How to Choose a Shopify Plus Agency (and Who to Shortlist)

Hiring a Shopify Plus agency is one of the largest cheques a growing brand writes that comes with no guarantee attached. A custom build runs well into six figures, the relationship often lasts years, and the wrong pick costs you a launch window you cannot get back.

This is the version I wanted when I was on the buying side. First, how to check that an agency is actually a Shopify Plus Partner rather than just claiming it. Then how much the work really costs. Then a shortlist of firms worth your time in 2026, grouped by the job you are hiring for, because there is no single best Shopify Plus agency, only the best one for your build.

First, what “Shopify Plus Partner” actually means

“Shopify Plus Partner” is not a marketing phrase an agency gets to award itself. It is a specific, earned tier inside Shopify’s Partner Program, and it has hard requirements.

Shopify sorts its service partners into earned tiers: Registered at the base, then Select, Plus, Premier and Platinum above it. To reach the Plus tier, by Shopify’s own published rules, an agency has to clear two bars at once. On commercial impact, it needs either 500,000 US dollars or more of annual referred revenue to Shopify from merchants it has brought in over the last five years, or 2.5 million from merchants it actively collaborates with, plus a minimum number of real deals. On credentials, it needs at least 10 Shopify Verified Skills earned across its team, held by at least three people, though there are reports that the credential half is being waived for the 2026 assessment with only commercial activity counted, so confirm the current rules with Shopify if that distinction matters to you. Tiers are reviewed every quarter, on 1 January, April, July and October, which means the badge on an agency’s own website can be up to three months out of date. Agencies move down as well as up.

Two things follow from that, and both are useful to you as a buyer.

The first is that the tier is a genuine signal. An agency at Plus or above has demonstrably delivered enterprise work and passed Shopify’s own skills bar. That is not nothing.

It is worth being precise about what that signal is, though, because the badge is easy to over-read. The thresholds measure revenue referred to Shopify, not the quality of anybody’s builds. A Plus partner has sent Shopify at least half a million dollars of business. That tells you the firm operates at enterprise scale and has real deal flow. It does not tell you the work is good, and no tier ever will. Treat the badge as a filter on scale, then judge the craft yourself.

The full ladder helps you read any badge you meet. Annual revenue referred to Shopify runs roughly 100,000 US dollars for Select, 500,000 for Plus, 2 million for Premier and 5 million for Platinum. So a Platinum agency is not five times better than a Plus one. It is an agency that brings Shopify ten times the business.

The second is that you can verify it yourself in about a minute. Only Plus, Premier and Platinum partners are guaranteed a listing in the Shopify Partner Directory, so if a firm claims Plus status and does not appear there, ask why. Directory profiles show the agency’s tier, their reviews, and the industries and services they actually work in. It is the closest thing to an official reference check, and it is free.

One precision worth having, because it is where people go wrong: a listing on its own does not prove Plus. Select-tier partners can be listed too. What proves it is the tier badge on the profile, so read the badge rather than the existence of the page.

Do that before you read a single case study. It filters the field faster than any listicle can.

Do you even need an agency?

The honest answer is: often, but not always, and knowing which side you are on saves a lot of money.

If your build is a well-supported theme with a dozen apps bolted on, and your catalogue and operations are straightforward, you may not need a Plus agency at all. A capable freelancer or a small in-house team can get you a long way, and Shopify’s own tooling keeps getting better at the standard stuff.

Agencies earn their fee on complexity. The moment your project involves custom checkout logic, B2B and wholesale flows, an ERP or PIM integration, a headless front end, international expansion across markets and currencies, or a replatform where a botched cutover means lost orders and broken SEO, you are buying insurance as much as build hours. That is when a specialist pays for itself. A useful gut check: if the parts of your brief that scare you are technical and operational rather than cosmetic, hire the agency.

What a Shopify Plus build actually costs

Nobody publishes this cleanly, so here are the market ranges, in US dollars, to calibrate your budget before you take a single call. Treat them as a starting frame and confirm real numbers with the agency, because scope moves everything.

Certified Plus partners generally charge somewhere between 175 and 300 US dollars an hour, according to published cost guides, which reflects the fact that they work with high-volume stores where mistakes are expensive. On a project basis, a theme-based Plus build or migration commonly lands between 50,000 and 120,000, a custom Plus build between 80,000 and 250,000, and a headless build on Hydrogen higher again. Ongoing retainers, the arrangement most brands settle into after launch, typically start around 4,000 to 5,000 a month and climb with scope.

One number is worth holding onto. If an agency quotes Plus work at under 150 US dollars an hour, that is a flag rather than a bargain. It usually means the Plus experience is thin, or the work is being offshored in a way nobody mentioned. Cheap enterprise development has a way of becoming expensive rework.

How to choose: match the specialism to the job

The single most common hiring mistake is treating agencies as interchangeable one-stop shops. They are not. Most are genuinely excellent at two or three things and average at the rest. An agency with 200 sleek DTC fashion builds behind it is the wrong choice for a wholesale distributor running 3,000 SKUs on net terms, and a brilliant B2B shop may make your beauty brand look like a spreadsheet.

