The Shopify app checklist for founders and store owners

If you run a store as a founder or owner, you are accountable for margin, cash and customer trust, and you usually install the first ten apps yourself. This Shopify app checklist for founders and store owners puts those installs in an order, so each app earns its monthly fee before the next one arrives. The role overview is on the Shopify apps for founders page.

An install order beats a long list because every app adds a bill, a script and a login you have to maintain. Every category below keeps the site's published ranking, and the ranked table on this page shows the current top five for each. The apps named in the text are examples of options, not a verdict on what to buy.

Before you install anything

Run these checks on every app, whatever the category. They take a few minutes and prevent most of the regret.

• Overlap with native Shopify. Shopify Analytics, Shopify Flow, discount codes, Shopify Email and Shopify Inbox already cover parts of several categories. Confirm the native tool genuinely falls short before paying.
• Theme speed cost. Apps that inject scripts into your storefront can slow pages. Prefer apps that use theme app extensions, which you can switch off cleanly, and check your speed before and after.
• Billing and trial terms. Read when the trial ends, whether the price scales with orders or contacts, and what the plan costs once you grow.
• Data export on leaving. Check that you can export customers, reviews, subscribers and history in a usable format. Your data should leave with you.
• Support hours and channels. A solo operator needs help when something breaks on a weekend sale. Look at support channels, and read recent reviews for how fast problems get answered.
• Permissions and data access. Read the access the app requests on install. An app that asks for customer or order data it has no obvious use for deserves a second look.
• Who owns the account. Install apps with a business email you control, not a personal address or an agency login, so you can always recover access.
• Staying power. Look at launch year and whether reviews are still arriving. The ranked table shows both.

Core: install first

These four categories carry the most weight for a store that is getting started. Set them up in this order.

Email marketing

The job: turn first-time buyers and subscribers into repeat customers through a channel you own.

• Can it build flows for welcome, post-purchase and win-back without custom work?
• How does pricing scale with your contact list?
• Does SMS cost extra, and do you need it yet?
• Can you export your list and segments?

The ranked table lists 420 apps in this category. Starting prices run from free plans to about the mid-teens in dollars per month. Shopify Messaging is listed with a free plan and 4.8 from 4,654 ratings. Klaviyo: Email Marketing & SMS is listed at $15/month with a free plan and 4.7 from 3,404 ratings. Compare more on the email marketing hub. For wider channel planning, see the Shopify marketing guide.

Product reviews

The job: put real customer proof on product pages so new visitors trust you.

• Does it send automatic review requests after delivery?
• Can reviews carry photos, and do they display well in your theme?
• Are reviews yours to export?
• Does it add rich results to your product pages?

The ranked table covers 472 apps. Starting prices run from free plans to the high end of the tens of dollars per month. Judge.me Product Reviews App is listed at $15/month with a free plan and 5.0 from 48,749 reviews. Reputon Customer Reviews App is listed at $9.99/month with a free plan and 4.9 from 1,167 reviews. The review apps hub shows the full order.

Upsell and cross-sell

The job: raise average order value with bundles, add-ons and offers at the right moment.

• Does it work with your theme and checkout, including Checkout Extensibility?
• Can you limit offers so they do not crowd the page?
• Is the pricing flat, or does it take a share of the extra revenue?
• Can you see which offers actually get accepted?

The category is large, with 1,163 apps. Kaching Bundles App & Upsells is listed at $14.99/month with a free plan and a 7 day trial, rated 5.0 from 6,322 reviews. FBP | Fast Bundle & Upsell App is listed at $19/month with a free plan, rated 5.0 from 3,572 reviews. The upsell and cross-sell hub has the rest.

Analytics

The job: tell you what is working, beyond what Shopify Analytics already shows.

• Which question are you unable to answer today? Start there.
• Does it need extra tracking scripts on the storefront?
• Can you export reports to a spreadsheet?
• Will anyone on your team actually open it weekly?

The ranked table covers 1,647 apps. Microsoft Clarity: AI Insights is listed with a free plan and 4.6 from 2,392 reviews. Report Pundit: Custom Reports is listed at $9/month with a free plan and a 14 day trial, rated 5.0 from 2,058 reviews. See the analytics hub for the current order.

Usually added later

Add these when the need shows up in your numbers or your workload, not before.

Discounts

The job: run promotions beyond native discount codes. Check whether the offer needs an app at all, and whether it stacks cleanly with other discounts. On the ranked table, Pumper Bundles Quantity Breaks is listed at $9.99/month with a free plan, and BOGOS: Free Gift Bundle Upsell at $29.99/month with a free plan. Hub: discounts apps.

