2B & wholesale | Works if wholesale is small and app-based. | Much stronger if B2B is a serious revenue stream with price lists, terms, and segmentation. |
| Multi-store & international | Great for one main store with light internationalisation. | Designed for multiple regions, brands, or storefronts under one admin. |
| Team access | Suits lean teams with limited backend users. | Built for larger teams with lots of internal access. |
| Support | Standard Shopify support plus your agency or freelancers. | Priority Plus support with faster response times and technical account management. |
| Cost vs value | Keeps overheads low so you can invest in marketing and CRO. | Higher licence cost, but can pay for itself once scale and efficiency matter. |
Additional Shopify Plus benefits (often overlooked)
Beyond the headline features, Shopify Plus now includes several extra benefits that can materially shift the value equation – particularly for UK brands already spending heavily on apps, agencies, and support.
1. Free comprehensive site audit by a digital agency
Value: ~£1,600
A full conversion optimisation audit with practical recommendations to improve performance.
2. Custom checkout implementation by Rebuy
Value: ~£2,000–£5,000 per year
Included on Plus, with AI-powered product recommendations and upsells. Brands typically see 15–25% AOV uplift when implemented properly.
3. Gorgias AI – 2 months free (new Gorgias customers)
Value: ~£500–£1,000
AI-powered chat at checkout, delivering significantly higher conversion rates on support-led interactions.
4. 20 POS Pro locations included
Many UK retailers already pay for these separately — on Plus, they’re included at no extra cost.
5. Priority Plus support
24/7 priority support with faster response times and access to technical account managers — especially valuable during peak trading periods.
6. Immediate fee reductions
- Shopify Payments card rates reduce
- Third-party payment fees drop from 2% to 0%
- FX fees reduce from 2% to 1%
For brands with meaningful international or high-volume transactions, this alone can be a big deal.
Partner referral incentive
If you move to Shopify Plus via a Shopify Plus Partner, Shopify may also offer up to 3 months free, depending on eligibility and timing.
When regular Shopify is more than enough
If you’re still in earlier growth stages, regular Shopify is often the smartest use of budget.
Typical sweet spots include brands doing under £60k-£80k per month online, or those still refining product-market fit, messaging, and operations. At this point, you’re usually far better off investing in CRO, paid media, email/SMS, and solid UX than locking yourself into enterprise licence fees.
Regular plans are also ideal if your setup is relatively simple:
- One storefront
- Mostly DTC
- Standard integrations
- No heavy B2B or multi-store complexity
With the right partners, plenty of UK brands scale well into seven figures annually without touching Plus.
Signs it’s time to seriously consider Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus typically becomes a serious conversation once you’re consistently turning over £60-£80k+ per month, or roughly £1m+ per year online.
At that level:
- Lower transaction fees start to offset the licence cost
- Operational inefficiencies become expensive
- Checkout limitations start to hurt conversion
- B2B, wholesale, or multi-region requirements become harder to manage
If your team is firefighting around peak traffic, wrestling with fragile integrations, or working around checkout constraints, Plus can remove real friction.
It’s also a strong fit if you need:
- Advanced checkout logic
- Market or customer-type segmentation
- Deeper personalisation
- Multiple brands or international stores under one umbrella
An honest way to run the numbers
Rather than upgrading because it feels like the “next step”, treat Shopify Plus as a commercial decision.
Look at:
- Current Shopify plan + app cost
- Payment and FX fees
- Agency and development spend to work around limitations
Then weigh that against:
- Lower fees on Plus
- Bundled tools you can remove
- Potential uplift from better checkout, AOV, and conversion
If the numbers stack up over 12-24 months, Plus starts to make sense.
Final thoughts: upgrade when Plus unlocks growth, not ego
Shopify Plus isn’t a badge of honour – it’s a tool. The right time to upgrade is when it clearly enables higher conversion, smoother operations, and sustainable growth, not just because turnover looks impressive on paper.
If you’re earlier in the journey, squeeze everything you can out of your current plan. If you’re pushing past £1m+ annually and feeling genuine constraints, Plus can be a powerful lever rather than an expensive upgrade.
Unsure if Shopify Plus is right for you?
We’re happy to talk it through properly – looking at your numbers, setup, and roadmap – and help you decide whether Plus makes sense now, later, or not at all.
And if you want to get advice like this and more about ecommerce know-how, you can sign up to our newsletter, Shopify Insider:
