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How do the agentic commerce protocols compare on launch dates, backers, surfaces and merchant requirements?

UCP, ACP, Shopify Catalog and Shopify Agentic Storefronts launched between May 21, 2025 and January 11, 2026; ACP listed 5 spec versions and UCP 4 on October 18, 2026. Updated October 19, 2026.

By Martin DejnickiUpdated

Short answer

The Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), from Google, and the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), from Stripe and OpenAI, are open standards first announced for US checkout in Google's AI Mode and Gemini app and in ChatGPT, while Shopify Catalog and Agentic Storefronts are Shopify products for eligible stores, according to the owners' pages read October 18, 2026. Launch dates run from Catalog's May 21, 2025 to UCP's January 11, 2026.

What this means for your decision

  • Choosing which route to prepare for first? Start from where your buyers shop. Both protocol checkouts were announced for the US: UCP in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, and ACP's Instant Checkout in ChatGPT. Agentic Storefronts reach ChatGPT, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot, according to the owners' pages read October 18, 2026. A launch date is a first announcement, so confirm a route is open in your country before you plan around it.
  • Running a Shopify store? Shopify states that Agentic Storefronts are enabled automatically for eligible stores, and that agentic storefronts using Shopify Catalog show your products only when your store is eligible for Shopify Catalog. Confirm eligibility before you plan build work for these channels.
  • Judging how settled a spec is? ACP listed 5 spec versions and UCP 4 on October 18, 2026. Versions show how often a spec changes, not how many merchants use it, so check the changelog before you build to a version.
  • Sizing the opportunity? No source in the dataset gives orders or sales for any of the four routes. Its merchant figures are reach, not adoption: Stripe announced Instant Checkout as coming soon to "over a million Shopify merchants", and Shopify says opening Catalog to every brand expands "the commerce backbone that connects millions of merchants". Do not read a launch date, a list of backers or a stated reach as a sign of volume.

How do UCP, ACP, Shopify Catalog and Agentic Storefronts compare?

UCP and ACP are open standards with named backers and published spec versions, while Shopify Catalog and Agentic Storefronts are Shopify products with no named backers or spec versions in the sources read on October 18, 2026. Google published UCP on January 11, 2026 with partners including Shopify; Stripe and OpenAI published ACP on September 29, 2025.

Route First published Surfaces named by the owner Spec versions
Shopify Catalog May 21, 2025 AI channels, the Shop app, future Catalog partners None listed
ACP September 29, 2025 ChatGPT (Instant Checkout) 5
Agentic Storefronts December 10, 2025 ChatGPT, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot None listed
UCP January 11, 2026 AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app 4

When did each agentic commerce protocol launch?

Shopify Catalog launched first, on May 21, 2025, in Shopify's changelog. ACP followed on September 29, 2025 with Stripe's announcement, Shopify Agentic Storefronts on December 10, 2025 as part of the Winter ‘26 Edition, and UCP on January 11, 2026 with Google's announcement. Each date is the first public announcement its owner states.

The dates are first publication, not general availability to every merchant.

Of the four routes compared, Shopify Catalog launched first, on May 21, 2025, and UCP last, on January 11, 2026

Date of the first public spec or launch of each agentic commerce route, as its owner states, by type, May 2025 to January 2026

Shopify Catalog First published: May 21, 2025 Type: Shopify product Status: Launched AI channels, the Shop app, and all future partners of Shopify CatalogAgentic Storefronts First published: Dec 10, 2025 Type: Shopify product Status: Launched ChatGPT, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot (others coming soon); Google AI Mode and Gemini rolling outACP First published: Sep 29, 2025 Type: Open standard Status: Launched ChatGPT (Instant Checkout)UCP First published: Jan 11, 2026 Type: Open standard Status: Launched AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app

  • Dates are the first public spec or launch each owner states, read on October 18, 2026.
  • The four routes are the ones this page compares, not every agentic commerce launch.
  • Open standard and Shopify product are Deploi's grouping of the owners' own descriptions.
  • A launch date marks first publication, not availability to every merchant or how much a route is used; the dataset holds no order volume or sales.

Source: launch posts on the Google Ads & Commerce Blog (UCP), the Stripe blog (ACP), the Shopify Changelog (Shopify Catalog) and Shopify news (Agentic Storefronts). Read on .

