25 Best Free Shopify Apps Every Store Needs

Finding genuinely useful free Shopify apps is harder than it looks. The Shopify App Store is packed with tools that sound promising, but most free plans cap you in ways that don’t actually help you grow. What merchants really need is a small set of reliable apps that improve product discovery, speed up the store, enhance marketing, and make everyday operations easier—without turning the backend into a cluttered mess.

This guide focuses on the tools that consistently prove their value in real Shopify stores. Apps that improve how shoppers search, browse, and buy. Apps that automate the repetitive work. Apps that help stores look cleaner, run smoother, and convert better—all without adding unnecessary load or surprise costs. The idea is simple: a curated list of free tools that actually help your store scale, not just inflate your app count.

Best Free Shopify Apps for Product & Catalog Management

1. Catalog Machine

What it does:

Catalog Machine helps merchants create professional online and PDF catalogs by pulling product data directly from Shopify. It offers customizable templates, automated product imports, and options to build lookbooks, line sheets, and wholesale catalogs.

Why it’s useful:

Ideal for brands that sell through wholesale, distributors, or marketplaces and need polished catalogs without manual design work. Fashion, beauty, home décor, and lifestyle brands get the most value because catalog updates are automated as products change.

Free plan highlights:

Create limited catalogs with a restricted product count, enough for small stores or those testing catalog workflows.

Best for:

Merchants creating seasonal lookbooks, B2B line sheets, or downloadable catalogs for marketing.

2. Meetanshi PDF Product Catalog

What it does:

This app generates downloadable or printable PDF catalogs from your Shopify collections. It adds a “Download Catalog” option on collection pages and supports a variety of layouts, styles, and branding options.

Why it’s useful:

It’s an efficient way to offer customers a clean, branded PDF catalog without manually designing it. Useful for both D2C and B2B stores—especially when sending catalogs to buyers or running seasonal product ranges.

Free plan highlights:

The free tier allows a small number of catalogs and pages, suitable for stores with limited SKUs or those starting out.

Best for:

Brands that want a lightweight, automated solution for generating PDFs for customers, retailers, or sales reps.

3. Marpipe – Catalog Manager

What it does:

Marpipe focuses on product-feed and catalog control for digital advertising channels. It lets merchants map product attributes, sync variants and inventory, and build dynamic creatives using product data.

Why it’s useful:

If you run paid ads across Meta, TikTok, or Pinterest, catalog quality directly affects campaign performance. Marpipe helps maintain clean feeds and enables creative variations driven by product attributes, which is valuable for growth marketers.

Free plan highlights:

Offers essential catalog and feed-management capabilities suitable for new or mid-stage stores running cross-channel ads.

Best for:

Merchants who want unified catalog management across ads and store channels, and those focused on optimizing creative testing and feed quality.

Best Free Shopify Apps for Search & Product Discovery

4. Wizzy AI Search & Filter

What it does:

• Offers AI-driven, contextual site search that understands shopper intent, handles misspellings, synonyms, and draws on metadata (tags, sizes, colors, SKUs)
• Enables dynamic filters on search & collection pages (by tag, size, inventory location, vendor, brand).
• Provides analytics on top searches, purchase-by-search terms, and supports merchandising (redirects, custom ranking).

Why it’s strong:

• Especially good for stores with sizable catalogues and rich attributes (fashion, multi-variant products) because it lets you surface items relevantly even when auto-search terms are loose.
• The focus on “understands intent” means you (as a growth marketer) can drive conversions by smoothing the search-UX friction.
• Reviewers note “lightning-fast search results”, “intuitive filters”, and strong support.

Best for:

Stores where discovery is key (e.g., many SKUs, variations, complex attributes). Also useful when search analytics feed your growth strategy (you want to see what people are searching for, then optimize landing pages, campaigns).

Considerations:

Free trial available; check how the free tier handles large SKUs, query volume. As your store scales, you’ll want to validate cost vs uplift.

5. LimeSpot Personalizer (AI-powered product recommendations & discovery)

What it does:

• Focuses on AI-driven product recommendations, upsells, cross-sells and “frequently bought together” bundles.
• Supports personalization of blocks across store (homepage, product pages, cart, post-purchase) based on browsing and purchase behaviour
• Also includes A/B/N testing for recommendation layouts and deeper segmentation.

