Core Checkout Steps vs. Thank You: What's Plus-Only?
Customizing wins for Plus merchants: Shopify's own Checkout Blocks app covers banners, text, custom fields and payment reordering on the core checkout steps at no cost (verified Sep 2026). A custom UI extension adds the logic-driven pieces for $15,000–$40,000 (Deploi estimate, illustrative). Below Plus the decision is made for you: extensions on the information, shipping and payment steps are Plus-only, while Thank You and Order Status are open on every plan except Starter.
Your profile — see how the verdict shifts
- Confidence
- High — Checked the Checkout and Cart customization categories and the customize-checkout collection, and fetched the Checkout Blocks and Qikify Checkout Customizer listings directly on 2026-09-05. Checkout Blocks (4.2★, 212 reviews) is Shopify's own free app and gates custom fields, address validation and payment or delivery reordering to Plus; Qikify (4.8★, 72 reviews) is Plus-only outright. The gate itself is verbatim from shopify.dev: checkout UI extensions that render on the information, shipping and payment steps are available only to stores on a Shopify Plus plan.
- Reference scenario
- $20M–$100M revenue · Shopify Plus · a trust badge, one custom field and a personalized banner before payment · agency dev bench
- As of
- September 2026
Decision at a Glance
| Your profile | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Any revenue, not on Plus | WAIT | The information, shipping and payment steps are closed. Checkout Blocks customizes Thank You and Order Status free on every plan except Starter, and the script-tag customizations that used to live there were removed on 2025-08-28. |
| Plus, static content: trust badge, banner, one custom field | WAIT | Shopify's own Checkout Blocks places banners, text, images, accordions and, on Plus, custom fields and payment or delivery reordering at no cost (verified Sep 2026). Nothing to build. |
| Plus, content driven by cart, customer or external data | BUILD | A banner that changes by cart value, a field that appears for certain customers or a badge fed by your own system needs a custom checkout UI extension; blocks are static. |
| Plus, several checkout initiatives a year with a dev bench | BUILD | A small library of your own extensions amortizes across tests and campaigns, and the 64 KB bundle discipline keeps each one fast. |
What Core Checkout Step Extensions Actually Drives
| Outcome | Impact | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue — direct | High | A trust badge, delivery promise or personalized reassurance shown while the buyer is still deciding answers hesitation at the moment it occurs, rather than after payment. |
| Customer experience | High | Fields and messages appear where they are relevant in the flow, such as a gift message on the information step, instead of on a post-purchase page nobody reads. |
| Data & insight | Medium | Custom fields capture PO numbers, delivery notes and preferences as order attributes you own, feeding fulfillment and service without a separate form. |
| Operational efficiency | Low | Reordering or hiding payment and delivery methods steers buyers to the options your operation handles best. |
Spend ceiling: Spend nothing on static content; Shopify's own app places it free. Size the build to the value of one conversion lift on the payment step, measured against your checkout volume, and stop there.
What buying enables (top apps)
- + Banners, text, images, accordions and, on Plus, custom fields and payment or delivery reordering, live today at no cost (verified Sep 2026)
- + First-party maintenance against every checkout and API change
- + Qikify's offers and widgets on Plus for merchants who want upsells in the same app (verified Sep 2026)
What building additionally unlocks
- + Content that changes by cart value, customer segment or your own data while the buyer is still deciding
- + Calls to your systems through network_access, and validation that blocks progress when the merchant allows it
- + Your own components and translations, consistent with the storefront rather than a vendor's block set
Find Your Verdict in 3 Questions
Is your store on Shopify Plus?
Yes: Go to question 2.
No: Your verdict: WAIT — the information, shipping and payment steps are closed below Plus; customize Thank You and Order Status with Checkout Blocks, free on every plan except Starter.
Does any element depend on cart, customer or external data, or on your own design components?
Yes: Go to question 3.
No: Your verdict: WAIT — Shopify's own Checkout Blocks covers banners, text, images, custom fields and payment or delivery reordering on Plus at no cost (verified Sep 2026).
Is the data-driven element one of several checkout changes planned this year?
Yes: Your verdict: BUILD — a small library of your own extensions, $15,000–$40,000 for the first two to three (Deploi estimate, illustrative), amortizes across every test.
No: Your verdict: CUSTOMIZE — Checkout Blocks for the static pieces and one custom extension for the element that needs logic.
