14/09/2026
Shopify Plus costs $40,000–$80,000 a year.
Most merchants don't realize this until year two, when the app stack and transaction fees have quietly outgrown the platform subscription.
I've shipped e-commerce platforms on both sides of this decision — custom builds and headless Shopify storefronts. Here's the honest framework:
Shopify wins when:
You're launching or early-stage
Your pricing logic is standard (fixed prices, standard discounts)
Speed to market matters more than long-term cost
You're below $2M GMV
Custom build wins when:
You need B2B pricing (customer-specific, volume tiers, contracts)
You're running a marketplace or multi-vendor model
You're at or approaching $2M–$4M GMV
Deep ERP, WMS, or 3PL integration is required
The transaction fee is the hidden accelerator. At $5M GMV, Shopify Plus's 0.15% rate costs $7,500/year alone. At $30M GMV, removing it saves $45,000/year. That gap keeps widening — while custom infrastructure costs stay flat.
For merchants in the $2M–$4M GMV range: run the 3-year TCO math honestly. The answer is usually clearer than the platform debate suggests.
Full breakdown → https://www.abuqitmirlabs.tech/blog/e-commerce-platform-development-custom-build-vs-shopify-plus-2026