Who backs each protocol?

Google developed UCP in collaboration with industry leaders including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart, "endorsed by over 20 global partners", according to Google's developer blog. Stripe and OpenAI codeveloped ACP, according to Stripe's September 29, 2025 announcement. The sources read name no authors or partners for Shopify Catalog or Agentic Storefronts.

UCP's named partners include Adyen, American Express, Best Buy, Flipkart, Macy's Inc, Mastercard, Stripe, The Home Depot, Visa and Zalando. Backers are named by the owner; the dataset does not verify their involvement.

Which AI surfaces does each route reach?

Both protocol checkouts were announced for the US: Google's UCP checkout in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, from eligible US retailers, and ACP's Instant Checkout in ChatGPT, for US users. Agentic Storefronts reach ChatGPT, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot, with Google AI Mode and Gemini rolling out, according to Google, Stripe and Shopify pages read on October 18, 2026. Shopify Catalog serves AI channels, the Shop app and future Catalog partners.

Google's launch post says UCP "will soon power a new checkout feature on eligible Google product listings in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app". The dataset records the announcement, not whether each surface is live for every shopper. Shopify's Help Center says direct checkout for Google users "might not yet be available in your store".

What must a merchant do to take part?

Requirements differ by route, according to each owner's pages read on October 18, 2026. UCP through Google needs an active Merchant Center account, products eligible for checkout and a merchant interest form. ACP needs the specification implemented, and a merchant must apply to take part in ChatGPT. Shopify Catalog needs an eligible store, and Agentic Storefronts are enabled automatically for eligible stores.

ACP's home page says "If your business wants to participate in ChatGPT, you'll need to apply". Shopify's Help Center says agentic storefronts that use Shopify Catalog can show your products "only when your store is eligible for Shopify Catalog". Google's developer blog tells merchants to "complete a merchant interest form to integrate with Google".

How often have the specs changed?

UCP listed 4 published spec versions and ACP 5 on October 18, 2026, each counted from the protocol's own version or changelog page. ACP's first version is dated September 29, 2025 and UCP's January 11, 2026. Shopify Catalog and Agentic Storefronts have no spec version count in the sources read. Versions show how often a spec changes, not how many merchants use it.

A new version can add features or change requirements. Check the protocol's changelog before you build to a specific version.

What does the comparison not show?

The comparison shows dated announcements and requirements, not adoption, and no source in the dataset gives order volume or sales as of October 18, 2026. Its merchant figures are reach: Stripe said US ChatGPT users would soon buy "from over a million Shopify merchants", and Shopify says opening Catalog to every brand expands "the commerce backbone that connects millions of merchants". Shopify's AI disclosures give AI orders as multiples and shares, not totals.

See what Shopify has disclosed about AI usage for the quarter by quarter log.

The data

Each chart on this page is drawn from the numbers below. Units are in the column headers.

Of the four routes compared, Shopify Catalog launched first, on May 21, 2025, and UCP last, on January 11, 2026
RouteTypeFirst publishedStatusSurfaces
Shopify CatalogShopify productMay 21, 2025LaunchedAI channels, the Shop app, and all future partners of Shopify Catalog
ACPOpen standardSep 29, 2025LaunchedChatGPT (Instant Checkout)
Agentic StorefrontsShopify productDec 10, 2025LaunchedChatGPT, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot (others coming soon); Google AI Mode and Gemini rolling out
UCPOpen standardJan 11, 2026LaunchedAI Mode in Search and the Gemini app

Download Agentic commerce protocols compared: dates, backers, surfaces, requirements as CSV · All 9 columns on the dataset page

Methodology

Reading the chart: Of the four routes compared, Shopify Catalog launched first, on May 21, 2025, and UCP last, on January 11, 2026

  • Dates are the first public spec or launch each owner states, read on October 18, 2026.
  • The four routes are the ones this page compares, not every agentic commerce launch.
  • Open standard and Shopify product are Deploi's grouping of the owners' own descriptions.
  • A launch date marks first publication, not availability to every merchant or how much a route is used; the dataset holds no order volume or sales.

