Shopify and Shopify Plus run on the same platform but serve different stages of business growth. Standard Shopify plans (Basic, Grow, Advanced) handle everything a new or growing D2C brand needs to sell online. Shopify Plus unlocks full checkout customization, unlimited B2B catalogues, unlimited staff accounts, expansion stores, and higher API limits for brands that have outgrown standard plan limits.
This comparison covers pricing in both INR and USD, feature differences across every plan tier, and the decision signals that tell you which plan fits your business right now. We have built stores on both Standard Shopify and Shopify Plus for Indian and international brands, and we include real examples from both sides.
standard plan limits
Basic
Grow
Advanced
Plus
Standard ShopifyBasic · Grow · Advancedfrom ₹1,499/moFor new and growing D2C brands
Shopify PlusPlusfrom ₹1,75,000/moFor brands that outgrew standard limits
full checkout customization
unlimited B2B catalogues
unlimited staff accounts
expansion stores
higher API limits
Shopify and Shopify Plus at a Glance
Shopify and Shopify Plus differ on six key points: pricing, checkout control, B2B access, staff accounts, expansion stores, and support level. This table covers the core differences.
FeatureStandard Shopify Basic / Grow / AdvancedShopify Plus
Starting price (INR)Standard₹1,499/mo (Basic yearly) to ₹30,164/mo (Advanced monthly)PlusFrom ₹1,75,000/mo
Starting price (USD)Standard$39/mo to $399/moPlusFrom $2,300/mo
Checkout customizationStandardLimited (logo, colours, text via Checkout Editor)PlusFull (Checkout UI Extensions + Shopify Functions)
B2B cataloguesStandardUp to 3PlusUnlimited
Staff accountsStandardOwner only (Basic) to 15 (Advanced)PlusUnlimited
Expansion storesStandard1 store per planPlusUp to 9 additional stores
API rate limitsStandardStandard to 2x (Advanced)PlusUp to 10x on select APIs
POS ProStandard₹7,000/mo per location (add on)PlusIncluded for up to 20 locations
Third party transaction feeStandard2% (Basic) to 0.6% (Advanced)Plus0.2%
SupportStandardLive chat (Basic/Grow), Enhanced live chat (Advanced)PlusPriority 24/7 phone support
All pricing above is from Shopify's official India pricing page (shopify.com/in/pricing) as of October 2026 and excludes 18% GST. Shopify updates pricing periodically, so confirm current rates on their site before making a decision.
Shopify Plans Explained (Basic, Grow, Advanced)
Standard Shopify has three plans: Basic, Grow, and Advanced. Each tier adds more staff accounts, lower transaction fees, and deeper data access as you move up.
What Each Standard Plan Includes
Shopify Basic
₹1,499/mo yearly billing₹1,994/mo monthly billing
Staff accounts
Owner only
Third party fee
2%
Shopify Basic includes a full online store, unlimited products, abandoned checkout recovery, discount codes, gift cards, and the Shopify Checkout. Basic gives you the owner account with no additional staff accounts. The third party transaction fee on Basic is 2%. API access is standard, and checkout customization is limited to logo, colours, and text through the Checkout Editor. Basic suits solo entrepreneurs testing a product or launching their first store.
Shopify Grow
₹5,599/mo yearly billing₹7,447/mo monthly billing
Staff accounts
Up to 5
Third party fee
1%
Shopify Grow includes everything in Basic plus up to 5 staff accounts and a lower 1% third party transaction fee. Grow gives full API data access (Basic has limited data access). Grow is built for small teams running a single store with steady order volume.
Shopify Advanced includes everything in Grow plus up to 15 staff accounts, a 0.6% third party transaction fee, enhanced live chat support, live third party shipping rates at checkout, regional pricing, and up to 2x API rate limits on select APIs. Advanced is the most feature-rich standard plan and the one most often compared against Shopify Plus.
