How It Works Compatible Features Pricing Contact
Guides Custom checkout fields PO numbers at checkout VAT numbers ABN at checkout Net terms & pay on account Capricorn members Repco trade accounts Burson trade accounts Checkout Blocks alternative Shopify native B2B alternative Security & data access
Install on Shopify
Native B2B vs Trade Account

Native B2B is a whole system.
Sometimes you just need the field.

Shopify's native B2B builds companies, catalogs, and price lists for a full wholesale operation. If your trade customers buy at the same prices and just need to quote an account or PO number, Trade Account Checkout captures it at your existing checkout — no company accounts to set up.

Install on Shopify

Requires Shopify Plus · Free plan available

Quick answer

Shopify native B2B vs Trade Account Checkout

Shopify's native B2B is a full wholesale system — company accounts, customer-specific catalogs, price lists, and net payment terms. Trade Account Checkout is a single checkout field: trade customers opt in and enter their account or PO number, which is validated with your rules and pinned to the order as a metafield. Use native B2B when you need differential pricing, gated catalogs, or self-serve buyer portals. Use Trade Account Checkout when your trade customers pay the same prices and you only need to capture their reference at checkout — no company setup, live in minutes. It's a field-capture extension, not a payment method, and the two can run side by side. Requires Shopify Plus.

Two Different Tools

A wholesale platform, or one captured field

Both let trade buyers attach a reference to an order. They get there in very different ways — and the gap between them is mostly setup, onboarding, and ongoing upkeep.

Shopify Native B2B

A full wholesale system

Built around company accounts. Every trade customer is set up as a company with contacts, an assigned catalog, and terms — a parallel buying experience to your retail store.

  • Company profiles, locations & multiple buyers
  • Customer-specific catalogs & price lists
  • Native net payment terms (Net 15–90)
  • Volume pricing & quantity rules
  • PO number captured in the B2B checkout, for signed-in company contacts
Trade Account Checkout

One field at your checkout

Adds an opt-in trade section to your standard checkout. Any buyer can enter their account or PO number — no company to create, no catalog to assign, no separate login.

  • One opt-in field on your existing checkout
  • Same storefront pricing for everyone
  • Regex validation — your label, format & error message
  • Captured for any buyer, no company account needed
  • Pinned to the order as a metafield & auto-tagged
Side By Side

Native B2B vs Trade Account Checkout

The honest comparison — including where they overlap.

  Shopify Native B2B Trade Account Checkout
What it is A wholesale system built on company accounts A single checkout-field extension
Customer onboarding Each trade customer set up as a company with contacts & catalog None — any buyer ticks the box at checkout
Pricing Customer-specific catalogs & price lists Same storefront pricing for everyone
How the buyer checks out As a signed-in company contact in the B2B checkout Standard storefront checkout, no login required
PO / account number Built-in PO field in the B2B checkout Any reference, regex-validated, your label & rules
Where the value lands On the B2B order Pinned order metafield, readable via the API; order auto-tagged
Net terms / on account Native payment terms assigned per company Via a Shopify manual payment method (workflow)
Plan requirement Foundational B2B on Basic, Grow, Advanced & Plus; unlimited catalogs, deposits & partial payments are Plus-only Shopify Plus (checkout UI extensions)
Setup effort Weeks of configuration — companies, catalogs, pricing Under five minutes, no theme code
Best for Differential pricing, gated catalogs, buyer portals, multi-buyer accounts Same-price trade customers who just quote a PO or account number

Shopify opened foundational native B2B to Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans in 2026. Checkout UI extensions remain a Shopify Plus capability — so Trade Account Checkout requires Plus.

Which One You Need

Pick by what your trade customers actually need

If the answer is "special pricing and a buyer portal," that's native B2B. If it's "let me put it on my account," that's a field.

Use native B2B when…

  • Trade customers get different prices than retail
  • You run custom or gated B2B-only catalogs
  • You need volume pricing and quantity rules
  • Companies have multiple buyers under one account
  • You want a self-serve buyer portal and native payment terms
It's a wholesale platform — and a good one when you need the whole thing.

Use Trade Account Checkout when…

  • Trade customers buy at your normal prices
  • You just need their account, PO, or member number on the order
  • You don't want to onboard every customer as a company
  • You want the reference validated and pinned to the order
  • You want it live today, with no theme code
It's one field — capturing the reference is the whole job.
At Checkout

No company account. Just a field.

Your customer ticks the option, enters their reference, and completes checkout through your existing payment setup. The number travels with the order.

In your standard checkout — alongside contact details
Your Store
Contact information
Contact buyer@company.com
I'm ordering on a business / trade account
Account number
TRADE-12345
PO number
PO-77821
Powered by TradeAccount

No buyer is asked to log in to a company portal. Any customer can opt in, and the field is validated against your format before the order is placed.

