In this battle of enterprise eCommerce platforms, we’ll put the spotlight on Shopify Plus and Philippine’s Shopify Plus alternative — Prosperna Custom.
The eCommerce platform you choose could make or break your online business. This is especially true for established brands in the enterprise eCommerce space.
Take it from me:
When it comes to choosing an eCommerce platform, you’d want to get the best value for your money…
…on whether you’re getting the “better quality of goods or services in more suitable quantities, just in time when needed, from better suppliers at prices that continue to improve.”
Shopify Plus is one of the most well-known enterprise eCommerce platforms in the market today.
But here’s the thing: not all popular platforms are right for you.
So how do you know whether Shopify Plus or Prosperna Custom is the right solution for you?
Read on to find out in another Battle of Website Builders!
ABOUT THE CONTENDERS
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is a fully scalable and fully customizable enterprise eCommerce platform by Shopify. Best for high-growth and high-volume enterprise businesses generating USD 1M+ in revenue.
Shopify Plus users can enjoy all Shopify features with an option to customize at scale.
Since its introduction in 2014, Shopify Plus has been gaining the appeal of some of the world’s fastest-growing brands such as L’Occitane, LeSportsac, and GE.
At the time of writing, Shopify Plus is hosting around 2,661 enterprise eCommerce websites, of which there are 41 Shopify Plus stores in the Philippines.
Prosperna Custom
Prosperna Custom is a complete and easy-to-use enterprise eCommerce platform by Prosperna. Specifically created for established brands and high-growing businesses in the Philippines.
Prosperna Custom users can enjoy all the features of Prosperna’s PREMIUM Plan with an option to customize based on your needs.
Founded in 2017, Prosperna is a more affordable Shopify alternative that is proudly Filipino-made and 110% committed to helping Philippine SMEs.
To date, Prosperna is empowering hundreds of SMEs including some of the country’s well-known brands such as Cebuana Lhuiller, Vikings Ready-To-Eat, and Don Benito’s.
METRICS OF COMPARISON
In a previous battle between Shopify VS Prosperna, we looked at which platform offers more local payment and delivery options.
For this battle of enterprise eCommerce platforms, we’ll take a look at the following:
- Pricing – How much do they charge monthly and what are the associated fees?
- Customization – What is the extent of customization and how easy is it to customize?
- User Experience – Is it easy to navigate, control, and manage?
- Help & Support – What is the extent of help and support?
After laying these all out, we’ll determine which platform gives you the best value for money.
(And if Prosperna Custom is a better Shopify Plus alternative…)
Let the battle begin!
SHOPIFY PLUS
Shopify Plus Pricing
Shopify Plus charges based on usage or monthly sales volume. This means that as your sales grow, so does your bill.
Aside from that, Shopify Plus also charges a 0.15% transaction fee per transaction for using a third-party payment processor.
This could be avoided if you use Shopify Payments — however, this is currently NOT available in the Philippines.
Check out this article for a detailed breakdown of The Real Cost of A Shopify Plus Online Store.
For now, here’s an overview of Shopify Plus Pricing:
| MINIMUM | MAXIMUM | |
| Shopify Plus Platform Fee | USD $2,000 (PHP 100K) per month | USD $40,000 (PHP 2M) per month |
| Shopify Apps (per app) | USD $19.99 (PHP 1,000) per month | USD $119.19 (PHP 6,000) per month |
| Customized Website (per project) | USD $1,600 (PHP 80,000) | USD $2,000+ (PHP 100,000+) |
| Transaction Fee | 0.15% transaction fee per transaction | |
| Payment Gateway Fee | Varies depending on the payment provider | |
| Estimated Monthly Subtotal | USD $4,000 (PHP 200,000) | USD $43,600+ (PHP 2.18M+) |
Shopify Plus Customization
Shopify Plus is fully customizable through access to Shopify’s theme language, Liquid. This will allow you to make code modifications for greater control.
What’s more, Shopify Plus users have access to exclusive Shopify apps that are not available for other Shopify users — including the Script Editor.
The Script Editor allows you to personalize your customers’ experience at the checkout stage by having access to the backend script to create discounts, customize shipping and payment options, and change customer data.
That said, this requires you to be tech-savvy and have coding experience. Otherwise, you could hire a Shopify Expert Developer.
Shopify Plus User Experience
Shopify Plus is created for less tech-savvy business owners so they can focus on running their businesses.
That said, using any enterprise eCommerce platform for the first time will have a learning curve.
Shopify Plus offers a Merchant Success Program to assist users in maximizing their platform.
You will be assigned a dedicated Launch Manager to help you in setting up your website and a Merchant Support Manager to help your online enterprise be successful.
Shopify Plus Help & Support
Without a doubt, Shopify Plus offers more extensive support and knowledge resources with Shopify’s established experience in the industry.
They offer:
- 24/7 Support via Phone, Email, and Live Chat
- Help Center
- Dedicated Personal Support
- Launch Manager
- Merchant Success Manager
- Community Forums
- Access to Shopify Plus Partners Database
- Access to Shopify Plus Academy for self-guided training
- Exclusive Facebook Community for Shopify Plus Users
- YouTube Channel with Tutorials
PROSPERNA CUSTOM
Prosperna Custom Pricing
Unlike Shopify Plus that charges by usage, Prosperna Custom is features-based.