The TCC Scorecard — 12 Dimensions
TCC — Total Cost of Capability: what it actually costs to have this capability over three years, whichever way you get it. Each dimension is scored 0–5 for both paths. How we score →
| Dimension | Buy | Build | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | |||
| Acquisition & implementation | Checkout Blocks places content in the checkout editor the same day; two to three custom extensions take 4–8 weeks (Deploi estimate, illustrative). | ||
| Recurring fees | Checkout Blocks is free and Qikify's paid tier lists $99/month (verified Sep 2026); the build carries upkeep and no subscription. | ||
| Maintenance & upgrades | Shopify maintains its own app against API changes; your extension needs a version bump roughly yearly and a re-test after checkout editor changes. | ||
| Switching & exit | Blocks are editor configuration and rebuild in an afternoon; your extension source is yours and order attributes stay on the orders either way. | ||
| Risk | |||
| Vendor risk | Checkout Blocks is first-party, which removes vendor risk and adds roadmap dependence; Qikify at 72 reviews is a smaller vendor; the build has no vendor. | ||
| Security & compliance surface | Every extension runs in Shopify's sandbox; a custom one with network_access sends checkout data to your endpoint, which you then own the security of. | ||
| Platform-deprecation exposure | Checkout UI extensions are the sanctioned surface after checkout.liquid and script tags were removed; API versions cycle on both paths. | ||
| Value | |||
| Fit to requirement | Static badges, banners and fields fit the blocks; anything conditional, personalized or connected to your own data needs code. | ||
| Time to market | Today versus one to two months. | ||
| Performance & scale | Both render inside Shopify's checkout with no injected scripts; the 64 KB compiled bundle limit keeps a custom extension honest. | ||
| Data ownership & AI-readiness | Custom fields on either path land as order attributes you own; a custom extension can also write metafields shaped for your systems. | ||
| Focus & opportunity cost | A dev bench should not rebuild what Shopify ships free; spend it on the one element blocks cannot express. | ||
The App Landscape
| App | Status | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Checkout Blocks | Native — First-party Shopify app; 4.2★, 212 reviews; free. Its content blocks continue, but help.shopify.com states its Plus-only branding editor is deprecated and will be removed on December 31, 2026. Not a third-party alternative: it is Shopify's own extension of the native path. | Free, full access at no cost (verified Sep 2026) | Static content on any checkout page, and custom fields on Plus, without code |
| Qikify Checkout Customizer | Live — 4.8★, 72 reviews, Built for Shopify. Plus-only: the listing states it works on Plus, Sandbox and development stores. The free tier reorders and hides payment and delivery options and styles checkout; the paid tier adds custom fields, product offers and extra widgets. | Free tier (reorder and hide payment and delivery options, styling); Checkout Premium $99/month (custom fields, product offers, extra widgets, premium support); 14-day trial on the paid plan (verified Sep 2026) | Plus stores wanting payment and delivery reordering plus offers in one app |
| Custom checkout UI extension (custom app) | Build lane — Your own extension, with capabilities declared in shopify.extension.toml and network_access requested before publishing. Extensions rendering on the information and shipping and payment steps require Shopify Plus. The compiled bundle can't exceed 64 KB, which is a design constraint on how much logic and how many assets ship inside checkout. | $14,000–$35,000 one-time plus upkeep (Deploi estimate, illustrative) | Personalized or data-connected content while the buyer is still deciding |
The Build Path
- Custom UI extension on the core steps: A React-based checkout UI extension targeting placements on the information, shipping and payment steps, added by the merchant in the checkout editor. The compiled bundle can't exceed 64 KB, so the component set stays lean.
- Data-driven content and capabilities: Read cart, customer and metafield data through the extension APIs for personalized banners and conditional fields. Declare network_access to call your own systems, which requires requesting access before publishing, and block_progress for validation the merchant can allow or disallow in the editor.
- Localization and rollout: Supply translations as locale JSON files in the extension, since merchants can't override or add translations. Ship on a staging store first and enable placements one at a time in the editor.
- Effort band
- $15,000–$40,000 build for two to three extensions (Deploi estimate, illustrative); lands in the $10–25K contact-form band, reaching $25–75K with external integrations
- Typical timeline
- 4–8 weeks (Deploi estimate, illustrative), including checkout editor placement and staging-store testing
- Maintenance, honestly
- ~15–20% of build cost per year, roughly $2,500–$8,000/yr (Deploi estimate, illustrative): a yearly API version bump, re-tests after checkout editor changes, and content or rule updates. No subscription line.
- What you own — and what you take on
- You own: the extension source, the placement logic, and every attribute or metafield it writes. You take on: the version bump and the responsibility for any endpoint the extension calls.
3-Year Total Cost of Capability
| Buy (app path) | Build (custom path) | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 0 (setup) | $500–$2,000 (content, placement and testing) | $15,000–$40,000 |
| Years 1–3 (recurring) | $0–$3,600 | $7,500–$24,000 (maintenance) |
| 3-year total | ≈$500–$5,600 | ≈$22,500–$64,000 |
- † All figures illustrative samples for the reference scenario — not quotes, not verified pricing.
- † App path: Checkout Blocks at no cost for static content, with Qikify's paid tier as the upper bound.
- † Build path: two to three custom extensions, three-year horizon with upkeep at 15–20% of build cost.
What the Sticker Price Hides
On the buy path
- — Checkout Blocks' custom fields, address validation and payment reordering exist only on Plus; on other plans it is a Thank You and Order Status tool (verified Sep 2026)
- — Qikify's free tier covers reordering and styling, while custom fields and offers sit on the $99/month tier (verified Sep 2026)
- — Block content is static, so a banner that should change by cart or customer becomes a request the app cannot meet
On the build path
- — The 64 KB compiled bundle limit rules out heavy component libraries and forces a lean design
- — network_access requires requesting access before the extension can be published, which adds calendar time
- — ~$2,500–$8,000/yr upkeep (Deploi estimate, illustrative)
What Merchants Say
Merchants describe learning about the Plus gate only after briefing a checkout redesign, with mockups of the shipping step going nowhere on Advanced.
