How to Set Up B2B on Shopify Without Plus — Complete 2026 Guide

Shopify Plus costs $2,300 per month and is marketed as the only way to run a B2B store on Shopify. That's misleading. With the right apps, you can build a fully functional B2B Shopify store on the Basic plan ($39/mo) for a total cost of ~$140/mo — 94% cheaper than Plus.

This guide walks you through the complete setup: quote management, price hiding, CRM pipeline, email automation, draft orders, and Shopify Flow integrations — all without upgrading to Plus.

What Shopify Plus B2B Includes (And Costs)

Shopify Plus is Shopify's enterprise plan designed for high-volume merchants. The native B2B features include:

• Company profiles — multi-user buyer accounts with role-based permissions (e.g., buyer, approver, admin)
• Custom pricing catalogs — different prices for different buyer groups
• Volume discounts and payment terms — tiered pricing, net-30 terms, credit limits
• Quote and draft order management — built-in quote workflow (basic)
• Custom checkout scripts — modify checkout behavior with Ruby scripts
• Lower transaction fees — 0.15% vs 0.5-2% on Basic/Standard/Advanced
• Dedicated account manager — phone support and onboarding

Monthly cost: $2,300 (or $2,000/mo if paid annually)

Annual cost: $27,600 (or $24,000/yr prepaid)

For most small and mid-sized B2B merchants, this pricing is 10-20x more than you need to spend.

What You Can Replicate Without Plus

Using apps, you can replicate 90% of Plus B2B features:

The only features you can't replicate with apps are:

1. Multi-user company accounts (multiple buyers under one parent company)
2. Custom checkout scripts (modify checkout logic with Ruby code)
3. Lower transaction fees (0.15% vs 0.5-2%)

If you don't need these three features, you don't need Plus.

Step-by-Step B2B Setup Without Plus

Here's exactly how to set up a B2B Shopify store on Basic, Standard, or Advanced plans using apps.

Step 1: Install AddToQuote

1. Open the Shopify App Store
2. Search for "AddToQuote"
3. Click Add app and approve the installation
4. Complete the onboarding wizard (business info, sales team size)
5. Start your 14-day free trial (no credit card required)

AddToQuote is the core B2B app. It provides quote forms, CRM pipeline, PDF generation, email notifications, and price hiding.

Step 2: Enable the Quote Button

1. Open Theme Customizer in Shopify Admin
2. Navigate to a product page template
3. Click Add block → Apps → Add to Quote Button
4. Position the button below the "Add to Cart" button
5. Customize button text, color, and style
6. Click Save

Now every product page has a "Request a Quote" button. Customers click it to open a quote request form instead of adding to cart.

Step 3: Configure Price Hiding

1. Navigate to AddToQuote → Settings → Widget Settings → Price Hiding
2. Enable price hiding
3. Set custom replacement text (e.g., "Login for pricing" or "Request a quote")
4. Optionally configure customer tag exceptions (e.g., show prices to logged-in B2C customers)
5. Click Save

Price hiding works on all Shopify plans (Basic, Standard, Advanced, Plus). Prices are hidden from anonymous visitors, and the quote button is the only way to request pricing.

Step 4: Set Up CRM Pipeline

1. Navigate to AddToQuote → CRM Pipeline
2. Review the default pipeline stages: New, Qualified, Proposition, Quoted, Won, Lost
3. Optionally customize stage names in Settings → Pipeline Stages
4. Submit a test quote from your storefront
5. Verify the quote appears in the "New" stage

The CRM pipeline gives you at-a-glance visibility into all active quotes. Drag quotes between stages as they progress.

Step 5: Connect Email Provider

1. Navigate to AddToQuote → Settings → Email Provider
2. Choose your email service:

• Gmail OAuth — send from your Gmail address
• Outlook OAuth — send from your Outlook/Microsoft 365 address
• AWS SES — transactional email service (cheapest, most reliable)
• SendGrid, Resend, or Mailgun — third-party email APIs

1. Follow the setup instructions for your chosen provider
2. Send a test email to verify the connection

Email notifications ensure you're alerted immediately when a new quote is requested.

Step 6: Enable Shopify Flow (Advanced Plan Only)

Shopify Flow is a no-code automation tool available on Shopify Advanced and Plus plans (not Basic or Standard). If you're on Advanced or Plus:

1. Open Shopify Admin → Apps → Flow
2. Click Create workflow
3. Select trigger: AddToQuote - Quote Requested
4. Add action: Send email to sales team
5. Save and activate the workflow

Flow workflows automate repetitive tasks like:

• Auto-assign quotes to team members based on product tags
• Send Slack notifications on high-value quotes
• Auto-create draft orders when quotes move to "Won" stage

If you're on Basic or Standard, skip this step and use email notifications instead.

Step 7: Set Up Messaging Integrations (Advanced Plan)

AddToQuote Advanced plan ($200/mo) includes messaging integrations for Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, and Telegram.

