Shopify Plus is one of the most powerful enterprise-level ecommerce platforms available on the market. The service is trusted by thousands of companies over the world, including major brands such as Heinz, Red Bull, and Victoria Beckham Beauty.
Shopify Plus can be a great option if you are interested in improving your online store or if you need to upgrade from a less robust Shopify package.
However, costs are a concern for every business. As well as cost, there are many competitors in the ecommerce market. Given these facts, why should you choose Shopify Plus over the other options available?
In this article, we will analyze what Shopify Plus costs to operate, various fees you may have to pay while subscribed to Shopify Plus, and the prices of various competitors.
How Much Does Shopify Plus Cost?
If you are interested in improving your Shopify store by investing in Shopify Plus, the first question you will likely think of is the following - “how much does Shopify Plus cost?"
Shopify Plus' pricing system is transparent. As a rule, Shopify Plus costs $2,000 per month. However, this is just a minimum. You may have to pay a variable fee if you sell at a much higher volume or have more complex business needs.
This fee will depend on the specifics of your business, and you can discuss it with a Shopify Plus expert before investing in the service. However, these are not the only costs you will face as a business when working with Shopify Plus. We will discuss the details later in the article, but the $2,000 a month is a solid minimum.
The Development Cost of Shopify Plus Store
If you do choose to create a Shopify Plus store, you should be aware of the costs of developing this store. There are a few factors you need to consider when thinking about Shopify Plus development.
The first developmental cost is the monthly cost, which we have discussed previously.
Another major cost comes from migration. Firstly, migrating data to Shopify Plus is expensive in terms of time. If you wish to transfer your data to Shopify Plus, you will need to wait at least 90 days for this process to finish.
The opportunity cost is high, as you may need to pay for Shopify Plus and maintain your old store to keep sales up. As well as this opportunity cost, you may have to pay fees to leave your existing platform.
Finally, if you need to build your website, you may have to pay a developer to create it. The price of this varies, so make sure you shop around to get the best deal.
Shopify Plus License Fee
A Shopify Plus license is necessary if you want to trade using a Shopify Plus store. With this license, you can buy, sell, and create expansion and international Shopify Plus stores.
Each Shopify Plus license costs at least $2,000 a month, though this fee can vary based on your revenue. If you make over $800,000 per month, you will pay a percentage of this revenue. This percentage fee can never cost you more than $40,000 in a single month.
Shopify Plus Transaction Fees
Transaction fees can quickly build up if you have a lot of sales. These costs are why it is important to discuss Shopify Plus' transaction fees.
Third-party transaction fees are charges you must pay to help pay for the upkeep of Shopify's integration with these platforms. One of the key advantages that come with Shopify Plus is the reduction in payment processing fees.
For example, if you purchase the Shopify Advanced package, you will have to pay 2.4% of every online transaction, plus an extra 30 cents for each in-person transaction. This fee helps to maintain the third-party relationship. This fee will be substantially less. Per transaction, Shopify charges 0.15% to help pay for the improved security that comes with Shopify Plus.
However, you can avoid this fee by utilizing Shopify's payment processor - Shopify Payments. This is the cheapest option available with Shopify Plus and is perfect for businesses that want to make savings.
App Fees
One of the many benefits that come with Shopify Plus is the incredible variety of curated applications available on the platform. While these apps are optional, they can take your store to the next level. Just some examples of what these apps can do include automating email responses, managing shipping, and connecting accounting applications.
Given the power of these apps, you may want to know the cost of using them. Well, it varies greatly. Some applications can cost as little as a few dollars a month, while others can cost close to $500 a month. You can find the prices of individual applications on the Shopify Plus Certified App Program store.
Site Maintenance Fees
One of the main benefits of Shopify Plus and other hosted services is that, as long as you pay the monthly fee, you will not have to pay any other hidden fees. This includes site maintenance fees. If there is a security upgrade, Shopify will pay for it.
However, if you wish to upgrade your site, you may need to hire an ecommerce website design agency, which can cost quite a bit, depending on your needs. Shopify Plus will not edit custom parts of your site, meaning they may not be updated. Therefore, you may need an agency to keep those parts of your site updated.
Can you negotiate these fees with Shopify?
Shopify Plus fees can be expensive, especially if your business is still growing, going through a rough patch, or you need to invest to grow your online store.
However, if you struggle to afford these fees, you can contact Shopify to negotiate these fees. You must contact Shopify directly to see what they can do for your business, as there is little publicly available information about these negotiations.
Total Shopify Plus Pricing
As you can see from all the information above, Shopify Plus pricing is not always obvious and can vary depending on certain aspects of your business. To wrap up this section, we will give you a brief run down of the likely total cost should you decide to use Shopify Plus as your ecommerce platform.
