Top 10 Shopify Plus Development Agencies for 2026

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.

Table of Contents

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.