Why it’s strong:

• Great complement to a search-tool like Wizzy: once shopper lands on your site (via paid traffic, organic, etc), LimeSpot helps push them toward exactly the right products.
• For a growth marketer, this means more efficient use of traffic and higher average order value (AOV) by presenting relevant items and bundling logically.
• Robust support and tendency to integrate well with email/SMS/content personalisation too—so tie-in with your marketing stack is smoother. 

Best for:

Stores looking to increase average order value, boost conversion from product pages, and build retention through smart recommendations. Especially effective when you already have decent traffic but room to convert more of it.

Considerations:

Even if free plan exists, full features may require upgraded tiers. Always benchmark recommended-block CTR and incremental revenue before scaling.

6. Klevu ‑ AI Search & Discovery

What it does:

• An enterprise-grade AI search + merchandising + product recommendation platform for on-site discovery.
• Features include instant type-ahead search, personalized result ranking over time, advanced filtering/faceting, full analytics and merchandising dashboard.

Why it’s strong:

• When you’re managing a large catalog, multi-market (global), heavy traffic store with advanced merchandising needs, Klevu supports complexity.
• For growth marketers focusing on scaling (multiple regions, large SKUs, integrating search data into campaigns), Klevu gives you high control and deep insights.
• Excellent merchant reviews (4.8 stars) for search conversion uplift

Best for:

Mid-to-larger scale stores with high SKU counts, multiple markets, high traffic, and need advanced search/discovery performance and customization.

Considerations:

Pricing is notably higher than simpler apps. For smaller stores or test phases, the cost may outweigh benefit unless traffic and catalog size justify it.

Best Free Shopify Apps for Marketing & SEO

7. Omnisend Email Marketing & SMS

What it does: A full-fledged marketing automation platform for Shopify that handles email campaigns, SMS, web push notifications, segmentation, automation workflows, and more.

Why it’s strong:

• The free plan allows you to send up to 500 emails/month and supports up to 250 contacts. 
• All key features (automation, segmentation, templates) are available even on the free tier. 
• Great fit for growth marketers: you can hook it into your funnel, capture data, segment smartly, and run campaigns that support your B2B or D2C growth goals.

Best for: Stores that have begun building traffic and lists, want to convert more visitors via email/SMS/automation, and want a tool that scales.

Considerations: Free tier is limited in volume; for large-contact or high-volume campaign demands you’ll need to upgrade.

8. TinyIMG SEO & Image Optimizer

What it does: A Shopify SEO-centric tool focusing on image optimization, metadata (alt text, filenames), JSON-LD structured data, broken link handling, lazy loading and speed improvements.

Why it’s strong:

• Speed & SEO are foundational for organic growth—image size, metadata, load time all matter for Google and UX.
• It automates many of the “boring but important” SEO tasks (alt text, image compression, redirects) so your catalogue or blog posts scale without manual overhead.

Best for: Stores with large product catalogs, many images, or those focused on improving organic traffic and conversion (especially where page-speed and SEO are weak).

Considerations: Free plan may have limits (ex: number of images optimized/month). For campaign-scale or heavy catalog operations check pricing tiers. TinyIMG

9. SEOAnt: AI SEO & AI Blog Post

What it does: This app offers AI-driven SEO auditing and optimization: scan your store for on-page issues, bulk edit meta tags/alt text, implement structured data, use AI to generate blog posts

Why it’s strong:

• Automates audit and remediation of SEO issues (duplicate content, missing alt tags, broken links) so you can focus on strategy rather than manual fixes.
• Enables content generation using AI (blog posts) which complements your content/SEO strategy (you as growth marketer need depth and scale).

Best for: Stores actively investing in content marketing/SEO, blog strategy, and looking to scale organic traffic with less manual overhead.

Considerations: Ensure the free plan covers your store size and audit depth—many free tiers only cover fewer pages/products.

Best Free Shopify Apps for CRO & On-Site Experience

10. Judge.me – Product Reviews (Free Plan)

What it does:

Judge.me enables you to collect product and store reviews, including photos and videos. It displays reviews on product pages, collection pages, and across key storefront sections. You can also push reviews into marketing channels to enhance credibility across touchpoints.

Why it’s beneficial for CRO:

Social proof is one of the most influential conversion levers. Real customer reviews reduce hesitation, improve click-through rates, and increase purchase confidence. Judge.me’s free plan is powerful because it allows unlimited review collection, something most review apps restrict.

