10 min read
The Shopify App Store has 10,000+ apps in its arsenal with many of them offering free plans. They can be great for testing out before upgrading or they can be suitable long-term companions to your business.
However, with a variety like this, it can be difficult to find what suits your needs. To help you find the right solution, I spent a week researching and testing the apps from different categories. As a result, I hand-picked the 15 best free Shopify apps for you that provide great value to store owners.
15 best free Shopify apps: detailed reviews
1. PageFly – Shopify page builder
Among dozens of apps, I chose the PageFly page builder as the best free Shopify app. Its free plan offers all the essentials you need to create a professional-looking page or section for maximum performance.
Why I picked it:
PageFly is my top choice for both free and premium Shopify apps. It gives all of the app’s features, including the editor functionalities, with the free version. You may choose color schemes or global typography styles to match your site’s design.
Plus, you may add product variants, a countdown timer, a sales banner, and other elements for conversion rate optimization.
I also liked that the app lets you choose between a legacy or Gen 2 editor, so you can pick between an easy and time-tested editor or a more advanced one with flexible layout editing.
Who is it for:
I found PageFly to be a suitable choice for merchants who find native Shopify themes lacking in terms of functionalities and want to build a high-converting page for free. However, while the free version allows you to create and save as many pages or sections as you want, it lets you publish only one slot.
2.TinyIMG – Shopify SEO and site speed app
I found TinyIMG to be the best free Shopify app for website and image optimization. Together with PageFly, these apps have everything needed to cover website optimization – design, images, conversion, SEO, and speed.
Why I picked it:
I enjoyed the free feature variety that TinyIMG offers. You can set daily automatic image optimizations and compress up to 50 images per month without sacrificing quality. All images are backed up for 30 days and you get to optimize alt texts in bulk or set up automatic file name optimization without limitations.
Aside from images, you can also improve your website’s SEO and speed for free. For instance, the free version allowed me to generate a homepage audit to fix SEO issues. Plus, I could enable asset preloading to reduce page load time.
Who is it for:
I recommend the free TinyIMG app for Shopify merchants with small to medium stores that want to automate image compression. The generous 50 monthly image limit makes it an optimal daily optimization companion and lets you optimize additional images for just $0.03/image.
3. Essential – upsell and cross-sell app
I placed Essential as one of the top free Shopify apps because it doesn’t have paid tiers, meaning you get access to all of its features.
Why I picked it:
Essential is very simplistic and intuitive. You can add offers to product pages and cart pages, or even suggest a new placement. I enjoyed how customizable the widget is, allowing you to select the offer type (cross-sell or frequently bought together), discount type, and triggers.
You may also change the text and choose from 20 different design styles. However, if you wish, you can create your own design by choosing specific colors, corner radius, spacing, typography, text and button size, and more.
Who is it for:
Essentials is a great solution for businesses that need straightforward frequently bought or cross-sell widgets completely free of charge. The only downside is that I couldn’t find additional features like other apps have, such as analytics.
4. UpPromote – affiliate marketing app
I chose UpPromote as one of the best free apps for Shopify merchants because it offers free opportunities to grow your brand and incentivize promotion with comprehensive affiliate marketing programs.
Why I picked it:
UpPromote offers a generous free plan with unlimited affiliates and 200 monthly referral approvals or denials.
I found it useful that you can also add coupons, marketing materials, or bonuses to your affiliates to increase motivation. For recruiting affiliates, you can even use the UpPromote marketplace listing.
Another free functionality that caught my eye was the affiliate analytics, which shows you total and top affiliates, sales, clicks, commissions, referrals, and their source.
Who is it for:
With a wide range of free features, UpPromote is perfect for expanding your affiliate network. Yet, there are limitations, like no access to affiliate gifts or customer referrals. But even free users get 24/7 live chat support.
5. TinyCookie – cookie banner app for compliance
TinyCookie is the ultimate cookie consent Shopify app that you can get free of charge. It helps you ensure compliance with legal GDPR, CCPA, or other privacy policies and enhances customer trust.
Why I picked it:
I picked TinyCookie for this list because it offers everything needed for a fully functional cookie banner. It’s fully customizable and you can alter the design, layout, placement, and content to ensure it matches your site.
You may also add accept and reject buttons or even a cookie preference management popup, which are needed for privacy law compliance. And for better transparency, you can also include a link to your website’s cookie policy.
Who is it for:
If you’re looking for a free and highly customizable cookie banner, I recommend trying out TinyCookie. The only limitations are that you won’t be able to track consents or access the cookie scanner for free.
6. Appstle – app for creating product subscriptions
Appstle is one of the top free subscription apps that Shopify has to offer based on my evaluations. With a 0% transaction rate, it’s a great way to set up and customize subscriptions for your products.
