Top 20+ Must-have Shopify Apps In Your Admin Dashboard
Last updated: December 02 2024
Running a Shopify store is no easy task, especially with so many aspects to manage — from marketing to customer support. That's why I've put together this list of the top 20+ must-have Shopify apps to help streamline your business. By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly which tools can make your store more efficient, boost sales, and improve customer experience.
Early Verdict
- Must-have app for Dropshipping: Spocket
- Must-have app for Sales and Promotion: Recharge Subscriptions
- Must-have app for Administration and Management: Veeqo Shipping
- Must-have app for Review: Yotpo Product Reviews & UGC
- Must-have app for Social Media Marketing: Sauce - Instagram TikTok & UGC
- Must-have app for Email Marketing: Omnisend Email Marketing & SMS
- Must-have app for Referral Marketing: Referral Candy & Affiliate
- Must-have app for Customer Service: Wishlist Plus
Must-have Shopify apps for Dropshipping
1. Printful: Print on Demand
Rating: 4.7⭐
Printful is a print-on-demand dropshipping app that empowers your creativity by handling product sourcing, printing, and fulfillment for your unique designs. With a vast array of customizable products and seamless Shopify integration, Printful is your go-to platform for creating and selling personalized merchandise.
Why to use it:
- Wide product catalog
- Easy design customization
- Automatic order fulfillment
Best for?
- Print-on-demand businesses
- Custom merchandise sellers
- Artists and designers
- Dropshippers seeking unique products
How Users Feel:
Users love Printful's high-quality products and user-friendly interface but some others have noted that shipping times can be longer for certain products and locations.
2. Spocket: USA & EU Dropshipping
Rating: 4.7⭐
Spocket is a dropshipping app that connects you with trusted suppliers offering high-quality products with rapid shipping times. Primarily sourced from the US and EU, Spocket's curated selection spans various categories, ensuring a smooth and reliable dropshipping experience.
Why to use it:
- Fast shipping times
- Easy product import
- Branded invoicing
Best for?
- High-quality product seekers
- Dropshippers prioritizing fast shipping
- Entrepreneurs building a brand
- Shopify merchants needing diverse product sourcing
How Users Feel:
Users love Spocket for its reliable suppliers and fast shipping but some have found the product selection to be limited compared to other platforms.
3. AVASHIP: Order Tracking
Rating: 4.7⭐
AVASHIP is your all-in-one solution for seamless order tracking and shipping management. It simplifies the process of tracking shipments, sending proactive notifications to customers, and even promoting enticing free shipping offers to boost sales.
Why to use it:
- Real-time tracking
- Branded tracking page
- Proactive customer notifications
Best for?
- Ecommerce businesses needing efficient order tracking
- Customer-focused brands wanting to enhance the post-purchase experience
- Merchants seeking automated shipping notifications
How Users Feel:
With a 4.7 out of 5 stars rating, lots of users rated this app wonderful due to its massive customization choices (countries goals fonts, graphics devices pages, etc.) Especially the app is free of charge, so new users can easily try the app to see if it is worth their time or not.
Must-have apps for Dropshipping - The Verdict
Spocket stands out as the best dropshipping app due to its vast network of high-quality suppliers, primarily based in the US and EU, ensuring faster shipping times and better product quality for your customers. Additionally, Spocket’s easy integration with Shopify, automated order fulfillment, and branded invoicing capabilities make it a seamless and efficient solution for dropshippers.
Must-have Shopify apps for Sales and Promotion
4. Recharge Subscriptions
Rating: 4.6⭐
Recharge Subscriptions is a powerful app that enables merchants to easily set up and manage subscription services for their products, providing a recurring revenue stream and enhancing customer loyalty.
Why to use it:
- Subscription box management
- Flexible billing options
- Customer self-management portal
Best for?
