Merchant Toolkit
Apps I'd actually install
on your Shopify store.
Every pick here has earned its place on a real client store I've built or maintained — checkout, reviews, speed, email, inventory, support. No affiliate list, no app-store spam. If it is not worth its subscription, it is not on this page.
Picked From Real Client Work
Tools, not influence. Every app below is something I have installed, configured, or ripped out on an actual store.
Filter by what your store needs. Each card is one honest opinion — what it is good at, and roughly what it costs.
Shopify Checkout Extensibility
Native checkout customization — custom fields, upsell banners, delivery instructions — without touching checkout.liquid (which is gone on Plus anyway).
Built-in, freeReConvert Upsell & Cross-Sell
Post-purchase upsell screens that don't wreck load time. The thank-you-page builder alone earns its subscription on most stores I audit.
From $4.99/moJudge.me Product Reviews
The reviews app I default to unless a client already has one. Generous free plan, clean widgets, and it does not slow the product page down.
Free plan availableLoox Photo Reviews
Worth the upgrade from Judge.me when a brand leans on UGC — the photo/video review carousel converts noticeably better on visual products.
From $9.99/moShopify Theme Check (CLI)
Catches dead assets, unused snippets, and translation gaps before they ship. Runs on every theme edit I make — not optional, not an app store listing.
Free, built-inTinyIMG SEO & Speed
Bulk image compression and lazy-load cleanup for stores that arrive with years of unoptimized product photography. Measurable Core Web Vitals win.
Free plan availableKlaviyo
The email/SMS platform I wire up by default. Abandoned-checkout and post-purchase flows alone usually pay for the subscription in the first month.
Free up to 250 contactsPostscript SMS
Solid choice when a US/Canada store wants SMS as a serious second channel, not a bolt-on. Compliance handling is better than most alternatives.
Usage-based pricingStocky by Shopify
Purchase orders and demand forecasting that stay inside the Shopify admin. The obvious pick once a merchant is done tracking stock in a spreadsheet.
Included with POS ProInventory Planner
For stores past the spreadsheet stage with real multi-warehouse or multi-SKU complexity. Not cheap, but it is the one I trust with reorder math.
From $99/moGorgias Help Desk
Pulls order data straight into the support ticket so whoever answers is not tab-switching to the admin for every "where is my order" message.
From $10/moShopify Flow
Automates the fulfillment/tagging/support busywork most stores still do by hand — flags high-risk orders, tags VIP customers, routes support tickets.
Free, built-inWant The Reasoning
Read Why, Not Just What
Read the written guides — the trade-offs behind each pick, and what I'd swap it for as a store grows past its first setup.
Browse All Guides