Caveats: Agentic commerce protocols compared: dates, backers, surfaces, requirements

  • Dated spec and product claims only. The dataset holds no adoption, merchant count or sales figure for any route.
  • Shopify Catalog and Agentic Storefronts are Shopify products. The sources read name no backers for them and list no spec versions, so those cells are empty.
  • Dates are the first public announcement or spec the owner states, not general availability to every merchant.
  • Spec versions are those listed on the protocol's own version or changelog page on October 18, 2026, counted by Deploi. New versions can appear later.
  • Google's launch post says UCP will soon power checkout on eligible Google listings, so the surfaces column records the announcement, not whether each surface is live for every shopper.
  • Backers are the organizations the owner names. The dataset does not verify their involvement.

Deploi's charts and compilation are licensed CC BY 4.0. The underlying facts belong to their sources, which are named on every page. How Deploi Shopify Data works.

Sources

Tier A sources are primary documents: filings, official releases and official price pages. How sources are ranked.

Show all 12 sources

Cite and reuse

Deploi's charts and compilation are licensed CC BY 4.0. The underlying facts belong to their sources, which are named on every page.

APA

Deploi. (2026). How do the agentic commerce protocols compare on launch dates, backers, surfaces and merchant requirements? [Web page]. https://deploi.ca/shopify/data/agentic-commerce-protocols-compared Retrieved October 19, 2026.

BibTeX

@misc{deploi_agentic_commerce_protocols_compared_2026,
  author = {{Deploi}},
  title = {How do the agentic commerce protocols compare on launch dates, backers, surfaces and merchant requirements?},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://deploi.ca/shopify/data/agentic-commerce-protocols-compared},
  note = {Accessed 2026-10-19}
}

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<iframe src="https://deploi.ca/embed/shopify/data/agentic-protocol-launches" title="Of the four routes compared, Shopify Catalog launched first, on May 21, 2025, and UCP last, on January 11, 2026" loading="lazy" style="width:100%;height:410px;border:0"></iframe>
<p style="font:12px/1.4 Arial,sans-serif;margin:4px 0 0">Source: <a href="https://deploi.ca/shopify/data/agentic-commerce-protocols-compared#chart-agentic-protocol-launches">Deploi, Of the four routes compared, Shopify Catalog launched first, on May 21, 2025, and UCP last, on January 11, 2026</a></p>

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  • Chart: Of the four routes compared, Shopify Catalog launched first, on May 21, 2025, and UCP last, on January 11, 2026 PNG
  • Data: Agentic commerce protocols compared: dates, backers, surfaces, requirements CSV

Questions

When was the Universal Commerce Protocol launched?

Google launched the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) on January 11, 2026, according to its Google Ads & Commerce Blog post of that date. The first published spec version carries the same date, and UCP listed 4 versions on October 18, 2026.

Who created the Agentic Commerce Protocol?

Stripe and OpenAI codeveloped the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), according to Stripe's announcement of September 29, 2025. ACP powers Instant Checkout in ChatGPT, announced for US users, and the project listed 5 spec versions on October 18, 2026.

What is the difference between UCP and ACP?

UCP was published by Google on January 11, 2026 and ACP by Stripe and OpenAI on September 29, 2025. Google's first announced UCP checkout is in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, and ACP's first is Instant Checkout in ChatGPT, both for the US. Both are open standards, and the ACP site says it will list other AI platforms that adopt it.

Do I need to do anything for Shopify Agentic Storefronts?

Shopify states that Agentic Storefronts are enabled automatically for eligible stores, and that agentic storefronts using Shopify Catalog can show your products only when your store is eligible for Shopify Catalog, per its pages read October 18, 2026.

Which agentic commerce route is biggest?

The dataset cannot say. It holds dated announcements, backers, surfaces, requirements and spec version counts as of October 18, 2026, and no order or sales volume for any of the four routes. Its merchant figures are reach, not adoption: Stripe said Instant Checkout was coming to over a million Shopify merchants, and Shopify says opening Catalog to every brand expands a commerce backbone that connects millions of merchants to buyers.

More on Performance and technology

Changes

  1. · Agentic commerce protocols compared: dates, backers, surfaces, requirements
    First release. Launch dates, backers, surfaces and requirements read from the owners' announcements and documentation on October 18, 2026, with spec versions counted by Deploi and the protocolLabel, routeType and status columns for the timeline of protocol launches.
Deploi is not affiliated with Shopify. Questions about this data: contact@deploi.ca.