The Shopify apps we recommend
We add as few apps to a store as we can. These are the ones we recommend and work with: what each one does, why we like it and who it suits. We may receive commissions from some of the apps listed here.
How we choose an app
We ask five questions, in this order, before we add anything to a store.
Last reviewed November 2026.
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Can Shopify already do it?
Shopify's own tools cover more every year. If one does the job, there's no other vendor to pay, and usually less for shoppers to load.
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Could a little theme code or a small custom app do it?
An app that only changes some CSS or moves a few elements can often be a few lines in the theme. If the job is simple but needs more than that, we can build a small custom app that does only what the store needs.
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What does it cost in speed?
We check what an app loads and on which pages. One that loads scripts on every page slows down pages that never use it.
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Does it work with a keyboard and a screen reader?
We test what shoppers touch, including an app's widgets, with both. Where an app falls short, we tell you, and we look for a better option.
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Can it be removed cleanly?
Some apps leave code in the theme after they're uninstalled. We check what an app adds before it goes in, so we know what has to come out later.
Shopify's own tools
Start here. These come from Shopify with no app fee, so check them before paying for an app that does the same job.
Automation
Shopify Flow
Shopify Flow automates store tasks when something happens or on a schedule.
Why we like it: It has no app fee and needs no code, and it handles jobs like posting daily sales to Slack or flagging product changes.
Best for: Alerts, tagging and other repeat back-office jobs.
Skip it if: The job is a one-time bulk edit. Matrixify is the better tool.
Filters and search
Search & Discovery
Search & Discovery is Shopify's free app for storefront filters, search results and product recommendations.
Why we like it: It's the simplest way to give shoppers good filters, and it adds no outside search service to the store.
Best for: Catalogs that filter well by tags, options and metafields.
Skip it if: A very large catalog needs search tuned beyond what Shopify offers. See Boost.
Checkout content
Checkout Blocks
Checkout Blocks is Shopify's free app for adding banners, text and images to the checkout, Thank you and Order status pages.
Why we like it: A marketing team can change a message without a developer.
Best for: Shipping notes and other simple checkout messages, with more options on Plus.
Skip it if: Checkout needs custom logic, which takes a checkout extension or function.
Pay later
Shop Pay Installments
Shop Pay Installments lets shoppers split a purchase into payments at checkout.
Why we like it: It's built into Shop Pay, so there's no separate app to install or keep up.
Best for: Stores in the U.S., Canada or the U.K. that use Shopify Payments and Shop Pay.
Skip it if: You don't use Shopify Payments, which it requires. See Affirm.
Email and SMS
Klaviyo is the one we see most, for segments and automated flows across email and SMS. Attentive suits brands that lead with text messaging, and Shopify Messaging suits simpler campaigns.
Email and SMS automation
Klaviyo
Klaviyo sends email and SMS based on what shoppers do and buy.
Why we like it: Its segments and automated flows go deep, and it's the marketing app we see on the most stores.
Best for: Brands with enough customers to segment, and flows worth building, such as welcome and abandoned checkout.
Skip it if: You send a simple newsletter to a small list. Shopify Messaging covers that.
SMS and email marketing
Attentive
Attentive runs personalized SMS and email marketing, with two-tap sign-ups and audiences that update as shoppers act.
Why we like it: Many merchants rely on it for text messaging, and its sign-up tools are built to grow a list quickly.
Best for: Brands that put text messaging at the center of their marketing.
Skip it if: Your email and SMS already run well together in Klaviyo.
Email and SMS, built in
Shopify Messaging
Shopify Messaging, formerly Shopify Email, sends email, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns from the Shopify admin.
Why we like it: It's free to install and easy to learn, so a small team can start sending without another vendor.
Best for: Smaller stores with simple campaigns and a small team.
Skip it if: You need detailed segments or long automated flows. Look at Klaviyo.
Reviews and social proof
We recommend Yotpo and Okendo for most stores. Judge.me is a good start for a new store, Bazaarvoice suits larger brands that syndicate reviews to retailers such as Target and Walmart, and Loox is a strong fit when customer photos help sell the product.