All three standard plans include
B2B selling · up to 3 catalogues
Shopify Markets
Shopify Flow
10 inventory locations
1 headless storefront
Who Standard Shopify Is Built For
Standard Shopify is built for D2C brands that sell in one or two markets, manage a straightforward product catalogue, operate with a team of 15 or fewer, and do not need custom checkout logic or native wholesale pricing at scale.
Koozy Wear, a women's loungewear and nightwear brand selling in India, runs on Standard Shopify. The brand's single market focus, simple catalogue structure, small team, and standard checkout needs made Standard the right plan. We cover this in detail in the case study section below.
What Shopify Plus Includes That Standard Shopify Does Not
Shopify Plus includes every feature in Shopify Advanced, plus full checkout customization, unlimited B2B catalogues, unlimited staff accounts, up to 9 expansion stores, higher API rate limits, included POS Pro, and priority support. These are the features that Standard Shopify plans cap or do not offer.
Checkout Extensibility on Shopify Plus gives you full control over the checkout experience through Checkout UI Extensions and Shopify Functions. Checkout UI Extensions let you add custom fields, validation rules, branded content blocks, trust badges, and post purchase upsell offers directly in the checkout flow. Shopify Functions let you build custom discount logic, shipping rules, and payment method customizations that run server side inside Shopify's infrastructure.
Standard Shopify plans offer limited checkout customization through the Checkout Editor: you can change your logo, brand colours, and text. You cannot add custom fields, run conditional logic, or insert upsell blocks.
Checkout Extensibility replaced checkout.liquid and Shopify Scripts. Shopify Scripts stopped executing on 30 June 2026. Checkout Extensibility is the single biggest feature difference between Standard Shopify and Shopify Plus.
Metro Home Interiors, a bespoke fitted furniture brand in the UK, uses Checkout UI Extensions on Shopify Plus for a custom lead capture flow with a postcode checker built into the checkout. This type of custom checkout logic is not possible on any Standard Shopify plan. If your brand needs a Shopify store audit to evaluate whether your current checkout is limiting conversions, that is often the first step before deciding on Plus.
Native B2B and Wholesale
StandardUp to 3 cataloguesPlusUnlimited catalogues
Shopify Plus gives you unlimited B2B catalogues with company profiles, customer specific pricing, net payment terms (net 30, net 60), draft orders, and quantity rules. Standard Shopify plans now include B2B selling with up to 3 catalogues, which covers basic wholesale needs.
The gap matters when your B2B operation grows. Three catalogues work for a brand with one or two wholesale clients. A brand managing separate pricing for architects, interior designers, trade partners, and retail chains needs unlimited catalogues and the full B2B channel that Shopify Plus provides.
Metro Home Interiors uses the B2B channel on Shopify Plus to run a Trade Professional portal where architects and interior designers access trade pricing and place orders. This portal runs alongside Metro's D2C storefront on the same Shopify Plus account.
Shopify Plus gives you unlimited staff accounts. Standard Shopify plans cap additional staff accounts: Basic has no additional accounts (owner only), Grow allows up to 5, and Advanced allows up to 15.
For a small team of 3 to 5 people, Grow or Advanced is sufficient. For brands with larger teams — multiple designers, developers, customer service agents, warehouse managers, marketing staff — the 15 account cap on Advanced becomes a real limit. Shopify Plus removes that cap entirely.
Shopify Plus also includes Organization Admin, a single dashboard that lets you manage multiple stores, staff permissions, and analytics across all your Shopify stores from one login. Organization Admin is not available on any Standard plan.
Multi Store and Expansion Stores
Standard1 store per planPlusUp to 10 stores total
Shopify Plus allows up to 9 expansion stores in addition to your primary store, giving you up to 10 stores total under one Shopify Plus account. Standard Shopify plans support 1 store per plan. If you want a second store on Standard Shopify, you pay for a second plan subscription.
Expansion stores on Plus are included in your Plus subscription at no additional monthly cost. Brands use expansion stores for separate country specific storefronts, a dedicated B2B store alongside D2C, or a sub-brand with its own domain. Plus also supports up to 25 headless storefronts versus 1 on standard plans.
