A store doesn’t sell more because it has more apps. It sells more when it has the right ones, with no overlapping features and no wasted spend.
The best Shopify apps are the ones that solve a specific problem for your business without slowing your store down or duplicating what you already have. After building and maintaining many stores, these are the ones we recommend most at Tebiko: Search & Discovery and Shopify Flow (free and built by Shopify), Judge.me for reviews, Smile for points and rewards, Klaviyo for email marketing, Zapiet for in-store pickup and local delivery, Easify Box Builder for build-a-box bundles and Instafeed to show your Instagram.
You don’t need all of them. Below we explain what each one does, what it costs, when it’s worth it and which ones you shouldn’t combine.
Before you install any app
The Shopify App Store has thousands of apps, and it’s tempting to install everything that promises more sales. These rules will save you money and headaches:
- Less is more. Every app adds code, scripts or requests that can slow your store down. A slow store sells less.
- Don’t duplicate features. If your email app already sends review requests, you don’t need a separate app just for that. If your loyalty app includes referrals, skip the extra referral app.
- Check what Shopify already does. Automatic discounts, free shipping thresholds, forms, simple bundles and product recommendations already come with Shopify or its free apps.
- Read the pricing tiers first. Many apps start free and then charge by orders, contacts or revenue. Work out what they’ll cost when you grow, not just today.
- Test on a duplicate theme. If the app changes your storefront, install it on a copy of your theme first and check it on mobile.
- Uninstall what you don’t use. And make sure it doesn’t leave code behind in your theme; some older apps leave snippets that keep loading.
Search & Discovery: search, filters and recommendations
Search & Discovery is Shopify’s official app for controlling your store’s search and filters. You can create filters by size, color, price or any product data, set up synonyms (so “tee” also finds “t-shirt”), boost products for certain searches and configure “related” and “complementary” product recommendations.
Price: free.
Why we recommend it: it improves the shopping experience with no extra weight on your store and no cost. Before paying for a search or recommendations app, set this one up.
Shopify Flow: automate repetitive tasks
Shopify Flow lets you build “when this happens, do that” automations without code. A few we use with clients: tagging customers who spend over a certain amount, emailing the team when a product runs low on stock, hiding sold-out products or flagging risky orders for manual review.
Price: free on Shopify plans.
Why we recommend it: it saves hours of manual work and connects with many of the apps on this list (Judge.me, Smile and Klaviyo, among others).
Judge.me: product reviews
Judge.me is one of the most widely used review apps on Shopify. It sends automatic review requests after purchase, supports photo and video reviews, shows star ratings on your products and adds the structured data Google needs so your ratings can appear in search results.
Price: a free plan with unlimited reviews. The Awesome plan is $15 a month and adds integrations, Google Shopping, Meta and TikTok sync, and more customization.
Watch for overlap: Klaviyo also has its own reviews module. Use one or the other, not both.
Smile: points and rewards
Smile lets you run a loyalty program: customers earn points for buying, signing up, following you on social or on their birthday, and redeem them for discounts or products. It also includes VIP tiers and a referral program.
Price: free up to 200 orders a month. Paid plans start at $15 a month (up to 500 orders) and go up to $79 and $199 depending on volume and features.
When it’s worth it: once you have customers who buy more than once. If you’re still landing your first sales, focus on traffic first.
Watch for overlap: don’t add a separate referral app; Smile already includes one.
Klaviyo: email marketing
Klaviyo is the email marketing platform we use most with Shopify stores. It connects to your products, orders and customers so you can build automations like abandoned cart, welcome series, replenishment or win-back flows, plus segmented campaigns.
Price: free up to 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month. After that, pricing scales with your number of contacts.
Why we recommend it: email is one of the highest-return channels for an online store, and Klaviyo makes the most of Shopify’s data. If you’d like help setting it up, we’re Klaviyo experts.
Watch for overlap: if you use Klaviyo, you don’t need Shopify Email or a separate popup app. Klaviyo already has signup forms.
Zapiet: in-store pickup and local delivery
Zapiet Pickup + Delivery adds in-store pickup, local delivery and shipping options to the cart, with a date and time picker, daily order limits and multiple locations.
Price: from $49.99 a month (up to 250 orders a month) with a 14-day free trial. The Advanced and Professional plans are $79.99 and $179.99.
When it’s worth it: if you have a physical store, sell products delivered on a specific date (flowers, cakes, gifts) or deliver within your city. If you only ship by carrier, Shopify already handles that without an app.
Easify Box Builder: bundles and build-a-box
Easify Box Builder lets you create a “build your own box” page where customers pick several products to make a bundle or gift, with steps, card messages and special pricing.
Price: free while box revenue stays under $500 a month. After that, plans run $29, $99 and $199 a month depending on how much you sell through the app.
When it’s worth it: gifts, kits, subscription boxes, or food and beauty stores. If you only need a fixed bundle (say, three products sold together), Shopify’s free Bundles app already does that.
Instafeed: your Instagram on your store
Instafeed shows your Instagram posts and reels on your store as a grid or slider, and lets you tag products so customers can shop straight from the photo.
Price: a free plan is available. The Pro and Plus plans are $8 and $20 a month.
When it’s worth it: if your Instagram is active and has content that helps sell (customers using your products, tutorials, launches). If your account rarely posts, it’s better not to show it.
Quick reference: which app for what
| Need | App | Starting cost |
|---|---|---|
| Search, filters and recommendations | Search & Discovery | Free |
| Task automation | Shopify Flow | Free |
| Product reviews | Judge.me | Free, Awesome $15/month |
| Points, VIP and referrals | Smile | Free up to 200 orders/month |
| Email marketing | Klaviyo | Free up to 250 profiles |
| In-store pickup and local delivery | Zapiet | From $49.99/month |
| Build-a-box bundles | Easify Box Builder | Free up to $500/month in box sales |
| Instagram feed | Instafeed | Free, Pro $8/month |
Prices are those listed on the Shopify App Store at the time of writing and may change. Always check each app’s page before you install it.
Where to start, by stage
If you’re about to launch: Search & Discovery, Shopify Flow, Judge.me (free plan) and Klaviyo (free plan). That gives you search, automations, reviews and email at no extra cost.
If you’re selling consistently: add Smile once you have repeat customers, and consider Judge.me’s paid plan to send your reviews to Google Shopping.
If you have a physical store or local delivery: Zapiet.
If you sell gifts, kits or boxes: Easify Box Builder.
Review your apps every quarter
Set a reminder every three months to check:
- Which apps do I have installed and what do I pay for each? (In your Shopify admin, Settings > Billing.)
- Do I still use each one? Does it drive sales or save me time?
- Are two apps doing the same job?
- Did any of them move me to a higher tier as I grew? Is it still worth it?
- Is my store still fast on mobile?
If you’d like someone to do it for you, our ecommerce audit includes an app, speed and cost review. And to see how apps add up in the total cost of your store, read our guide to Shopify pricing.
What matters most
The best Shopify apps aren’t the ones that promise the most, but the ones that solve something real for your business. Start with Shopify’s free apps, add reviews and email from day one, and bring in loyalty, delivery or bundles only when your store needs them. Your store will be faster, easier to manage and cheaper to run.
Want us to set up your apps or tell you which ones you can drop? At Tebiko we’re Shopify Partners, and with our Ecommerce Accelerator we help you grow your sales every month.