Product reviews
Yotpo Product Reviews
Yotpo Product Reviews collects and shows customer reviews with photos and videos.
Why we like it: It's one of the two reviews apps we recommend most, and it pairs with Yotpo's loyalty app, so one vendor can handle both.
Best for: Growing stores that want reviews and loyalty from the same company.
Skip it if: You're a starter store collecting your first reviews. Start with Judge.me.
Reviews and loyalty
Okendo
Okendo runs reviews, loyalty, referrals, quizzes and surveys from one platform.
Why we like it: It's a great reviews app and one of the two we recommend most, with room to add the other programs when a brand is ready.
Best for: Brands that want reviews plus loyalty, quizzes and surveys on one platform.
Skip it if: You're just starting to collect reviews. Judge.me is simpler to begin with.
Product reviews
Judge.me
Judge.me collects product reviews through automatic requests and shows stars and reviews on the storefront.
Why we like it: It's simple to run, so a starter store can begin collecting reviews quickly.
Best for: Starter stores collecting their first reviews.
Skip it if: You want reviews and loyalty from one vendor. See Yotpo or Okendo.
Reviews for retail brands
Bazaarvoice
Bazaarvoice handles ratings, reviews and Q&A, and its Vibe product, formerly Curalate, adds shoppable social content.
Why we like it: Its syndication puts a brand's reviews on retailer sites too, which is why we recommend it for larger brands.
Best for: Larger brands, especially those syndicating reviews to retailers such as Target and Walmart.
Skip it if: You only sell on your own site. Yotpo or Okendo fit better.
Photo and video reviews
Loox
Loox collects photo and video reviews and shows them in carousels and galleries.
Why we like it: Shoppers see real customers with the product, which suits visual products especially well.
Best for: Brands whose customers like to share photos of what they buy.
Skip it if: Customers are unlikely to post photos of what they buy.
Subscriptions, loyalty and referrals
Recharge and Skio both run subscriptions, and they're one company. For loyalty we'd usually pick Yotpo, and for affiliate programs, Awin.
Subscriptions
Recharge
Recharge runs subscriptions on Shopify, and it also owns Skio.
Why we like it: It's the name many merchants already know, and it has a long track record on Shopify.
Best for: Products people reorder on a schedule, such as supplements.
Skip it if: Customers rarely rebuy the same thing. A subscription option won't change that.
Subscriptions
Skio
Skio runs subscriptions on Shopify, and it's a Recharge company.
Why we like it: Its hosted portal lets customers swap, skip or cancel on their own, which takes work off a support team.
Best for: Brands moving from another subscription app.
Skip it if: Recharge already works for you. Moving subscribers is real work, and it's the same company.
Loyalty program
Smile.io
Smile.io runs a loyalty program with points, VIP tiers and referrals.
Why we like it: It's one of the best-known loyalty apps on Shopify, and it covers the programs most stores want.
Best for: Stores that want a dedicated loyalty program with points and VIP tiers.
Skip it if: You want reviews and loyalty from one vendor. Look at Yotpo or Okendo.
Loyalty program
Yotpo Loyalty & Rewards
Yotpo Loyalty & Rewards, formerly Swell, runs points, rewards and referrals.
Why we like it: It's a great loyalty app and the one we'd usually pick, and it runs next to Yotpo's reviews app.
Best for: Stores adding a loyalty program, especially those already on Yotpo Product Reviews.
Skip it if: You use Okendo for reviews, since it has its own loyalty program.
Affiliate network
Awin
Awin is an affiliate network: publishers promote your products, and you pay them on the sales they bring in.
Why we like it: It's the best affiliate program we know of, with a large network of publishers.
Best for: Brands ready to manage a publisher program.
Skip it if: You want customers or creators doing the promoting. Friendbuy or Social Snowball fit better.
Selling more and testing
These raise order value, open a new channel or test what to change next. For A/B testing, we recommend Intelligems. Each one is something else to manage, so add them one at a time.
Upsells and smart cart
Rebuy
Rebuy adds upsells, cross-sells, gift-with-purchase offers and a smart cart to a store.
