The Problem
Why teams leave Shopify Plus
$2,300/month minimum plus transaction fees
App ecosystem creates hidden recurring costs
Liquid templating limits design flexibility
Checkout customization restricted to Plus tier
Data portability is limited — you're locked in
What We Build Instead
Your custom marketing tool
Custom e-commerce storefront with your exact design
Headless commerce with any frontend framework
Custom checkout flow with zero transaction fees
Inventory and order management tailored to your workflow
Built-in marketing tools replacing paid apps
Full data ownership and portability
The Math
Shopify Plus vs. custom build
Based on 10 seats at $230/seat/month, with ~10% annual SaaS price increases.
Keep paying Shopify Plus
Build with 86 SaaS
3-year savings with 10 seats
$7,705
8% less than Shopify Plus
Pricing Breakdown
Shopify Plus tier pricing vs. one-time custom build
Compare what you pay per seat across Shopify Plus's tiers against a single investment in software you own forever.
| Tier | Monthly/Seat | Annual/Seat | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Shopify | $39/mo | $33/mo | Online store, 2 staff accounts, Basic reports, 4 inventory locations |
| Shopify | $105/mo | $88/mo | 5 staff accounts, Professional reports, 5 inventory locations, Lower transaction fees |
| Advanced | $399/mo | $335/mo | 15 staff accounts, Advanced reports, 8 locations, Calculated shipping |
| Plus | $2300/mo | $2300/mo | Unlimited staff, Checkout customization, Dedicated support, Multi-store management |
| Custom Build by 86 SaaS | $40,000–$75,000 one-time | $0/seat | Unlimited users, full ownership, no recurring fees |
Migration Timeline
From Shopify Plus to ownership — week by week
A structured migration plan to move off Shopify Plus in 10-16 weeks with zero downtime.
Discovery & Audit
2 weeksAudit product catalog, checkout flow, app dependencies, and integration points
Architecture & Design
2-3 weeksDesign headless commerce architecture with storefront, cart, and checkout system
Core Development
5-8 weeksBuild product catalog, cart, checkout, inventory, order management, and storefront
Data Migration & Testing
1-2 weeksMigrate products, customers, orders, and validate checkout flow accuracy
Deployment & Training
1 weekDeploy storefront and train team on order management
Total build time
10-16 weeks
Feature Comparison
What you keep, what you skip, and why
A transparent comparison of Shopify Plus features vs. your custom-built alternative.
| Feature | Shopify Plus | Custom Build | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Catalog | |||
| Shopping Cart | |||
| Checkout Flow | Fully customizable — not limited to Shopify's checkout | ||
| Inventory Management | |||
| Order Management | |||
| Payment Processing | Choose any payment gateway — zero transaction fees | ||
| Shipping Integration | |||
| Analytics & Reporting | |||
| App Store Ecosystem | Features built in — no recurring app fees | ||
| Liquid Templating | Use React, Vue, or any modern framework | ||
| Full Design Freedom | No theme constraints — pixel-perfect design |
Your custom build focuses on the features your team actually uses — typically 15-20% of what Shopify Plus offers — built exactly for your workflow.
How It Works
From Shopify Plus to ownership in 10-16 weeks
Free Audit
We analyze your Shopify Plus usage and identify exactly which features your team actually uses.
Scope & Build
We build your custom marketing tool with only the features you need. 10-16 weeks.
Deploy & Migrate
We deploy to your infrastructure, migrate your data from Shopify Plus, and train your team.
You Own It
Full source code, documentation, and optional maintenance retainer. No vendor lock-in. Ever.
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