Sell custom products with Printify
Running a Shopify store without the best Shopify apps is like driving a car without fuel – you won’t get far. The Shopify App Store has thousands of options, but which ones actually work?
The right apps depend on your goals, whether it’s for customer engagement or improving your store’s functionality. In this guide, we’ll cover the must-have Shopify apps to help your eCommerce store grow.
Key takeaways
- Printify and Printful are excellent for Print on Demand and sourcing high-quality products.
- Klaviyo and Omnisend are popular for email marketing and customer loyalty.
- Loox and Yotpo are great for adding reviews and social proof.
- Use PageFly and Shogun to customize product pages.
- ShipStation and AfterShip are solid options for shipping and tracking.
- Leverage Smart SEO and TinyIMG for optimization and increased conversions.
Which are the best apps for Shopify?
The Shopify App Store has tons of choices, but not every app is worth adding to your Shopify store. Here are the best Shopify apps, broken down by category, to help you drive sales, improve customer engagement, and boost your store’s functionality.
Print on Demand (POD)
If you don’t want to deal with stock, warehouses, or upfront purchases, these free Shopify apps for Print on Demand are the way to go. They connect your Shopify store directly with production partners so you can sell custom products without ever touching inventory.
With over 1,300products and a network of global Print Providers, Printify excels at product variety and competitive pricing. It’s one of the best ways to sell on Shopify without inventory.
Printify’s free plan lets you connect up to 5 stores and start selling immediately.
Paid subscriptions unlock discounts, making it cost-effective for scaling eCommerce stores.
Key strengths:
- Flexible supplier choice
- Transparent pricing
- Robust features like the Product Creator
It’s one of the best free Shopify apps to start with if you’re testing demand.
With over 435 items, from apparel to home goods, Printful is known for high-quality products, white-label branding, and smooth integrations. Features include warehousing, in-house fulfillment centers, and mockup generators to help create professional designs.
A free plan gives you full access, and you pay per order once a customer makes a purchase.
Printful is ideal for merchants focused on brand control and premium custom products.
Both are top category apps for anyone who wants to create and sell without upfront investment. Use them to add custom products to your storefront, run promotions with free shipping offers, and grow revenue without the risk of unsold inventory.
Email marketing and CRM
Email remains one of the most reliable ways to increase sales and build customer loyalty. The best Shopify apps for email marketing and CRM (customer relationship management) help Shopify store owners send messages and campaigns at optimal times.
- Klaviyo – Uses advanced segmentation, predictive analytics, and automated flows to deliver personalized campaigns. Strong integrations help merchants boost conversion rates and drive more sales. Free plan for up to 250 contacts, then scales as your business grows.
- Omnisend – A strong alternative to Klaviyo, Omnisend combines email marketing tools, SMS, and automation. The free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 monthly emails, while paid tiers unlock advanced features.
- Privy – Known for pop-ups and cart savers, Privy helps reduce lost sales while supporting email and SMS campaigns.
- Mailchimp – A popular choice offering templates and easy integrations. The free plan is great for smaller stores testing the app’s straightforward email and pop-up features before scaling.
- Seguno – Built exclusively for Shopify, Seguno keeps everything simple with a native dashboard, no learning curve, and affordable pricing.
The right apps in this category are essential for keeping your customers engaged, growing lists, and turning casual shoppers into repeat buyers.
Website and page building
A well-built Shopify store is more than design. You need to think about page speed, smooth navigation, and layouts that increase conversions.
The best Shopify apps for page building use drag-and-drop editors so merchants can customize their product pages without coding.
- PageFly – The most popular page builder on the Shopify App Store, with a generous free plan. It lets users design landing pages, homepages, and product pages with strong customization options like countdown timers and pop-ups to boost sales.
- Shogun – Known for its polished templates with features tailored to larger brands. Shogun offers a free trial, but scaling businesses will benefit from paid tiers.
- GemPages – A beginner-friendly builder with drag-and-drop functionality that works well for smaller online stores.
- Zipify Pages – Built for direct-to-consumer brands focusing on upsells, driving sales funnels, and improving conversion rates.
- LayoutHub – Offers hundreds of ready-made layouts to save time and help Shopify store owners launch faster.
These apps give eCommerce stores the flexibility to customize, test, and scale without hiring a developer.
Product reviews and social proof
No one buys from a Shopify store with zero reviews. If you want social proof, you need apps that let customers show off what they bought. The best Shopify apps in this category go beyond stars – they turn reviews into sales drivers.
- Loox – Focuses on photo reviews. People trust pictures more than text, and Loox makes it easy for customers to upload images straight onto your product pages. It starts with a free trial, then moves to paid plans.
- Yotpo – Not just reviews, but also loyalty and rewards. If you want to keep loyal customers coming back, Yotpo is worth paying for.
- Judge.me – Among the best of the free Shopify apps for unlimited reviews. Includes trust badges and Q&A without charging a cent.
- Stamped.io – Reviews plus referrals and customer engagement tools in one place.
- Fera.ai – Adds urgency with countdown timers and live purchase pop-ups.
Displaying customer feedback gives your store the credibility shoppers look for, helping to reduce lost sales.
Upselling and cross-selling
If you’re not upselling, you’re leaving money on the table. The best Shopify apps in this category encourage customers to spend more without being pushy. When done right, they improve your average order value.
- ReConvert – The top choice for post-purchase funnels. Right after checkout, it hits buyers with targeted offers, thank-you pages, and upsells that drive sales. Simple to set up, with a free plan to test before you scale.
