Don't focus solely on B2B features when choosing between Advanced and Plus. The conversation spans two axes:
Full reference: help.shopify.com — B2B plan features →
| Feature | Basic / Grow / Advanced | Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Companies & Company Locations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Net terms, reminders, ACH, vaulted cards | ✓ | ✓ |
| Quantity rules & volume pricing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Draft order to invoice, reorders, PO numbers | ✓ | ✓ |
| B2B Catalogs Key criterion | Max. 3 | Unlimited (max. 10,000) |
| Direct catalog assignment to company / location | ✗ | ✓ |
| Deposits & partial payments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payment per fulfillment | ✗ | ✓ |
The practical reasoning: If the merchant can cover all their B2B pricing with 3 tiers (e.g. Bronze–Silver–Gold), Advanced is a viable option. Beyond that, or if direct catalog assignment per customer is needed, Plus is required.
For B2B payments, many merchants handle invoicing outside of Shopify (via their ERP) — this needs to be validated case by case.
Full reference: shopify.com/pricing → (click "+ Full list of features")
| Feature | Advanced | Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Staff accounts | Limited | Unlimited |
| Inventory locations (warehouses) | Max. 10 | Up to 200 |
| Shopify Support | Chat only | Dedicated support |
| POS Pro | Not included | Included |
| Shopify Payments — rates | Standard rates | Lower rates |
| API rate limits | Standard | Higher limits |
| Headless storefronts | Limited | More storefronts |
| Checkout customizations (branding) Plus only | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom app with Shopify Functions Plus only | ✗ | ✓ |
| Exclusive API access & endpoints | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shopify Combined Listings | ✗ | ✓ |
| Expansion stores (up to 9 included) | ✗ | ✓ |
| High-volume checkout | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bot protection (flash sales) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Feature test drives & Launchpad | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom user groups | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shopify Plus Certified App Partners | ✗ | ✓ |
References: Combined Listings · Expansion Stores · Feature Test Drives · Launchpad
As described in the developer documentation →, the Advanced plan only allows Functions to be used through public apps available on the App Store. It is not possible to use a custom app with Functions on Advanced — that requires Shopify Plus.
Use case examples that are not achievable with a custom app on Advanced (checkout credit check, PO validation, B2B order limits…) are listed here: Cart & Checkout Validation — Use Cases →
The only alternative on Advanced would be finding an existing App Store app that covers the exact requirement.
| Checkout Capability | Advanced | Plus |
|---|---|---|
|
UI Extensions — Thank you / Order status / Customer Account pages Post-purchase content, order tracking, customer dashboard widgets |
✓ | ✓ |
|
UI Extensions — Information / Shipping / Payment pages Plus only Banners, custom fields, messages inside the checkout steps themselves |
✗ | ✓ |
|
Market overrides in UI Extensions Different checkout UI per market (inherits the underlying UI Extension's plan requirement) |
✓ | ✓ |
|
Checkout Customizations Plus only Branding: colors, fonts, corner radius, logo (GraphQL Admin API) |
✗ | ✓ |
|
Custom app + Shopify Functions Plus only Custom business logic: credit check, VAT, conditional shipping… |
✗ | ✓ |
Source: help.shopify.com — Customizing your checkout and customer accounts with apps →
| App type | Basic Shopify plan or higher | Shopify Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Apps built with web pixel app extensions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apps built with post-purchase app extensions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Public apps built with Shopify Functions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom apps built with Shopify Functions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Apps built with UI extensions for the thank you and order status pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apps built with UI extensions for all customer accounts pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apps built with UI extensions for the information, shipping, and payment pages | ✗ | ✓ |
| Checkout Blocks — free app for customizing checkout with UI extensions and Shopify Functions | ✓ (with restrictions) | ✓ |
Some Shopify APIs are restricted to the Plus plan only — for example, the read_users / StaffMember API used to programmatically assign sales reps to customer accounts. Depending on the custom apps you plan to build, make sure to verify on a case-by-case basis whether the scopes and API objects you need are available on the merchant's current plan — and if needed, confirm directly with Shopify.
Reference: shopify.dev — API access scopes →