- Subscription box businesses
- Businesses with recurring billing models
- SaaS (Software as a Service) companies
How Users Feel:
Overall, the comprehensive subscription management features and flexibility in billing options are what users love most, but some have reported occasional glitches in the customer portal.
5. Instant Buy ‑ Ajax Mobile Cart
Rating: 4.5⭐
Instant Buy Shopify app transforms your mobile checkout into a lightning-fast experience. By enabling customers to add products to their cart and complete purchases without leaving the current page Instant Buy reduces cart abandonment and boosts conversions.
Why to use it:
- One-click checkout
- Reduced cart abandonment
- Improved mobile experience
Best for?
- Stores prioritizing fast checkout
- Mobile-first businesses
- High-volume sales stores
How Users Feel:
A majority of shoppers are impressed with the convenient mobile checkout experience of the stores that own this Shopify app; however, some have complaints about compatibility issues with certain themes and customizations.
6. TCW: SMS Marketing & Whatsapp
Rating: 4.8⭐
TCW Shopify app allows merchants to engage with customers through SMS and WhatsApp, sending promotional messages, order updates, and personalized communications for enhanced customer engagement.
Why to use it:
- SMS & WhatsApp marketing
- Automated campaigns
- Personalized communication
Best for?
- Businesses wanting to leverage SMS and WhatsApp for marketing
- Ecommerce stores seeking direct customer communication
- Brands aiming for personalized marketing campaigns
How Users Feel:
Customers find the app very useful in supporting various functions like order confirmation, shipping notification, abandoned cart recovery, and promotional campaigns. Moreover, some users highly rate the quick & professional response of the customer support of the app.
7. Voyager Upsell & Cross‑Sell
Rating: 4.9⭐
Voyager is an upselling Shopify app that empowers you to increase your sales with strategic upsells and cross-sells. By presenting personalized offers at key moments in the customer journey, Voyager helps you maximize average order value and boost revenue.
Why to use it:
- Personalized upsell and cross-sell offers
- Post-purchase upsells
- Analytics and Reporting
Best for?
- Stores looking to increase average order value (AOV)
- Merchants wanting to promote related products
- Businesses seeking automated upsell and cross-sell strategies
How Users Feel:
Users love the easy setup and customization options, as well as the ability to track the performance of upsell and cross-sell offers, but some have found the pricing structure to be complex.
8. Prisync Dynamic Pricing
Rating: 5.0⭐
Prisync Dynamic Pricing app automatically adjusts product prices based on real-time demand, competitor pricing, and other factors, maximizing revenue and profitability for merchants.
Why to use it:
- Real-time price optimization
- Increased profitability
- Competitive Pricing
Best for?
- Large product catalogs
- Competitive markets
- Data-driven pricing strategies
How Users Feel:
Merchants appreciate the app as they can save lots of time and money with the automated price comparison feature, user-friendly interface, accurate performance, and responsive customer support.
Must-have apps for Sales and Promotion - The Verdict
Recharge Subscriptions is the winner in terms of sales and promotion since it can provide seamless integration with Shopify and various billing options. Its comprehensive feature set, including dunning management and customer self-management tools, sets it apart from other apps in this category.
Must-have Shopify apps for Administration and Management
9. Veeqo Shipping
Rating: 4.0⭐
Veeqo is a centralized shipping management platform that streamlines your shipping operations by centralizing order fulfillment inventory management and shipping across multiple sales channels, including Shopify. This powerful platform automates tasks and provides a unified view of your order, saving you time and effort.
Why to use it:
- Centralized order management
- Multi-channel integration
- Automated shipping label creation
Best for?
- Multi-channel retailers
- High-volume shippers
- Businesses needing integrated inventory and shipping management
How Users Feel:
Users love the app due to its time-saving automation and ability to manage all orders in one place. Nevertheless, several people have found the learning curve steep and the interface somewhat cluttered. It is why the app receives a low overall rating (at only 3.8/ 5 stars).
