Shopify B2B vs Shopify Plus: Which Do You Need?

If you're running a B2B or wholesale business on Shopify, you've probably wondered: do I need Shopify Plus for B2B features?

The answer isn't straightforward. B2B ecommerce is projected to reach $36 trillion by 2026, and Shopify has been rapidly expanding its B2B capabilities to capture that growth. But Plus still offers features that lower-tier plans don't — and for many merchants, third-party apps fill the gaps at a fraction of the cost.

The decision between Shopify's native B2B tools and a purpose-built app has real financial consequences. Choose too early and you're overpaying by thousands per month. Wait too long and you're losing deals to friction. Let's break down exactly what each option gives you, what it costs, and which path makes the most sense for your business.

What Is Shopify B2B?

Shopify B2B is a set of features designed for business-to-business commerce. Originally exclusive to Shopify Plus, these features have evolved significantly over the past two years. Today, Shopify offers B2B capabilities across multiple plan tiers — though the most advanced features remain locked behind Plus. For the full feature list, see the official Shopify B2B documentation.

Here's how B2B capabilities break down by plan:

• Shopify Basic ($39/month) and Standard ($105/month): Basic online store with no native B2B features. You can sell to businesses, but there's no built-in company management, price lists, or wholesale tools. Most merchants on these plans add B2B capabilities through apps.
• Shopify Advanced ($399/month): Some B2B features including enhanced customer accounts, better reporting, and basic wholesale capabilities. Still missing the full B2B suite — no company profiles, price lists, or automated payment terms.
• Shopify Plus ($2,300+/month): The complete B2B toolkit — company management, customer-specific price lists, automated payment terms, wholesale channel, and custom checkout scripts. This is Shopify's enterprise tier aimed at high-volume merchants.

The pricing gap between Advanced ($399) and Plus ($2,300) is significant — roughly $22,800 per year in additional costs. That's why understanding exactly which features you need matters before committing to a plan.

Shopify Plus B2B Features

Shopify Plus starts at $2,300/month and includes the full B2B feature set. Here's what that investment gets you:

Company Management

• Create "Company" entities with multiple contacts and roles
• Assign payment terms per company (Net 30, Net 60, Net 90)
• Set tax-exempt status per company
• Multiple shipping and billing addresses per account
• Company-level order history and analytics

Price Lists

• Customer-specific pricing assigned to company segments
• Percentage discounts by customer group
• Fixed prices for specific products or collections
• Volume-based pricing tiers with quantity breaks
• For more on implementing tiered pricing, see our customer-specific pricing setup guide

B2B Checkout

• Custom checkout for B2B buyers with purchase order numbers
• Draft orders created directly from admin
• Automated payment collection on net terms
• Checkout scripts for B2B-specific validation and logic

Wholesale Channel

• Dedicated wholesale storefront separate from your retail store
• Password-protected access for approved buyers only
• Independent product catalog and pricing from your public store
• Separate analytics and reporting for wholesale vs. retail performance

These features are powerful, but they come with a caveat: Shopify Plus does not include quote management, CRM, or PDF quote generation. Even Plus merchants who need a quoting workflow still need a third-party app to manage quote requests, track pipeline stages, and generate professional quote documents.

When You Don't Need Shopify Plus

Many B2B merchants assume they need Plus, but that's not always the case. Here are four situations where you can skip the $2,300/month price tag:

1. You primarily need quote management

If your main goal is to let customers request quotes, negotiate pricing, and manage those conversations in one place, an app like AddToQuote handles this on any Shopify plan — Basic, Standard, or Advanced. You get a full quote management dashboard with status tracking, team assignment, and analytics without touching your Shopify plan.

Quote management is actually the most common B2B need for small to mid-size wholesalers. Your buyers want to submit a request, get a personalized price, and approve or decline — all without phone calls or email chains. A dedicated quoting app gives you this workflow with professional PDF quotes, automated notifications, and a CRM pipeline to track every deal from first contact to close. For a deep dive into building an effective quoting workflow, read our B2B quote management guide.

