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Agentic

Agentic plan vs full Shopify online store

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Agentic plan vs Shopify online store — the headline difference

Agentic plan is AI-channel distribution without a Shopify storefront. Online store is full Shopify with AI-channel distribution included. The choice depends on whether you want to migrate your storefront to Shopify (online store) or you want AI-channel reach while keeping your existing storefront (Agentic plan). Both reach the same six AI channels through Shopify Catalog; only the online-store plan gives you a Shopify-hosted storefront, Shopify Messaging, gift cards, manually-created orders, and Shop post-purchase offers.

The two plans are documented on the help-center pricing-plans page1 and the marketing page2. Both feed Catalog identically.

Feature matrix

Ten rows that capture the practical difference. The headline: both plans get equal AI-channel reach; the online-store plan adds the Shopify-hosted commerce surfaces.

FeatureAgentic planOnline store plan (Basic+)
Monthly fee$0$39+ (Basic plan)
Shopify Catalog inclusionYesYes
AI channels (ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity)YesYes
Shop channelYesYes
Shopify-hosted online storeNoYes
Shopify MessagingNoYes
Gift cardsNoYes
Manually-created ordersNoYes
Shop post-purchase offersNoYes
External product URL requiredYes (per product)No

Which plan fits which merchant

Three merchant archetypes. Existing Shopify online store: stay on online store (Basic / Shopify / Advanced / Plus). Non-Shopify storefront wanting AI reach: Agentic plan. New brand evaluating Shopify: start on Basic, not Agentic — you want the storefront capabilities.

  • Already on Shopify: stay on your current plan; you already have Agentic Storefronts access via your existing online-store plan.
  • On Magento / BigCommerce / WooCommerce / custom: Agentic plan is the AI-channel sleeve over your existing storefront. Use it.
  • Starting a new ecommerce brand: pick Basic ($39/mo). You want the storefront. Agentic plan is for merchants who already have a storefront they don't want to abandon.

Migration paths between the two plans

A merchant on the Agentic plan can upgrade to a full online-store plan to add storefront capabilities. The Catalog data and AI-channel surfacing migrates cleanly because both plans use the same Catalog. Going the other direction (online store down to Agentic plan) loses the storefront and the features in the matrix above, so it's rare in practice.

The upgrade path is the more common one — merchants who start on Agentic to test AI-channel performance, then upgrade to Basic+ when they want to launch a Shopify storefront alongside their existing one or as a replacement. The downgrade path is unusual.

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