1. Navigate to AddToQuote → Settings → Integrations → Messaging Channels
2. Click Add Channel and select your platform (e.g., Slack)
3. Paste your webhook URL or bot token
4. Select which events to receive (quote requested, stage changed, etc.)
5. Send a test notification

Messaging notifications keep your team in sync without email overload. See our messaging integrations guide for platform-specific setup.

Feature Comparison: Plus vs Apps

Here's a detailed comparison of Plus B2B features vs AddToQuote on lower-tier plans:

Quote Management

Winner: AddToQuote. Plus has basic quote forms but no CRM, PDF generation, or email automation.

Price Hiding

Winner: Tie. Both support price hiding with custom replacement text.

Automation

Winner: AddToQuote. Plus has Flow but no webhooks or messaging.

Advanced Features

Winner: Plus for company accounts and checkout scripts. AddToQuote for product customization.

Limitations of the App Approach

Using apps instead of Plus has a few limitations:

1. No Multi-User Company Accounts

Shopify Plus lets you create company profiles with multiple buyer accounts (e.g., "ABC Corp" with 5 employees, each with their own login). Apps like AddToQuote don't support this.

Workaround: Use Shopify's native customer accounts. Each buyer creates their own account, and you tag them with the company name (e.g., customer.tags: "ABC Corp"). You can then filter quotes by company tag in the CRM.

2. No Custom Checkout Scripts

Shopify Plus lets you write Ruby scripts to modify checkout behavior (e.g., hide shipping methods, apply dynamic discounts, enforce minimum order quantities). Apps can't modify the checkout page.

Workaround: Use Shopify's native discount codes and shipping rules in Admin. For most B2B workflows, standard Shopify features are sufficient.

3. Higher Transaction Fees

Shopify Plus charges 0.15% transaction fees (if using Shopify Payments). Lower-tier plans charge 0.5-2% depending on your plan:

• Basic: 2.0%
• Standard: 1.0%
• Advanced: 0.5%

Break-even calculation: Plus saves you 1.85% on Basic, 0.85% on Standard, and 0.35% on Advanced. To break even on the $2,300/mo Plus cost via transaction fee savings:

• Basic plan: Process $124,000/mo in sales ($1.5M/yr)
• Standard plan: Process $270,000/mo in sales ($3.2M/yr)
• Advanced plan: Process $657,000/mo in sales ($7.9M/yr)

If you're below these thresholds, Plus is not cost-effective.

When to Upgrade to Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus makes sense for high-volume B2B merchants in these scenarios:

1. Revenue > $1M/year — lower transaction fees offset the Plus cost
2. Complex buyer hierarchies — you need multi-user company accounts with role-based permissions
3. Custom checkout requirements — you need checkout scripts to enforce business rules
4. Headless commerce — you're building a custom frontend using Shopify's Storefront API

For everyone else, adding apps to a lower-tier plan delivers better ROI.

Total Cost Comparison Over 12 Months

Let's compare the total cost of running a B2B Shopify store on each plan:

Even the most expensive app-based setup (Advanced + AddToQuote Advanced) costs $5,988/yr — 78% cheaper than Plus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do B2B on Shopify Basic?

Yes. Shopify Basic ($39/mo) supports B2B workflows using apps like AddToQuote for quote management, price hiding, and CRM. You don't need Shopify Plus ($2,300/mo) to accept quote requests or manage wholesale customers.

What B2B features does Shopify Plus have that apps don't?

Shopify Plus includes native company profiles (multi-user buyer accounts), custom checkout scripts, and lower transaction fees (0.15% vs 0.5-2%). Apps like AddToQuote provide quote management, CRM, PDF generation, and price hiding — but not multi-user company accounts or checkout scripts.

Is AddToQuote an alternative to Shopify Plus B2B?

Yes, for most small and mid-sized merchants. AddToQuote provides 90% of the B2B features (quotes, CRM, price hiding, draft orders) at $100-$300/mo instead of $2,300/mo. If you need multi-user buyer accounts or custom checkout scripts, you'll need Plus.

Can I upgrade to Shopify Plus later?

Yes. Start with Shopify Basic, Standard, or Advanced and use apps for B2B features. When your revenue exceeds $1M/year, evaluate whether Plus makes financial sense (lower transaction fees may offset the monthly cost). Apps like AddToQuote work on all Shopify plans, including Plus.

What is the minimum Shopify plan for B2B?

Shopify Basic ($39/mo) is the minimum plan that supports B2B apps. You can add AddToQuote ($100/mo) for a total of $139/mo — 94% cheaper than Shopify Plus ($2,300/mo).

Bottom Line

You don't need Shopify Plus to run a B2B store. For $140-$500/month (Shopify plan + AddToQuote), you get 90% of the B2B features at 5-20% of the cost. Start with Shopify Basic or Standard, add AddToQuote for quote management and CRM, and upgrade to Advanced or Plus only when your revenue justifies the transaction fee savings.

Install AddToQuote from the Shopify App Store to start your 14-day free trial today, or book a free demo to see the full B2B workflow in action. For more comparisons, read our Shopify B2B vs Quote Apps guide or cheapest way to add B2B to Shopify.