TL;DR: The Shopify App Store holds over 17,600 apps and plugins, and the average store installs just six. For Amazon sellers adding a Shopify channel, five categories matter most: email and SMS marketing, product reviews, landing page design, AI-powered upsells, and post-purchase tracking. Get those right and the rest is fine-tuning.
Amazon handles a lot behind the curtain. Email? Amazon owns the customer relationship. Reviews? Built into every listing. Product recommendations? The algorithm does the work. Fulfilment communication? Handled.
Move to Shopify, and that curtain lifts. The Shopify vs Amazon trade-off is real: more control, more responsibility.
Every one of those capabilities becomes your responsibility, and the tool you use to fill each gap has a direct effect on revenue. The problem is not a shortage of options. The Shopify App Store now holds over 17,600 apps from more than 12,000 developers, and roughly 87% of Shopify merchants rely on third-party apps to run their stores. That is a lot of noise for a seller who just wants to know which five or six tools actually matter.
This guide narrows the field. Rather than listing dozens of options across every possible category, it covers the five app categories that fill the biggest gaps for sellers moving from Amazon to Shopify, with one proven pick in each.
What are Shopify apps?
Shopify apps are third-party plugins and integrations that add functionality to a Shopify store beyond what the platform provides out of the box. They install directly from the Shopify App Store and connect to your store’s admin, data, and checkout to handle things like email marketing, product reviews, upselling, shipping, analytics, loyalty programmes, and page design.
Think of them the way you would think of apps on a phone: the operating system (Shopify) gives you the basics, and the apps extend it into something that fits the way you actually run your business. The difference is that on Shopify, the right combination of apps can have a measurable effect on conversion rate, average order value, and customer lifetime value. The wrong combination (or too many) can slow your site down and cost more than it earns.
Why do Shopify stores need apps at all?
Shopify provides the storefront, checkout, and basic admin. Apps and plugins add the capabilities that drive conversions, trust, and repeat purchases. On Amazon, most of those capabilities are baked into the platform (at Amazon’s discretion, on Amazon’s terms). On Shopify, you choose the tools, own the data, and control the experience.
The average Shopify merchant installs around six apps. The ones that tend to stick around longest fall into a few predictable categories: marketing automation, social proof, store design, conversion optimisation, and post-purchase experience. Sellers who try to install 20 or 30 apps end up with slower page loads, overlapping features, and monthly costs that eat into margin.
The smarter approach is starting with the categories that have the largest revenue impact, then layering in more specialised tools once the foundation is stable. Which is exactly what this list does.
What are the five Shopify app categories that matter most?
The five categories below cover the gaps that hit hardest when moving from a marketplace like Amazon to a standalone Shopify store. Each represents a capability Amazon provides by default that Shopify leaves to you, and each app listed offers native Shopify integrations that connect directly to your store’s admin and data layer.
Email and SMS marketing: Klaviyo
Klaviyo is the most widely used email and SMS marketing app on Shopify, installed on more than 397,000 stores. It integrates deeply with Shopify’s data layer, pulling in order history, browsing behaviour, and customer profiles to trigger automated flows (abandoned cart, welcome series, post-purchase follow-up, win-back) without needing a separate data pipeline.
On Amazon, you cannot email your customers. That is one of the platform’s biggest trade-offs. On Shopify, email and SMS become the highest-ROI channels available, and Klaviyo is the default choice for a reason: its segmentation is granular, its automations are event-driven, and it scales from a solo operator’s first welcome sequence to a multi-million-dollar brand’s full lifecycle programme.
A free plan covers up to 250 contacts. Paid plans scale from there based on list size, with SMS billed separately per message. The pricing adds up as a list grows, which is worth watching, but the revenue attribution Klaviyo provides makes it easier to see whether the spend is paying for itself.
Product reviews and social proof: Judge.me
Judge.me is the single most installed app in the entire Shopify App Store, running on over 542,000 stores. It collects and displays product reviews, photo reviews, and star ratings, and it pushes review data into Google rich snippets so that star ratings appear directly in search results.
Amazon sellers already know that reviews drive conversions. The difference on Shopify is that reviews do not come built in. Without a reviews app, a store has no social proof, no user-generated content, and no review-rich snippets in Google. Judge.me fills that gap with a free plan that covers unlimited review requests, review display widgets, and basic customisation. A paid plan (currently $15/month) adds photo and video reviews, Q&A, cross-shop review syndication, and more display options.
