So you've migrated to Shopify and you need to pick a plan? Well, this is an easy decision because Shopify has baked in all core features into every plan. The biggest difference between plans is the discounts you receive on Shipping, Payment Processing, and how many users can access the admin with their own account logins. There are some other small considerations like reports and international shipping. But the overall system is the same for all plans and a few features that are determined by your companies structure are what is up for consideration. Let's dive in a bit further and go over what these areas are.
Check the Shopify Plans page for the most up-to-date pricing and details.
Main Differences Between Plans
Here are the main factors that make each plan different. These are very specific to your company and not to the Shopify core functionality - like how many staff members need access and do you have a high revenue where the credit card rates are less expensive on a higher plan.
- How many Staff Members
- How many warehouse or store locations
- Reports
- Calculated rates using your own account (Shopify's carrier live rates included)
- Shipping Discounts
- Credit Card Processing Rates
- Transaction Fees
- International Selling
Credit Card Processing Discounts
Most of our clients determine which plan they need by calculating the credit card processing rates and then subtracting the discount difference and the plan difference to see which plan makes the most financial sense. Some need one of the additional options above as well but the rates in most cases are the determining factor. That is why we've created a Shopify Pricing Calculator to calculate the exact pricing of your credit card processing fees when using your own processor or using Shopify Payments by Stripe. Check out our calculator today to see what your exact Shopify Pricing will be.
Shopify Reports
The Shopify reports are very useful and robust. Shopify has created a system that gives you the reporting needed to run an e-commerce business and factors reports needed for Marketing, Sales, Taxes, Traffic, etc. If you end up selecting the "Shopify" plan that includes reporting, the reports you can run in this plan are very complete. The Advanced Reporting included in the "Advanced Shopify" plan simply includes a way to save reports and a couple of other advanced reports for advanced users performing high-volume marketing campaigns. Take a look at a post we created about this very topic What's Included In Advanced Shopify Reporting?.
Other Features
If you have many staff members logging into the Shopify admin to process orders, take phone orders, or manage your system then upgrading your plan is very useful. Each user can have their own login and you can see the activity and collaborate with each other on order notes, send emails to customers, and manage your POS, Online Store, and connected channels. Shopify includes their own live calculated rates for customers at checkout as an option if you want to activate it. In most cases, you do not need your own account because both integrations show the consumer the retail rates at checkout. But if you do need/want to use your own account then there are some options to add this functionality a-la-carte without upgrading to the "Advanced Shopify" plan. Check out our post about this very topic on how to use your own UPS, FedEx, or USPS account without upgrading your plan How to add Shopify Calculated Shipping Rates (Using Your Carrier Account) Without Upgrading Your Plan?.