They're Not Mutually Exclusive

You can run both

This isn't a case of native B2B or a checkout field. Plenty of merchants run both: native B2B for the contracted wholesale accounts that genuinely need their own pricing and catalogs, and Trade Account Checkout to capture references from the long tail of trade and PO customers who order through the standard storefront without a company account.

That long tail is where the native system gets expensive. Setting up a B2B customer means a company profile, a location, a catalog assignment, and terms — worth it for a key account, heavy for a one-off contractor who just wants to quote a purchase order number. The field handles those without adding a single company record. The reference is validated, pinned to the order as a metafield your team and your API can read, and the order is tagged so your back office can filter trade orders in one click.

And to be clear about what the app is and isn't: Trade Account Checkout is a field-capture extension, not a payment method or gateway. It doesn't change how customers pay, and it doesn't manage payment terms. For on-account ordering without the full B2B system, pair it with a Shopify manual payment method — the order completes as Payment pending with the validated account number attached, and you invoice through your existing process. The manual payment method handles the no-card checkout; the app handles the captured, validated reference. One honest caveat for your accounts team: orders placed that way show as Payment pending, not Paid, until you settle the invoice and mark them paid — exactly as net-terms orders should.

In Shopify Admin

Every trade order, tagged and tracked

No separate B2B order view to learn. The reference is pinned to the order as a metafield and the order is auto-tagged — filterable, exportable, and ready for Shopify Flow.

Order #1054 Payment pending
tag:trade-account
Tags — auto-applied at checkout
trade-account
Metafields — pinned, visible to your team
Trade account number
TRADE-12345
PO number
PO-77821
FAQ

Native B2B vs Trade Account — common questions

What merchants ask when deciding between the full system and a single field.

Is Trade Account Checkout a replacement for Shopify's native B2B?

Not exactly — they solve different problems. Native B2B is a full wholesale system: company accounts, customer-specific catalogs, price lists, and payment terms. Trade Account Checkout is a single checkout field that captures a trade account or PO number on any order. If you need differential pricing or gated catalogs, native B2B is built for that. If your trade customers buy at the same prices and you only need to capture their reference at checkout, the field is all you need — and it sets up in minutes.

Can Shopify native B2B capture PO numbers at checkout?

Yes. Shopify's B2B checkout includes a purchase order number field for buyers signed in as a company contact. The difference is what it takes to get there: native B2B PO capture only works once you've built the company-accounts apparatus. Trade Account Checkout captures a validated PO or account number for any buyer at your standard checkout, with no company setup.

Do I need to set up Shopify company accounts to use Trade Account Checkout?

No. Trade Account Checkout adds a field to your existing checkout. There are no company profiles to create, no catalogs to assign, and no separate B2B login for customers. A buyer opts in, enters their reference, and checks out exactly as they normally would.

When should I use Shopify native B2B instead?

Use native B2B when you genuinely need a parallel wholesale operation: customer-specific pricing, custom or gated catalogs, volume and quantity rules, native net payment terms, multiple buyers under one company, or a self-serve buyer portal. Those are things a single checkout field does not do. If you need them, native B2B is the right foundation.

Can I run Trade Account Checkout alongside native B2B?

Yes. They are not mutually exclusive. Some merchants run native B2B for their contracted wholesale accounts and use Trade Account Checkout to capture references from trade or PO customers who order through the standard storefront without a company account.

Does Trade Account Checkout require Shopify Plus?

Yes. Checkout UI extensions that add fields inside the checkout are a Shopify Plus capability, so the app requires a Plus plan. Since 2026, Shopify's foundational native B2B features are available on Basic, Grow, and Advanced too — so if you're not on Plus, native B2B is your path; if you're on Plus and don't need the full wholesale system, the app captures the field without it.

Is Trade Account Checkout a payment method?

No. It's a field-capture checkout extension, not a payment method or gateway. It does not capture, process, or charge payments. Customers complete checkout through your existing payment setup, and the app saves their account or PO reference to the order. Paired with a Shopify manual payment method, it supports a pay-on-account workflow where orders arrive as Payment pending.

How is capturing a field different from setting up B2B payment terms?

Native payment terms are part of the B2B company-accounts system — terms are assigned per company. Trade Account Checkout doesn't manage terms; it captures the reference you invoice against. For on-account ordering without the full B2B system, pair the app with a Shopify manual payment method: the order completes as Payment pending with the validated account number pinned to it, and you invoice through your existing process.

Don't build a B2B platform
to capture one number

If your trade customers just need to put it on their account, install Trade Account Checkout and capture validated account and PO numbers from the very next order. No company accounts, no theme code, no payment changes.

Install on Shopify