The choice between Shopify Plus vs Shopify Advanced may get touch. Therefore, here is blog to help you know the difference.
Shopify Plus vs Shopify Advanced: Getting A Detailed Insight to Decide the Best
The eCommerce industry has profoundly transformed our lifestyle. This new on-growing trend has also changed our shopping habits to a great extent. Today every need of our day to day essentials are being taken care by online stores that have eliminated our needs of going out and shop. Today, you can purchase everything you need with just a few clicks. And the entire credit goes to the expansion of eCommerce businesses. When deciding on eCommerce businesses, store owners need to choose their eCommerce platform. This write-up will majorly focus on providing a detailed comparison between Shopify Plus vs Shopify Advanced along with discussing the benefits of Shopify development company services.
As online shopping continues to dominate, the demand for more eCommerce websites is on the rise. Shopify stands out as one of the best platforms for developing an eCommerce website. It allows developers to create a fully functional online store in just a few minutes, all without writing a single line of code. This ease of use has made Shopify website development increasingly popular. However, to fully leverage the platform’s potential, expertise is required. Partnering with a Shopify development agency can help you create a unique online store tailored to your business needs.
Talking specifically about the plans this eCommerce platform offers, there is a wide range of the same. Shopify offers various plans, including Shopify Plus and Shopify Advanced. These two options provide different features and capabilities. If you’re unsure whether to choose Shopify Plus or Shopify Advanced, keep reading this write-up to know everything to bring you clarity on the same. It will help you to make a uniform decision while knowing the ins and outs of both platforms.
A brief intro to Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus represents the best Shopify offers. Shopify as an eCommerce platform is specifically designed to meet the functional needs and scalability demands of larger retailers. It’s the platform of choice for many successful brands that have a great market share and appeal among the audience.
Shopify Plus is a robust hosted platform tailored specifically for large-scale brands. The reason behind Shopify Plus being the choice of platform for every big brand is the platform’s capability of offering customization, dedicated support, and pricing structure ideal for enterprise-level applications.
From a technical point of view, Shopify is designed to meet the complex needs of big enterprises. Shopify Plus combines advanced features with the reliability of a fully managed hosting environment. Because of the same reason, Shopify becomes the top choice for enterprises looking to scale while maintaining operational efficiency.
A brief intro to Shopify Advanced
Another point of difference between Shopify Plus vs Shopify Advanced is a robust version of Shopify’s powerful SaaS-based platform. Being a versatile platform, it offers a rich set of features at a competitive price. However, it comes with fewer functionalities and benefits compared to Shopify Plus. With a price of $299 per month, Shopify Advanced includes the same Shopify Payments rates as Plus but incurs higher costs if you use an external payment gateway.
However, with Shopify, there are some limitations also. One of the limitations include its capability of supporting only one store at a time. For retailers operating multiple stores, such as one in the UK and another in the US, this means paying $598 per month (2 x Shopify Advanced) with each account isolated from the other. While still feature-rich, Shopify Advanced is best suited for businesses that don’t require the full suite of enterprise-level tools and capabilities offered by Shopify Plus.
There are other Shopify versions also listed below with a brief introduction:
Shopify Lite – Shopify Lite is a starter version designed for individuals selling through other channels, such as a blog, POS, or Facebook, without needing a full online store. It’s an entry-level option, though it comes with higher payment processing rates.
Basic Shopify – Tailored for startup retailers, Basic Shopify offers a solid set of core functionalities but also comes with higher payment rates. Some features, like gift cards, are absent, and you’re limited to 2 user accounts.
Shopify – Building on the Basic plan, Shopify offers more competitive payment rates and additional features, including gift cards, a report builder, and enhanced POS functionalities. This plan also allows for up to 5 users, providing more flexibility for growing businesses.
As both platforms have their unique features, they have differences also. Here are majority of points they differ in.
Shopify plans
Shopify Plus is priced at $2,000 per month and is the go-to platform for large businesses. The extensive requirement of these businesses that require resources for design, marketing, and scaling needs a platform that can easily accommodate these needs. This plan includes hosting without any transaction fees and offers a substantial 200 TB of storage, making it ideal for handling even the most demanding eCommerce stores. For a smooth transition to Shopify Plus, consider partnering with a Shopify development agency to leverage the platform’s full potential.