So the useful question is not “who is the best Shopify Plus agency”, it is “who is the best at the specific job in front of me”. The shortlist below is organised that way. For each firm I have noted where they are strong, a client or two you can verify, and the honest watch-out, so you can match rather than guess. None of these agencies has paid to be here and we have no commercial relationship with any of them. They are picks, not placements.

Before you send a single brief, be clear on the job yourself, because that is the expensive part to get wrong. More on that at the end.

The best Shopify Plus agencies in 2026, by the job you are hiring for

For enterprise and luxury replatforms

Corra. When a fashion, beauty or lifestyle brand at real scale replatforms, Corra is one of the first names that comes up. It was founded in 2002, brings more than 20 years of enterprise commerce experience, and is now part of Publicis Sapient, with a client list that has included KITH, Hugo Boss and Calvin Klein. You can check its tier in the Shopify Partner Directory. It came out of the Magento world before moving into Shopify, which makes it a natural fit if you are migrating off Magento and need your existing features and edge cases to survive the move. Best for: complex, integration-heavy enterprise builds. Watch-out: this is upper-tier work with pricing to match, so it is overkill for a simpler store.

Eastside Co. One of the longest-standing Shopify Plus agencies anywhere, established in 2012 and among the first partners in the world to earn Plus accreditation. It has shipped over 500 Shopify builds, including 70-plus Plus launches for names like Ford, Carex and Chelsea FC, and now holds Platinum partner status with offices across London, Birmingham, New York and Hamburg. Best for: brands that want a large, proven team and a broad service bench. Watch-out: a big agency can feel less hands-on than a boutique, so pin down who actually works on your account.

For design-led premium brand builds

We Make Websites. A London and New York agency with a reputation as the safe pair of hands for design-forward Plus builds. Its portfolio includes a headless Shopify Plus build for Good American alongside work for HyperX and Vollebak, and it was one of the earliest Plus adopters in the UK. Its tier is listed in the Shopify Partner Directory. Best for: premium and fast-growing brands where the store has to look and feel exceptional. Watch-out: design-led shops command a premium, so make sure you are paying for craft you will actually use.

Fostr. A London agency focused squarely on luxury lifestyle, fashion, beauty and wellness. Now part of the IDHL group, it holds Platinum partner status, and its portfolio includes Victoria Beckham Beauty and Victoria Beckham Fashion, which tells you the calibre of brand it works with. Its tier is listed in the Shopify Partner Directory. Best for: luxury brands that need considered design plus headless capability. Watch-out: the luxury focus means it is a stronger fit for premium positioning than for value-led catalogues.

For full-service replatforming and subscriptions

Swanky. Founded in 2010 in Exeter and now operating across the UK, France and Australia, Swanky is a full-service Plus agency with genuine replatforming depth, more than 100 Plus migrations completed, and clients including Wilkinson Sword, HelloFresh and Huel. It reached Platinum partner status in 2025 and holds a strong rating in the Shopify Partner Directory. Subscription commerce is a particular strength. Best for: international replatforms and subscription-led brands. Watch-out: a broad service offer means you should still check they have deep experience in your specific niche.

For B2B and wholesale

Charle. A London agency that has made B2B and wholesale its specialism, working on Shopify’s native B2B platform alongside custom architecture built on Shopify Functions. If your model runs on price lists, customer-specific catalogues, net terms and mixed retail-plus-wholesale operations, this is the kind of focus that matters. You can confirm its standing in the Shopify Partner Directory. Best for: brands where wholesale is a serious part of the business, not an afterthought. Watch-out: a B2B specialist is not automatically your best bet for a pure consumer flagship.

For DTC and CPG in the US

Barrel. A New York agency founded in 2006 and a Shopify Plus partner since 2017, with a clear focus on consumer packaged goods and DTC. Its work spans brands such as L’Oréal Paris, KIND Snacks, Cariuma and Black+Decker, and it thinks in terms of connected retail, POS and B2B rather than a website in isolation. You can find it in the Shopify Partner Directory. Best for: CPG and DTC brands wanting strategy and design under one roof. Watch-out: a strong strategic partner tends to price accordingly, so it suits brands with budget to invest.

Electric Eye. A Columbus agency founded in 2016 that deliberately stays specialist, working only on Shopify and Shopify Plus for DTC lifestyle brands in fashion, home and accessories. Its own site describes it as a Premier partner while Shopify’s directory currently lists it at Plus, which is a small but perfect illustration of why you read the badge rather than the pitch. It has launched over 100 stores and names clients including Barton Perreira. Best for: DTC brands that want a focused, front-end-strong partner without enterprise overhead. Watch-out: the deliberate focus means it is not the shop for heavy back-end B2B or ERP work.

