Introduction

“shopify apps for beginners” is the most common search phrase new store owners use when they want fast, measurable improvements without technical debt. The right set of apps can lift conversion rates, automate marketing, reduce fulfillment time, and add new revenue streams. The wrong ones drain your margin and slow your site.

This guide covers which app categories matter first, how to evaluate and install apps, and a practical 90-day rollout plan you can follow. You will get real app recommendations with pricing tiers, a checklist for measuring return on investment (ROI), common mistakes to avoid, and a step-by-step timeline so you know what to test and when. The aim is to give store owners and entrepreneurs usable rules and numbers so you can pick three to five apps that create real results in your first 90 days.

Read on if you want to stop downloading random tools and start using a small, well-chosen app stack that drives measurable growth.

What are Shopify Apps and Why They Matter

What Shopify apps do: Apps extend your Shopify store beyond the core features. They add capabilities like product sourcing, email marketing, upsells, subscription billing, customer reviews, shipping automation, and search engine optimization.

Why apps matter now: Average new Shopify stores start with thin margins and limited time. A few apps can automate repetitive tasks and increase average order value (AOV). For example, adding a post-purchase upsell app that increases AOV by $5 on 1,000 monthly orders means $5,000 additional monthly revenue.

How apps impact metrics: Apps typically affect one or more of these metrics:

Conversion rate (CR) at product or checkout.
Average order value (AOV).
Repeat purchase rate (RPR).
Fulfillment cost and time.
Traffic acquisition efficiency (cost per click and return on ad spend).

Examples with numbers:

Email flows: A welcome flow can deliver 10-30% of a store’s email revenue within 30 days of setup.
Reviews: Adding a review app can boost conversion by 10-15% on pages with social proof.
Subscriptions: Adding recurring billing for replenishable products can increase lifetime value (LTV) by 30-200% depending on product type.

Typical app cost structure: Free, one-time, monthly subscription, per-transaction fee, or percentage of subscription revenue. Expect early-stage stores to pay $0 to $100 per app per month, with more advanced tools hitting $200 to $500 per month.

When to use apps: Use apps when the expected incremental revenue or time savings exceed the total cost and the added page weight or maintenance is justified. Prioritize apps that deliver measurable revenue per month and can be turned off if they underperform.

Shopify Apps for Beginners:

how to choose the right apps

Start with goals and constraints. Choose apps that directly map to a single measurable objective: increase conversion, reduce returns, automate marketing, or simplify fulfillment.

What metric will it move?
How will you measure that change?
What is the cost vs expected outcome in 30/60/90 days?

Selection criteria:

ROI focus: If an app costs $30 per month, target at least $150 to $300 additional monthly gross revenue within 60 days.
Lightweight performance: Favor apps that explicitly optimize for page speed or offer server-side rendering. Avoid apps that inject heavy JavaScript without performance modes.
Reliable support and updates: Look for apps with recent reviews and active developer responses.
Data ownership and export: Ensure you can export data or disconnect without losing critical customer history.

Example evaluation process: Imagine you run a store with these baseline numbers:

Monthly revenue: $10,000
Orders per month: 400
AOV: $25
Conversion rate: 1.2%

Candidate app: Post-purchase upsell costing $29/month.

Additional revenue = 400 orders * 10% * $7 = $280/month.
Net after app cost = $280 - $29 = $251/month. ROI positive. If acceptance rate can be improved to 20% with copy tests, revenue bump doubles.

Implementation checklist when choosing:

Read recent reviews from stores in your vertical.
Confirm free trial or money-back window.
Identify the KPIs you will track (e.g., CR lift, AOV increase, customer LTV).
Plan an A/B test or tagged cohort to measure impact.

When to avoid an app:

It adds minimal value relative to cost.
It duplicates functionality you already have in another app.
It negatively impacts site speed or causes checkout issues.
It requires heavy manual setup that you cannot maintain.

How to Implement and Measure Apps:

a 90-day rollout plan

A phased rollout reduces risk, isolates impact, and builds muscle for ongoing optimization.

Phase 0: Prep (Days 0-3)

Baseline metrics: record sessions, CR, AOV, returning customer rate, average order value, and conversion by traffic source.
Tag traffic sources and set up UTM parameters for ad campaigns.
Confirm Google Analytics 4 and Shopify reports are connected.

Phase 1: Install low-friction wins (Days 4-14)

Install a reviews app (Judge.me or Loox).
Install an email capture/pop-up app (Privy or OptinMonster).
Set up a welcome email flow using Klaviyo or Omnisend.