Why we like it: Cart offers and spend thresholds can be set up and changed there, with no custom cart code.
Best for: Stores running regular cart offers and spend thresholds.
Skip it if: A simple row of recommendations is enough. Search & Discovery does that at no cost.
Post-purchase upsells
Aftersell
Aftersell shows one-click upsell offers in checkout and after it.
Why we like it: An offer made after payment doesn't get between a shopper and the first sale.
Best for: Brands with an obvious add-on or a subscription to offer after the first purchase.
Skip it if: You have nothing a shopper would add to an order they just paid for.
Verified discounts
GovX ID
GovX ID verifies military members, first responders, nurses and teachers, then gives them the store's discount.
Why we like it: The store never has to check anyone's status itself.
Best for: Brands that offer those customers a discount.
Skip it if: The discount is open to everyone, since verification only adds a step.
Search and filters
Boost AI Search & Filter
Boost AI Search & Filter adds search, filters and product discovery for larger catalogs.
Why we like it: It gives a large catalog more search tuning than Shopify's own tools, including the filters on collection pages.
Best for: Large catalogs that outgrow Search & Discovery.
Skip it if: Search & Discovery's filters cover your catalog. Start there.
Wholesale marketplace
Faire
Faire is a wholesale marketplace where independent retailers find and order from brands.
Why we like it: It brings retailers to a brand and handles the ordering, so there's no wholesale site to run.
Best for: Brands that want independent retailers without managing wholesale pricing themselves.
Skip it if: Your wholesale accounts have negotiated terms. Shopify's B2B features fit better.
Wishlists
Swish
Swish, formerly Wishlist King, adds wishlists, save from cart, and back-in-stock and price alerts to a store.
Why we like it: Shoppers can save items at any point in their visit, and the alerts bring them back when something changes.
Best for: Stores where shoppers compare products or come back before they buy.
Skip it if: Most orders are quick repeat purchases, where a wishlist won't get much use.
A/B testing
Intelligems
Intelligems runs A/B tests on prices, content, shipping, checkout and post-purchase offers.
Why we like it: It's the A/B testing app we recommend, because it reports revenue and profit on each test, so you can see what earns more.
Best for: Brands testing prices, shipping and offers as well as page content.
Skip it if: Traffic is low. A test needs enough orders to reach a clear result.
A/B testing
Convert
Convert runs A/B tests and personalization on a Shopify store.
Why we like it: It's a full testing platform, and its Shopify app makes it quick to connect.
Best for: Optimization teams running a regular testing program.
Skip it if: You're testing prices, shipping or offers. Intelligems is built for that.
Support, returns and shipping
Choose a help desk by what your support team already uses, then add returns and shipping tools when the volume justifies them.
Help desk
Gorgias
Gorgias is a help desk for ecommerce: email, chat and social messages land in one place.
Why we like it: Agents see the customer's Shopify orders next to each message, which makes order questions quicker to answer.
Best for: Support teams that mostly answer order questions.
Skip it if: Your company already runs support in Zendesk, or a few chats a day fit in Shopify Inbox.
Customer service platform
Zendesk
Zendesk is a customer service platform with a Shopify app and storefront chat.
Why we like it: Order details show inside tickets, so a company's support team can stay in one system.
Best for: Companies whose support covers more than the Shopify store.
Skip it if: Your team works only in Shopify and wants a tool built for that. See Gorgias.
Returns and exchanges
Loop Returns
Loop Returns lets customers start returns and exchanges themselves, and manages the steps behind them.
Why we like it: It takes routine returns work off a support team and keeps the process clear for customers.
Best for: Brands with enough returns that staff time adds up, or with sizes and colors to exchange.
Skip it if: Returns are rare. Shopify's built-in self-serve returns may be enough.
Shipping and labels
ShipStation
ShipStation prints labels and manages shipping across carriers and sales channels.
Why we like it: Orders from every channel land in one place, so a shipping team works from one queue.
Best for: Teams shipping their own orders from more than one channel.
Skip it if: A 3PL ships for you, or Shopify's own labels cover your carriers.
Payments and fraud
Add these when a store has a clear reason: higher prices, products that qualify for HSA or FSA spending, or real chargeback losses.