For conversion and retention after launch

Blend Commerce. Not every job is a build. If your store already works and the task is squeezing more revenue out of the traffic you have, Blend is a Shopify CRO and customer value optimisation specialist that pairs structured conversion programmes with retention systems built on Klaviyo, subscriptions and loyalty. Before you hire anyone for this, it is worth reading our guide to Shopify conversion rate optimisation, because a fair amount of it you can do yourself. Best for: brands with traffic and a functioning store that need conversion and lifetime value lifted, not a rebuild. Watch-out: this is a growth-retainer partner, so do not hire it expecting a ground-up platform build.

The red flags worth walking away from

A few signals reliably separate a safe agency from an expensive lesson.

Be wary of a firm that quotes a firm price before it has asked you a single hard question about your catalogue, integrations and edge cases. A number that arrives with no discovery is a number that will change. Be wary of “we’ve done several” when you ask for named Plus references at your scale, or an instant redirect to the portfolio instead of an answer. Ask directly: who is my point of contact after launch, and is it the same person who built the store, or am I handed to a support queue. And ask about IP and access up front, so you own your own store, theme code and accounts when the relationship ends. Good agencies answer all of this without flinching. The ones that dodge it are telling you something.

Where TestFeed fits before you spend

One point that sits slightly outside the agency question but saves brands the most money. A Plus build is expensive, and the biggest waste is not paying too much for the work. It is paying an agency to beautifully build the wrong thing.

Agencies are brilliant at execution. They are not there to tell you whether the new range, the repositioning, the price rise or the concept behind the relaunch is one your customers actually want. That is a research question, and it is much cheaper to answer before the day rates start than after.

This is the gap TestFeed is built for. You put the product, the pack, the pricing or the concept in front of your target audience and get back a purchase-intent read, the reasons in shoppers’ own words, and a clear next move, in days rather than weeks. Treat it as directional pre-spend signal, not a sales forecast, and use it to walk into the agency brief already knowing which direction is worth building. If you are planning a launch off the back of the new store, our guide to product launch strategy covers how to sequence the validation, and if the relaunch involves a pricing change, it is worth testing the price separately before it ships.

Better to spend a fraction of the build cost confirming the idea than to discover the problem in your post-launch numbers.

The shortlist compared

All figures are indicative and in US dollars. Verify tier and pricing directly before you commit.

How to choose, in three questions

What single job are you hiring for? Replatform, ground-up build, B2B, headless, or post-launch growth. Name it before you shop, because the biggest regret in this category is paying for a whole capability you did not need because it came bundled with the one you did.

Is the tier real? Look the agency up in the Shopify Partner Directory. If it claims Plus and is not listed, or cannot produce named references at your scale, keep moving.

Have you validated what you are asking them to build? The build is the expensive part, so make sure the idea behind it is one your customers actually want before the meter starts. Confirm the direction cheaply, then hire the specialist to execute it brilliantly.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Shopify Plus Partner?

Shopify Plus Partner refers to an agency that has reached the Plus tier or above in Shopify’s Partner Program. To qualify, a firm needs at least 500,000 US dollars of annual referred revenue to Shopify (or 2.5 million from existing merchant relationships), a minimum number of Plus or enterprise deals, and at least 10 Shopify Verified Skills across its team. It is an earned status, not a paid badge, and you can verify the tier on the agency’s Shopify Partner Directory profile.

How much does a Shopify Plus agency cost?

Certified Plus partners typically charge in the region of 175 to 300 US dollars an hour. A theme-based Plus build or migration commonly lands between 50,000 and 120,000 US dollars, a custom Plus build between 80,000 and 250,000, and a headless build higher again. Ongoing retainers usually start around 4,000 to 5,000 US dollars a month. Confirm scope and rates directly, as these are market ranges rather than fixed prices.

Do I need a Shopify Plus agency, or can I do it myself?

If your build is a standard theme with a handful of apps, you may not need one. Agencies earn their fee on complexity: custom checkout logic, B2B and wholesale, ERP or PIM integrations, headless front ends, international expansion, and high-stakes replatforms where downtime costs real money. If none of those apply, a good freelancer or your in-house team may be enough.

How do I verify an agency is a real Shopify Plus Partner?

Search the agency in the official Shopify Partner Directory at shopify.com/partners/directory, then read the tier badge on its profile rather than treating the listing itself as proof. Select-tier partners can be listed too, so a profile shows an agency is an active earned-tier partner, not that it has reached Plus. Only Plus, Premier and Platinum are guaranteed a listing. Then ask for named Plus references at your scale and check the case studies are their own work, not a network partner’s.

What is the difference between a Shopify agency and a Shopify Plus agency?

Any firm can call itself a Shopify agency. A Shopify Plus agency has met Shopify’s Plus-tier requirements and works regularly with high-volume merchants on Plus features such as custom checkout, B2B, Shopify Functions and Scripts, and complex integrations. For a straightforward store the distinction may not matter. For an enterprise build it matters a great deal.

The one-line version

Verify the tier in Shopify’s own directory, match one agency’s proven specialism to the single job in front of you, and make sure the idea you are paying them to build is one your customers actually want before the day rates start.