Expected outcome: immediate uplift in email subscribers, early revenue from welcome flow; measure within 14 days.

Phase 2: Increase order value (Days 15-45)

Add a cart or post-purchase upsell app (ReConvert or Bold Upsell).
Set up bundles or volume discounts.
Begin A/B testing upsell offers and copy.

Expected outcome: track AOV change and conversion on upsell funnel over 30 days.

Phase 3: Retention and automation (Days 46-90)

Implement subscription app if product fits (Recharge or Bold Subscriptions).
Launch automated win-back and replenishment email flows.
Add loyalty or referral program (Smile.io or ReferralCandy).

Expected outcome: measure repeat purchase rate and subscription revenue contribution by day 90.

How to measure impact:

Use a tagged cohort of visitors or customers to isolate app effects.
Compare 30-day cohorts before and after activation.
Track revenue per visitor (RPV) and customer lifetime value trends.
Use simple formulas: incremental revenue = new revenue - baseline revenue for same cohort size and traffic.

Example measurement calculation:

Baseline: 100,000 visits/month, CR 1.5% => 1,500 orders, AOV $40 => $60,000 revenue.

After upsell app: AOV up to $43, CR constant => revenue = 1,500 * $43 = $64,500 => incremental = $4,500.

If app cost $79/month, net gain is $4,421.

Best practices during rollout:

Enable one major revenue-impacting app per 2-week window to avoid confounding effects.
Keep backups of theme files before installing storefront apps.
Use Shopify app trial periods and shipping or test orders to validate checkout flows.
Remove or disable apps that do not show positive impact within 60 days unless they are experimental.

When to Scale Apps and Build an Efficient App Stack

Scale apps when they are consistently moving key metrics and your business can absorb the monthly cost. Build a stack that balances acquisition, conversion, and retention.

Starter stack for first 90 days (typical costs included):

Reviews: Judge.me (free tier), Loox (starts around $9.99/month).
Email marketing: Klaviyo (free tier up to a small contact count) or Omnisend (free tier available).
Pop-up/email capture: Privy (free basic plan).
Upsell: ReConvert (starts around $7.99/month) or Bold Upsell (from $9.99/month).

Estimated monthly cost for starter stack: $0 to $60 (depending on free tiers and chosen paid tiers).

Growth stack for months 3-12:

Subscriptions: Recharge (custom pricing, often a starting cost plus percentage) or Bold Subscriptions ($9.99+).
Loyalty: Smile.io free plan available; premium from $49/month.
Shipping: ShipStation or Shippo ($10-$20/month).
Accounting sync: QuickBooks Online connector (from $20/month).

Estimated monthly cost for growth stack: $100 to $500.

When to add advanced apps:

Add a subscription app when at least 10-20% of orders are replenishable.
Add a loyalty program when you can attribute at least 10% of revenue to repeat buyers.
Add a dedicated ad optimization or analytics app when monthly ad spend exceeds $1,000.

Cost vs benefit rule of thumb:

If an app costs X per month, expect it to generate at least 3X within 90 days, or save equivalent time that you would otherwise pay to outsource.

Operational signals to scale:

Stable month-over-month revenue growth for 3 months.
Ads scaling with consistent return on ad spend (ROAS).
You can dedicate time for A/B testing and optimization.

Tools and Resources

This section lists specific Shopify apps and related platforms with typical pricing, free tier availability, and core use case.

Product sourcing and dropshipping

Spocket: US/EU suppliers, free plan, paid plans $24/month and up.
DSers: AliExpress dropshipping partner, free plan and paid plans from $19.90/month.
Printful: Print-on-demand, no monthly fee, product costs plus shipping.

Reviews and social proof

Judge.me: free plan available; Awesome plan starts around $15/month.
Loox: photo reviews and referral, plans start at around $9.99/month.
Yotpo: free basic reviews; premium plans for more features.

Email marketing and SMS

Klaviyo: free tier for small contact lists; paid plans start as contacts grow (typical $20-$50/month at small list sizes).
Omnisend: free tier (basic automation) and paid plans from $16/month.
Postscript/Klaviyo SMS: SMS pricing per message plus potential base fees.

Conversion and upsells

ReConvert: starting around $7.99/month for post-purchase funnels.
Bold Upsell: starts around $9.99/month; enterprise pricing for larger stores.
CartHook (Legacy): older tool, many merchants moved to ReConvert or Bold.

Subscriptions and recurring

Recharge: custom pricing, can include per-order fees and monthly charges; often used by established merchants.
Bold Subscriptions: plans start from $9.99/month.

