Balance Shopify deposits without Shopify Plus: your options
Shopify's own deposit feature is Plus-only and built for B2B. The mechanism apps use for customer deposits is on every plan. That is the whole story, and it decides which route you take.
In short: you can take deposits on Basic, Grow and Advanced with a deposit app, which uses Shopify's deferred purchase options, available on every plan. Shopify's own deposit feature is limited to B2B customers on Plus, so for ordinary customer orders an app is the route on every plan.
Why the built-in option is Plus-only (and B2B-only)
Shopify's built-in deposits are part of its B2B payment terms: on Shopify Plus you can require a percentage deposit from company customers, at checkout or on a draft order. It does not add a deposit option to products for ordinary consumer sales, on any plan. What every plan does have is deferred purchase options: selling plans with a deposit at checkout, a remaining balance recorded as payment terms, and a saved card on Shopify Payments or PayPal Express. Apps use that API, which is why a deposit app on Basic gives you the same checkout as a Plus store gets.
Option one: a deposit app
An app creates the purchase option on your products, adds the deposit choice to your product pages and runs the collection process afterwards. On Balance Due that means a plan editor, the automatic balance charge, retries with pay links, reminders and receipts, an automatic fulfilment hold and a customer payment page, from free. The customer experience is Shopify's native checkout; nothing is bolted on. The setup is in how to take deposits on Shopify.
Option two: the draft-order workaround
Sell a 'deposit' product for the deposit amount, then create a draft order for the balance and send the invoice when the item is ready. It works with no app and no Plus, and it has three costs: the card is not saved so every balance is a chase, nothing holds fulfilment automatically, and the sale is split across two orders so reporting and refunds get messy. Fine for five orders a year; not for fifty.
Option three: upgrade to Plus
Plus makes sense for other reasons (checkout customisation, B2B, volume). Its built-in deposits only cover B2B company customers, so upgrading for consumer deposits does not remove the need for an app, as the built-in vs app comparison explains. What Plus does add is instalments, because Shopify only allows partial charges against a saved card on Plus.
The routes side by side
| Route | Works on | Card saved for the balance | Balance collected automatically | Fulfilment held until paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit app | Every plan | Yes, on Shopify Payments and PayPal Express | Yes, or by pay link on other providers | Yes |
| Draft-order workaround | Every plan | No | No, you invoice by hand | No |
What you cannot do on any plan
- Deposits at POS or on draft orders through deferred purchase options; those are online checkout only.
- Charge a saved card on providers that do not support it; you get a pay link instead.
- Use express checkout buttons such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay or Google Pay on deposit orders.
- Change the order's outstanding amount from outside Shopify; the order is the source of truth.
Deposits without Plus: questions
Can I take deposits on the Basic plan?
Yes. A deposit app uses Shopify's deferred purchase options, which work on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. The deposit is taken at checkout, the card is saved on Shopify Payments or PayPal Express, and the balance is collected later.
Is Shopify's built-in deposit feature available without Plus?
No. It is part of Shopify's B2B payment terms and needs Shopify Plus, and it only applies to B2B company customers. For consumer orders, a deposit app is the route on every plan, Plus included.
Does a deposit app need any Plus-only API?
Not for deposits. Deferred purchase options, payment terms, saved cards and fulfilment holds are available to apps on every plan. The one Plus-only piece is charging part of the balance at a time, which is why instalments need Plus.
Will my checkout look different?
No. The deposit is shown as an amount due now with the balance due later, in Shopify's own checkout. The only difference is that express checkout buttons such as Shop Pay do not handle deposit orders.
What does it cost?
Balance Due is free for up to 3 open payment plans and from £19.99 a month after that, with no per-order fees.
Ready to set one up?
A first deposit plan takes about ten minutes, and the Free plan covers a real order end to end.