Shopify Advanced Plan Review 2025: Features, Pricing & Comparison

The Shopify Advanced Plan is ideal for online stores that have reached stable growth, need to manage high sales volumes, handle complex operations, and expand into international markets. In this article, NextSky provides a detailed breakdown of the plan’s features, costs, and practical applications to help you determine if it’s the right fit for your business.

What is Shopify Advanced Plan?

The Shopify Advanced Plan is designed for fast-growing businesses that require advanced tools to streamline operations, optimize costs, and scale internationally. Positioned above the Basic Shopify and Shopify Plan, this package includes all their features while offering enhanced analytics, lower transaction fees, and automation for handling global taxes, duties, and shipping rates.

How much does the Shopify Advanced Plan cost?

Shopify Advanced Plan pricing

Shopify offers flexible payment options for the Advanced Plan, with attractive discounts for longer commitments. Here’s the pricing breakdown for U.S.-based stores:

• Monthly: $399/month
• Annual (prepaid): $299/month, saving 25% ($3,588/year)
• Two- or three-year commitment: Additional discounts, reducing the average cost below $280/month

Note: Pricing varies by region, so check Shopify’s local pricing page for currencies like CAD, GBP, AUD, or EUR. New users can enjoy a 3-day free trial, followed by a special offer of $1/month for the first three months.

Transaction fees with Shopify Payments

Using Shopify Payments eliminates additional platform fees and offers the lowest processing rates among core plans.

For third-party payment gateways (e.g., PayPal, Stripe), Shopify applies a 0.5% transaction fee per sale, half the 2% fee of the Basic Plan. For example, a store processing $100,000 in monthly credit card sales could save over $500/month with Advanced’s lower third-party fees.

Transaction fee savings comparison

Additional costs

• Domain: ~$14/year, purchasable via Shopify or providers like Namecheap or GoDaddy.
• Email marketing: Free for the first 10,000 emails, then $1 per additional 1,000.
• Apps: Average ~$19/month, depending on app type and usage.
• Themes: Range from free to $350, based on design and customization features.
• Point of Sale (POS):
  • POS Lite: Free to use.
  • POS Pro: ~$89/month per location.

Key features of the Shopify advanced plan

Advanced reporting and analytics

The advanced reporting feature provides a comprehensive view of business performance, enabling data-backed decisions.

• Build custom reports to analyze revenue by channel, category, or campaign.
• Explore customer behavior based on demographics and purchase history.
• Track inventory with detailed data on products, suppliers, and popularity.
• Evaluate marketing channel performance to optimize spending.
• Compare customer group behaviors across stages to spot emerging trends

Staff accounts

With support for 15 staff accounts, Shopify Advanced is perfect for businesses with multiple departments like customer service, marketing, and accounting. Custom permissions for each account enhance security, ensure individual accountability, and eliminate risks from shared logins.

Abandoned cart recovery

The plan includes a global smart tax system, automatically calculating and displaying all fees during checkout. Transparent costs help customers make confident purchase decisions, minimizing cart abandonment and boosting brand trust in international markets.

Carrier-calculated shipping

Carrier-Calculated Shipping, available exclusively on the Shopify Advanced Plan, takes the hassle out of shipping by integrating seamlessly with major carriers like USPS, UPS, and FedEx. This powerful feature gives your customers live shipping rates during checkout, ensuring they only pay for the most accurate shipping costs.

• Real-time, accurate rates: Say goodbye to undercharging or overcharging for shipping. Customers see dynamic rates based on their specific order, so they know exactly what to expect at checkout.
• Multiple carrier choices: Let your customers choose their preferred shipping carrier, offering them flexibility and improving their experience.
• Automatic shipping selection: You can automate the process, allowing Shopify to choose the fastest or most cost-effective shipping option for you. This saves time, reduces manual work, and streamlines the checkout process.

=>> See more: Shopify shipping

10x faster checkout

Optimized processing technology makes checkouts 10 times faster than lower-tier plans. During peak times like Black Friday, the system auto-balances loads and activates smart virtual queues, ensuring seamless, uninterrupted shopping experiences.

Duties and taxes calculation

The Shopify advanced plan includes a built-in duties and tax calculator, helping businesses expand globally. Unlike the Basic and Shopify Plans, this feature automatically calculates and collects duties and taxes during checkout, so customers know the full cost upfront. This reduces cart abandonment and builds trust by avoiding surprise fees. Simply enable this feature in your Shopify settings to streamline international sales and ensure accurate pricing.