10. AfterShip Returns & Exchanges
Rating: 4.7⭐
AfterShip Returns & Exchanges app simplifies the returns and exchange process for both merchants and customers, providing a self-service portal for returns, generating return labels, and automating refunds.
Why to use it:
- Self-service returns portal
- Automated return label generation
- Customizable return policies
Best for?
- Customer-centric businesses
- Brands focused on post-purchase experience
- Stores seeking to streamline returns and exchanges
How Users Feel:
Both new and current users like the app for its user-friendly interface and customizable return policy options, but some have reported occasional delays in processing returns and refunds.
11. Back in Stock: Restock Alerts
Rating: 4.8⭐
Never miss a sale due to out-of-stock items again. Back in Stock Shopify app allows customers to sign up for email alerts when desired products are back in stock, capturing potential sales and building anticipation for restocks.
Why to use it:
- Capture potential sales
- Reduce cart abandonment
- Build anticipation for restocks
Best for?
- High-demand products
- Limited inventory stores
- Businesses wanting to capture lost sales
How Users Feel:
Online merchants highly appreciate the simple setup and effective email notification features of the app. However some people noted the lack of customization options for the alert emails.
Must-have apps for Management - The Verdict
Veeqo Shipping is the best choice in this category, with its ability to manage inventory and shipping from multiple channels in one centralized platform. Its real-time inventory syncing, order management, and shipping label generation features streamline complex operations, making it ideal for multi-channel sellers and high-volume businesses.
Must-have Shopify apps for Review
12. Social Proofy - Sales Popup
Rating: 5.0⭐
Social Proofy - Sales Popup displays real-time notifications of recent purchases, low-stock alerts, and customer reviews, creating a sense of urgency and social validation to drive conversions.
Why to use it:
- Create urgency and FOMO
- Display social proof
- Increase conversions
Best for?
- New stores building credibility
- Businesses leveraging social proof for marketing
- Merchants aiming to increase conversions
How Users Feel:
Some users prefer the app for its high performance & excellent customer service and reasonable price. Especially the app requires no technical knowledge for usage which is very convenient for non-technical merchants.
13. Trust Badges Bear
Rating: 4.9⭐
Trust Badges Bear is a Shopify app for setting reviews that displays various trust badges on your store, such as payment provider logos, security seals, and money-back guarantees to build customer trust and confidence in your brand.
Why to use it:
- Build customer trust
- Increase credibility
- Reduce cart abandonment
Best for?
- Ecommerce stores building trust
- New brands establishing credibility
- Businesses wanting to reduce cart abandonment
How Users Feel:
Users appreciate the wide range of available badges and the ease of customization. Meanwhile, some users dislike the lack of analytics to track the impact of trust badges on conversions.
14. Yotpo Product Reviews & UGC
Rating: 4.8⭐
Yotpo is your ultimate Shopify app for collecting and showcasing authentic product reviews, ratings, photos, and videos. By leveraging user-generated content (UGC) Yotpo helps you build social proof and drive sales through the power of customer testimonials.
Why to use it:
- Collect and display product reviews
- Showcase UGC
- Send automated review requests
Best for?
- Brands focused on user-generated content
- Businesses leveraging social proof
- Ecommerce stores needing a review platform
How Users Feel:
Users love Yotpo's robust features and integration with other marketing channels but some have found the pricing to be high for smaller businesses ($119/ month for the most expensive pricing plan).
15. Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist +
Rating: 4.8⭐
Growave is your all-in-one solution for fostering customer loyalty and engagement. It combines a customizable loyalty program with wishlists, social login, and referrals to incentivize repeat purchases, amplify word-of-mouth marketing, and build lasting customer relationships.
Why to use it:
- Create loyalty programs
- Enable wishlists
- Offer social login and referrals
Best for?