Free plan highlights:

• Unlimited review collection
• Star-rating widgets and review display elements
• Basic integrations with common storefront and marketing tools

Considerations:

Advanced features such as deeper customization, Google Shopping review syndication, and Q&A features require upgrading. However, the free version covers all core CRO needs for early-stage and scaling stores.

Best use case:

Ideal for stores that need to build trust quickly—especially those with growing traffic but underperforming conversions.

11. Fera Product Reviews

What it does:

Fera focuses on visually rich review collection, allowing shoppers to upload photos and videos. It provides customizable widgets, supports review imports from external platforms, and offers clean, modern layouts for displaying social proof.

Why it’s beneficial for CRO:

Visual reviews drive significantly higher trust than plain text, especially for categories where appearance or real-life use matters. Fera’s emphasis on images and videos helps shoppers visualize products realistically, improving overall purchase confidence.

Free plan highlights:

• Core review collection and display features
• Support for displaying visual reviews
• Clean UI with customizable review widget options

Considerations:

The free plan may limit the number of widgets or advanced display styles. Stores with high review volume or heavy reliance on UGC may eventually require upgrading.

Best use case:

Ideal for fashion, lifestyle, beauty, and home décor brands where photo and video reviews strongly influence conversion and where customers expect to see real-world usage.

12. PageFly Landing Page Builder (Free Blocks)

What it does:

PageFly is a no-code drag-and-drop page builder that helps merchants create custom landing pages, enhanced product pages, campaign pages, and promotional layouts beyond the limitations of standard Shopify themes.

Why it’s beneficial for CRO:

Custom landing pages are essential for improving conversion funnels. PageFly allows you to tailor pages for specific campaigns, audiences, or acquisitions channels—helping you match the landing experience to visitor intent. This directly improves conversion rates.

Free plan highlights:

• Access to core templates and drag-and-drop components
• Ability to build key pages without coding
• Strong performance reputation with high merchant ratings

Considerations:

Advanced features such as A/B testing, high page volumes, or deeper integrations require paid plans. Stores must also ensure that custom pages remain performance-optimized to avoid slowing down the site.

Best use case:

Perfect for stores running paid campaigns, influencer traffic, email promotions, or those needing to iterate product pages beyond theme limitations. Especially valuable for growth marketers who rely on precise funnel control.

Best Free Shopify Apps for Shipping, Orders & Fulfillment

13. Shippo (Free Plan)

What it does:

Shippo provides a streamlined way to manage shipping labels, compare carrier rates, track orders, and handle returns from a single dashboard. It aggregates discounted rates from major carriers and allows merchants to automate key fulfillment tasks without adding operational overhead.

Why it’s beneficial:

For growing new Shopify stores, fulfillment efficiency directly impacts customer experience and margins. Shippo’s free plan offers access to discounted shipping rates, pay-as-you-go label buying, and unlimited tracking notifications—helping merchants save costs while improving post-purchase visibility.

Free plan highlights:

• Access to pre-negotiated discounted shipping rates
• Unlimited tracking updates for customers
• Pay-as-you-go label creation without monthly subscription fees

Considerations:

Advanced automation, batch workflows, and branded tracking pages require upgrading. However, the free plan covers the most essential needs for small and mid-size stores.

Best use case:

Ideal for stores handling moderate order volumes that want a reliable, cost-efficient fulfillment workflow without committing to heavy logistics software.

14. AfterShip Order Tracking

What it does:

AfterShip provides automated order tracking with real-time shipment updates across hundreds of carriers. It lets you create branded tracking pages, send customer notifications, and reduce the volume of “Where is my order?” support tickets.

Why it’s beneficial:

A smooth post-purchase experience is critical for customer satisfaction and retention. AfterShip helps remove uncertainty by giving customers clear visibility into their shipments, significantly lowering support costs and improving trust.

Free plan highlights:

• Branded tracking page with basic customization
• Automated email notifications for key shipment events
• Support for major global carriers

Considerations:

The free plan has limits on monthly tracking shipments. Larger stores or those requiring SMS notifications, advanced branding, or detailed analytics may need to upgrade.

Best use case:

Perfect for D2C brands that care about customer experience and want to minimize support pressure by making tracking predictable and transparent.

15. EasySell COD Form & Upsells (Free Tier)

What it does:

EasySell replaces Shopify’s traditional checkout with a quick COD (Cash on Delivery) order form—highly valuable for markets where COD dominates. It also offers one-click upsells, custom fields, and the ability to reduce COD fraud by collecting additional customer details.

