Operator context
Longer answer
The $5M annual revenue threshold is a reasonable proxy for the Plus-vs-standard decision, but the actual deciding factors are operational rather than revenue-based. Plus is the right answer when the brand needs B2B Edition for wholesale, multi-store for international expansion, checkout extensibility for complex business logic, dedicated launch support during cutover, or the higher API rate limits that enterprise integration work requires.
Standard Shopify suits brands without those operational needs. B2C-only brands with simple checkout requirements and a single store can run cleanly on standard Shopify up to $10M annual revenue and beyond. The migration tooling is identical; the platform features are what differ. Brands sometimes start on standard and upgrade to Plus later when the operational needs surface — this is operationally feasible but consistently costs more than starting on Plus would have.
The cost difference matters: standard Shopify runs around $400/month at the upper tier; Shopify Plus starts at $2,300/month. The annualised cost gap is roughly $23K. For $5M+ brands, the gap is usually justified by the operational features. For brands below $5M, the math is tighter and the standard tier is genuinely the right answer for many.
The migration target choice also affects the agency engagement. Plus partner agencies are the relevant set for Plus migrations; standard Shopify migrations sometimes use the same agencies but the engagement model differs. Confirm the target tier early in agency conversations because the engagement structure depends on it.
For brands already growing fast, picking Plus from the start avoids a second migration in 18-24 months when the brand outgrows standard. The pattern of upgrading mid-growth is operationally feasible but consistently costs more than starting on the right tier; brands close to $5M and growing should weigh this.