Introduction

The list of must have shopify apps 2024 is driven by three realities: rising acquisition costs, higher customer expectations, and the need for automation to scale. If you are a Shopify store owner or e-commerce entrepreneur, choosing the right set of apps can cut costs, improve conversion, and free your time for strategy.

This guide explains what these apps do, why they matter, and exactly how and when to implement them. You get a prioritized list, clear pricing comparisons, a 30/60/90 day rollout timeline, common mistakes to avoid, and a checklist for decision making. The goal is practical: pick the right apps, implement them quickly, and measure impact within 90 days.

Read on for recommended apps across marketing, subscriptions, reviews, customer experience, fulfillment, and analytics, plus actionable steps and real numbers you can use to plan your next quarter.

Must Have Shopify Apps 2024

What these apps are: “must have shopify apps 2024” refers to a curated set of Shopify platform extensions that address acquisition, conversion, retention, fulfillment, and analytics. The right combination eliminates manual work, raises average order value (AOV), and increases lifetime value (LTV).

Why this collection matters now: average customer acquisition cost (CAC) continues to rise across channels. Stores that rely only on basic Shopify features lose conversions and retention opportunities. Implemented correctly, apps can increase conversion rates by 5-25 percent and lift LTV through subscriptions, reviews, and loyalty.

How I selected them: priority was given to apps that are widely used, integrate cleanly with Shopify, have measurable ROI, and cover distinct functional needs. This is not a list of 50 apps; it is a recommended stack for modern merchants.

When to use this list: if your store does $5K to $500K monthly revenue, use this stack now. For stores under $5K/mo, start with core marketing (email/SMS), reviews, and a page builder. For >$100K/mo, add enterprise-grade tools for fulfillment, analytics, and customer support.

Key outcome: a compact, high-impact tech stack that supports acquisition, conversion, and retention without excessive overhead.

What These Apps Do and Core Categories

Overview: the app landscape groups into six core categories. Each category solves a specific business goal.

• Marketing and retention: email marketing, SMS, popups, and customer journeys to drive repeat purchases.
• Conversion and UX: page builders, search, product recommendations, and checkout upsells to lift conversion and AOV.
• Subscriptions and recurring revenue: subscription management and retention tools for predictable revenue.
• Reviews and social proof: product reviews, photo reviews, and user-generated content to increase trust.
• Fulfillment and shipping: order routing, tracking, returns, and multi-carrier shipping optimization.
• Reporting and support: analytics, live chat, and helpdesk integration to optimize operations.

How each category helps revenue: a conservative expectation is 2-5 percent conversion lift from conversion tools, 10-30 percent lift in repeat purchases from email and SMS flows, and 3-15 percent AOV increase from upsells and product recommendations. Together, these improvements compound.

Examples with numbers:

• Email + Flow Automation: Klaviyo flows recover 10-20 percent of abandoned carts on average. If your monthly revenue is $50,000 and cart abandonment is 75 percent, recovering 10 percent of abandoned carts could add $3,750/mo.
• Subscriptions: Recharge customers often see 20-40 percent of revenue from subscription items within 6 months after launch.
• Reviews: Stores using visual reviews like Loox or Judge.me report conversion lifts of 15-20 percent for new visitors.

Implementation principle: start with the apps that affect revenue fastest (email/SMS, reviews, checkout upsells), then add fulfillment and analytics.

Why These Apps Matter for Growth

Problem: acquisition is expensive and unstable. Ad costs rise, organic reach is limited, and single-purchase customers do not scale long-term.

Why apps fix that:

• Retention tools increase customer lifetime value (LTV) at a lower marginal cost than acquisition.
• Conversion tools improve the efficiency of every ad dollar.
• Automation reduces headcount needs and mistakes, allowing you to reallocate spend into testing and product development.

Specific value drivers:

• Email and SMS automation: create triggered flows (welcome, browse abandonment, cart abandonment, post-purchase, re-engagement). Typical ROI ranges from 5x to 20x depending on list quality and segmentation.
• Reviews and UGC: increasing social proof shortens the consideration window. Conversions from pages with reviews can be 10-25 percent higher.
• Subscriptions: recurring revenue stabilizes cash flow and increases customer lifetime value by 2x or more for consumable categories.

Operational benefits:

• Apps like ShipStation and AfterShip reduce manual tracking and customer service load, reducing average handling time (AHT) for support by 30-50 percent.
• Helpdesk integrations (Gorgias, Zendesk) let you automate responses, recover revenue via order edits, and close tickets faster.

When these apps fail: the main failure modes are poor setup, too many overlapping apps causing slowness, and lack of measurement. Track baseline metrics (conversion rate, AOV, repeat purchase rate, LTV) before installing major apps to measure impact.