Why it’s beneficial:

COD-heavy markets often struggle with abandoned carts and poor-quality leads. A fast, mobile-optimized COD form increases order completion rates and reduces friction. The app’s built-in upsell and add-on features also help lift average order value without complicating the checkout flow.

Free plan highlights:

• Essential COD form functionality
• Customizable fields and design options
• Basic upsell and add-on support

Considerations:

Free tier may limit the number of orders or advanced customization. Stores with high COD volume or deeper lead validation needs may require a paid tier.

Best use case:

Ideal for stores operating in COD-first regions such as India, MENA, or Southeast Asia, where streamlined COD workflows and lightweight upsells dramatically improve shopify conversions.

Best Free Shopify Apps for Social Proof & Engagement

16. TrustPulse – Social Proof Notifications

What it does:

TrustPulse displays real-time social proof notifications such as “Someone just purchased” or “X people are viewing this product” to create urgency and credibility. It tracks user activity and highlights it across key pages to build trust instantly.

Why it’s beneficial:

Social proof notifications tap into FOMO and help reassure new visitors that your store is active and trusted. This reduces hesitation, especially on product and landing pages where customers often need an extra nudge to convert.

Free plan highlights:

• Real-time purchase and activity pop-ups
• Basic customization of notification style and placement
• Ability to show recent customer actions and interactions

Considerations:

The free tier may limit monthly impressions and advanced design control. For stores with high traffic, an upgrade may be needed to maintain consistent coverage.

Best use case:

Ideal for stores aiming to increase conversions from cold or mid-intent visitors, especially when traffic is growing but confidence signals on the site are limited.

17. Loox (Free Plan)

What it does:

Loox is a photo-heavy review app that enables customers to upload images and videos with their reviews. It enhances product credibility through visual content, creating strong engagement on product pages.

Why it’s beneficial:

Visual UGC significantly boosts trust and helps customers imagine how the product looks in real-world scenarios. This is especially powerful in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and home décor categories where aesthetics drive purchasing decisions.

Free plan highlights:

• Basic review collection
• Ability to display image-based reviews if supported in the free tier
• Standard layouts for review widgets

Considerations:

Loox historically has been a paid platform with occasional limited free options. If a free tier exists, it may restrict advanced widgets, import features, or the number of reviews displayed.

Best use case:

Perfect for visually driven product categories where real-life product photos strongly influence conversions.

18. Yotpo (Free Tier)

What it does: Yotpo is an enterprise-grade reviews and UGC platform offering reviews, Q&A, visual UGC, loyalty tools, and SMS integrations. The free tier focuses mainly on core review collection and basic display.

Why it’s beneficial:

Even at the free level, Yotpo provides a strong foundation for collecting credible reviews. It’s particularly helpful for merchants who plan to scale into a full customer retention ecosystem later, as Yotpo integrates reviews, loyalty, SMS, and subscriptions under one platform.

Free plan highlights:

• Core product review collection
• Basic widget customization
• Limited review request emails

Considerations:

The free tier has caps on review request volume and advanced features like rich UGC, loyalty tools, and display customizations. Larger stores will need to upgrade quickly once volume grows.

Best use case:

Great for merchants starting out who want a scalable review and UGC platform with future expansion into loyalty and SMS.

Bonus Free Shopify Apps (Additional Recommendations)

19. Easy Digital Products

Ideal if you sell ebooks, guides, templates, presets, software, or digital downloads. It simplifies digital file delivery, adds download links instantly, and manages updates without extra tools. Perfect for creators, educators, or hybrid stores.

20. Promo.com – Product Videos

Automatically creates short product videos using your product images and branding. Useful for stores that lack in-house video editing resources but want to boost ad creatives, PDP content, and social proof with minimal effort.

21. Rewind Backups (Free Plan)

Adds automated data backups for products, collections, and key store data. Crucial for preventing accidental losses during theme edits, app changes, or large catalog updates. A simple but essential safety net for any Shopify store.

22. COD Order Confirmation

For COD-heavy regions, this app reduces fake orders by verifying COD requests through OTP confirmation. Saves fulfillment costs, lowers RTO, and improves COD quality—very important for India, SEA, and MENA stores.

23. Etsy Marketplace Integration (Free Tier)

Helps sync products between Shopify and Etsy, ideal for stores that want an additional sales channel without managing separate inventories manually. Big help for artists, jewelry brands, and handmade product sellers.