Shopify Flow, Launchpad, and Automation
StandardFlow on all plansPlusLaunchpad + custom Functions
Shopify Flow is now available on all Shopify plans, not just Plus. This is a change from earlier years when Flow was Plus exclusive. Many comparison articles still list Flow as a Plus only feature, which is no longer accurate.
Shopify Launchpad remains Plus exclusive. Launchpad lets you schedule product launches, flash sales, and campaign events with automatic theme changes, price changes, and script activations at a set time. For D2C brands running timed drops or festive campaigns with pre-scheduled pricing, Launchpad automates what would otherwise require manual work at odd hours.
Shopify Functions are available as public apps on all plans. Custom private Functions (built specifically for your store) require Shopify Plus. Functions replace Shopify Scripts for discount, shipping, and payment customization logic.
Higher API Limits and Advanced Integrations
StandardStandard to 2xPlusUp to 10x
Shopify Plus provides up to 10x higher API rate limits on select APIs compared to standard plans. Shopify Advanced provides up to 2x. Basic and Grow provide standard rate limits.
Higher API limits matter when your store runs complex integrations: ERP systems syncing inventory in real time, CRM platforms pulling customer data, or multiple third party apps making concurrent API calls. At standard rate limits, high volume stores run into throttling that delays sync operations and creates data lag between your store and connected systems.
Shopify Plus also gives full API data access on all APIs, and access to Plus-exclusive APIs including the GiftCard API and Multipass API for custom single sign on authentication.
POS Pro, Themes, and Reporting
Standard₹7,000/mo per locationPlus20 locations included
Shopify POS Pro costs ₹7,000 per month per location on Standard plans as an add on. Shopify Plus includes POS Pro for up to 20 locations at no extra charge. For brands with physical retail stores, this can represent significant savings: 5 retail locations on a Standard plan would cost ₹35,000 per month just for POS Pro.
Shopify Plus supports up to 200 inventory locations versus 10 on standard plans. Plus also gives higher theme capacity and access to Plus Certified apps.
Shopify Plus includes ShopifyQL Notebooks for advanced data querying and reporting. ShopifyQL lets you run custom queries across orders, products, customers, and inventory data in a notebook style interface. Standard plans use Shopify's built in analytics and reporting dashboards but do not have ShopifyQL access.
Shopify vs Shopify Plus Pricing
Shopify pricing ranges from ₹1,499 per month (Basic yearly) to ₹1,75,000+ per month (Plus), before GST. This section breaks down what each plan costs in India and how Shopify Plus variable pricing works for high volume stores.
Standard Plan Pricing (INR and USD)
Plan
Monthly Billing (INR)
Yearly Billing (INR)
USD Reference
Third Party Fee
Staff Accounts
Basic
₹1,994/mo
₹1,499/mo
$39/mo
2%
Owner only
Grow
₹7,447/mo
₹5,599/mo
$105/mo
1%
Up to 5
Advanced
₹30,164/mo
₹22,680/mo
$399/mo
0.6%
Up to 15
All INR pricing is from Shopify's official India pricing page (shopify.com/in/pricing) as of October 2026 and excludes 18% GST. Shopify also offers a promotional rate of ₹20 per month for the first 3 months on standard plans after a 3 day free trial.
Note for Indian merchants: Shopify Payments is not available in India. Every Indian merchant uses a third party payment gateway (Razorpay, Cashfree, PayU, or similar) and pays the third party transaction fee listed above on top of the gateway's own processing charges. This stacking is the defining cost difference between running a Shopify store in India versus countries where Shopify Payments is available.
Shopify Plus Pricing and Variable Fees
Shopify Plus starts at ₹1,75,000 per month in India (approximately $2,300 per month on a 3 year term or $2,500 per month on a 1 year term in USD). Plus pricing is contract based: you commit to either a 1 year or 3 year term.