=> See more: How to add taxes on shopify

Other Useful Features

The Shopify Advanced Plan offers several valuable tools to enhance business operations:

• Unlimited Bandwidth: No limits on traffic, ensuring your site can handle high visitor volumes.
• Unlimited Products: Flexibility to add and manage an unlimited number of products.
• Advanced Analytics: Detailed insights into sales, customer behavior, and marketing effectiveness.
• Manual Order Creation: Ability to create orders manually for phone or in-person sales.
• Discount Codes: Offer customizable discounts to increase sales and reward loyal customers.
• Customer Support: 24/7 support from Shopify’s dedicated team.
• Shopify SSL Certificates: Secure customer data and transactions with an SSL certificate.
• International Commerce: Expand globally with multi-currency payments, local tax adjustments, and international shipping options.
• Shopify POS: Integrate physical store sales with your on
• Shopify Flow: Automate tasks like order processing and inventory management.

=>> Explore all of Shopify's features

These features make the Shopify Advanced Plan a powerful solution for businesses seeking growth and operational efficiency.

Advanced Shopify Plan Comparison

When choosing the right Shopify plan for your business, it's essential to compare the key features each offers.

Below is a comparison of the Advanced Shopify Plan, Shopify Plan, and Shopify Plus Plan, highlighting the most important factors that affect scalability, global reach, and eCommerce strategy.

100+ payment gateways Custom reports and analytics 24/7 (Enhanced live chat)

Who needs Shopify Advanced plan?

The Shopify advanced plan is perfect for businesses that are growing quickly, making significant sales, and need more advanced features. If your store earns between $110,000 and $1,000,000 per year, this plan is likely the best fit for you. Here are some scenarios where the Advanced plan would be ideal:

• You need detailed reporting: If you want more in-depth insights into your store's performance and customer behavior, the Advanced plan gives you the tools you need.
• You sell internationally: This plan automatically calculates import taxes and offers shipping discounts, which helps make international sales easier and more cost-effective.
• You have high sales volumes: If your store makes over $50,000 in monthly sales, the Advanced plan can help reduce transaction fees and provide better reporting, which can save you money and help your business grow.

How to build an online store with the Shopify Advanced plan

Follow these six simple steps to build and run a robust online store with the Shopify Advanced Plan.

Step 1: Create an account and select the Advanced Plan

• Visit Shopify and click “Start free trial.”
• In the admin panel, click “Select plan” → “Choose Advanced”, then enter payment details to subscribe.

Step 2: Choose and customize your store’s theme

• Navigate to Online Store → Themes to select an industry-relevant theme.
• Use professional images/videos or hire a designer for a unique look.
• Preview on desktop and mobile, then click “Add” and “Publish”.

Step 3: Add products and organize collections

• Go to Products → Add product, entering names, descriptions, images, prices, taxes, and inventory.
• Write SEO-friendly titles and descriptions, then click “Save”.
• Create collections to group products by type or theme for easier browsing.
• Use advanced filtering tools to enhance the shopping experience.

Step 4: Install apps and optimize SEO

• Visit the Shopify App Store → Apps to add tools for email marketing, SEO, live chat, CRM, etc.
• Read reviews to choose apps suited to your needs.
• Optimize SEO by editing titles, meta descriptions, adding image alt text, and refining product page content.

Step 5: Set up payments, taxes, and shipping

• Go to Settings → Payments, select a provider, and complete setup.
• In Settings → Taxes and Duties, configure taxes based on your business location.
• Set up third-party calculated shipping (USPS, FedEx, UPS) for real-time checkout rates.

Step 6: Test, refine, and unlock advanced features

• Preview your store using the “Eye” icon and test the checkout process to ensure smooth functionality.
• Check display across devices.
• Leverage advanced reporting at Analytics → Reports to track sales, customers, and performance.
• Customize reports, set detailed shipping profiles, and continue optimizing for enterprise-scale operations.

The Shopify Advanced Plan is a game-changer for businesses ready to scale with advanced analytics, streamlined operations, and global reach. By leveraging its robust features—custom reports, real-time shipping, and international selling tools—you can drive efficiency and growth. Evaluate your business needs to determine if this plan’s powerful capabilities align with your goals for 2025 and beyond.