2. You want to hide prices

Price hiding is one of the top reasons merchants consider Plus — but it doesn't require a $2,300/month plan. AddToQuote's theme extension hides prices on any Shopify 2.0 theme without code changes, using 20+ built-in CSS selectors that automatically detect price elements across popular themes like Dawn, Sense, and Craft. Customers see a customizable "Request a Quote" button instead of "Add to Cart," turning anonymous browsers into qualified leads.

The price hiding is scoped to the product section only — collection pages, search results, and cart displays remain unaffected. You can also set custom replacement text like "Contact for Pricing," "Call for Price," or "Login to See Pricing" directly from the Theme Editor. For a detailed comparison of all price hiding methods, see how to hide prices on Shopify.

3. Your B2B volume is moderate

If you're processing fewer than 100 B2B orders per month, the math simply doesn't work for Plus. At $2,300/month, you'd need significant B2B revenue just to break even on the platform cost — that's roughly $27,600 per year before you factor in apps, themes, and other operational costs.

A more cost-effective approach is to start with a lower-tier plan and invest the savings into marketing, inventory, or tools that directly grow your B2B channel. Many merchants find that the $2,100/month savings (compared to Plus) is better spent on sales outreach, trade show attendance, or paid advertising to attract more wholesale buyers. Not sure if your volume justifies a dedicated quoting system? Check 5 signs your store needs a quote app.

4. You sell both B2C and B2B

Running a hybrid store that serves both retail consumers and wholesale buyers? You can use your existing Shopify plan for B2C transactions and layer AddToQuote on top for B2B quoting functionality. Retail customers continue buying normally with "Add to Cart," while wholesale buyers use "Request a Quote" — same store, two paths, no Shopify Plus required.

This hybrid approach is increasingly common. Many manufacturers and distributors sell direct-to-consumer through their website while also serving wholesale accounts. With AddToQuote, your product pages show both options — the standard checkout for retail buyers and a quote request flow for B2B buyers who need custom pricing, bulk quantities, or net payment terms.

The advantage of this setup is simplicity. You manage one store, one product catalog, and one inventory system. Retail orders flow through Shopify's standard checkout. B2B quote requests flow through AddToQuote's CRM pipeline. Both channels operate on the same storefront without requiring separate domains, logins, or storefronts — keeping your operational overhead low while serving both audiences effectively.

When You Do Need Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus makes sense when your B2B operations have reached a certain scale and complexity:

• You need automated payment terms (Net 30/60/90) that track due dates, send reminders, and collect payments on schedule without manual follow-up. If you have dozens of accounts on different payment schedules, automating this process eliminates a major operational headache.
• You have hundreds of B2B accounts with different price lists, and managing those through individual quotes becomes impractical. When your sales team is spending more time on pricing lookups than relationship building, native price lists become essential.
• You want a dedicated wholesale storefront that's completely separate from your retail store with its own catalog, pricing, and access controls. This is particularly valuable for brands that want to keep wholesale operations invisible to retail customers.
• You need custom checkout scripts for B2B-specific workflows like minimum order enforcement, purchase order number validation, or tiered shipping rules based on customer segment.
• Your B2B revenue comfortably justifies the $2,300+/month investment — meaning the platform pays for itself through operational efficiency and reduced manual work.

If most of these apply, Plus is likely the right move. If only one or two apply, an app-based approach will likely serve you better.

The key question to ask yourself: Is your B2B complexity about catalog management (price lists, company accounts, automated payment terms) or about the sales workflow (quote requests, price negotiations, CRM pipeline, PDF generation)? Shopify Plus solves the catalog management problem. AddToQuote solves the sales workflow problem. Many established B2B operations eventually need both — but most merchants starting their B2B channel need the sales workflow first.

The "Best of Both Worlds" Approach

Many successful B2B merchants use a phased strategy that minimizes risk while maximizing capability:

1. Start with Shopify Standard or Advanced ($79-$399/month) — covers your retail operations and basic store infrastructure
2. Add AddToQuote on the Shopify App Store ($100-300/month) — gives you quote management, price hiding, CRM pipeline, PDF quotes, and multi-channel notifications on any plan
3. Upgrade to Plus later — when your B2B volume hits hundreds of monthly orders and you need automated payment terms or a dedicated wholesale channel

This approach lets you validate your B2B channel and start generating revenue without a $2,300/month commitment. You're paying $179-$699/month total instead of $2,300+, and you can upgrade at any point when the numbers justify it.