Checkout customization apps draw 1–2★ reviews when the feature a merchant installed for turns out to sit behind a Plus requirement the listing mentioned in passing.
If You Change Your Mind Later
If you bought and outgrow it
Uninstall Checkout Blocks or Qikify and the blocks vanish from the checkout editor at once; nothing about existing orders changes, and custom-field attributes already collected stay on those orders. Rebuilding the layout elsewhere is an afternoon of editor work, not a migration.
If you built and want out
Remove the extension from the checkout editor and delete the custom app; your order attributes and metafields stay where they are. The extension source is yours, so a later move to a new placement or API version is an edit rather than a restart.
When This Answer Changes
We're watching for:
- ▸ Shopify opening information, shipping or payment step extensions to Advanced (Plus-only as of September 2026)
- ▸ Checkout Blocks adding conditional or data-driven content, which would shrink the build lane
- ▸ Changes to the 64 KB compiled bundle limit or the network_access approval process
Verdict change log:
No changes since first publication (September 2026).
Common Questions
Which checkout pages can a non-Plus store customize with UI extensions?
Thank You and Order Status only. Shopify's docs state that checkout UI extensions rendering on the information, shipping and payment steps are available only to stores on a Shopify Plus plan. Thank You and Order Status extensions are available to all plans except Shopify Starter. Checkout Blocks, Shopify's own free app, covers those two pages on every eligible plan. Script-tag customizations there were removed on 2025-08-28, so legacy tweaks are already gone.
Does Checkout Blocks remove the need to build a custom checkout UI extension on Plus?
For static content, yes. Checkout Blocks places banners, buttons, images, text and accordions, and on Plus adds custom fields, address validation and hiding or reordering payment and delivery methods, free, at 4.2★ on 212 reviews (verified Sep 2026). Build a custom extension when content must change by cart, customer or external data, or when you need your own components. Most Plus merchants need both.
What does a custom checkout UI extension cost, and what limits apply?
Two to three custom extensions run $15,000–$40,000 over 4–8 weeks, plus 15–20% a year in upkeep (Deploi estimate, illustrative). The compiled bundle can't exceed 64 KB, network_access requires requesting access before you can publish, and block_progress is a capability the merchant can allow or disallow in the checkout editor. Translations ship as locale JSON files, and merchants can't override or add them.
Your Next Steps
If you're going with CUSTOMIZE(matches your selected profile)
- List every checkout element you want before payment and mark each static or data-driven
- Place the static elements with Checkout Blocks in the checkout editor and test on a staging store
- Scope the one data-driven element as a custom extension, with its data source and bundle budget under 64 KB
- Request network_access early if the extension calls your own systems
- Measure checkout completion before and after; that is the number the build must move
If you're going with BUILD
- Define two to three extensions and the placements each targets on the information, shipping and payment steps
- Build shared components once and keep each compiled bundle under 64 KB
- Ship locale JSON files for every market you sell in, since merchants can't add translations later
- Roll out one placement at a time in the editor and diary a version bump each year
Official Docs & Sources
- Checkout UI extensions on the core steps — shopify.dev
- Checkout customization technologies by plan — shopify.dev
- Checkout UI extension capabilities — shopify.dev
Official documentation linked for verification — our verdicts and estimates are our own.
Related Decisions
Cart Transform vs. a Bundle App: Who Owns Pricing?
Overriding a bundle line's price, title and image with Cart Transform's lineUpdate works only on development stores or Shopify Plus; bundle apps cover the rest.
Should You Run a Custom Cart Transform Alongside an App's?
Shopify caps cart transform functions at one per app rather than one per store, and runs every app's function, so a custom one can sit beside a bundle app's.
Branding API vs. the Free Checkout Editor: Do You Need Code?
The free checkout and accounts editor covers most branding on every plan; Plus API overrides add precision, and the Checkout Blocks branding editor ends 2026-12-31.
Checkout Extension Network Access: What Shopify Actually Allows
Checkout UI extensions declare four capabilities in the extension TOML file, and network_access is the one Shopify makes you request before publishing.
Should You Build or Buy Your Shopify Scripts-to-Functions Migration?
A Scripts-to-Functions migration is a build for any store whose checkout logic still earns money — unported rules have already gone silent.
Ready to put the right message in front of buyers before they pay?
On Plus the core checkout steps are open to you. Use Checkout Blocks for the static pieces and let a custom extension carry the content that has to change per buyer.
Contact us todayVerdict scored for the reference scenario above. Estimates are not quotes; app pricing carries its verification date and gets re-verified quarterly. Full scoring anchors: see the TCC methodology.
Read how we score these decisions (the TCC Framework). No affiliate links, no paid placement — no app vendor pays to appear here.