Ecommerce Benchmarks
Afterpay vs Klarna vs Affirm: BNPL Adoption Across Shopify Plus (Real 2026 Data)
Across 74,777 Shopify Plus stores, Klarna leads BNPL adoption at 19%, Afterpay follows at 13.8%, and Affirm sits at 1.9% (it skews to higher-ticket furniture and electronics off Shopify). BNPL costs merchants 4 to 6% of transaction value versus 2.9% on cards, offset by 10 to 40% larger orders. Most brands run only one provider.
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) adoption across 74,777 Shopify Plus stores. Real data from Storeleads, pulled May 2026.
The numbers
| Provider | Stores using | Plus adoption |
|---|---|---|
| Klarna | 14,178 | 19.0% |
| Afterpay | 10,288 | 13.8% |
| Affirm | 1,413 | 1.9% |
What the gaps mean
Klarna leads on Plus. Stronger European footprint, aggressive merchant acquisition, and the on-site messaging app that many Plus brands install. Fashion Nova is a notable Klarna user. Most Plus apparel + beauty brands run Klarna.
Afterpay is strong but trails. 14% adoption with a US-heavy footprint. Younger demographic skew. Common in fashion, beauty, lower-AOV categories.
Affirm's 1.9 percent is lower than its real footprint suggests because Affirm specializes in higher-AOV furniture, electronics, and luxury. Categories where the brand is often on its own commerce stack (BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud) rather than Shopify Plus. Casper is a notable Affirm user.
The CFO economics
BNPL costs 4 to 6 percent of transaction value, higher than 2.9 percent card processing. Two offsets:
- AOV uplift: 10-40% larger orders when customer pays via BNPL
- Conversion lift: 2-5 percentage points at checkout
Net economics are usually positive at the per-order level. But the uplift is only real if measured against control. A/B test BNPL availability rather than assuming the uplift transfers from competitor data.
Most brands run only one
Adding a second BNPL provider adds 1-2 logos to checkout messaging without 2x-ing conversion. One provider covers 90%+ of BNPL-interested customers. The exception: higher-AOV categories where Affirm's longer-term financing reaches a different customer segment than Afterpay/Klarna's 4-pay over 6 weeks.
Methodology
Pulled May 2026 from Storeleads. Adoption equals the number of Plus stores where the BNPL provider is detected. Denominator equals 74,777 total Plus stores. Some brands run two providers (Klarna plus Afterpay is the most common pairing), so adoption percent sums above 100 percent across multiple providers.
Frequently Asked Questions
which bnpl provider actually dominates on shopify plus?
Klarna at 19 percent, Afterpay 14 percent, Affirm 1.9 percent.
what does bnpl actually cost merchants?
4 to 6 percent of transaction value. Offset by AOV plus conversion uplift.
should i run multiple bnpl providers at the same time?
Usually no. Exception: higher-AOV categories where Affirm reaches a different segment than Klarna or Afterpay.
Related
- Top 10 most-adopted apps on Plus
- Klaviyo vs Attentive vs Mailchimp
- What is CM1?
- Contribution margin calculator
Want a CFO to model BNPL on your contribution margin? Talk to a CFO.