Shopify Plus in 2026 is a two-part cost: platform fees paid to Shopify, and build/support fees paid to a Plus Partner. A theme-based launch is $25,000 to $50,000. A headless Hydrogen build is $80,000 to $200,000. Ongoing support starts in the low four figures per month. Here's the full breakdown, what actually moves the price, and what to look out for on a proposal.
Shopify Plus platform fees
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Shopify Plus base | ~$2,300 / month (higher on revenue-based pricing at scale, capped) |
| Payment processing | 2.4% + 30¢ on Shopify Payments; lower with third-party |
| Apps | Varies; plan for $500 – $3,000 / month |
| Additional expansion stores | Included up to 9 stores; more by request |
| Shopify Markets | Included; Markets Pro is an add-on |
Merchants above roughly $800K per month in GMV move to revenue-based pricing (0.25 percent of monthly revenue, capped). Payment processing rates decrease with volume and negotiation, especially outside Shopify Payments.
Build and support fees
| Engagement | Range (2026) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Theme-based Plus launch | $25,000 – $50,000 | 8-12 weeks |
| Custom Plus build | $50,000 – $100,000 | 12-20 weeks |
| Magento / BigCommerce → Plus migration | $50,000 – $150,000 | 12-24 weeks |
| Headless Plus (Hydrogen / Next.js) | $80,000 – $200,000 | 16-24 weeks |
| Custom app development | $15,000 – $60,000 | 4-10 weeks |
| B2B implementation add-on | $15,000 – $50,000 | 4-10 weeks |
| Ongoing Plus support retainer | $2,500 – $12,000 / month | Monthly |
These are US-based partner ranges. Offshore agencies quote 40 to 60 percent lower and usually cost you the difference in rework and BFCM incidents.
What actually moves the price
Seven factors do most of the work.
- Catalog complexity. 500 simple SKUs is fast. 20,000 configurable products with 30 attributes each is not.
- Integration count. ERP, OMS, 3PL, PIM, ESP, reviews, loyalty, subscriptions. Each adds real time.
- Checkout customization. Standard Plus checkout is quick. Custom extensibility and Shopify Functions add engineering.
- B2B scope. Company accounts, price lists, net terms, and quote workflows are a project of their own.
- Multi-store or international. Every additional store or locale adds theme, translation, catalog, and tax work.
- Custom apps. Public apps for the Shopify App Store, or private apps for a single merchant.
- Data migration volume. Historical orders and customer data drive migration time.
Partner vs in-house
A senior in-house Shopify Plus developer costs $130,000 to $180,000 a year fully loaded. A partner retainer at $5,000 a month is $60,000 a year for a team with playbooks across 50+ stores. For most brands under $50M, the partner delivers faster and cheaper. Above that, in-house becomes more attractive, but even $200M+ brands often keep a partner for peak seasonality and Plus-specific work.
What to watch out for
Five things predict a proposal that will blow up.
- Uncapped hourly billing with no scope ceiling.
- Offshore day rates buried in the middle of the SoW.
- "BFCM support included" with no defined hours or SLAs.
- No load-testing budget for a store expecting a traffic spike.
- Vague app strategy. "We'll pick apps as we go" turns into $2,000 a month of app fees you never sign off on.
Next steps
If you're deciding whether Plus is the right platform at all, read Shopify Plus vs Shopify: when it's worth upgrading. If you're replatforming from Magento, read Magento to Shopify Plus migration: a complete guide. If you're weighing headless, read headless Shopify Plus: when it's worth it. When you're ready to scope, talk to DoodleWeb — we quote fixed scopes and stand behind them.
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