Loyalty and referrals

Smile.io: free plan; premium plans start at $49/month.
ReferralCandy: from $49/month plus commission on referred sales.

Shipping and fulfillment

ShipStation: from $9/month.
Shippo: pay-as-you-go or small monthly plans.
Pirate Ship: free with USPS discounted rates.

SEO and site speed

Plug in SEO: free trial and paid plans from around $20/month.
TinyIMG or Crush.pics: image optimization with free tiers and paid plans from $4.99/month.

Analytics and reporting

Littledata: connects Shopify and Google Analytics 4; plans from $19/month.
Supermetrics: for custom reporting to Google Sheets or Data Studio.

Accounting and taxes

QuickBooks Online integration apps: from $10-$30/month depending on provider.
TaxJar: sales tax automation with plans from $19/month.

Example budget scenarios

Very lean beginner (0-1 paid apps): $0 to $30/month. Focus: free versions, manual processes.
Growth-focused (3-6 apps): $50 to $200/month. Focus: conversion, email, reviews, upsells.
Scale stage (>6 apps): $200 to $800+/month. Focus: advanced automation, subscriptions, logistics.

Note: Pricing changes frequently. Always check the Shopify App Store listing for current pricing and trial terms.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Installing too many apps at once

Problem: Hard to isolate which app moved the metric and increases page load.

Avoidance: Install one significant app every 10 to 14 days and measure changes.

Ignoring site speed impact

Problem: Some apps add heavy JavaScript that slows page load and hurts conversion.

Avoidance: Use apps that offer server-side rendering or asynchronous loading; test pages with Google PageSpeed Insights or WebPageTest before and after install.

Duplicate functionality

Problem: Running two apps for the same purpose (two pop-ups, two email tools) causes conflicts.

Avoidance: Audit functionality before installing. Keep a single source of truth for email and reviews.

Not tracking incremental impact

Problem: You assume an app works without baseline data, wasting money on ineffective tools.

Avoidance: Set up tracking, use tagged cohorts, and run A/B or split tests where possible.

Blindly trusting “best” lists

Problem: Blog lists recommend popular apps that may not fit your vertical or traffic scale.

Avoidance: Prefer apps with transparent pricing, strong recent reviews from stores similar to yours, and clear KPIs.

FAQ

What are the First Three Apps a New Shopify Store Should Install?

me), and an upsell/cart optimization app (ReConvert). These three target acquisition, trust, and order value respectively.

How Much Should I Expect to Pay for Apps as a Beginner?

Most beginners can operate with $0 to $60 per month using free tiers. Growth stores typically budget $100 to $300 per month for a useful stack. Check each app’s listing for up-to-date pricing and trials.

Will Apps Slow Down My Shopify Store?

Some apps can slow pages, especially if they add client-side JavaScript. Choose apps with performance modes, test before/after, and remove apps that add significant load without commensurate benefit.

How Long Until I See Results From an App?

Expect measurable results within 30 to 90 days. Low-friction installs like pop-ups and welcome emails can show impact in 7-30 days. Bigger changes like SEO or subscription programs often need 60-90 days to materialize.

Can I Remove an App Without Losing Data?

Many apps allow export of data, but not all. Before installing, confirm data export capabilities and regularly back up theme files. For critical features, test the uninstall process in a staging theme if possible.

Next Steps

1. Baseline your metrics today:

Record sessions, conversion rate, AOV, repeat purchase rate, and monthly revenue.
Time required: 1-2 hours.

2. Pick and install 1-2 high-impact free or low-cost apps:

Install a reviews app and set up a welcome email flow using Klaviyo or Omnisend.
Time required: 1-3 days including setup.

3. Run a 90-day plan:

Follow the rollout timeline above, measuring impact every 14 days and documenting changes.
Time required: ongoing; commit 2-4 hours per week for tests.

4. Calculate ROI and decide whether to scale:

After 60-90 days, calculate incremental revenue and compare to app costs.
If ROI is positive, add one growth app (subscriptions, loyalty, advanced analytics).
Time required: 1-2 hours to analyze and decide.

Checklist to carry forward:

Capture baseline metrics
Confirm tracking setup (Google Analytics 4, Shopify reports)
Install review and email capture apps
Set up and test welcome and abandoned cart flows
Schedule A/B tests for upsells and pop-ups
Reassess app stack after 60 days and remove non-performers

This guide provides a practical, measurable approach to selecting and using shopify apps for beginners. Follow the timelines, use the budget scenarios, and focus on measurable KPIs to build an efficient app stack that scales with your store.

Shopify Apps for Beginners Starter Guide