- Loyalty program creation
- Customer engagement and retention
- Wishlist management and marketing
How Users Feel:
There are several features that Growave's users love the most, including real-time analytics, 24/7 support, and multi-language for cross-border selling. With more than 2k positive feedback, this is one of the best Shopify apps for setting reviews & testimonials.
Must-have app for Review - The Verdict
Yotpo Product Reviews & UGC takes the lead in this category due to its extensive features for collecting and showcasing customer reviews and user-generated content. Its seamless integration with social media platforms, powerful moderation tools, and advanced analytics make it a comprehensive solution for building social proof and boosting conversions.
Must-have Shopify apps for Social Media Marketing
16. Recart: SMS & List Growth
Rating: 4.8⭐
Recart: SMS & List Growth app empowers you to engage customers directly through personalized SMS marketing campaigns. Leverage AI-powered features like abandoned cart recovery and tailored product recommendations to boost conversions and drive sales.
Why to use it:
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Personalized SMS campaigns
- AI-powered recommendations
Best for?
- SMS marketing automation
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Personalized customer communication
How Users Feel:
Users love Recart's AI-driven automation and targeted campaigns but some have reported occasional issues with message deliverability and integration with certain regions.
17. Social Photos ‑ Instagram UGC
Rating: 4.8⭐
Social Photos is a social media marketing app that allows you to curate and display authentic user-generated content from Instagram directly on your product pages. This powerful social proof can enhance trust, inspire confidence, and ultimately drive more sales.
Why to use it:
- Leverage social proof
- Showcase customer photos and videos
- Increase product page engagement
Best for?
- Brands with strong Instagram presence
- Visual storytelling-focused businesses
- Influencer marketing campaigns
How Users Feel:
Users love the ability to leverage authentic customer photos and videos but some have reported issues with image quality and moderation of user-generated content.
18. Sauce: Instagram TikTok & UGC
Rating: 4.7⭐
The Sauce: Instagram TikTok & UGC Shopify app streamlines the process of collecting and showcasing user-generated content from both Instagram and TikTok. Leverage trending content and influential creators to promote your products, build brand awareness, and engage your audience on a deeper level.
Why to use it:
- Curate UGC from Instagram and TikTok
- Leverage influencer marketing
- Enhance social proof
Best for?
- Social media-savvy brands
- User-generated content (UGC) marketing
- Instagram and TikTok integration
How Users Feel:
This app is favored for its user-friendly interface customization options and integration of user-generated content. However, its expensive pricing plans (up to $600 per month for the Prime plan) make it difficult for small-to-medium businesses to approach.
Must-have apps for Social Media - The Verdict
Sauce: Instagram TikTok & UGC is the top choice for leveraging user-generated content from Instagram and TikTok. Its ability to collect and curate authentic social media posts, create shoppable galleries, and track user engagement makes it a powerful tool for driving social proof and boosting sales.
Must-have Shopify apps for Email Marketing
19. Omnisend Email Marketing & SMS
Rating: 4.7⭐
Omnisend Shopify app is your comprehensive solution for email and SMS marketing. Create automated campaigns to segment your audience for targeted messaging and personalized communications to deliver exceptional customer experiences and drive conversions across multiple channels.
Why to use it:
- Email & SMS marketing automation
- Drag-and-drop email builder
- Pre-built workflows and templates
Best for?
- Email and SMS marketing automation
- Personalized campaigns
- Omnichannel customer engagement
How Users Feel:
Users praise Omnisend's intuitive interface, extensive automation features, and omnichannel capabilities. Furthermore, the 24/7 email & live chat support helps the app to receive lots of positive feedback for its fast response to customer inquiries.
20. OptiMonk: Popups you'll love
Rating: 4.8⭐
OptiMonk is a Shopify email marketing app that empowers you to create targeted popups and onsite messages that capture leads, promote offers, and reduce cart abandonment. Its built-in A/B testing feature allows you to optimize campaigns for maximum impact and ROI.
Why to use it:
- Targeted popups and messages
- A/B testing for optimization
- Lead capture and conversion tools
Best for?