Not to scale · figures from agency and merchant sources, not published by Shopify
Once your monthly sales cross approximately $800,000 in gross merchandise volume (GMV), Shopify Plus pricing shifts from a flat monthly fee to a variable platform fee based on a percentage of your revenue. Multiple agency sources cite a rate of 0.35% (3 year term) to 0.40% (1 year term) above this threshold, with a monthly cap of approximately $40,000.
Shopify does not publish the exact variable fee threshold or percentage on its public pricing page. The $800,000/month figure and 0.35% to 0.40% rates come from agency and merchant sources, not from Shopify directly. If you are evaluating Plus at scale, request the exact variable fee terms as part of your contract negotiation.
Transaction Fee Comparison
Basic2.0%
Grow1.0%
Advanced0.6%
Plus0.2%
For Indian merchants, the transaction fee gap between Advanced (0.6%) and Plus (0.2%) is 0.4% of every sale processed through a third party gateway. On ₹50 lakh monthly revenue, that 0.4% difference is ₹20,000 per month in savings — which partially offsets the higher Plus subscription cost.
This is a calculation worth running for your own revenue volume.
Run it for your revenue
Advanced fee · 0.6%
₹30,000
Plus fee · 0.2%
₹10,000
Monthly fee saving on Plus
₹20,000
Plus subscription gap vs Advanced yearly
₹1,52,320
Subscription gap = ₹1,75,000 (Plus from) − ₹22,680 (Advanced yearly), before GST. Gateway fees not included.
Shopify Advanced vs Shopify Plus
Shopify Advanced vs Shopify Plus is the hardest comparison because Advanced already includes most features a growing store needs. The price gap is significant: ₹22,680 per month (Advanced yearly) versus ₹1,75,000+ per month (Plus). That is roughly 7.7x the cost. The question is whether the features Plus adds justify that gap for your business.
What Shopify Advanced gives you
₹22,680/mo yearly
Up to 15 staff accounts
0.6% third party transaction fee
Up to 2x API rate limits on select APIs
Enhanced live chat support
Custom reports
Live third party shipping rates
Regional pricing
B2B with up to 3 catalogues
~7.7×the cost
What Shopify Plus adds over Advanced
₹1,75,000+/mo
Full checkout customization (Checkout UI Extensions + Shopify Functions)
Unlimited B2B catalogues
Unlimited staff accounts
Organization Admin for multi store management
Up to 9 expansion stores
Up to 10x API rate limits
POS Pro included for up to 20 locations
ShopifyQL Notebooks
Launchpad for scheduled campaigns
Bot protection
Priority phone support
25 headless storefronts
If your store needs custom checkout logic, runs B2B at scale with more than 3 catalogues, has more than 15 team members who need admin access, or needs multiple storefronts under one account, the Plus subscription is justified. If none of these apply, Advanced gives you strong capabilities at a fraction of Plus cost.
Road A
When Standard Shopify Is Enough
Standard Shopify is enough for your business when these conditions apply:
You sell in one or two markets (India only, or India plus one international market).
Your product catalogue is straightforward: single product type, standard variants like size and colour, no complex bundling or kitting logic.
Your team has 15 or fewer people who need Shopify admin access.
The standard Shopify Checkout works for your purchase flow: no custom fields, no conditional logic, no post-purchase upsells built into checkout.
You do not need native wholesale or B2B pricing beyond 3 catalogues.
Your monthly revenue does not justify the Plus subscription cost relative to the transaction fee savings.
Koozy Wear, a women's loungewear and nightwear brand, is an example. The brand sells in India, runs a simple catalogue with straightforward variant options, operates with a small team, and processes orders through the standard checkout. Standard Shopify was the right plan because no feature on Plus was needed for the business model. We cover this in detail in the case study section. If you are at this stage and need help building your store, see our Shopify development for D2C brands page.
Road B
When You Need Shopify Plus
Your business needs Shopify Plus when standard plan limits block your operations or growth. These are the signals that tell you the standard plans are not enough.
Signs You Have Outgrown Standard Shopify
1
Your checkout needs custom logic.
