Three ways to fix a Shopify Plus performance problem. Here's what each one costs.
Most Shopify Plus stores end up slower than they should be. The fix usually means choosing between an agency, an internal hire, or a specialist. This page breaks down what that decision actually costs.
THE COST COMPARISON
Fully loaded (salary + benefits + payroll taxes + equipment)
A senior Shopify developer costs $110,000–$145,000 in base salary. Add benefits and overhead and you're at $12,000–$18,000 per month before they've identified a single issue. Typical ramp time: 3–6 months.
Ranges from Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, and Salary.com (2025–2026)
Shopify Plus agency retainer, mid-to-enterprise tier
Most Shopify Plus agency retainers run $5,000–$20,000 per month for ongoing work. Performance optimization is typically one item inside a broader retainer that covers design, development, and project management. You're paying for a team even when the problem needs one person.
Ranges from published pricing at Presta, Capaxe Labs, Netalico (2025–2026)
Diagnostic Audit — fixed scope, fixed price, one time
I go into a single store, map every dependency, identify what's dragging performance, and deliver a prioritized findings report. Fixed scope. Fixed price. Delivered in 5–7 business days. No retainer required to start.
Here's what each engagement looks like.
Diagnostic Audit
$500–$1,500
Fixed scope · Fixed price · One time
I map every script tag, app dependency, ghost code fragment, and render-blocking resource in your store. You receive a prioritized findings report — what's there, what it's costing, and what to remove first.
Delivered in 5–7 business days. One revision included.
Architectural Overhaul
$5,000–$15,000+
Requires completed Diagnostic Audit
The implementation side of the audit findings. App dependencies removed, functionality rebuilt using native Shopify — Liquid, Metaobjects, Functions. Performance measured before and after. Every change documented.
Scope and timeline confirmed from audit findings before work begins.
Performance Retainer
$1,000+/month
Rate confirmed after baseline audit
A monthly review of what's accumulated, what's drifted, and what needs to come out before it compounds. Same measurement standards as the initial audit, so there's always a documented baseline to compare against.
Monthly report. Priority queue for interventions.
Ghost scripts from 5 uninstalled apps removed. 194 HTTP requests eliminated. Fully loaded time: 37.3s → 1.5s. GTmetrix verified, April–June 2020.
Consumer Electronics Retailer — DTC accessories, Shopify Plus
Start with the audit.
You don't need to commit to an overhaul to find out what's wrong. The Diagnostic Audit is a fixed-price engagement that tells you exactly what's dragging your store's performance and what to prioritize first. If the findings call for more work, I scope that separately.
Book a Diagnostic Audit →