Quick summary
Shopify now includes native B2B features on its Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans, while Shopify Plus adds unlimited catalogs and advanced capabilities for $2,300/month and up. SparkLayer adds deeper wholesale tools to your existing Shopify store, including sales-agent ordering, quoting, and advanced pricing. SparkLayer is the best eCommerce option if you want deeper B2B functionality.
| Option | Best for | Starting price | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Brands starting or running straightforward wholesale | $27/mo | Up to 3 B2B catalogs |
| Shopify Plus | Brands needing advanced B2B and enterprise Shopify features | $2,300/mo | Much higher platform cost |
| SparkLayer | Wholesale brands needing deeper B2B tools without Plus | Free / $49+ | Runs on top of Shopify |
Shopify vs Shopify Plus: What's the actual difference for B2B?
Shopify's B2B offering changed significantly in April 2026. Basic, Grow, and Advanced merchants can now use native B2B features without upgrading to Plus. These include company profiles, up to three B2B catalogs, volume pricing, quantity rules, payment terms, PO numbers, and self-service ordering. The main reason to upgrade to Plus is not simply to unlock B2B. It is to remove important limits and gain more control over how B2B operates.
On standard plans, you can assign up to three active catalogs across your B2B markets. Plus gives you unlimited B2B market catalogs and lets you assign catalogs directly to individual companies and company locations. Plus also adds deposits, partial payments, and payment requests per fulfilment.
Plus also makes sense when your requirements extend beyond B2B itself. It includes nine expansion stores, unlimited staff accounts, additional API capabilities, Shopify Functions, and more advanced checkout customisation.
The question, then, is whether you need those platform-level capabilities or simply need a more capable wholesale operation. See our guide to Shopify B2B without Plus for a full breakdown of what each plan includes.
Shopify (Basic, Grow, and Advanced)
Best for: DTC brands adding a relatively straightforward wholesale channel
Shopify's Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans now give smaller wholesale operations a surprisingly capable starting point. You can create companies and company locations, assign B2B catalogs, offer net payment terms, set quantity rules, accept PO numbers, and let buyers reorder themselves.
The biggest limitation is the catalog model. Standard plans allow up to three active B2B market catalogs. If you have only a few pricing groups, that may be enough. If you have distributors, retailers, key accounts, regional buyers, and other customer groups that all need different pricing, you will hit the ceiling much sooner.
Standard Shopify also lacks some of the deeper platform controls available on Plus. The table below covers the key differences.
Pricing
Lower effective rates are available when billed annually.
Best if you: Have a small wholesale operation, a limited number of pricing structures, and don't need complex account-level workflows.
Shopify Plus
Best for: High-volume merchants that need Shopify's enterprise platform capabilities alongside advanced B2B
Shopify Plus starts at $2,300/month for a three-year term or $2,500/month for a one-year term. More complex, higher-volume businesses may have variable platform fees based on revenue and business model.
For B2B, the biggest advantages are unlimited catalogs and direct assignment of catalogs to companies and company locations. Beyond B2B, Plus gives merchants nine expansion stores, unlimited staff accounts, enhanced API capabilities, Shopify Functions, and more checkout customisation options.
That makes Plus a much broader upgrade than a wholesale app. If you are expanding internationally, running multiple storefronts, building custom commerce experiences, or pushing Shopify's APIs hard, Plus can be justified. But if your main requirement is simply better wholesale ordering, $2,300/month is a much bigger commitment than most growing brands need.
Pricing
Best if you: Need enterprise Shopify capabilities and advanced B2B controls, not just additional wholesale features.