You need custom fields (delivery notes, postcode validation, buyer type selection), conditional display rules, or post-purchase upsell flows built into the checkout. The Checkout Editor on standard plans cannot do this. Checkout Extensibility on Plus can.
2
B2B or wholesale is a strategic revenue channel.
You need separate catalogues for different buyer groups — trade accounts, distributors, retailers — with customer specific pricing and net payment terms. Three catalogues on standard plans may not be enough.
3
Your team has outgrown 15 staff accounts.
Designers, developers, customer service agents, warehouse managers, marketing staff, content writers — if more than 15 people need admin access, only Plus supports unlimited accounts.
4
You need multiple storefronts.
A separate store for a different country, a dedicated B2B storefront, or a sub-brand — if you need more than one store, Plus gives you up to 9 expansion stores included in your subscription.
5
Your integrations are hitting API rate limits.
ERP sync, CRM integration, inventory management across multiple warehouses — if your systems are being throttled by standard rate limits, Plus offers up to 10x higher limits.
6
You run high volume campaigns that need automation.
Flash sales, timed product drops, scheduled pricing changes — Launchpad on Plus automates these events. Without Launchpad, your team manages them manually.
7
Your monthly revenue makes the transaction fee math work.
At high enough volumes, the gap between 0.6% (Advanced) and 0.2% (Plus) on every transaction starts to offset the Plus subscription cost.
3+If three or more of these signals apply to your business, you have likely outgrown Standard Shopify. When you are ready to move to Plus, see our Shopify Plus development page.
How We Have Built on Both Plans
We have built Shopify stores on both Standard and Plus for Indian and international brands. These two projects show when each plan is the right choice: Koozy Wear on Standard Shopify, and Metro Home Interiors on Shopify Plus.
Standard Shopify Checkout — no custom fields or logic needed
B2B needs
None
Why Standard was right
Single market. Simple catalogue. Small team. Tight budget. No feature on Plus was needed for this business model.
Koozy Wear did not need Checkout Extensibility because the standard checkout flow — browse, add to cart, enter details, pay — worked without modification. The brand did not need B2B, did not need multiple storefronts, and operated with fewer staff than the Grow plan's 5 account limit. Standard Shopify was the right plan, and spending on Plus would have added cost without adding business value.
metrohomeinteriors.co.ukPostcode checker ✓Plus
Metro Home Interiors on Shopify Plus
Industry
Bespoke fitted furniture (wardrobes, kitchens, media walls, offices)
Market
UK
Platform
Shopify Plus
What we built
Visual-first design system, custom lead capture with postcode checker (Checkout UI Extensions), 90+ finish options across product lines, Trade Professional B2B portal, mega menu, GTM server-side tagging, 3D design journey, multi-location SEO pages
Team size
Large (designers, fitters, sales staff across locations)
Checkout
Custom checkout with Checkout UI Extensions — postcode checker, lead capture fields, conditional logic
B2B needs
Yes — Trade Professional portal for architects and interior designers with trade pricing
Why Plus was needed
Custom checkout logic (UI Extensions). B2B trade section with dedicated portal. Unlimited staff accounts for large team. Higher API limits for GTM server-side integration. Multi-location SEO structure across UK showroom areas.
Metro Home Interiors needed Shopify Plus because the standard checkout could not support a custom postcode-based lead capture flow. The B2B trade portal required unlimited catalogues. The large distributed team exceeded the 15 staff account cap on Advanced. And the GTM server-side tagging setup needed higher API throughput. No Standard plan could support this combination.
If your brand is considering a move to Plus, our Shopify Plus migration services cover the full migration path from Standard to Plus, including checkout migration, data transfer, and post-launch stabilisation.
Scripts Sunset and Checkout Extensibility in 2026
Beforecheckout.liquid + Shopify Scripts
30 June 2026Shopify Scripts stopped executing
NowShopify Functions + Checkout UI Extensions
Shopify Scripts stopped executing on 30 June 2026. This is confirmed in Shopify's official developer changelog. If your Shopify Plus store was using Scripts for discount logic, shipping rules, or payment method customizations, that logic has already stopped running.