24. Shopify Inbox

A native live chat tool that connects customer messages to your Shopify admin. It supports automated FAQs, product recommendations directly inside chat, and order lookup. Great for boosting conversion by reducing pre-purchase hesitation.

25. Easy Announcement Bar

A simple but powerful tool to promote offers, shipping thresholds, launches, and seasonal campaigns. Helps drive higher AOV (e.g., “Free shipping above ₹999”) and ensures customers don’t miss key promotions during browsing.

How to Choose the Right Free Apps Based on Your Store Type

For Fashion Stores

Fashion stores deal with fast-moving inventories, multiple variants, and visually driven buyer behavior. Customers rely on discovery tools to navigate sizes, colors, materials, and fits, so AI search and strong filtering apps make a noticeable impact on browsing efficiency. When shoppers land on the product page, photo-rich reviews build confidence quickly because fashion purchases are highly influenced by real-life visuals.

Fashion brands also benefit from landing page builders that help create seasonal drops, lookbooks, and influencer edits without theme limitations. These pages let you tie storytelling with conversion elements, especially for campaigns. For fashion, the best apps are those that improve product discovery, visual validation, and campaign flexibility.

For Beauty & Cosmetics

Beauty buyers depend on trust, ingredient clarity, product education, and relatable results. Apps that support visual UGC, routine builders, and AI-powered recommendations help simplify decision-making for customers who are unsure about compatibility or expected outcomes. Since beauty is a high-repeat category, post-purchase tools—including branded tracking pages—also influence retention and customer satisfaction.

SEO tools are particularly useful for beauty because many customers search by concerns (acne, dryness), ingredients (niacinamide, retinol), or routines. Clean metadata and faster page speed give your product pages a competitive edge on search results. For beauty, choose apps that strengthen credibility, education, and personalization.

For Home & Kitchen

Home and kitchen purchases are often higher-consideration and require detailed information. Customers need clarity regarding dimensions, durability, materials, installation, and use-cases before they commit. Review apps that support photos and Q&A widgets help fill these information gaps and reduce friction in the decision process.

Shipping apps play a bigger role here because products tend to be bulky or fragile. Clear tracking, accurate delivery updates, and status notifications minimize post-purchase anxiety. Page builders also help by enabling more visual explanations, comparison blocks, and rich product storytelling. For home & kitchen, pick apps that support clarity, visual proof, and strong post-purchase communication.

For Dropshipping Stores

Dropshipping stores rely heavily on automation and trust-building because buyers are often skeptical of delivery times, product authenticity, and return processes. Apps that streamline fulfillment, automate tracking, and reduce support load are essential. Social proof notifications and review widgets help build legitimacy quickly, especially when running paid ads to cold traffic.

Since many dropshipping products overlap across competitors, landing page builders become crucial for differentiation. Custom funnels, clean product storytelling, and optimized page layouts can significantly improve conversion rates. For dropshipping, choose apps that enhance trust, automation, and unique landing experiences.

For D2C Brands

D2C brands need AI tools that reinforce brand identity, maintain consistency across touchpoints, and build long-term customer relationships. Email/SMS automation helps strengthen retention, while branded tracking pages improve overall customer experience. AI search and product discovery tools ensure shoppers find the right product fast, which reduces bounce and increases AOV.

Visual UGC apps, review platforms, and content-friendly SEO tools all support D2C storytelling. Page builders also help create narrative-driven product pages, landing pages, and educational content without relying entirely on developers. For D2C, prioritize apps focused on experience, retention, and brand storytelling.

Also Read: AI Agents For Online Store

Conclusion

The best free Shopify apps aren’t just cost-saving tools — they’re foundational systems that shape how efficiently your store operates, how confidently customers buy, and how quickly your brand can scale. Each app category brings a different layer of value: AI search tools improve product discovery, review platforms strengthen trust, landing page builders refine conversion funnels, and shipping or tracking apps reinforce customer satisfaction long after checkout.

Choosing the right combination comes down to understanding your store’s specific needs. Fashion brands benefit from visual reviews and deep filtering; beauty stores rely on trust-building and routine-based recommendations; home and kitchen categories need clarity and post-purchase transparency; dropshipping stores depend on automation and credibility; and D2C brands require tools that enhance identity and long-term retention.

Free apps won’t replace a full tech stack, but they can meaningfully improve performance when chosen intentionally. Start with the essentials that support discovery, trust, and fulfillment, then layer more advanced tools as your store scales. With the right foundation, even early-stage Shopify stores can compete with larger brands and deliver an experience customers trust.