Shopify vs Shopify Plus: feature comparison
| Feature | Shopify (standard) | Shopify Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $27 to $399 | From $2,300 |
| B2B catalog | Up to 3 | Unlimited |
| Catalog assignment | B2B market level | Company and location level |
| Company accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Net payment terms | Yes | Yes, plus deposits and partial payments |
| Checkout customisation | No | Yes (Shopify Functions) |
| Expansion stores | Paid add-on | 9 included |
| Staff accounts | Up to 15 (Advanced) | Unlimited |
| API rate limits | Standard | 10x higher |
| Sales agent portal | No | No |
| Quoting engine | No | No |
| Self-service invoicing | No | No |
| AI order capture | No | No |
| ERP integrations | Via third-party apps | Via third-party apps |
Why SparkLayer can be a better B2B alternative
Best for: Shopify merchants that need deeper wholesale workflows without upgrading their entire platform to Plus
SparkLayer takes a different approach from Shopify Plus. Rather than replacing Shopify's B2B infrastructure or asking you to move to a more expensive plan, it adds a B2B layer to the store you already have. You can keep your Shopify storefront while adding tools built around day-to-day wholesale operations.
SparkLayer is built exclusively for B2B. 3,500+ brands use it, including teapigs, who added a full wholesale operation to their existing Shopify store without upgrading to Plus. Rated 4.9/5 on the Shopify App Store from 384 reviews.
What you get with SparkLayer
- Sales Agent Portal: sales reps log in, switch between customer accounts, build carts, and place orders on behalf of buyers using the Sales Agent Portal
- Quoting Engine: buyers submit quote requests, sales teams adjust pricing and communicate with customers, and approved quotes convert to orders in one step via the Quoting Engine
- AI Intelligent Cart: buyers upload purchase orders, spreadsheets, PDFs, images, or forward emails containing order details. SparkLayer reads the information and builds the basket automatically using the AI Intelligent Cart
- Discount Engine: unlimited price lists, customer-specific rates, volume breaks, and promotional pricing applied automatically at login via the Discount Engine
- B2B invoicing: buyers access and download invoices directly from their account area
- ERP and accounting integrations: native connectors to Xero, QuickBooks Online, Brightpearl, Cin7 Core, Linnworks, Unleashed, and Katana through native connectors rather than requiring a custom integration. See the full integrations list
How much does SparkLayer cost?
14-day free trial on all paid plans. See full pricing.
Best if you: Already have a Shopify store and your main gap is wholesale functionality rather than enterprise Shopify infrastructure. SparkLayer is particularly relevant if you need sales-agent ordering, complex pricing, quoting, invoicing, or B2B order automation without taking on the full cost of Plus.
Shopify vs Shopify Plus vs SparkLayer: Full feature comparison
| Feature | Shopify (standard) | Shopify Plus | SparkLayer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $39 to $399 | From $2,300 | Free to $499 |
| B2B catalogs | Up to 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited on paid plans |
| Company accounts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Net payment terms | Basic | Full with deposits | Yes |
| Checkout customisation | No | Yes (Shopify Functions) | Uses Shopify checkout |
| Sales Agent Portal | No | No | Yes, from Starter |
| Quoting Engine | No | No | Yes, Pro or $49/month add-on |
| Self-service invoicing | No | No | Yes, from Growth |
| AI Intelligent Cart | No | No | Yes |
| ERP integrations | Via third-party apps | Via third-party apps | Built-in |
| Expansion stores | Paid add-on | 9 included | Not applicable |
| API rate limits | Standard | 10x higher | Uses Shopify's API |
| Free trial | No | No | 14-day free trial on all paid plans |
Ready to add B2B wholesale to your Shopify store without upgrading to Plus?
If your main requirement is deeper wholesale functionality, you may not need to upgrade to Shopify Plus. The wholesale tools you may need, including sales agent ordering, quoting, invoicing, and ERP integrations, are available on any Shopify plan with SparkLayer.
SparkLayer adds a complete wholesale operation to your existing Shopify store, sales agent ordering, quoting, invoicing, and ERP integrations, without the $2,300/month commitment. Most brands are live within a day. Free plan available with no time limit.
Start free or book a demo to see SparkLayer running on your store.
Free plan available. Paid plans from $49/month. 14-day free trial on all paid plans.
