Our App Stack: TheShopify Apps WeRecommend

In short

Here are all the apps we use in Shopify projects, sorted by task, each with its own article. Our principle: Shopify and the theme first, then an app, and only if it solves a real problem. The verdicts come from our project work, not from spec sheets.

How we rate

• Recommended. A strong default or the best tool we know for the job.
• Worth it when … Useful for a specific store, budget or workflow. The article says under which condition.
• We leave it out. In our projects it brings more cost, effort or technical debt than value.

Selling and promotions

• BOGOS: gifts and bundles by customer group. Recommended.
• Hextom: countdown promotions. Recommended.
• Simple Bundles & Kits: bundles with inventory sync. Recommended.
• Shopify Bundles: simple bundles. Recommended.
• Essent Preorder: pre-orders and back-in-stock alerts. Recommended.
• Ticket Spot: tickets with seating charts. Recommended.
• Smile.io: loyalty program. Worth it with a real strategy.
• ViralSweep: giveaways. Worth it with an active community.
• Mystery Box: worth it when surprise is part of the product.

Reviews and content

• Judge.me: product reviews. Recommended.
• Klaviyo Reviews: worth it when reviews should look premium.
• Reelify: shoppable short videos. Worth it with regular videos.
• Instafeed: Instagram in your shop. Worth it when Instagram is part of the brand.

Email

• Shopify Email: newsletters without extra cost. Recommended.
• Klaviyo: worth it when email is your most important channel.

Customer service

• Shopify Inbox: live chat. Recommended.
• Lyro: AI in customer service. Recommended.
• AE: Order Editing: order changes by customers. Recommended.
• Tidio: worth it when all channels should go into one inbox.
• Gorgias: worth it when service and returns run together.

Shipping, returns and fulfillment

• Sendcloud: shipping with several carriers. Recommended.
• ReturnZap: returns with store credit. Recommended.
• WebBee: shipping via Amazon MCF. Recommended.
• WhiteWall: gallery-quality photo prints. Recommended.

Subscriptions, B2B and legal

• Joy Subscriptions: subscriptions. Recommended.
• Shopify B2B: wholesale pricing in your own store. Recommended.
• Momsify: prices with and without VAT in one store. Recommended.
• EU Widerruf Pro: withdrawal button. Recommended.

Data, automation and languages

• Matrixify: migrations and data imports. Recommended.
• Shopify Flow: automation. Recommended.
• Translate & Adapt: stores with a few languages. Recommended.
• T Lab: stores with many languages. Recommended.

Range and brand

• Wishlist: worth it for large catalogs.
• Donations in your shop: only worth it with a real cause.

We leave these out

• PageFly and other page builders. Unnecessary code, slower themes, difficult maintenance. We work with the theme editor and clean sections.
• BSS B2B Wholesale. Error-prone in our European projects, and its discounts didn't play well with Shopify's. Shopify B2B catalogs now cover the core more cleanly.
• Loox. Judge.me was easier for us to set up and use.
• WhatsApp as the main service channel. The conversation sits apart from customer and order. We prefer Shopify Inbox.

Many features don't need an app at all. Which ones is covered in These Features Don't Need an App.

FAQ

Why don't you give stars? Because an app isn't equally good for every store. Our verdict says when it fits.

Why is a well-known app missing? We only write about apps we can say something about from our own work.

How many apps does a store need? As few as possible. More in our App Diet.

Which apps does my store need? We clarify that in our Audit, together with everything your theme can already do.