E-commerce
March 25, 2026
You are an agency, a development studio or an app publisher and you want to structure your relationship with Shopify: revenue, training, the rules of the game and recent changes to the program. This guide offers an up-to-date overview of the Shopify Partners Program, without any promise of earnings: the detailed amounts and conditions are in the official documentation, which we do not reproduce in full here. For the Technology tiers (Built for Shopify, app requirements), continue reading with our articles Technology Partner requirements and App Store publication.
Summary
Current framework: a unified program and tiers
Shopify presents the Shopify Partner Program as a global community: signup is possible from the path described on the page About the Shopify Partner Program, with access in particular to development stores, programs, incentives, and tools. All partners start at the Registered level and can progress to Select, Plus, Premier, and Platinum according to their performance. Benefits by level cover in particular business development, training, and marketing: the details are contained in the PDF guides referenced by Shopify (for example, the Service Track guide mentioned on the same page).
The value for you is clear: a single framework to present both Shopify and your services, with tier badges that can be used in your materials when you are eligible. Do not confuse this program with older retired brands: the official documentation notes that the Plus Partner program was discontinued as of December 2024, and that the Shopify Experts brand and the associated marketplace were discontinued in December 2023. These timeline elements are useful for updating your sales presentations and avoiding obsolete mentions on your sites.
Recent developments: what has changed for brands and badges
If you still find pages that refer to « Partenaire Plus » or « Experts Shopify » as active programs, update them: Shopify says these brands should no longer be used beyond the retirement dates, and that qualified partners can rely on the tier badges of the Shopify Partner Program. This brand continuity simplifies the message for end customers: your Registered, Select, Plus, Premier, or Platinum level becomes the visible trust signal, rather than a stack of legacy labels.
Activity types: development stores, apps, themes, sponsorships
In practice, the same Partner account can cover several areas: merchant support (store creation and transfers, launch projects), app publishing on the App Store, theme sales on the Theme Store, and referrals to Plus or Enterprise offers when the conditions are met. Each channel has its own eligibility rules and payout terms: it is counterproductive to mix percentages on a slide that relate to different activities without naming them.
The Shopify Partner Earnings page is the source to consult before any financial projection: it distinguishes the conditions for stores in transfer, Plus or Enterprise referrals, Shopify launches, apps, themes, one-time promotions, taxes, and regulatory fees. Revenue can also vary depending on your location and that of the merchants, as the introduction to this page indicates.
Table: where to find which compensation rule
Topic | Useful section in the official documentation | What you check first |
|---|---|---|
Stores undergoing ownership transfer | Dedicated conditions and fee table | Eligibility for the merchant fee, exclusions (employees, certain contracts) |
Plus or Enterprise referral | Forms, 90-day deadlines, one-time payout since July 2025 | Lead qualification, no prior contact with Shopify Sales |
Shopify Launch (assisted opportunities) | Launch conditions, evidence, SOW | One-time payout per opportunity, not combinable with certain other revenues |
Shopify Apps | Apps section, gross revenue tiers | Compliance with the Partner Agreement, associated developer accounts |
Themes | Themes section | Percentage from the Theme Store and contractual compliance |
This table does not replace a line-by-line reading of the official tables: it serves as a navigation map when you are preparing an internal committee meeting or a note for your partner.
Revenue principles (official reference)
Shopify insists that you earn “based on your contribution to the ecosystem” and that the terms are detailed in the tables on the Revenue page. Without reproducing the full conditions here, keep three ideas in mind to stay honest in your business plans:
Eligibility: each revenue line assumes criteria (store type, contract type, qualified referral, proof of work for a launch, etc.).
Timing: rules differ before or after certain dates (for example, changes around July 1, 2025 for certain Plus or Enterprise referrals and for part of the launches, as detailed in the French documentation).
Taxation and fees: revenues may be subject to taxes depending on your situation; the page also mentions regulatory operating fees in some cases.
For apps, the French documentation notably indicates a revenue share regime based on revenue starting from January 1, 2025, with tiers expressed in US dollars for the first millions of gross revenue and beyond. For themes, it indicates a percentage of revenue on sales via the Theme Store. The exact figures and exceptions for very large developers are listed in the tables on the same page: do not copy them from a third-party article, including this text, without cross-checking with the official source at the time you read these lines.
Stores being transferred and recurring commissions
The mechanism of stores in the process of ownership transfer is at the heart of many agency models: you create a development store, support the merchant, then transfer ownership according to the process documented by Shopify. The Revenue page specifies that only these transfers are eligible for certain recurring commissions, and that collaborator accounts are not. It also describes exclusions when the store is activated via certain contracts entered into by Shopify sales teams. Before promising a rate to a client, open the pricing table in the documentation: the percentages on subscription fees or Plus-related changes are expressed with date and billing conditions.
Sponsorships Plus or Enterprise and assisted launches
Qualified referrals to Plus or Enterprise go through official forms; the documentation lists form requirements (data accuracy, no prior contact with Shopify sales for certain situations) and payout rules. For agreements entered into on or after July 1, 2025, the doc specifically describes a single payout of USD 2,500 for eligible referrals assisted by the sales team, replacing a previous recurring mechanism for these cases. Timelines (for example, attribution notification about 30 days after closing) and exclusions (upgrades, ambiguous co-sells, etc.) are essential to avoid misunderstandings with your sales teams.
Shopify sales-assisted launches are covered in a separate section, with conditions around proof of services (statement of work signed between you and the merchant), a single attributable partner per opportunity, and percentages on platform fees billed for contracts starting on July 1, 2025. If you manage a complex pipeline, cross-check these rules with our Shopify pipeline and recommendations guide: the goal is to align internal process and Shopify rules, not to invent average amounts.