How to Choose and Install with a 30/60/90 Day Plan

Decision framework: choose apps based on impact, integration complexity, cost, and experimentation speed. Use a priority score: Impact x Ease-of-Implementation / Monthly Cost.

Priority checklist:

• Impact: does it increase conversion, retention, or reduce cost? Rate 1-5.
• Ease: estimated time to set up and test. Rate 1-5.
• Cost: monthly cost and revenue share. Lower is better.

30/60/90 day rollout timeline (example for stores with $10K-$100K/mo):

Day 0 to Day 30: Foundation and quick wins

• Install email+SMS: Klaviyo or Omnisend plus SMSBump. Set up welcome series, cart recovery, and post-purchase flows. Expected time: 1-2 weeks. Budget: $0 to $50/mo for starter plans; paid plans scale with contacts.
• Add reviews: Judge.me or Loox for social proof. Configure automated review request emails and photo collection. Time: 1 week. Budget: Judge.me free plan or $15/mo for paid.
• Install analytics baseline: connect Google Analytics 4 and Triple Whale or Littledata for ecommerce tracking. Time: 1 week. Budget: GA4 is free; Triple Whale starts around $49/mo.

Day 31 to Day 60: Improve conversion and AOV

• Page builder and onsite search: install Shogun or PageFly for custom landing pages. Time: 2-3 weeks for core templates. Budget: $29-$200/mo.
• Upsell and cross-sell: ReConvert or Bold Upsell at checkout. Configure post-purchase offers and cart upsells. Time: 1-2 weeks. Budget: $9-$49/mo.
• Loyalty program: Smile.io or LoyaltyLion for points and rewards. Time: 2-3 weeks. Budget: free to $49+/mo.

Day 61 to Day 90: Scale operations and automation

• Subscriptions: Recharge for recurring billing, or Bold Subscriptions if you need complex billing. Time: 3-4 weeks to migrate products and flows. Budget: starting $39-$199/mo plus transaction fees or revenue share.
• Fulfillment and tracking: ShipStation, AfterShip, or Easyship for label automation and tracking pages. Time: 2-4 weeks. Budget: $9-$69/mo plus per-label fees.
• Helpdesk automation: Gorgias or Zendesk to route tickets and automate refund/discount responses. Time: 2-3 weeks. Budget: $60-$300+/mo depending on agent seats.

Testing and measurement:

• Set KPIs for each phase (e.g., cart recovery rate, review submission rate, subscription conversion rate).
• Use A/B tests for major changes like checkout upsell copy and landing pages.
• Review impacts at 30, 60, and 90 days and adjust priority based on ROI.

Integration tips:

• Prefer apps with native Shopify API integrations to avoid extra middleware.
• Limit active apps to reduce theme bloat; remove unused apps and perform a speed audit after major installs.
• Use a staging theme to test changes before pushing live.

Tools and Resources

Below are recommended apps by function with typical pricing and a short note about use. Prices are starting points and subject to change; check each vendor for current plans.

Email and SMS

• Klaviyo: free tier (up to 250 contacts), paid starts around $20/mo for small lists; strong segmentation and flows. Best for mid to enterprise merchants.
• Omnisend: free tier with limited emails and SMS credits; paid begins around $16/mo. Simpler UI and built-in SMS combos.
• Postscript (or SMSBump by Yotpo): SMS platforms; basic plans start $25-$50/mo plus per-message fees. Use for cart recovery and time-sensitive promos.

Reviews and UGC

• Judge.me: free plan with core features; paid plan around $15/mo. Good for star reviews and photo reviews.
• Loox: visual reviews focused on photo collection; plans from $9.99/mo. High conversion lift for fashion/beauty.
• Yotpo: enterprise-grade UGC and loyalty; pricing scales up quickly.

Subscriptions and recurring billing

• Recharge: market leader for subscription management with plans starting around $39/mo plus fees. Best for physical product subscriptions.
• Bold Subscriptions: flexible but can be more complex; pricing varies.

Conversion and onsite experience

• Shogun Page Builder: drag-and-drop pages with templates; plans from $39/mo. Good for high-converting landing pages.
• PageFly: lower cost page builder; plans from $19/mo.
• Searchanise or Algolia: site search improvements; Algolia is enterprise with usage based pricing, Searchanise starts low.

Upsell and cart conversion

• ReConvert: post-purchase upsells and thank-you page personalization; $7-$29/mo.
• Bold Upsell (Bold Commerce): more advanced upsell funnels; pricing varies.