- Conversion optimization
- Targeted popups and promotions
- A/B testing for campaign effectiveness
How Users Feel:
We collected some users' feedback on the app and most of them said that the customer service was super attentive and patient. Users really enjoy the experience with Pop-up and Auto A/B‑Test from the app.
21. OptinMonster Email Popups
Rating: 3.4⭐
OptinMonster is a powerful lead-generation tool that helps you grow your email list and convert website visitors into customers with visually appealing popups, floating bars, and other onsite messages.
Why to use it:
- High-converting popup templates
- Advanced targeting and segmentation
- Exit-intent technology
Best for?
- Email list building
- Lead generation
- Sales and promotions
How Users Feel:
OptinMonster's users leave good feedback for the app since it helps reduce abandoning visitors and boost the upsells or cross-sells effectively. However, the app receives a number of negative reviews due to its poorly done integration of a subscription option through Shopify.
Must-have apps for Email Marketing - The Verdict
Omnisend Email Marketing & SMS is the final winner, offering a robust email and SMS marketing platform with advanced automation, segmentation, and personalization features. Its ability to integrate with multiple channels and track campaign performance sets it apart from other email marketing apps.
Must-have Shopify apps for Affiliate Marketing
22. UpPromote Affiliate Marketing
Rating: 4.9⭐
UpPromote is the top-recommended affiliate and referral marketing solution for Shopify merchants. It is the go-to solution for building, managing, and scaling your affiliate marketing programs. This comprehensive app offers seamless integration, allowing Shopify merchants to set up affiliate programs easily, recruit affiliates, track performance, and automate payouts—all from a single app.
Why to use it:
- Customizable affiliate programs
- Affiliate recruitment tools
- Automated payouts
Best for?
- Shopify merchants looking to grow sales
- Brands seeking to recruit affiliates quickly
- Merchants wanting an all-in-one solution
How Users Feel:
Users love UpPromote for its seamless integration, powerful affiliate tracking features, and excellent customer support. Many users highlight how easy it is to set up affiliate programs and automate the payout process, freeing up valuable time. Some merchants have reported growing their sales significantly through effective affiliate partnerships.
23. Smile: Loyalty & Rewards
Rating: 4.8⭐
Smile Shopify email marketing app makes it easy to create and manage a customizable loyalty program that rewards your most valuable customers. With points, VIP tiers, and referral incentives, Smile helps you foster long-term customer loyalty and boost repeat purchases.
Why to use it:
- Customizable loyalty programs
- Points VIP tiers and referral rewards
- Integrations with other marketing apps
Best for?
- Loyalty program creation
- Customer rewards and incentives
- Referral programs
How Users Feel:
We notice that merchants love the app for its variety of reward options and ease of setup but some have found the customization options to be limited for more complex loyalty programs.
24. Referral Candy & Affiliate
Rating: 4.9⭐
Referral Candy Shopify app simplifies the creation and management of referral programs incentivizing your customers to spread the word about your brand. By rewarding referrals, you can harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing to fuel organic growth and acquire new customers.
Why to use it:
- Automated referral program management
- Customizable referral incentives
- Referral tracking and analytics
Best for?
- Word-of-mouth marketing
- Referral program management
- Customer acquisition
How Users Feel:
Referral Candy's users love the app since it does a great job of supporting referral programs and affiliate programs for Shopify merchants. Moreover, users value the automation features, customization options, and multi-campaign handling functions of the app.
Must-have apps for Referral Marketing - The Verdict
Referral Candy & Affiliate stands out with its user-friendly interface, customizable referral programs, and automated reward distribution. Its comprehensive tracking and analytics capabilities make it a top choice for businesses looking to leverage word-of-mouth marketing and acquire new customers.