On the other hand, the Advanced Shopify plan is available at $299 per month, plus 2.4% + 30¢ per transaction. This plan includes all the features of Basic Shopify, with added benefits like third-party calculated shipping rates and an advanced report builder.
Shopify Advanced also provides unlimited storage, allowing you to upload an unlimited number of products, posts, and videos, all while benefiting from lower transaction fees, especially when using a third-party gateway. Additionally, the Advanced plan includes an enhanced abandoned cart recovery feature, enabling business owners to reach out to users who left their carts early and identify the reasons behind their early departure.
Flexible checkout
Shopify Plus offers an advanced checkout experience designed to elevate your brand’s presence and performance. With enhanced checkout capabilities, Shopify Plus can boost conversion rates and reduce churn, making it a powerful tool for maximizing your website’s effectiveness. However, implementing this advanced checkout process can be complex and requires specialized expertise. Partnering with a Shopify Plus agency can help you achieve a customized checkout experience that aligns with your brand’s design and functionality, ensuring a seamless and consistent user experience.
In contrast, Shopify Advanced does not offer a branded checkout experience. Instead, it utilizes features like a mini cart and a persistent cart across devices to enhance sales. While these tools are effective, they lack the level of customization and branding opportunities available with Shopify Plus.
Clone store
With Shopify Plus, you have the advantage of adding multiple stores under the same license fee, making it easier to manage different brands or variations of your store across various countries. This feature is particularly beneficial if you operate multiple stores, as it allows for seamless expansion. To ensure the process is smooth and efficient, partnering with Shopify Plus experts is highly recommended. They can help you develop clone stores with precision, enabling your business to scale effectively.
On the other hand, Shopify Advanced does not offer the same flexibility. You would need to pay separately for each additional store instance, which can significantly increase costs. While store clones are still possible, the added expense can make it more challenging to grow your business as efficiently as with Shopify Plus.
Support system
Shopify Plus users benefit from having a representative that offers dedicate support. This support is essential for onboarding process and provide ongoing support after the site is set for launch. This personalized service ensures that your transition to the platform is smooth and that any issues get quick resolution by someone familiar with your specific needs.
In contrast, Shopify Advanced offers support primarily through a comprehensive range of resources and documentation. The Shopify Advanced Help Centre is a treasure trove of information, covering everything from theme design to app development, all curated by expert Shopify developers. While there isn’t a dedicated representative, the platform provides 24/7 email support. You can submit your queries via email, and their support team will raise a ticket and work to resolve your issue as quickly as possible.
Multi-language and currencies
Shopify Plus offers the flexibility to support multiple languages and currencies. The feature allows you to create customized stores tailored to the specific needs of different markets. This feature enables users to deliver a localized shopping experience with language, products, and pricing that align with the preferences of each region.
In contrast, Shopify Advanced lacks this level of customization. It does not natively support multiple languages or currencies. This is the reason for businesses overlooking the platform many-times.
In conclusion
The comparison between both Shopify Plus vs Shopify Advanced has its unique strengths and cons (minor). They have as illustrated above points of difference too and are effective in their own ways. Moreover, when it comes to choosing any one of the platforms, it needs a thorough thinking.
Additionally, the choice between them also depends on your business size and needs. Shopify Advanced is an excellent choice for smaller businesses. This is because it has a comprehensive feature set at a more accessible price point. Conversely, Shopify Plus has capabilities to handle the requirements of large enterprises that require extensive customization and scalability.
For businesses seeking a standout online store, partnering with expert Shopify developers is significant for making an impactful choice. Not only the development for Shopify will matter but also ensuring that Shopify maintenance services are available will help.
At IDS Logic, our skilled developers will craft a tailored solution using the Shopify platform. While both platforms are beneficial, Shopify Advanced is good for content-rich sites. it is because the platform enhances the functionality. If you’re looking to elevate your eCommerce presence, consider Shopify Advanced for its robust features and capabilities. Additionally, for your development needs other than Shopify we have all the solutions.
