Basis Ventures · Guides for Shopify B2B merchants

Choosing a Shopify accounts receivable app: what to look for

Q: Should an A/R app be able to change my orders?

It depends what you want. An app that writes back can mark an order paid inside Shopify, which needs write access to your orders. A read-only app cannot change anything, which is lower risk to install but means you reconcile payments yourself. Neither is wrong; choose by how much you trust a new app with write access.

Q: Do I need Shopify Plus for a B2B accounts receivable app?

No. Shopify opened B2B companies and payment terms to the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans in April 2026 (not Starter or Retail), so most A/R apps work on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. Check each app's plan requirements to be sure.

A short, honest checklist — including where different types fit better than others.

Shopify has no built-in accounts-receivable aging report, so a handful of B2B A/R apps have grown up to fill the gap. They look similar on the surface and differ in ways that actually matter once you install one. This is a practical checklist for choosing, written by someone who builds one of them — so take the disclosure at face value and judge the criteria on their own merit.

1. Does it show a real aging report?

The core job is turning "these orders are unpaid" into "this customer owes this much, this overdue." Look for buckets — current, 1-30, 31-60, 61-90, 90+ days — grouped per customer, worst first. A flat list of pending orders is not an aging report. Most apps in the category do this now, so treat it as the price of entry, not a differentiator.

2. Read-only, or does it write back to your orders?

This is the biggest real difference, and it is a genuine trade-off:

Write-back apps can mark an order paid inside Shopify, allocate one payment across several invoices, and keep a ledger. That needs write access to your orders and a stored database. If you want your Shopify orders themselves updated, this is the type to pick.
Read-only apps cannot change an order, a price or a customer. Lower risk to hand a brand-new app, and nothing it does can break a live store — but you reconcile payments yourself. If you are wary of giving an unknown app write access to your payment data, this is the type to pick.

Neither is "better"; they serve different comfort levels. Decide this one first, because it rules half the field in or out.

3. Does it work without B2B Companies?

Some merchants invoice wholesale customers from draft orders without ever setting them up as B2B Companies. Many A/R apps only read Company orders, so those draft-order invoices are invisible to them. If that is how you invoice, check that the app ages unpaid draft-order invoices too — otherwise your oldest debts may never appear.

4. What does the free tier actually show?

"Free plan" can mean very different things — a teaser with the numbers blurred, or the full report for a small number of customers. Before you compare paid prices, check whether the free tier shows the complete aging report so you can judge the app on your own data first.

5. Reminders: drafted, or auto-sent?

Some apps send dunning emails automatically; others draft the reminder and let you send it from your own mailbox. Auto-send saves time but can fire a firm notice at a good customer who paid you by bank transfer off-Shopify. A drafted reminder you approve is slower but safer for the relationship. Pick based on how much you trust automation with your wholesale accounts.

6. Can you try it before installing?

A no-install demo on sample data tells you in ten seconds whether the report is shaped the way you think, without granting any access. If an app offers one, use it — it is the cheapest way to rule an app in or out.

Disclosure — I build one of these apps. It is called Basis Receivables, and to be straight about where it sits against the checklist above:

Read-only, no database — it cannot change an order, a price or a customer, and it stores no order or customer record. If you specifically want an app that marks orders paid inside Shopify, a write-back app fits that better than this one — that is an honest trade-off, not a flaw to hide.
Works without B2B Companies — it ages unpaid orders raised from draft orders too, so non-Company wholesale customers are covered.
Free tier shows the full aging report (up to five companies and five unpaid invoices outside Companies). On the paid plans it also drafts reminders for you to send, rather than auto-sending.
No-install demo on sample data, so you can see the shape before granting anything.

See the demo on sample data — no install

Or find it on the Shopify App Store: Basis Receivables.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an accounts receivable app for Shopify?

Yes, several. Shopify has no built-in A/R aging report, so a category of B2B A/R apps fills the gap. They differ mostly in read-only vs write-back, whether they need B2B Companies, and what the free tier shows.

Should an A/R app be able to change my orders?

It depends. Write-back apps can mark an order paid in Shopify but need write access; read-only apps cannot change anything, which is lower risk but means you reconcile yourself. Choose by how much you trust a new app with write access.

Do I need Shopify Plus?

No. B2B companies and payment terms opened to the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans in April 2026 (not Starter or Retail), so most A/R apps work on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. Check each app's requirements to be sure.