Must-have Shopify apps for Customer Service
25. Social Login by DevCloud
Rating: 4.4⭐
Social Login is a Shopify customer service app that streamlines the account creation process by allowing customers to log in using their existing social media accounts. This frictionless experience can lead to higher conversion rates and a more enjoyable shopping journey.
Why to use it:
- Simplified account creation
- Improved checkout experience
- Increased customer engagement
Best for?
- Simplified customer login
- Reduced cart abandonment
- Streamlined checkout process
How Users Feel:
We, as well as other users, are in favor of the app for its convenience of social login and the potential for increased conversions. However, a portion of users raised concerns about data privacy and security when using third-party logins.
26. Wishlist Plus
Rating: 4.9⭐
Wishlist Plus Shopify app allows customers to create and save wishlists of their favorite products making it easier for them to remember items and return to your store to complete purchases. This simple yet effective feature can increase customer engagement and drive sales.
Why to use it:
- Capture customer interest
- Increase repeat purchases
- Reduce cart abandonment
Best for?
- Customer engagement
- Wishlist marketing
- Back-in-stock alerts
How Users Feel:
Many people stated that it is a favorite app for lots of merchants with features like wishlist creation, stock alerts, and gift lists. Some users have already utilized the app for more than a couple of years and they still leave good feedback for it.
Must-have apps for Customer Service - The Verdict
Wishlist Plus is the winner, providing a comprehensive suite of tools for customer engagement, loyalty programs, and wishlist management. Its ability to reward customers for various actions, create personalized offers, and streamline wishlist marketing makes it a powerful solution for enhancing customer relationships and driving repeat purchases.
How to Choose Apps for Each Stage of Business Growth
When you’ve put a lot of effort into starting your business, it's natural to want to see a quick return on investment. With so many potential ways to grow your business, it’s important to know which apps to use at each stage of your business growth.
Stage 1: The Planning Phase
At this stage, you're setting goals for your business and planning how to achieve them. You're making projections about launch costs and time to profitability.
You don't need many apps at this stage, but researching the market and competitors is crucial.
Apps needed: Market and competitor research.
Suggestion: Oberlo can help you see the prices your competitors are offering. It's free at first, which is great for initial research.
Stage 2: The Proof of Concept Phase
Here, your main goal is to validate your product's viability and profitability before investing too much time and money. You can run a small test, collect emails through online marketing, or develop a product prototype.
Apps needed: Marketing for test selling and data gathering.
Suggestion: Printful and Spocket for product sourcing without holding inventory.
Stage 3: The Launch Phase
In the launch phase, you mass-produce your products and do everything possible to sell them through different channels. You should have a good idea of your profit targets, pricing, and revenue.
Apps needed: General marketing, discounts, data management, and customer service.
Suggestions:
- Recharge Subscriptions for managing subscription services.
- Instant Buy – Ajax Mobile Cart for a smoother checkout experience.
Stage 4: The Growth Phase
During the growth phase, you systematize your business, identify high-value repetitive actions, and formalize procedures. This helps you assign key responsibilities confidently and add efficiencies to grow your sales volume.
Apps needed: Marketing, data management, and customer service.
Suggestions:
- Veeqo Shipping for centralized shipping management.
- Yotpo Product Reviews & UGC to showcase customer reviews and build trust.
Stage 5: The Diversification Phase
In the diversification phase, you have stability in your core business and can focus on new markets or product categories. Your operations are highly automated and supervised by qualified managers.
Apps needed: Marketing, product management, and customer interaction.
Suggestions:
- Sauce: Instagram, TikTok & UGC to leverage social media for marketing.
- Dynamic Pricing Optimization to ensure competitive pricing.
By understanding and leveraging the right apps at each stage, you can enhance your operational efficiency and market responsiveness, ensuring your business grows smoothly and effectively.
Final words
With our suggested list of 20+ must-have apps and thousands more available in the Shopify App Store, you have a vast array of options to explore. Have any questions? Feel free to leave a comment below. We're here to help you succeed with Shopify!