Why I picked it:
The free Appstle app lets you set up as many subscriptions as you wish for free until you reach $500/month in subscription revenue. You can set the subscription frequency that’s suitable for your strategy, choose a billing type, and offer incentives.
What made me pick Appstle was its convenient dashboard that lets you track active, paused, canceled, and total subscriptions. Plus, there are 6 widget types to pick from and you can also add custom widget CSS to customize it to your needs.
The free plan is missing loyalty features, but if that’s not a drawback, you’ll definitely leverage Appstle’s other functionalities.
Who is it for:
I recommend Appstle to Shopify store owners who need a free but straightforward solution for managing a few subscriptions.
7. Omnisend – email marketing Shopify app
I found Omnisend to be one of the most feature-rich free email marketing apps on Shopify. It doesn’t urge you to upgrade whenever you try to use a feature and is a truly functional app made by the field’s expert.
Why I picked it:
Omnisend lets you reach up to 250 contacts for free. You can send up to 500 emails every month and 60 global SMS without upgrading to a paid plan. If you wish to track results, the app comes with a convenient dashboard for sales performance and audience growth overview.
What caught my eye was the wide selection of professional-looking email templates available for any topic. And I really enjoyed that almost all of the features are available for free.
There’s a catch though – the free plan doesn’t give you an option to take off the “Powered by Omnisend” badge from emails or campaigns.
Who is it for:
I believe that any Shopify store owner who wants to focus on email marketing will benefit from this app. Omnisend is highly rated and is best for beginner users who are looking for automation and ease of use.
8. Printify – Shopify dropshipping app
With a 4.8 rating, I put Printify in this best free apps for Shopify list because of its free plan’s offerings. It’s a great way for businesses to start a POD business without having to invest a lot of extra money.
Why I picked it:
I liked that Printify doesn’t restrict you to one website – you can use it on up to 5 stores. You can create as many product designs as you want and leverage the mockup generator to visualize what your products will look like.
I was genuinely pleased that I received a $5 discount on my first order when I installed the app. And you can easily order a test product for yourself so you can see how it looks in reality. Even the 24/7 support that Printify offers comes free of charge.
Who is it for:
I suggest Printify for Print on Demand businesses that have multiple shops or are just starting out and want to cover all of them for free. While only manual order creation is available, this is an affordable dropshipping solution.
9. BON Loyalty – rewards and loyalty app
BON Loyalty was another free app that stood out during my research. It offers a free monthly order limit and a few reward programs to help increase customer retention with points, referrals, or discounts.
Why I picked it:
BON Loyalty comes with a free 250 monthly order limit and lets you create basic points and rewards programs. This includes earning points for account creation or order completion, a 10% off redeeming point program, and a referral program.
What I lacked in the free BON Loyalty version was a loyalty page and customization options. There are limited customization options, letting you edit the widget icon and text, and just a few things on the theme. But you may also set the programs to include tax in the order total to increase earned points.
Who is it for:
I’d recommend getting BON Loyalty if you’re just starting out with reward programs and are looking to set up a few basic reward programs.
10. Printful – print-on-demand Shopify app
I found the free Printful Shopify app to be exceptional for creating custom Print on Demand products without having to pay upfront. It’s great for single stores and automated order fulfillment.
Why I picked it:
I reviewed free Printful functionalities and found that they give you everything you need to start a POD store. You get automatic order fulfillment and shipping and built-in design tools to let you turn your vision into reality.
Prinftul also gives you a convenient product mockup generator that lets you test designs and see how they would look in real life. What sealed the deal for me was the 30% discount for the first sample order, letting you get a feel of what your customers would receive.
Who is it for:
I recommend Printful to Shopify users with a single store who are looking to launch a print-on-demand Shopify business or product section and only want to pay for the order fulfillment.
11. Ryviu – app for collecting social proof
If you’re looking for a product review app, Ryviu is the best free option that Shopify has to offer. It supports Google Rich Snippets so you can enhance your SEO and lets you add up to 20 reviews per product.
Why I picked it:
Ryviu offers product reviews and total reviews widgets for free. You can add up to 20 reviews for up to 50 products each, and even import them from AliExpress using the free Ryviu extension.
Another convenient feature is that you can track your reviews, questions, and email count, and statistics straight on the app’s dashboard on your Shopify account. And whether you’re getting reviews or questions, you can publish, unpublish, or answer them all in one place.
Who is it for:
Ryviu is best for merchants looking to increase their brand credibility by adding an option for customers to review products. However, the free version is limited to 50 products.
12. Tidio – app for live chat
Tidio is a free live chat and helpdesk app that I found to be useful for users looking for free options. It’s a great way to remove customer doubt and increase their satisfaction with your services.