Firstly, and the most major, is the monthly cost. Each month, you will have to pay at least $2,000 per month. This price adds up to $24,000 a year. Depending on what you earn, you may have to pay a variable fee. This variable fee equals 0.25% of your monthly revenue. However, you will never have to pay more than a maximum of $40,000 a month or $480,000 a year.
Another cost you may have to consider are development costs. You may need to hire a developer if you wish to create a custom theme for your business. The price of a developer can vary greatly, depending on the length and requirements of your project. On the other hand, Shopify Plus pays all hosting and security fees.
Shopify Plus Pricing vs Other Platforms
Based on the information above, we can say that, as a rule, Shopify Plus will cost you a little over $24,000 a year to operate. How does this compare to competitors’ products, such as Magento and WooCommerce? That question is what we will discuss in the following section.
Shopify Plus vs Shopify
Shopify is one of the largest ecommerce platforms available today. One of the biggest decisions you will have to make as a business owner is which package to use.
Having compared Shopify vs Shopify Plus in terms of pricing, the results are as follows.
In summary, Shopify has a greater variety in package prices than Shopify Plus. It also costs substantially less. Shopify Plus only has one main package, which costs at least $2,000 a month. On the other hand, standard Shopify packages cost between $29 and $299 per month.
However, these packages offer much less functionality than Shopify Plus, making them unsuitable for a rapidly growing business.
Shopify Plus vs Magento Enterprise
Magento Enterprise and Shopify Plus are both popular enterprise-tier ecommerce platforms that come with a wide range of functions.
There are a few things worth noting when comparing Shopify Plus vs Magento Enterprise.
As a rule, Shopify Plus is cheaper overall. However, this calculation is complex. Shopify Plus' licensing is slightly more expensive than Magento Enterprise, with the former costing at least $24,000 a year while the latter costs $22,000 a year. However, Magento's licensing can cost more and depends on your business' revenue.
On the other hand, while licensing is more expensive with Shopify Plus, there are many other fees you have to pay with Magento Enterprise, including hosting, an SSL certificate, and a domain name. These smaller fees can add up to more than Shopify Plus' licensing fee.
Shopify Plus vs Magento 2
Magento Enterprise was recently upgraded and renamed to Magento 2, with improved features and customizability. How does it compare to Shopify Plus?
Shopify Plus vs Magento 2 in terms of price is similar to Magento Enterprise. Licensing for Shopify Plus is more costly than Magento ($24,000 vs $22,000 per year). However, Shopify Plus has fewer small fees than Magento 2, meaning that, while it is more expensive initially, Shopify Plus is more affordable in the long run. This is especially true if your business rapidly grows as Magento's licensing fee grows more quickly than Shopify Plus'.
Shopify Plus vs WooCommerce
WooCommerce is another major ecommerce platform that has exploded in popularity in recent years due to the ease with which you can integrate it with WordPress.
However, when we compare prices, WooCommerce vs Shopify Plus, the former is significantly less expensive than Shopify Plus. Shopify Plus costs at least $2,000 a month. However, the most costly WooCommerce package costs $31.99 a month. This pricing means that WooCommerce is much more affordable for smaller businesses.
However, WooCommerce does have several other fees you must pay to run a successful online store, including hosting, security, and others. Even so, these fees will never cost more than a few hundred dollars, making WooCommerce a much more attractive option for smaller businesses.
Shopify Plus vs BigCommerce Enterprise
Shopify Plus vs BigCommerce Enterprise is one of the most intense rivalries in the field of ecommerce today. Both are powerful and reliable ecommerce platforms that many large businesses use. However, there are several major differences between the two services.
As a rule, Shopify Plus can cost less than BigCommerce Enterprise, though this is not always the case. The former costs at least $24,000 a year. However, it can vary if you have enough revenue. Meanwhile, BigCommerce Enterprise costs between $1,000 and $15,000 a month, or between $12,000 and $180,000 a year.
So, with all this in mind, how much does Shopify Plus cost? In summary, Shopify Plus costs at least $2,000 a month in licensing fees. This fee rises gradually if you earn over $800,000 a month. However, you will never have to pay more than $40,000 in Shopify Plus fees.
This license fee is not the only cost you will have to deal with as a merchant. Shopify Plus has several smaller fees, such as monthly app subscriptions, and a small transaction fee for third-party payment processes.
However, even with these costs on top of the licensing fee, Shopify Plus is still the best value ecommerce platform on the market compared to its competitors. The reason this is the case is due to the incredible number of features you get with Shopify Plus and the world-class support Shopify offers.
At Thooja, we have a dedicated team of Shopify Plus experts to make the process of figuring out Shopify Plus stress-free. We work hard to help sustainable brands build and improve their store, contact us today to chat about your needs!
