Shopify Billing API: to use it or not to use it?

Shopify App Store
1

Hi everyone,

We’re building a standalone SaaS product (not originally a Shopify app).

The product:

  • Already exists independently of Shopify.

  • Has its own pricing plans and customers, billed directly through our platform (outside of Shopify).

  • Can be used even if a merchant never installs a Shopify app.

We have now built a Shopify integration as an additional acquisition channel. The integration:

  • Is not embedded in the Shopify admin.

  • Uses OAuth to connect a merchant’s Shopify store to our existing web app.

  • Is used to pull and push products between the merchant’s Shopify store and our SaaS (sync product data both ways).

  • Does not introduce separate “Shopify-only” pricing plans; it just connects an existing (or newly created) account in our SaaS to Shopify.

Our goal is to list this app on the Shopify App Store as a way to acquire new merchants, but keep all billing inside our own SaaS, rather than through Shopify’s Billing API.

So our questions are:

  1. In this setup, where the product is clearly a standalone SaaS and the Shopify app is just an integration/connector using OAuth, are we required to use the Shopify Billing API to charge merchants?

  2. Is it acceptable for:

    • The Shopify app to be free on the App Store, and

    • Merchants to manage and pay for their subscription entirely on our own platform, outside of Shopify billing, as long as this is clearly disclosed in the app listing and onboarding?

  3. Are there any specific guidelines or examples from Shopify for apps that act as connectors to existing SaaS products with external billing only, especially when the UI is entirely outside Shopify (no embedded app)?

We want to make sure our billing model is compliant with Shopify’s app and billing policies before submitting the app for review.

Thanks in advance for any guidance or official clarification!

2

You must use the Shopify Billing API to redirect merchants to confirm their selected plan. Otherwise, your app will not be approved.

3

Hi Eric, thanks for the quick response. I’m trying to wrap my head around this because our situation feels like a bit of a “gray area” described in some of the Shopify documentation regarding Multi-platform SaaS.

To make sure I’m not missing anything, could you clarify a few points?

1. The “Multi-platform” Exception

According to the Shopify Partner Program Agreement, there is often a distinction for apps that are “extensions” of an existing standalone service. Specifically:

  • If a merchant can sign up and pay on our website without ever touching Shopify, and then later chooses to “connect” their store, does Shopify still mandate that we move that billing over to their API?

  • We’ve seen other major SaaS platforms (like certain CRMs or ERPs) list connectors that don’t use Shopify Billing. Is there a specific threshold or “standalone” criteria we need to meet to qualify for that?

2. The “Free to Install” Logic

If we list the app on the App Store as “Free to install” (since the connector itself has no cost) but disclose that a “Paid subscription to our external platform is required,” does that still trigger a rejection?

The goal: We aren’t trying to bypass Shopify’s fees for Shopify-specific services; we are simply trying to maintain a single, unified billing system for a product that exists 90% outside of the Shopify ecosystem.

3. Practical Implementation

If you’re saying the Billing API is mandatory regardless of the standalone nature:

  • Does this mean we have to offer a “Shopify-only” plan via their API?

  • How would that work for a user who already pays us $100/month on our website and then installs the app? Would they be forced to pay twice or migrate their entire billing history to Shopify?

I’d love to understand if there is any path forward that allows us to keep our centralized billing while still providing a seamless integration for Shopify merchants. Thanks!

4

HI， there
For this part, you need to redesign a complete logic system instead of reusing your previous logic.This is a mandatory requirement for Shopify review: all payments must go through Shopify’s official billing system

If your original platform includes independent payment processes outside Shopify, you must redesign them from a business perspective.Even if your app is free to install, any payment completed on your own platform will result in rejection by the Shopify reviewer