Apps and themes: revenue sharing on app stores
For apps, Shopify refers to the Partner Program agreement and the registration to sell on the App Store, as well as the disclosure of associated developer accounts. The retention percentages on gross revenue depend on the documented tiers for the year in question. For themes, the documentation indicates a percentage of revenue from sales via the Theme Store, with the same requirement to comply with the Partner Agreement. For a product-oriented read and App Review examination, continue with Built for Shopify and development resources.
One-time promotions, taxes and regulatory fees
The Partner Revenue page does not describe only permanent mechanisms: it also lists promotions that may concern Shopify POS, POS payments, Markets Pro, or other offers depending on current campaigns. Each promotion has merchant criteria, qualification periods, and caps: treat them as temporary addenda to your business strategy, not as guaranteed revenue in a three-year business plan. The same page reminds you that your earnings may be subject to taxes depending on your situation and mentions regulatory operating fees in certain cases: plan on reading it together with your accountant when you scale several streams (transferred stores, apps, themes, and referrals).
Finally, the documentation offers a glossary of terms (billing store, brand-new merchant, etc.): take the time to open it when you talk with Shopify sales teams or with a customer; aligned vocabulary reduces misunderstandings about commission attribution and payout timing.
Shopify Academy and support
The About the Program page presents Shopify Academy as a training hub (courses, learning paths, certifications) to build skills on the platform and grow your Partner business. It is often an underestimated lever: beyond badges, training reduces configuration errors for your clients and therefore the cost of internal support. For assistance, Shopify indicates that you can get help for your Partner account and development stores through the Help Center by signing in with the proper context (partner organization or development store).
Market data and European context
As a partner, you often process data from European merchants: orders, contact details, sometimes health data or data about minors depending on the sector. The GDPR imposes principles of lawfulness, data minimization, and transparency. The CNIL describes the legal bases for processing and the importance of informing individuals: useful for framing your contracts with merchants (controller and processor roles, transfers outside the EU, documentation). This is not an “optional” section: poor access governance can cost more than a month’s commission.
Additional sections
Best practices for getting started without spreading yourself too thin
Choose a clear product line for the first six months: pure agency, SaaS product on the App Store, or theme, rather than all three at once with no staff.
Align marketing and reality: your case studies must reflect the journeys that are actually eligible for the revenues described in the documentation.
Document your referrals: the documentation stresses the accuracy of forms and lead expiration periods: a lightweight CRM is better than a forgotten spreadsheet.
Update your assets: remove references to Shopify Experts or Plus Partner if your pages date from before the official retirements.
Train your teams on the exclusions (employees, ineligible stores) to avoid the « near-sales » that do not qualify.
Common pitfalls
Situation | Risk | Antidote |
|---|---|---|
Mixing « agency » and « app » revenues on a quote | Confusion for the client and for your accounting | Separate entities or business lines in your proposals |
Promise a gain without qualifying the lead | Disappointment and disputes | Repeat the official referral and launch criteria |
Forgetting the deadlines (90 days, etc.) | Loss of eligibility | Shared calendar with follow-ups |
Sticking with old « Experts » slides | Lack of credibility | Current tier badges and Help links |
Qstomy in the ecosystem
Qstomy illustrates the type of solution merchants discover through the Shopify ecosystem: an e-commerce-focused AI chatbot, support, and product recommendations. For your client files, a conversational assistant can complement a redesign or a custom app: see the Shopify integration, the e-commerce chatbot and AI sales assistant pages, and the article e-commerce chatbot: time savings.
Summary
The Shopify Partner Program now brings the historical tracks together under one roof, with Registered to Platinum tiers and detailed revenue rules in the Shopify Partner Revenue documentation. The About the Shopify Partner Program page sets the framework, the benefits by level, and reminds you of the retirement dates for the old brands. For Europe, keep GDPR requirements in mind through the CNIL guidance on legal bases. Three reference areas: platform, compensation, data framework (official sources cited in the article).
FAQ
Is program membership paid?
The About page indicates that you can join the community « for free » in the sense of the entry cost listed where Shopify mentions it: always check the latest terms on the same page for any fees related to optional services or to enrolling in sales programs on the stores (apps, themes), which are covered on other screens.
Can I still present myself as a « Shopify Expert »?
No for the brand discontinued in December 2023: use the Shopify Partner Program tier badges if you are eligible, as indicated in the official documentation.
How much will I earn?
No blog post can answer that for you: it depends on your activity, your merchants, the plans, and eligibility rules. Start from the tables on the Revenue page and your own cautious assumptions.
Does the USD 2,500 payout on Plus apply in all cases?
These are qualified referrals assisted by Shopify sales for contracts signed on or after July 1, 2025, subject to the conditions listed in the referral section: read the exclusions and deadlines in the French documentation.
Are app revenue tiers stable?
Shopify bases the regime on revenue starting January 1, 2025 with thresholds in US dollars; exceptions for very large developers are in the tables. For recent changes to revenue sharing related to the App Store, also cross-check the developer documentation and our article publishing on the App Store.
Should I mention GDPR in my client contracts?
Yes as soon as you access personal data of merchants or their customers: define the roles, purposes, and processors; the legal bases described by the CNIL help structure the discussion.
Where should I start reading?
About page for the framework, then Revenue page for the figures and conditions, then tier PDF guides if you're aiming for Select or above.
Go further
March 25, 2026