Why I picked it:
With Tidio, you can start setting up customer support and get live chat conversations with up to 50 users. And if you want to save support time on simple questions, you can set up flows for pre-designed conversation pathways. This automation works for up to 100 monthly visitors only.
Another convenient feature you can test out with Tidio is the AI conversations – however, it has a one-time 50-conversation limit. You can integrate this app on social media channels and even use a mobile app when it’s more convenient.
Who is it for:
I recommend Tidio for eCommerce stores that want to help users solve issues faster and enhance brand trust with help functionalities for free.
13. Loloyal – loyalty and rewards app
Loloyal made the list of the best free Shopify apps because it can be a helpful addition to your marketing strategy for enhancing loyalty and offering referral programs.
Why I picked it:
Loloyal lets you set up points and rewards programs for free, including for website visits, sign-ups, newsletter subscriptions, and social media sharing. Creating a referral program or limited-time offers is also available without upgrading.
During setup, you can choose the banner’s image from 5+ options and change widget launcher settings. There’s also a custom CSS option to change your banner however you like.
However, it’s worth noting that Loloyal offers just 50 monthly orders, so if you need more, BON Loyalty offers 250 orders per month.
Who is it for:
If all you’re looking for is creating a few reward programs, I believe Loloyal is a great free option. It’s best for small to medium-sized businesses that seek a user-friendly solution to increase sales.
14. Judge.me – app for product reviews
Judge.me is a highly-regarded Shopify product reviews app, and the free version is a big part of that. With this option, you get unlimited review requests on top of unlimited photo and video reviews.
Why I picked it:
I found the setup of Judge.me very simple – it takes just a few steps that you’re guided through as soon as you install it. You can add a review section or star ratings, and set up automatic review requests and their conditions. And the best part is that there’s no request limit.
You can manage all reviews in an intuitive dashboard and monitor analytics, such as number of review requests sent, reviews over time, average rating, and more. I also liked the variety of widgets that the app offers, including a review carousel, floating tab, and counter.
Who is it for:
Judge.me is suitable for stores of any size that want to save and get a full-fledged product review app. Some of the limitations include no Q&A and pop-up widgets, but if you don’t need them, then this app won’t disappoint.
15. Parcel Panel – order tracking Shopify app
I added Parcel Panel – the free order tracking and shipping app on Shopify – to this list because it offers 50 monthly orders after installation. And with a dedicated tracking page, you get everything needed for small business order management.
Why I picked it:
While Parcel Panel offers just 20 monthly orders for free, upon installation, I received a special offer of a 2.5-time increase in free quota. So, instead of 20, you get 50 orders per month. With this app, you also get access to over 1,100+ carriers.
You can track your orders in real time and even add a tracking page. But since this is a free plan, keep in mind that the page will be branded with a Parcel Panel logo. Once the orders start rolling in, you’ll be able to view basic analytics, such as shipment status and delivery performance.
Who is it for:
I’d recommend the Parcel Panel app for any business that deals with shipping and wants to track orders and help reduce work for their support team with a tracking page.
How I tested and selected these apps
In order to carefully pick the actual free best apps, I scoured different categories on the Shopify App Store and picked the top 5 apps from each.
I ended up choosing 15 free Shopify apps that stood out and guaranteed to be most useful for merchants, including PageFly, TinyIMG, and Essential.
I downloaded and tested over 70 apps in total and compared their features in one Excel sheet. I wrote down the advantages and limitations to find out which ones are most generous. The more free quota the app had, the more advantage it had over other apps.
Another important factor I considered was whether the app offers a free trial or free plan, and gave the upper hand for the latter option.
After careful testing, I took into consideration the overall rating, ensuring it was at least 4.6 or higher, and checked that the free version offered 24/7 support.
Conclusion
The best free Shopify apps on our list are PageFly and TinyIMG. With both of these apps, your store can be covered in terms of website optimization. PageFly helps you create professional-looking and high-converting pages. Meanwhile, TinyIMG assists with SEO tasks and ensures your images are automatically compressed to enhance speed.
However, the best free app for your Shopify site depends on your business needs. Whether you’re looking to launch reward programs, set up product reviews, or set up a cookie bar – you can find great free options on our list to leverage.
Frequently asked questions
You can download the Shopify app for free from the Google Play or Apple App Store. There’s a free 3-day trial you can use to explore all features and tools that Shopify offers for starting and growing your business.
The main tips that require no costs for boosting your Shopify store are using title tag and keyword optimization, reaching out to influencers to promote your store, and listing your site in Comparison Shopping engines.
Free Shopify themes provide a simple design and basic features but offer limited customization options. Premium themes usually have a wider array of features and give you more customization freedom.