This means that the base monthly fee would remain the same — and the total will increase based on the number of features you’ve added.
The total cost of your Prosperna Custom store will depend on the customizations that you need for your enterprise business — not on how many sales you make.
In my book, this already makes Prosperna Custom a more economical and sustainable Shopify Plus alternative!
For now, here’s an overview of Prosperna Custom Pricing:
| MINIMUM | MAXIMUM | |
| Prosperna Custom Platform Fee | USD $995 (PHP 49,750) per month | The maximum fee will depend on add-on features |
| Prosperna Apps (per app) | USD $1.98 (PHP 99) per month | USD $89.98 (PHP 4499) per month |
| Customized Website (per custom design/feature) | USD $69.98 (PHP 3499) | The maximum fee will depend on add-on features |
| One-Time Setup Fee | USD $600 (PHP 30K) | The maximum fee will depend on add-on features |
| Transaction Fee | No additional transaction fees | |
| Payment Gateway Fee | Varies depending on the payment provider | |
| Estimated Monthly Subtotal (excl. One-Time Setup Fee) | USD $1,066.96 (PHP 53,348) | The maximum fee will depend on add-on features |
Prosperna Custom Customization
Prosperna offers a “we-do-it-for-you” service.
If you have any custom requirements for design, features, and integrations we certainly can do that with the right scoping of work to determine applicable costs.
This means, you don’t need to learn how to code and you don’t even need to worry about hiring third-party web developers.
You might be asking, “will this be expensive?”
The average setup fees from agencies cost around USD $1,600 (PHP 80K) to USD $2,000+ (PHP 150K+) PER PROJECT.
At Prosperna, it will cost you a minimum ONE-TIME setup fee of around USD $600 (PHP 30K).
The succeeding will be determined during the scoping. The minimum cost is USD $995 (PHP 49,750), and the maximum fee will depend on the add-on features.
Prosperna Custom User Experience
Prosperna Custom can be used even if you have no tech skills or coding experience.
At Prosperna, we want to eliminate the excuse of “hindi ako techie” (I’m not techie)…
…and help empower EVERYONE and ANYONE to embrace digital transformation.
That’s why we made our online store builder, myStore, simple and easy-to-use.
That said, we do understand that not everyone can easily make the shift.
You will have your own Implementation Manager to help you set up and launch your enterprise eCommerce website.
Once your website is ready to go live, you’ll have a dedicated Account Manager to guide you on how to properly use and get the most out of your Prosperna Custom Store.
Prosperna Custom Help & Support
We pride ourselves on having a 100% local team of experts who are super passionate about educating and empowering Philippine MSMEs.
What’s more, we are one of the fastest-growing startups in the country!
We value innovation and this fuels us to be constantly growing and improving our products and offerings.
That said, we are GROWING our collection of resources and HIRING more rockstar Prospernauts so we can continue helping you with your enterprise eCommerce success.
For now, we offer the following:
- Customer Success Live Support via Chat, Email, and Web
- Monday to Friday, from 7 AM to 8 PM PHT
- After Hours Email Support
- Service Level Agreement
- Online Knowledge Base
- Dedicate Personal Support
- Implementation Manager
- Account Manager
- Access to Live Online Training
- Access to an Ecosystem of 3rd-Party Integrated Solutions
- YouTube Channel with Tutorials
THE BOTTOM LINE
Here’s a quick look at the key advantages and disadvantages of Shopify Plus and Prosperna Custom:
| Advantage | Disadvantage | |
| Shopify Plus | ✔️ Wide network of tech partners ✔️ Extensive library of resources ✔️ 24/7 live support | ❌ 0.15% transaction fee per transaction ❌ Need to hire developers/agency ❌ Platform fee is usage-based |
| Prosperna Custom | ✔️ Zero transaction fees ✔️ “We-Do-It-For-You” Service ✔️ Local team of experts | ❌ Fewer themes (but we’re developing MORE) ❌ Live support Monday to Friday, 7 AM to 8 PM PHT (our chatbot support will take care of you while our team recharge after hours) ❌ Focused on the Philippine market (with plans to expand globally SOON) |
Shopify Plus pricing does give value for money. But while Shopify Plus touts its affordability in the global market…
….just the MINIMUM monthly platform fee of USD $2,000 (PHP 100K) is still relatively expensive for Philippine SMEs
The good news is that there is a much more affordable Shopify Plus alternative!
Prosperna Custom also gives value for money — and only a fraction of the cost of Shopify’s monthly platform fee!
For USD $2,000 (PHP 100K), you can already set up your entire enterprise Prosperna Custom store — with the essential features to help you run your business!
So which is the best value for your money?
Not to be cheeky, but it depends on what your enterprise needs.
We’re here to empower you in choosing the best option FOR YOU by laying out the important considerations.
At Prosperna, our customers ALWAYS come first. This is why we are continuously striving to develop our products and services to help Philippine SMEs compete locally and globally.
But don’t just take my word for it:
Sign up now for FREE to see how Prosperna’s enterprise eCommerce platform can help you grow and scale your business!