It carries the «Built for Shopify» badge, which means it has passed Shopify’s own performance, design, and integration standards. That matters because review widgets sit on product pages, and a poorly built review app is one of the fastest ways to slow down a storefront.
Landing page design: PageFly
PageFly is a drag-and-drop page builder installed on over 184,000 Shopify stores. It lets store owners create custom landing pages, product pages, collection pages, and blog layouts without writing code, using a library of more than 100 templates and pre-built sections.
On Amazon, listing format is fixed. Every seller gets the same title field, bullet points, A+ Content slots, and image grid. On Shopify, page design directly affects conversion rate, and the default theme editor only goes so far. PageFly fills the gap between «good enough» and a page that is genuinely designed to convert, with countdown timers, sales banners, FAQ accordions, and testimonial blocks all available as drag-and-drop elements.
A free plan allows one published page. Paid plans start at $24/month and unlock unlimited pages, more templates, and priority support. Compared to hiring a developer for every landing page change, that is pretty handy. Some of the top Shopify stores use custom landing pages as a primary conversion lever, and PageFly is one of the tools that makes that possible without a development budget.
Personalisation and upsells: Rebuy
Rebuy is an AI-powered personalisation engine that delivers product recommendations, cross-sells, upsells, and smart cart experiences based on customer behaviour and purchase history. It powers recommendations across product pages, cart drawers, checkout, and post-purchase offers.
On Amazon, the «Frequently Bought Together» and «Customers Also Viewed» sections are algorithmic and automatic. On Shopify, there is no equivalent unless you add one. Rebuy fills that role, using machine learning to surface relevant products at the moments that matter most (browsing, adding to cart, checking out, and immediately after purchase).
The impact on average order value can be significant. AI-driven product recommendations can increase revenue by a meaningful margin when placed correctly, particularly in-cart and at checkout. Rebuy offers a free plan for stores processing up to 50 orders per month, with paid plans scaling from $99/month based on order volume. It is priced for stores that are already generating consistent revenue, not for day-one setups.
Print-on-demand fulfilment: Podbase
Podbase is a print-on-demand platform that allows Shopify merchants to sell custom products without holding inventory. Its catalogue focuses heavily on tech accessories, including print on demand phone cases, tablet cases, laptop sleeves, and earbuds cases.
While Amazon FBA handles fulfilment for products you already have in stock, Podbase produces items only after an order is placed. Through its Shopify integration, orders are sent to Podbase automatically, with the company handling production, packing, and shipping.
Podbase does not currently charge a monthly subscription fee. Instead, merchants pay for products and fulfilment on a per-order basis, making it a straightforward option for testing new designs without investing in inventory upfront.
Post-purchase tracking: AfterShip
AfterShip is a post-purchase engagement and tracking app that provides branded tracking pages, automated shipping notifications, and delivery analytics across more than 1,100 carrier integrations worldwide.
On Amazon (especially with FBA), the entire post-purchase communication chain is handled by Amazon: confirmation emails, tracking updates, delivery notifications, return labels. On Shopify, you own that experience, and getting it wrong means a flood of «where is my order?» support tickets. AfterShip solves this with customisable tracking pages that sit on your domain (not a third-party URL), automated email and SMS updates at each fulfilment milestone, and a returns management flow.
A free plan covers 50 shipments per month. Paid plans start at $9/month and scale with shipment volume. For sellers already managing Amazon FBA alongside a Shopify store, the carrier coverage is useful because it tracks shipments from virtually any carrier in one dashboard.
How should you decide which apps to keep?
Installing the right apps is half the equation. The other half is pruning the ones that are not earning their place. Every app that loads on a storefront adds JavaScript, and that affects page speed. A one-second delay in page load can reduce conversions noticeably.
A practical approach: audit your app stack quarterly. For each app, ask whether it is actively contributing to revenue, conversion, retention, or operational efficiency. If it is not doing at least one of those things, uninstall it. Check your store’s speed score before and after removing apps (Shopify provides a speed report under Online Store > Themes) and you will see the difference.