The math is compelling: A merchant on Shopify Standard ($105) plus AddToQuote Professional ($100) pays $205/month total and gets quote management, price hiding, CRM pipeline, PDF quotes, and multi-channel notifications. That's $2,095/month less than Shopify Plus — a savings of over $25,000 per year. Even with the Enterprise plan ($300/month for Shopify Flow, webhooks, and per-product custom options), the total is $405/month — still a fraction of Plus. If your B2B channel generates less than $25,000 in additional profit from Plus-exclusive features, the app-based approach is the better investment.

With AddToQuote's CRM pipeline, every quote flows through defined stages — from New to Qualified, Proposition, Quoted, Won, or Lost. Your team can track the full lifecycle, set custom pricing per line item, generate branded PDF quotes, and convert quotes to draft orders when customers accept. You also get email notifications (via 6 providers including Gmail and Outlook) so your sales team never misses a new quote request, plus analytics dashboards to track conversion rates, average quote value, and pipeline velocity.

Feature Comparison

The key difference: Shopify Plus gives you native infrastructure for large-scale B2B catalog management, while AddToQuote gives you a complete quoting and sales workflow on any plan. Many merchants on Plus still install AddToQuote because Shopify Plus does not include quote management or CRM functionality.

Notice that quote management, CRM, and PDF generation appear in the AddToQuote column but not in Plus. These aren't features Shopify has on a roadmap — they're fundamentally different tools. Shopify Plus manages your B2B catalog and pricing. AddToQuote manages the sales conversation between you and your buyer. That's why the two work well together for merchants who need both capabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Shopify Plus for B2B?

No. Basic B2B features like quote management, price hiding, and CRM can be added to any Shopify plan with apps like AddToQuote. Shopify Plus is only necessary for advanced features like automated payment terms and dedicated wholesale storefronts.

Can I upgrade to Shopify Plus later?

Yes. You can start with any Shopify plan and upgrade to Plus at any time. Your store data, products, and customers carry over. Many merchants start with Standard + AddToQuote and upgrade to Plus only when B2B volume justifies the cost.

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

Shopify Plus exclusively offers company management with multiple contacts, automated payment terms (Net 30/60/90), native price lists per customer segment, custom checkout scripts, and a dedicated wholesale channel separate from your retail store.

Is $2,300/month worth it for Shopify Plus?

It depends on your B2B volume. If you process fewer than 100 B2B orders monthly, the cost likely outweighs the benefits. For established operations with hundreds of accounts and complex payment terms, Plus can be cost-effective.

Can AddToQuote replace Shopify Plus B2B features?

AddToQuote replaces the quoting workflow — quote management, price hiding, CRM pipeline, and PDF quotes — on any Shopify plan. It does not replace Plus-exclusive features like automated payment terms or the wholesale channel.

What's the cheapest way to add B2B to Shopify?

The most affordable path is Shopify Basic or Standard plus AddToQuote at $100/month (Professional plan). This gives you quote management, price hiding, CRM pipeline, and PDF quotes for a total of $139-$179/month instead of $2,300+.

The Bottom Line

Choose Shopify Plus if: You have established B2B operations with hundreds of accounts, need automated payment terms, and want a dedicated wholesale storefront. The $2,300/month investment makes sense when your B2B revenue and operational complexity demand native infrastructure.

Choose Shopify + AddToQuote if: You want to add B2B quoting to your existing store, hide prices for wholesale buyers, and manage quotes with a full CRM pipeline — all without the Plus price tag. This is the right starting point for most merchants entering the B2B space.

Choose both if: You're already on Shopify Plus and need quoting capabilities that Plus doesn't provide. AddToQuote complements Shopify Plus by adding the sales workflow layer — quote requests, CRM tracking, PDF generation, and draft order conversion — that Plus was never designed to handle.

Most merchants should start with AddToQuote and upgrade to Plus only when their B2B volume demands it. You can always scale up — but you can't get back the months of $2,300/month you paid before you needed it.

Ready to see how it works? Book a free demo and we'll walk you through the full quoting workflow for your store.