Shipping and fulfillment

• ShipStation: label and multi-carrier shipping automation; plans from $9/mo plus per-shipment fees.
• AfterShip: tracking pages and notifications; free plan for basic tracking, paid from $9/mo.
• Easyship: international shipping optimization with rates visible at checkout.

Analytics and attribution

• Triple Whale: ecommerce analytics and ROAS dashboards; starts around $49/mo.
• Google Analytics 4 (GA4): free, required for baseline measurement.
• Littledata (or Elevar): accurate server-side tracking and Shopify + GA4 integration; paid plans start ~$100/mo for larger stores.

Customer support

• Gorgias: Shopify-native helpdesk optimized for ecommerce; pricing from $60/mo.
• Zendesk: powerful but general-purpose; pricing from $49/mo.

Security and performance

• TinyIMG or Image Optimizer: image compression and basic SEO; plans from $0 to $20/mo.
• Fast Simon or NitroPack: site speed and search optimization; NitroPack has free plan and performance optimizations.

Checklist before installing any app:

• Backup theme and test in a duplicate theme.
• Read reviews for current compatibility with your theme.
• Verify data export options in case you want to migrate.
• Confirm billing terms and cancellation policy.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

1. Installing too many apps at once

Installing multiple apps simultaneously makes it hard to isolate impact and can slow your site. Avoid by staging installations: one app per week and measure metrics.

2. Not measuring baseline metrics

Without baseline conversion rates, AOV, and repeat purchase rate, you cannot prove ROI. Before installing, record 30 days of baseline data for key metrics.

3. Overlapping functionality

Two apps offering the same feature (popups, image optimization) can conflict and duplicate costs. Map features before installing and choose one app per function.

4. Neglecting theme performance

Some apps inject scripts that hurt Core Web Vitals. Run a speed test (Google PageSpeed Insights) before and after installs and remove or replace apps that degrade performance.

5. Ignoring customer privacy and compliance

SMS and email require consent. Use double opt-in where required, and ensure apps support GDPR/CCPA compliance. Maintain an unsubscribe and data export process.

FAQ

Which Single App Gives the Fastest Revenue Lift?

Email automation platforms like Klaviyo or Omnisend typically provide the fastest measurable revenue lift through abandoned cart recovery and welcome series, often within 2-4 weeks after setup.

Do I Need Both Email and SMS?

Yes. Email is higher volume and cost-effective for lifecycle campaigns, while SMS has higher open rates and response speed. Use combined flows to maximize recovery and time-sensitive promotions.

How Many Apps are Too Many?

There is no fixed number, but aim to keep active app count minimal and purposeful. Many successful stores operate with 10-20 apps; focus on consolidating overlapping features and auditing performance quarterly.

Will Apps Slow Down My Store?

Some apps can add scripts that slow your store. Mitigate this by testing in a staging theme, preferring apps that use server-side rendering or Shopify Functions, and regularly auditing Core Web Vitals.

Are Free Apps Safe to Use?

Free does not guarantee safety. Check permission scopes, reviews, and the developer’s reputation. Ensure you can export data and remove the app cleanly if needed.

How Do I Measure App ROI?

Set clear KPIs (conversion rate, revenue recovered, subscription revenue, AOV), measure a 30-day baseline before install, and track incremental changes after activation. Use UTM tags and attribution tools like Triple Whale for ad-related measurement.

Next Steps

1. Run an audit this week

• Export last 30 days of revenue, conversion rate, AOV, repeat purchase rate, and current CAC.
• Identify top three pain points (e.g., low repeat purchases, high cart abandonment).

2. Choose a 30/60/90 roadmap

• Week 1-4: Install Klaviyo or Omnisend, set up three core flows, and install Judge.me or Loox.
• Week 5-8: Add a page builder and an upsell app; create one high-converting post-purchase offer.
• Week 9-12: Implement subscriptions and a fulfillment automation tool.

3. Set measurement and alerting

• Connect GA4 and Triple Whale or Littledata for accurate attribution.
• Create a dashboard showing conversion rate, recovered cart revenue, subscription revenue, and average order value.

4. Optimize monthly

• Review results at 30, 60, and 90 days.
• Remove any app that doesn’t show measurable ROI within 60-90 days or that harms page speed.

Checklist to get started

• Backup theme and create staging environment.
• Install email+SMS and reviews first.
• Configure tracking and baseline metrics.
• Add upsells and page builder in the second phase.
• Automate fulfillment and customer support in the third phase.

End of article.

Further Reading

• Best Shopify Apps 2024 for Growth
• Shopify Apps 2025 Best Picks and Strategy
• Best Shopify Sms Marketing App Guide
• Best Free Loyalty App Shopify Guide