Abandoned cart

The job: recover shoppers who left at checkout. Your email tool or Shopify's own recovery emails may already do this, so check first. Dondy: WhatsApp Marketing+Chat is listed at $6.99/month with a free plan, and Poptin Exit Popup Email Pop Up at $25/month with a free plan. Hub: abandoned cart apps.

Accounting

The job: get sales, fees and payouts into your books without retyping. Check which ledger it connects to and how it handles refunds and payout timing. QuickBooks Online is listed with a free plan, and TP: True Profit Analytics at $35/month with a 14 day trial. The Shopify profitability guide explains why margin per order matters here. Hub: accounting apps.

Shipping

The job: print labels, show accurate rates and handle returns or local delivery. Check which carriers it supports in your country. Return Prime:Return & Exchange is listed at $19.99/month with a free plan, and Zapiet ‑ Pickup + Delivery at $49.99/month with a 14 day trial. Hub: shipping apps.

Order tracking

The job: give customers a tracking page so they stop emailing you. Check carrier coverage and whether tracking emails match your brand. 17TRACK Order Tracking is listed at $9/month with a free plan, and AfterShip Order Tracking at $11/month with a free plan, rated 4.6 from 1,502 reviews. Hub: order tracking apps.

SEO

The job: fix titles, image weight and structured data so search can read the store. Be careful of apps that rewrite large parts of your content automatically. Avada AI SEO Image Optimizer is listed at $34.95/month with a free plan, and Tapita AI SEO Optimizer, Speed at $9.99/month with a free plan. Hub: SEO apps.

Pop-ups

The job: capture email addresses and announce offers. Watch the script weight and how the pop-up behaves on mobile. Attrac Popup, Announcement Bar is listed at $8.99/month with a free plan, and Pop Convert ‑ Pop Ups, Banners at $15/month with a free plan and a 90 day trial. Hub: pop-ups apps.

Loyalty and rewards

The job: give repeat buyers a reason to come back. It pays off once you have repeat purchases to build on. Smile: Loyalty Program Rewards is listed at $15/month with a free plan and a 14 day trial, and Seal Subscriptions App at $5.95/month with a free plan and a 30 day trial. Hub: loyalty and rewards apps.

Situational

Page builder. It belongs on the list if you run campaign landing pages that your theme editor cannot build. It does not if your theme sections already cover your layouts, since builders add scripts and a second place to edit. Options like PageFly are listed at $24/month with a free plan. See the page builder hub.

Chat. Add it when customers ask pre-sale questions and you can answer within minutes. Skip it if nobody will be watching the inbox. Shopify Inbox is listed with a free plan, which makes it a low-risk first step. See the chat apps hub.

Fraud. It belongs on the list when you see chargebacks, repeat suspicious orders or high-value items that attract abuse. It does not if you have had none and Shopify's own order risk analysis is enough. The fraud apps hub lists the options.

Every quarter

1. Read the app bill. Add up every recurring charge and ask whether each one still pays for itself.
2. Remove unused apps. Uninstall anything nobody opened this quarter, then check for leftover code in the theme.
3. Check review trends. Look at recent reviews for the apps you run. Falling ratings or slow support replies are early warnings.
4. Test theme speed. Compare against your last measurement and trace any slowdown to a specific app.
5. Look for overlap. Two apps doing the same job, such as a pop-up tool and an email tool both capturing emails, means one can go.
6. Check native Shopify features. A feature added to Shopify may now replace a paid app.
7. Review permissions. Confirm each app still needs the access it was granted, and remove access for people who left.
8. Confirm your exports. Run one export from your most important app to prove you can leave.

Frequently asked questions

How many apps should a new store install?

Start with the four core categories and add only when a specific problem shows up. Many stores run well on a handful of apps. Every extra app adds cost, a script and a point of failure.

Should I pick the cheapest plan or the free plan?

Start free where a free plan exists, but read what the limits are. Free plans often cap contacts, orders or features, and the first paid tier can be a bigger jump than the starting price suggests. Check the pricing at the volume you expect in a year.

How do I know an app will still exist in two years?

Look at the launch year, the volume of reviews and whether new reviews are still arriving. The ranked table shows reviews from the last 180 days for each app. An app with a long history and steady recent activity is a lower risk than one with neither.

Does the Built for Shopify badge matter?

It is a useful signal, because it points to apps that meet Shopify's standards for performance and design. It is not a guarantee that the app fits your store. Treat it as one input next to reviews, pricing and support.

Can apps really slow my store down?

Yes, especially apps that load scripts on every page. Measure your speed before and after each install, and remove the app if the cost is not justified by what it does. Apps built on theme app extensions are easier to switch off cleanly.

What should I do when I want to switch apps?

Export your data first, then install the new app alongside the old one and move over in stages. Remove the old app and check your theme for leftover code once the switch is done. Do it outside peak sales periods.