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The Shopify App Store: How to Find, Judge and Remove Apps

Updated , first published · 4 min read

To use the Shopify App Store well, search by the job you need done, filter for Built for Shopify apps, and read each listing for its pricing unit, recent reviews and the developer’s replies before you install. On the install screen, check what data the app asks for. After a trial, keep only apps you would pay for, and when you remove one, uninstall it from the admin and check your theme for anything it left behind.

We publish apps on the App Store and reply to the reviews on our listings.

Search and filter

Shopify’s Help Center page on finding and choosing apps, read on October 23, 2026, gives three ways to search: by keyword, by category from the “Browse apps” menu, and with the Built for Shopify filter on search and category pages. Search for the job (“bulk edit prices”, “size chart”) rather than a feature name, and open three or four listings side by side.

Developers can pay to appear on search results pages, and every paid placement carries an Ad label. Shopify says developers can’t pay to appear in app recommendations, which in your admin and on the App Store home page are based on stores similar to yours. You can also ask Sidekick to find an app; describe the job, such as “find me an app for product reviews”.

Read a listing in 7 checks

  1. The badge. Built for Shopify marks apps that Shopify certifies as high quality; the filter shows only those.
  2. The pricing unit. Find what the price grows with: orders, products, contacts, AI credits or seats. A $9 plan that counts orders can cost more than a $29 flat plan in a busy month.
  3. The free plan’s limits. Note what is missing on free (history, scheduling, branding removal) and how many items or tasks it allows.
  4. Recent reviews, not only the score. Sort by newest. Reviews from the last few months describe the app as it works now.
  5. The developer’s replies. Read the one- and two-star reviews and see whether the developer answered, and how. If the low-star reviews have no replies, email the developer a question before installing and see how quickly an answer comes.
  6. What it works with. Check the listing’s integrations section and whether it supports your theme, your plan, your languages and the Shopify features you use, such as Markets or POS.
  7. Screenshots of the real app. Look for screens of the admin and the storefront, not only marketing graphics, so you can see how much setup it takes.

For app picks by category, see best Shopify apps; for AI apps, see AI apps for Shopify.

Install: what the permission screen tells you

Before an app is installed, Shopify shows an Install app screen. Its Help Center page on installing apps says the screen has two groups: View personal data (such as customers and store owner) and View and edit store data (such as products, orders, discounts and Online Store), each expandable into specific permissions, plus a link to the developer’s privacy policy. Compare the list with the job: a product-editing app needs products, not your customers. After installing, you can review an app’s activity and permissions from its about page in the admin.

Shopify also warns that apps installed from a third-party link have not gone through the App Store’s verification and approval, and that such links work only for apps created before December 5, 2019.

Billing, trials and uninstalling cleanly

Apps made by Shopify are usually free; third-party apps may charge, and their charges appear on your Shopify bill. Shopify’s billing pages note that app subscriptions have their own billing cycle, so the dates may not match your plan’s billing date, and that app charges can continue after you pause or deactivate your store until you uninstall the apps. Put the trial’s end date in your calendar the day you install.

To remove an app, uninstall it from Settings > Apps in the admin, then check three places:

  • Your theme: Open the theme editor and look for empty app blocks or app embeds. Apps built on theme app extensions are removed with the app, according to Shopify’s developer documentation, but older apps that edited theme files can leave code behind; ask the developer which files to clean.
  • The data: Some data goes with the app. Shopify says that pre-order and third-party subscription app data, excluding payment details and subscription contracts, is deleted 48 hours after uninstalling, unless the app has a backup, and that Shopify sends the developer a request to erase your customers’ personal data 48 hours after you uninstall.
  • Speed: Compare the Web Performance reports before and after; see apps and store speed.

More operations guides are in the running a store hub.

Frequently asked questions

Are Shopify apps free? Many apps have a free plan, and apps made by Shopify are usually free. Third-party apps often charge a monthly fee that appears on your Shopify bill, with a pricing unit such as orders, products or contacts.

What does Built for Shopify mean? Built for Shopify is a badge for apps that Shopify certifies as high quality. You can filter search and category pages to show only those apps.

Does uninstalling an app remove its code? Apps that add features through theme app extensions are removed from your theme with the app. Apps that edited your theme files directly can leave code behind, so check the theme editor after uninstalling and ask the developer which files to clean up.