- Bold Commerce – Built for serious upselling and cross-selling strategies. Think product bundles, add-ons, and in-cart offers. Paid only, but proven to increase sales for growing stores.
- Frequently Bought Together – Think Amazon-style recommendations. Pair products and generate more sales automatically. Affordable, fast, and effective.
- Honeycomb Upsell & Cross Sell – Clean design, customizable funnels, and flexible pricing. Good for Shopify store owners who want control.
- CartHook – A post-purchase upsell solution built for the Shopify App Store. Shows one-click offers right after checkout, improving conversion rates without extra friction.
These apps are crucial – if your eCommerce store doesn’t upsell, you’re missing easy profit.
Shipping and order management
Simplify labels, returns, and tracking so your store can keep delivering a positive customer experience even after checkout. Here are some top choices from the Shopify App Store.
- ShipStation – Centralizes labels, carriers, and automation rules. Great features for batch printing and branded tracking pages. Free trial and paid tiers available for growth-driven merchants.
- AfterShip – Clean, branded tracking pages and proactive delivery notifications for customers. Solid analytics, easy setup, and a free plan with paid upgrades.
- Easyship – Smart rate shopping, duties and taxes estimates, and global options for online stores selling internationally. Free plan for core tools, then scale as you grow.
- Tracktor Order Tracking – Embeds order tracking right on your website so customers don’t leave your page, helping reduce support tickets. Free trial and paid plans available.
- Parcel Panel – Polished, branded tracking experiences, delivery estimations, and post-purchase flows that encourage repeat purchases. Has a free plan, while paid tiers unlock advanced features.
Pick one app for labels and one for post-purchase tracking. Start on a free plan or free trial, then upgrade when you need it.
Search engine optimization
Even the most visually appealing Shopify store won’t perform if search engines ignore it. That’s where the best SEO apps for Shopify come in. These tools improve site structure, speed, and visibility on Google, helping you rank higher and attract more customers.
- Smart SEO by Sherpas – Automates meta tags, alt text, and schema markup. Saves merchants hours of manual work while improving indexing.
- TinyIMG – An image optimizer that compresses files, boosts page loading speed, and helps increase conversion rates. Great for stores with visual-heavy product pages.
- Plug In SEO – Scans your website for broken links, missing tags, and SEO errors. Ideal for quick fixes.
- Avada SEO Suite – Combines on-page SEO with speed optimization and lazy loading. One of the best apps for beginners.
These SEO apps help you get noticed by search engines, improve rankings, and keep your store fast and competitive.
Free vs paid Shopify apps
Not every Shopify store needs premium apps. Many of the best apps for Shopify offer a free plan or free trial, which can be more than enough when you’re starting out.
Think of simple tools like a free shipping bar to push bigger purchases, or a live chat app like Tidio to handle quick questions. Other solid free Shopify apps include Judge.me for reviews, Privy for email capture, and TinyIMG for SEO.
Paid Shopify apps become important as your business scales. If you’re running subscriptions, loyalty and rewards programs, or advanced SEO, you’ll quickly hit the limits of free tiers. That’s when investing in top Shopify apps makes sense.
One app might automate email flows, another might track product stock or Google Shopping feeds. Paying for specialized features is worth it to give your customers a premium service.
Tips for managing costs:
- Audit your store every few months to cut overlapping apps.
- Start with a free trial before committing.
- Choose apps with flexible pricing so you only pay for what you use.
- Don’t overload your Shopify App Store lineup – fewer, smarter apps often perform better.
The rule is simple – free for testing, paid for scaling.
FAQ
The answer depends on your business goals and the type of website you want to create. The Shopify App Store has thousands of options, but a handful stand out – email marketing tools like Klaviyo, review apps that build social proof, and print-on-demand platforms such as Printify and Printful.
Success stories range from fashion labels to global beauty brands. Here are some great Shopify store examples. What they share is smart use of the Shopify App Store, combining upsells, SEO, and loyalty programs to keep users engaged.
Start with the basics – collect reviews to build social proof, use upsell apps, and improve your communication flows with email marketing tools. Add urgency with pre-order or subscription features, and track inventory so you don’t oversell stock.
Smart apps help you create seamless customer journeys that keep revenue flowing.
Yes. Some of the world’s biggest names run on Shopify Plus. Think Heinz, Gymshark, Allbirds, Kylie Cosmetics, and Staples. These aren’t small online stores – they’re global brands handling millions in sales.
They all utilize the Shopify App Store to extend their store’s functionality. From advanced email marketing tools to SEO integrations with Google, the same ecosystem of apps is available to every merchant.
The difference is scale. Big companies customize, test, and stack the right apps to support growth. It proves Shopify isn’t just for startups – it powers enterprise-level businesses as well.
Final thoughts on Shopify apps
The Shopify App Store is overflowing with options, but the key is picking the ones that actually move the needle.
Whether you’re focused on rewards programs, customer reviews, or SEO, the right mix of apps can help you scale smoothly and build trust with your audience.
- Start lean with free plans or free trials, then invest in premium apps as your business grows.
- Don’t overload your store – a handful of well-chosen tools can outperform a bloated stack.
If you’re serious about selling clothes on Shopify without the headache of inventory, Printify is one of the smartest moves you can make. It plugs right into Shopify, offers competitive pricing, and lets you focus on selling while production and shipping are handled for you.