Pay over time
Affirm
Affirm offers pay-over-time financing for Shopify stores.
Why we like it: Its app shows an estimated monthly payment on product pages, which helps with higher-priced items.
Best for: Higher-priced products on a store that doesn't use Shopify Payments.
Skip it if: Shop Pay Installments is open to you. It needs no separate app.
HSA and FSA payments
Sika Health
Sika Health lets shoppers pay with HSA and FSA funds.
Why we like it: It can show on product pages which products qualify, so shoppers know before they reach checkout.
Best for: Health and wellness products that qualify for HSA or FSA spending.
Skip it if: Your products don't qualify.
Fraud protection
ClearSale
ClearSale reviews orders for fraud and can back the ones it approves with a financial guarantee.
Why we like it: It verifies every order, and it's something we offer through a partnership, so we can set it up for your store.
Best for: Stores with high levels of fraud and chargebacks.
Skip it if: You rarely see fraud or chargebacks, and Shopify's built-in fraud analysis is enough.
Data, integrations and compliance
Most of these never show on the storefront, but they're how a store's products, orders and records stay correct.
Bulk imports and exports
Matrixify
Matrixify imports, exports and updates store data in bulk through Excel or CSV files, including products, customers and redirects.
Why we like it: It's our usual tool for migrations and large catalog changes.
Best for: Migrations, and edits too large to make by hand.
Skip it if: You're changing a few dozen products. Shopify's bulk editor or CSV import will do.
ERP integration
NetSuite
NetSuite is the ERP behind many larger brands' orders and inventory.
Why we like it: It keeps finance, orders and inventory in one system, and our KT Tape case study shows how it connects to Shopify.
Best for: Brands already running their finances and inventory in NetSuite.
Skip it if: Shopify and your accounting tool still cover what you need. An ERP integration is a big project.
Cookie consent
Consentmo
Consentmo shows a cookie consent banner and records each shopper's choice.
Why we like it: Set up carefully, it holds marketing tags back until shoppers choose, and we're a Consentmo partner.
Best for: Stores running marketing tags where privacy laws apply.
Skip it if: You run few tags, and Shopify's built-in cookie banner covers your regions.
Store backups
Rewind
Rewind backs up products, themes and customer data automatically.
Why we like it: A bad import or edit can be undone without rebuilding anything by hand.
Best for: Stores where several people or apps edit products and content.
Skip it if: Your catalog rarely changes, and a CSV export now and then would cover you.
Common questions about Shopify apps
How do you choose which Shopify apps to recommend?
We ask five questions in order: can Shopify already do it, could a little theme code or a small custom app do it, what does it cost in speed, does it work with a keyboard and a screen reader, and can it be removed cleanly. We also list apps clients often ask about, and say who each one suits.
How many apps does a Shopify store need?
A store needs as few apps as its jobs require, and there's no target number. Every storefront app adds something to load and another vendor to manage, so we'd rather see one app do a job than two overlap on it. If you're not sure what you can remove, we can audit your apps and tracking.
Which Shopify apps don't slow down a store?
Apps that work only in the admin, such as Shopify Flow, Matrixify and Rewind, add nothing for shoppers to load. Apps that put something on the storefront, such as reviews, chat and upsell widgets, do add to it, and the cost depends on how they load. When an app is the cause of a slow store, we show you what it costs in speed so you can decide whether to keep it. That's part of our store speed work.
What's the difference between Recharge and Skio?
Both run subscriptions on Shopify, and they're one company, since Recharge owns Skio. Recharge has far more reviews on the App Store, and Skio's listing speaks to brands moving from another subscription platform. If you're already on one and it works, we wouldn't move for its own sake.
Do you earn commissions from these apps?
Sometimes. We may receive commissions from some of the apps listed here.
Can you set up these apps for us?
Yes. We install and configure apps as part of store builds and ongoing support, and we test each one on a copy of the theme before it goes live.
Can you remove apps we no longer need?
Yes. We check what an app left behind in the theme and in the store's data, remove what's no longer used, and test the result on a preview before anything goes live.
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