The verdict in three sentences
Shopify Plus gets you live fast but charges a monthly license indexed to your revenue and quickly caps fine-grained B2B logic (per-customer pricing, quotes, quotas). A custom platform costs more upfront (60,000 to 150,000 EUR) but carries no license fee and no functional ceiling. The tipping point sits around 150,000 to 200,000 EUR of cumulative 3-year cost: beyond that, custom becomes the more profitable option.
What B2B actually requires
B2B commerce isn't B2C with a different VAT rate. It means negotiated prices per customer, order minimums, quotes, deferred payment and multi-user reseller accounts. Here's how the two approaches compare on the critical functions (2026 estimate).
| B2B function | Shopify Plus | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Per-customer price lists | Via apps (limited native B2B) | Unlimited, native |
| Volume-based tiered pricing | Partial | Full |
| Quote / negotiation workflow | Paid third-party app | Built in |
| Multi-buyer accounts | Basic | Fine roles and budgets |
| Order quotas and minimums | Constrained | Custom |
| Real-time ERP integration | Middleware required | Dedicated API |
| Net-terms payment (30/60 d) | Third-party app | Native |
Missing functions get patched with paid apps (30 to 300 USD/month each) or Shopify Functions development, which quickly pushes the real cost toward custom.
3-year TCO: the real comparison
Think total cost of ownership, not purchase price. Here is a projection for a B2B store doing 3M EUR of annual online revenue (2026 order of magnitude, day rate 600-800 EUR).
| Line item (3 years) | Shopify Plus | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| License / recurring fee | ~ 83,000 EUR | 0 EUR |
| Initial integration | 20,000-60,000 EUR | 60,000-150,000 EUR |
| Third-party apps (B2B, ERP, quotes) | 15,000-40,000 EUR | included |
| Maintenance / evolutions | 20,000-35,000 EUR | 27,000-67,000 EUR (15-20 %/yr) |
| Hosting | included | 5,000-20,000 EUR |
| 3-year total | 138,000-218,000 EUR | 92,000-237,000 EUR |
The Shopify Plus fee (2,300 USD/month, more if revenue passes the 800,000 USD/month tier) runs as long as you exist. Custom is an asset: you pay once and evolve it at the margin.
Mini case study
Marc, e-commerce director at an industrial supplies distributor in Lille, does 3.2M EUR online across 420 reseller accounts. On Shopify Plus he pays 2,300 USD/month license, 950 USD/month for B2B and quoting apps, and invested 45,000 EUR in integration. 3-year cost: roughly 162,000 EUR. A custom core quoted at 110,000 EUR plus 16,500 EUR/year maintenance lands at 159,500 EUR over 3 years, with no fee afterward, and lifts the ceiling on his 6-tier price lists. Over 5 years the gap grows past 90,000 EUR in favor of custom.
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FAQ
When does Shopify Plus stay the best choice?
Below 800,000 EUR of online revenue with simple B2B logic, fast launch (6 to 10 weeks) and no heavy maintenance make it unbeatable. Switching becomes worthwhile above 1.5M EUR of recurring revenue.
How long to deliver custom?
Expect 4 to 8 months depending on scope (catalog, ERP, payment methods). An MVP focused on the reseller ordering funnel can ship in 3 months.
What happens to my data if I leave Shopify?
You export catalog, customers and orders, but app customizations and Functions scripts aren't portable. Budget 8,000 to 18,000 EUR for migration and remapping.
What custom maintenance budget should I plan?
15 to 20 % of build cost per year, i.e. 9,000 to 30,000 EUR for a 60,000-150,000 EUR core: fixes, version upgrades, new features.
Can we start hybrid?
Yes: Shopify Plus to sell fast, then migrate to custom once the B2B model stabilizes. It's a common de-risking strategy.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your reseller-account volume, your price-list tiers and your ERP, and we'll price the core and a comparative 3-year TCO. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
