Shopify Plus vs Shopify Select Partners – What's the difference?

If your business is weighing up whether or not to partner with a Shopify agency, you’ll more than likely come across two types: Shopify Plus partners and Shopify Select partners. Both agencies come recommended by Shopify themselves and each have varying levels of expertise on the platform. It simply depends on what stage of the journey your eCommerce business is at. 

Let’s consider the key differences between the two:

Shopify Select partners

These are handpicked and trusted agencies that Shopify have given the stamp of approval to. These agencies will have a great track record of helping brands achieve growth. They generally focus on: 

• Growth & optimisation: This level of agency can help your brand with more traffic, a cleaner customer journey and conversions. 
  
  
• Design & branding: No quick fix templates here - just polished and bespoke Shopify themes. 
  
  
• Performance enhancements: Improving site speed, SEO, and usability.
  
  
• Shopify app & integration expertise: Connecting brands with essential sales, marketing, and logistics tools.
  
  

Shopify Plus partners

This is where we get into enterprise territory. Shopify Plus partners are experts that implement advanced functionality, scalability, and tailored solutions to your store. These agencies do everything a Select Partner can, but also cover more demanding setups:

• Large-scale migrations: These partners know their way around a migration. Magento, WooCommerce or any other? !
  
  
• Custom development: Building a tailored and unique approach to your store with features and integrations for your brand's needs.
  
  
• Enterprise automations: With Shopify Flow and other tools, you’ll be kept on the straight and narrow when it comes to repetitive tasks that allow you to keep your attention on growth. 
  
  
• Headless commerce: Need a focused front-end build in React, Vue or Next.js? Shopify Plus partners use modern headless solutions that work hand in glove with Shopify’s powerful backend. 
  
  
• Enterprise-level support: Offering dedicated account management and 24/7 technical support.
  
  

Which one’s right for your online store?

Still not sure? We’ve put together a handy table showing you the side-by-side comparison:

Driving Shopify success with proven expertise

A cutting-edge tech stack is only as powerful as the people behind it. At Visualsoft, we understand that technology alone isn't enough; it's the calibre of your team that truly drives digital success. That's why we've made strategic investments in building one of the most experienced and capable Shopify teams in the UK.

Our specialists aren't generalists who've experimented with Shopify. They are platform-dedicated experts. Every member of our team lives and breathes Shopify, keeping pace with the platform's rapid evolution and mastering the nuances that turn functional stores into high-performance commerce experiences.

Why partnering with a Shopify Plus Partner matters

Choosing a Shopify Plus Partner is about aligning with a recognised solutions provider that understands your business's unique challenges and goals.

Visualsoft became a Shopify Plus Tier Partner in under 12 months (an achievement that reflects not only our pace but also our commitment to excellence). Through hands-on delivery of bespoke Shopify solutions and rigorous certification, we've earned our place as a trusted specialist in the space.

What our clients gain:

• Priority access to platform innovations

As a Shopify Plus Partner, we receive early access to new features and updates, enabling your business to remain ahead of industry shifts and customer expectations.

• Tailored strategies aligned with your goals

Whether you're replatforming from Magento, migrating from a bespoke setup, or launching a new venture, we work collaboratively to deliver a solution that's tailored to your operational needs and commercial objectives.

• Robust, reliable integrations

With over two decades in eCommerce, we've seen the cost of poor integration. Our focus is on building clean, scalable backends with seamless payments, dependable app integrations, and systems that just work.

• A growing team of Shopify specialists

Since 2024, we've grown a dedicated Shopify team of 25+ certified professionals (with plans to triple that number by the end of 2025). This ongoing investment reflects our long-term commitment to client success on the Shopify platform.

Since becoming a Plus Tier Partner, we’ve helped various brands make the switch to Shopify - WALK London, Miss Macaroon, Discount Supplements and more. Every one of them came to us with different goals, but all of them left with a platform that was built to grow with them.

Wondering how we can help your eCommerce store achieve growth in 2025?