Casewell
Shopify B2B vs. a wholesale app: which do you need?
If you sell wholesale on Shopify, you have two real paths: Shopify's native B2B, which is built into the platform but requires the Plus plan, or a wholesale app that adds a wholesale channel to the plan you already have. Both work. The right one depends on your size, your budget, and how complex your wholesale is. Here is a straight comparison.
What Shopify's native B2B is
Shopify B2B is built directly into Shopify, on the Plus plan, which starts around $2,300 a month. It is genuinely deep: company profiles with multiple buyers, customer-specific catalogs and price lists, a dedicated B2B checkout, payment terms like net 30, and quantity rules. If you are a larger merchant with many wholesale accounts and complex pricing, it is excellent, and it is native, so there is no third-party app in the middle.
What a wholesale app is
A wholesale app adds a wholesale ordering channel to any Shopify plan: Basic, Grow, or Advanced. Instead of upgrading to Plus, you install an app that gives your approved buyers a wholesale ordering page, applies your wholesale prices, enforces order minimums and pack sizes, and drops each order into Shopify as a draft order you invoice. Casewell is one of these, built for small brands and makers, at a flat monthly price with no cut of your sales.
Side by side
| Feature | Shopify B2B (native) | Wholesale app (Casewell) |
|---|---|---|
| Plan required | Plus (~$2,300/mo) | Any plan (Basic and up) |
| Pricing model | Included in Plus | Flat monthly, no percentage of sales |
| Wholesale pricing | Per-company catalogs and price lists | One wholesale price list (percentage off retail) |
| Order minimums | Yes | Yes |
| Pack / case sizes | Quantity rules | Yes |
| How buyers order | Native B2B storefront and checkout | Wholesale ordering page; order becomes a draft order |
| Payment terms (net 30) | Yes, native | Invoice through Shopify checkout |
| Per-customer pricing | Yes | Not in the current version |
| Best fit | Larger, complex B2B | Small brands and makers |
When Shopify B2B is the right choice
Native B2B makes sense when:
- You are already on Shopify Plus, or your volume justifies it.
- You need per-company catalogs and per-customer pricing, not one shared price list.
- You need payment terms (net 30 or 60) handled natively.
- You have many wholesale accounts with buyers who self-serve at scale.
If that is you, the Plus investment pays for itself.
When a wholesale app is the better fit
A wholesale app makes sense when:
- You are on Basic, Grow, or Advanced, and the jump to Plus is not worth it just for wholesale.
- You sell to boutiques and stockists at one wholesale price (a percentage off retail).
- You want order minimums and pack sizes without enterprise complexity.
- You want flat, predictable pricing that does not scale with your revenue.
That describes most small and growing brands. If Plus is not on the table yet, here is how to sell wholesale on Shopify without Plus.
One thing to watch in wholesale apps
Not all wholesale apps price the same way. Many charge a percentage of your entire store's revenue, so as you grow, even on retail sales, they take more. If you go the app route, look for flat pricing. Casewell is a flat monthly price and never takes a percentage of your sales.
The short answer
If you are large, complex, and already on Plus, use Shopify's native B2B. If you are a small or growing brand that wants wholesale ordering without the Plus cost, a flat-priced wholesale app is the better fit. Casewell was built for exactly that: wholesale prices, order minimums, pack sizes, and draft-order invoicing, on any Shopify plan, for one flat price with a 14-day free trial.
See the setup guide for the full flow, or install it and start a free trial.