Shopify Functions are the official replacement for Shopify Scripts. Functions are compiled WebAssembly modules that run server side inside Shopify's infrastructure. Public app Functions (distributed through the Shopify App Store) work on all Shopify plans. Custom private Functions (built for a single store) require Shopify Plus.
The migration from Scripts to Functions is not a simple code swap. Functions use a fundamentally different architecture. If your store's checkout still relies on legacy Script behaviour, or if you are evaluating Shopify Plus for the first time and want to use checkout customization, Checkout Extensibility (Checkout UI Extensions + Functions) is the system you will build on.
For stores that need help with Scripts migration or ongoing checkout maintenance, our Shopify support and maintenance retainer covers this as part of monthly technical support.
Public app FunctionsAll plans
Custom private FunctionsShopify Plus
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1
What is the main difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus?
Shopify Plus includes full checkout customization, unlimited B2B catalogues, unlimited staff accounts, up to 9 expansion stores, higher API rate limits, and priority support. Standard Shopify plans (Basic, Grow, Advanced) cap these features at lower levels. The core platform and base commerce features are the same across all plans.
Q2
How much does Shopify Plus cost per month in India?
Shopify Plus starts at ₹1,75,000 per month in India. This is the base platform fee. High volume stores above approximately $800,000 in monthly GMV may shift to a variable fee structure. GST of 18% applies on top. For exact pricing, request a quote directly from Shopify or through your development agency.
Q3
Is Shopify Plus worth it for a small business?
Shopify Plus is not designed for small businesses. If your team has fewer than 15 people, you sell in one or two markets, you do not need custom checkout logic, and your B2B needs are served by 3 catalogues, Standard Shopify (Basic, Grow, or Advanced) is the right plan. Koozy Wear runs on Standard Shopify and does not need any Plus feature.
Q4
Can I upgrade from Standard Shopify to Plus later?
Yes. You can upgrade from any Standard Shopify plan to Shopify Plus. Your product data, customer data, order history, and theme carry over. The main migration work involves setting up Plus-exclusive features: Checkout Extensibility, B2B channel, expansion stores, and Organization Admin.
Q5
Can I have multiple stores on Shopify Plus?
Yes. Shopify Plus includes up to 9 expansion stores alongside your primary store (10 total). Each expansion store has its own domain, theme, and settings. Standard Shopify supports 1 store per plan subscription.
Q6
Does Shopify Plus improve store performance or speed?
Shopify Plus does not automatically make your store faster. Both Standard and Plus stores run on the same Shopify infrastructure with the same hosting. Speed depends on your theme code, app stack, and content optimization. Plus gives access to higher API rate limits and bot protection, which help during high traffic events.
Q7
What replaced Shopify Scripts?
Shopify Functions replaced Shopify Scripts. Scripts stopped executing on 30 June 2026. Functions use a different architecture (compiled WebAssembly) and are distributed as apps. Public app Functions work on all plans. Custom private Functions require Plus.
Q8
Can you customize checkout without Shopify Plus?
Standard Shopify plans offer limited checkout customization through the Checkout Editor: logo, colours, and text. You cannot add custom fields, conditional logic, or post-purchase upsell blocks without Checkout Extensibility, which requires Shopify Plus.
Q9
What is the starting price of Shopify Plus in India?
The starting price of Shopify Plus in India is ₹1,75,000 per month (before 18% GST), as listed on Shopify's India pricing page. This is the base fee. Variable pricing may apply at higher sales volumes.
Q10
How does Shopify compare to WooCommerce?
Shopify is a hosted SaaS platform with built in hosting, security, and updates. WooCommerce is a self-hosted WordPress plugin where you manage hosting, security, and updates yourself.
StandardPlus
Not sure which plan your business needs?
Talk to us. We have built on both Standard Shopify and Shopify Plus, and we will tell you honestly which one fits.
