Nacelle vs Shopify (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Nacelle if

• Fits if you run a Shopify store with large Meta ad spend
• Works for brands that want a control-group measurement of the extra sales

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you're not on Shopify, as Delta runs there
• Pricey if results are good, because 20% of proven extra revenue goes on top of $500
• Watch out: the pricing page says there is no lift data yet, and its examples are hypothetical
• Watch out: it isn't the headless platform Nacelle was known for

Pick Shopify if

• Fits if you sell online and at markets or pop-ups and want one stock count for both
• Works for sellers who'll use Shopify Payments and its discounted shipping labels

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you want your own payment provider, as Basic adds 2% to each of those sales
• Not for you if you want a few weeks to try it, since the free trial is 3 days
• Tight if you run a shop counter, as POS Pro is $89 a month per location
• Watch out: syncing more than 50 marketplace orders a month costs 1%, up to $99 a month
• Watch out: the next steps up are Grow at $79 and Advanced at $299, and Plus needs a 1- or 3-year term

Nacelle

• Pricing is a $500 monthly platform fee plus 20% of measured incremental revenue, so the cost grows with results.
• The pricing page says there is no lift data yet; its examples use hypothetical lift chosen by the reader.
• Delta runs on Shopify and is built around Meta ads; the page lists questions about TikTok, Google and non-Shopify stores without answers visible in the page text.
• This is no longer the headless commerce platform Nacelle was known for; the site mentions a few large brands still running on it.

Shopify

• Using a payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a fee of 2% per sale on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus.
• The free trial lasts 3 days; Basic, Grow and Advanced then cost $1 a month for 3 months before the regular price.
• POS Pro for physical shops costs $89 a month per location, and syncing more than 50 marketplace orders a month costs 1%, up to $99 a month.
• Plus is sold only on a 1- or 3-year term, starting at $2,300 a month on the 3-year term.

Nacelle

Ad-matched storefront

Delta reads the Meta ad a shopper came from and reshapes the homepage, collection and product pages and recommendations around that ad's message.

Paige shopping assistant

An AI shopping assistant trained on the store's catalog answers questions about products, shipping and returns, and knows which ad brought the shopper.

Control-group measurement

A control group on the same store measures what Delta added. The performance fee is billed on the lower bound of that measured range.

One-click install

Delta installs as a Shopify app with no theme edits, works with the existing theme, and can be set back to zero exposure.

Read-only Meta access

Delta reads campaigns, creative and Meta's performance data per asset; the site says it never edits a campaign, budget or creative.

Shopify

Store builder and themes

Build the storefront from a theme (Shopify lists more than 200) or from a written prompt, with hosting, SSL and a custom domain on every plan and no cap on products.

Checkout and Shopify Payments

Shopify's own checkout and payment processing are built in, with fraud analysis, local currencies and local payment methods where Shopify Payments is offered.

Inventory, orders and shipping

Track stock across up to 10 locations (200 on Plus), buy and print discounted shipping labels, with live third-party carrier rates included from Advanced up.

Selling in person and on other channels

Sell at pop-ups from the mobile app or a card reader, and sync products to marketplaces and social channels. A separate $0 Agentic plan lists products in AI chats.

Marketing email and automations

Email campaigns, customer segments, abandoned checkout recovery, discount codes and gift cards come with every plan; SMS campaigns are paid per send.

Sidekick AI assistant and apps

Sidekick answers questions and takes actions in the admin, and the Shopify App Store lists more than 13,000 apps for features the core plans lack.

Nacelle

• Delta$500

  per month, plus 20% of proven incremental revenue

  Flat platform fee that is not tiered by traffic or revenue; billing starts only after the first lift report. Month to month.

Shopify

• Basic$29

  per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly)

  For solo sellers: online and in-person sales, card rates from 2.9% + 30¢ online, and a 2% fee on sales taken through another payment provider.

• Grow$79

  per month, billed yearly ($105 billed monthly)

  Up to 5 staff accounts, card rates from 2.7% + 30¢ online and a 1% fee on sales through other payment providers.

• Advanced$299

  per month, billed yearly ($399 billed monthly)

  Up to 15 staff accounts, live third-party shipping rates, card rates from 2.5% + 30¢ and a 0.6% fee with other payment providers.

• Plus$2,300

  per month and up, billed yearly on a 3-year term

  On a 1- or 3-year term: unlimited staff, a fully customizable checkout, card rates from 2.25% + 30¢ and a 0.2% fee with other providers.

Nacelle

No public discounts listed.

Shopify

• Annual discount

  Pay yearly to save about 25%

  Basic costs $29 a month billed yearly against $39 billed monthly, Grow $79 against $105, and Advanced $299 against $399.

• Other savings

  $1 a month for the first 3 months

  After the 3-day free trial, the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans cost $1 a month for the first 3 months, then the regular price.