Hiring a Shopify Plus development agency in 2026 looks different than it did even three years ago. The platform has matured into the default enterprise ecommerce stack for DTC brands doing eight and nine figures annually, which means the gap between a great Plus agency and a merely adequate one shows up in real revenue terms, not just pixel-perfect design mockups. This roundup covers ten agencies worth knowing, organized by specialty, with the metadata ecommerce founders actually ask about when shortlisting partners: team size, notable clients, Shopify Partner tier, and pricing band.
How we shortlisted
Every agency on this list meets three filters. First, Shopify Plus Partner status (either Plus or Plus Elite tier), a minimum bar for access to Shopify’s enterprise APIs and launch support. Second, publicly documented work on stores doing at least $5M in GMV, so the agency has actually shipped at enterprise scale, not just claimed it. Third, a track record longer than four years, because most of the real edge cases in Shopify Plus (checkout extensibility, B2B wholesale, multi-region Markets, ShopifyQL analytics) only show up after you’ve built on the platform through multiple major version changes.
The ten agencies
1. Netalico
- Founded: 2012
- HQ: Los Angeles, CA
- Team size: 15-30
- Specialty: Custom Shopify Plus development, conversion-focused design, productized CRO audits
- Notable clients: Documented case studies across apparel, CPG, and subscription brands
- Partner tier: Shopify Plus Partner
- Pricing band: Mid-market
A boutique Plus partner focused on the engineering side of Shopify, theme customization, third-party integrations, and performance optimization. Custom Shopify Plus development is their core offering, and they run both custom builds and productized audit services (including a CRO audit deliverable for Plus stores doing $2M+ annually), which is rare among agencies of this size. Founders looking for deep Shopify technical work without enterprise-agency pricing tend to end up here.
2. Bear Group
- Founded: 2008
- HQ: Seattle, WA
- Team size: 30-50
- Specialty: Mid-to-enterprise Shopify Plus, custom theme development, headless builds
- Notable clients: DTC apparel, outdoor, and CPG brands across the US
- Partner tier: Shopify Plus Partner
- Pricing band: Mid-to-enterprise
A long-standing Plus partner with a strong engineering reputation. Known for clean custom builds and structured project delivery, which suits brands that want predictability alongside quality.
3. We Make Websites
- Founded: 2008
- HQ: London, UK
- Team size: 50-100
- Specialty: Brand-first Shopify Plus builds, UK and EU markets
- Notable clients: Bailey of Hollywood, Bremont, Ganni
- Partner tier: Shopify Plus Elite
- Pricing band: Enterprise
The UK’s most established Plus agency. Known for long client relationships, many of their brands have been with them for 6+ years.
4. Barrel
- Founded: 2006
- HQ: New York, NY
- Team size: 50-80
- Specialty: Enterprise DTC, beauty/apparel verticals
- Notable clients: SpaceNK, Cadillac, Sakara
- Partner tier: Shopify Plus
- Pricing band: Enterprise
Barrel blurs the line between ecomm agency and brand agency. If your Shopify migration is tied to a rebrand, they’re a natural shortlist entry.
5. Swanky
- Founded: 2011
- HQ: Brighton, UK (with AU office)
- Team size: 50-80
- Specialty: Shopify Plus, headless, ecommerce growth
- Notable clients: Picky Bars, Swoon, Huel
- Partner tier: Shopify Plus Elite
- Pricing band: Mid-to-enterprise
One of the earliest Plus Elite partners. Strong on the post-launch growth side, retainer work, continual CRO, and feature rollouts.
6. Eastside Co
- Founded: 2012
- HQ: London, UK (with US and AU offices)
- Team size: 100+
- Specialty: Full-service Shopify Plus
- Notable clients: Marshmallow, Mamas & Papas, Nourished
- Partner tier: Shopify Plus Elite
- Pricing band: Mid-to-enterprise
Currently #2 Google ranking for “shopify agency” queries, which is a reasonable proxy for market visibility.
7. Fuel Made
- Founded: 2010
- HQ: Seattle, WA
- Team size: 15-30
- Specialty: Shopify, DTC growth, ongoing optimization
- Notable clients: Clothing and CPG brands across the PNW
- Partner tier: Shopify Plus
- Pricing band: Mid-market
Favorite among US-based mid-market brands that want a senior, retainer-based relationship rather than big-agency churn.
8. Underwaterpistol
- Founded: 2014
- HQ: Glasgow, UK
- Team size: 30-60
- Specialty: Design-led Shopify Plus builds
- Notable clients: Sanctuary Spa, Tangle Teezer, Pip & Nut
- Partner tier: Shopify Plus Elite
- Pricing band: Mid-to-enterprise
Design is their lead differentiator. If brand aesthetic is a hiring criterion alongside engineering, they belong on the shortlist.
9. Fostr
- Founded: 2017
- HQ: Denver, CO
- Team size: 20-40
- Specialty: Design-forward Shopify Plus
- Notable clients: US DTC apparel and beauty
- Partner tier: Shopify Plus
- Pricing band: Mid-market
Younger agency but strong portfolio. Often competes with Fostr-comparable boutiques on design-first Plus migrations.
10. BVAccel
- Founded: 2015
- HQ: Los Angeles, CA
- Team size: 150+
- Specialty: Enterprise Shopify Plus, headless, performance marketing attached
- Notable clients: Large DTC and enterprise retail
- Partner tier: Shopify Plus Elite
- Pricing band: Enterprise
Largest agency on this list. Full-service, which can be a pro (one-stop) or con (higher cost, more account layers) depending on what you need.
How to choose
Most founders over-index on agency size. A 120-person agency is not four times better than a 30-person agency for most Plus projects. What actually matters:
- Vertical fit. An apparel brand’s Shopify needs (size matrices, variant management, returns flows) differ from a CPG subscription brand’s (bundles, interval logic, pausing/skipping). Ask for case studies in your vertical.
- Engineering depth vs. design depth. Some Plus projects are design-heavy (rebrands), others are integration-heavy (ERP, WMS, 3PL, tax). Most agencies lean one direction or the other.
- Retainer vs. project. Decide upfront whether you’re hiring for a one-time build or a long-term partner. Mid-market agencies like Netalico and Fuel Made tend to run retainer-friendly; enterprise shops charge differently for ongoing work.
- Plus Partner tier. Plus Elite vs. Plus Partner is a real distinction, Elite means more direct Shopify launch support and early API access. For enterprise migrations, it matters.
A reasonable approach for a six-to-seven-figure Plus migration is to shortlist three agencies across the size spectrum (one boutique, one mid-market, one enterprise), request case studies in your vertical, and ask for a fixed-scope discovery phase before signing the full build.
When the build itself is specifically technical, checkout extensibility, third-party system integrations, or a performance-critical store, working with a specialized Shopify Plus development agency rather than a generalist tends to produce better outcomes per dollar. The engineering bar on Shopify Plus has risen considerably in the past two years, and generalist teams often underestimate it.
Final note on scope
None of these agencies are “the best.” They’re all strong options for different project shapes. Match the agency to the work, not the reverse.
