Is it possible to use external pricing like Stripe instead of Shopify Billing?
Topic summary
Main issue: Whether a public Shopify app can use external billing (e.g., Stripe) instead of Shopify’s Billing.
Key clarification: There was initial confusion between store checkout payments and app billing. Using Stripe instead of Shopify Payments for store checkout may be possible case-by-case with a business-based reason and region-dependent eligibility; no guarantees were offered.
Outcome on app billing: Public apps listed on the Shopify App Store must use the Shopify Billing API for charging merchants. External processors like Stripe cannot be used for app charges. The Billing API supports one-time and recurring billing models. Partners are advised to contact Partner Support if they believe their charges cannot go through the Billing API to discuss next steps or potential workarounds. Developer documentation links were provided for details.
Follow-up topic: Whether an embedded app can present its own UI on the developer’s domain and whether to build an Embedded or Standalone app. No direct technical answer was provided; the participant was directed to Shopify’s developer resources, the Partners & Developers forum, and Partner Support.
Status: The billing method question is resolved; the app architecture/UI question remains open.
1 Like
Hello Sharan,
I hope you are doing well.
I have reviewed your requirement and would like to clarify, do you want to use Stripe billing instead of Shopify Payments or checkout.
If so, we can help you with integrating the Stripe payment method for billing.
Kindly let me know if you’d like to proceed.
Thanks,
John
Thanks for reaching out here.
I understand you have some queries about using Stripe instead of Shopify for billing.
I am not sure I fully understand your question, so would it be possible to provide some more context on what you would like to do? Does this relate to the Settings > Billing section of your admin, or the Settings > Payments section? Can you also confirm the location of your store? Some regions will have different availability, so it would be helpful to know.
Perhaps you are wondering if you can use the Stripe payment gateway on your store instead of Shopify Payments? If so, then it might be possible. However, in order to be considered eligible to use Stripe instead of Shopify Payments, you would need to have a business-based reason as to why Stripe would be a better fit for your business. We cannot offer any guarantees that Stripe would be enabled, as it is reviewed on a case by case basis.
If you want to use Stripe instead of Shopify Payments for your store, then perhaps you could explain the features Stripe has that Shopify Payments doesn’t, and I would be happy to advise on that?
I see that you are a Shopify Partner, so perhaps this is related to apps or other services? Feel free to share some more context and I would be happy to point you in the right direction.
Hi Rick!
Thanks for your quick response.
We are the Shopify Partner developing apps and got listed on Shopify app store.
My question is whether we can use the payment method or billing system for our apps other than Shopify billing?
Hi there @Sharan_oapps
You are very welcome.
I understand what you mean now - so you are a Partner developing apps for the Shopify App Store, and are wondering if you can use Stripe or other payment methods for your app billing.
In order to have a public Shopify app that is listed on the Shopify App Store, it is mandatory to use the Billing API. All apps that are distributed through the Shopify App Store that want to charge merchants have to adhere to this requirement. We have more information on this here on our developer documentation regarding app charges. The Billing API actually lets you create different app-billing models based on one-time app purchases or recurring app purchases.
If for whatever reason you believe that your app charges cannot go through the Billing API, or if you have any other questions or concerns about setting up billing for your app, then you can feel free to reach out to our Partner support team so that we can discuss available next steps or potential workarounds. The easiest way to reach us is by clicking the Support tab in your Partner Dashboard.
Thank you Rick, for your more detailed explanation.
I have one more question regarding app development.
Is it possible to create an embedded app exposing our own user interface, on our own web domain ?
Which type of app suits us?? Either Embedded or Standalone App??
Kindly clarify on this please.
You are very welcome. Thanks for reaching back out with these extra questions regarding app development.
I am not a developer myself, so I am not in a position to be able to support these kinds of technical queries regarding developing apps for Shopify. I would highly suggest consulting with the Shopify app developer resources here, as they contain a wide variety of technical information about developing apps for Shopify.
If you are unable to find the answer to your query there, then I would suggest heading over to the Partners & Developers section of the Shopify Community and creating a new post there outlining your questions. There are a lot of other Partners and developers there that may be able to assist you with this.
Of course you can always feel free to reach out to our Partner support team using the Support tab in your dashboard.