The five categories above are deliberately lean. They cover the capabilities that have the largest gap between Amazon and Shopify, without overlapping or duplicating. Once they are running well, the right next step depends on the store: subscriptions, loyalty, customer support, advanced analytics, or repricing strategies across channels.
At a glance: five apps, five categories
| Category | App | Free plan? | Paid from | Shopify installs |
| Email and SMS marketing | Klaviyo | Yes (250 contacts) | Scales with list size | 397,000+ |
| Product reviews | Judge.me | Yes (unlimited requests) | $15/month | 542,000+ |
| Landing page builder | PageFly | Yes (1 page) | $24/month | 184,000+ |
| Personalisation and upsells | Rebuy | Yes (up to 50 orders/mo) | $99/month | Growing |
| Print-on-demand fulfilment | Podbase | Free to install | Pay per order | Not publicly disclosed |
| Post-purchase tracking | AfterShip | Yes (50 shipments/mo) | $9/month | Established |
Install counts sourced from Shopify App Store data (April 2026). Pricing verified as of June 2026 but may change. Confirm current plans directly with each app before committing.
Disclosure: This article is published on repricer.com. Repricer is not one of the apps listed here, but it integrates with Shopify as a multichannel pricing tool. The apps were selected based on publicly available install data, Shopify App Store ratings, and relevance to Amazon sellers expanding to DTC. Pricing and features were verified as of June 2026 but may change. Trial more than one tool in each category and confirm current capabilities with each vendor before deciding.
Key takeaways
- Start with five, not fifty. The average Shopify store uses six apps. Covering email, reviews, page design, upsells, and tracking gives you a strong foundation without bloating your stack.
- Own what Amazon owns for you. The biggest adjustment moving from Amazon to Shopify is that every customer-facing capability, from email to reviews to shipping updates, is now yours to set up and maintain.
- Audit quarterly. Apps accumulate. Every one of them loads code on every page view, for every visitor, whether or not that visitor interacts with the feature. Prune the ones that are not earning their keep.
- Sync pricing across channels. If you are selling the same products on Amazon and Shopify, Repricer’s Shopify integration can automatically push your Amazon prices to your Shopify store with optional price variations per channel.
FAQ
How many Shopify apps should a store install?
Most stores run well with five to eight core apps. The average is around six. Going beyond 15 without a clear reason for each one tends to create performance drag, feature overlap, and unnecessary monthly spend. Start with the categories that have the largest impact on revenue and add from there.
Do Shopify apps slow down your site?
Yes, they can. Every app that loads JavaScript on the storefront adds to page weight, and that affects load time. The effect varies by app (a lightweight reviews widget costs less than a full session-recording tool), but the cumulative impact matters. Regularly check your speed score under Online Store > Themes and test the difference when individual apps are disabled.
Can Repricer sync Amazon prices to a Shopify store?
Yes. Repricer’s multichannel pricing feature connects your Amazon account to your Shopify store and automatically pushes price updates. You can set price variations per channel (for example, adding a 10% margin on Shopify to account for different fee structures) or replicate Amazon prices directly. Setup takes a few minutes through the Repricer dashboard.
Are free Shopify apps worth using?
Often, yes. Several of the apps on this list (Judge.me, Klaviyo, PageFly, AfterShip) offer free plans with enough functionality for a new or small store to get started. The key is understanding where the free tier ends and whether the paid tier’s additions are worth the cost at your current scale. Do not pay for features you will not use yet, but do not avoid a paid plan that would pay for itself in recovered revenue.
What should you look for when evaluating a Shopify app?
Four things, in order: Shopify App Store rating (aim for 4.5+ stars), recency of reviews (are people still rating it positively in the last few months?), whether it carries the «Built for Shopify» badge (which signals it meets Shopify’s performance and integration standards), and whether it offers a free trial long enough to test properly. Beyond that, check how the app affects your page speed after installation, as that is the easiest thing to overlook and the hardest to fix later.
Do these apps work on Shopify Plus?
Yes. All five apps featured here (Klaviyo, Judge.me, PageFly, Rebuy, and AfterShip) are compatible with Shopify Plus stores. Several of them offer enterprise-tier plans or features specifically designed for Plus merchants, including higher usage limits, priority support, and advanced customisation options. Shopify Plus now powers over 47,000 stores, and its app ecosystem has matured to the point where most well-established plugins support it natively.
