The Best Free Shopify Apps for Growing Online Stores

Updated August 13, 2021

These Shopify Apps Help New and Growing Stores Get Things Done

Many new Shopify stores are run by an individual or small team, so finding apps and resources to get things done is helpful when wearing many hats. One benefit of the Shopify ecosystem is the abundance of apps that you can install to help you run and manage your online store. Here are some recommended options for free apps that you should try as you get started and obtain your first sales on Shopify.

Free Print on Demand Apps for Shopify

Print on Demand apps are a great option for eCommerce store owners who want to sell online but don’t want to invest in inventory. Printful and Printify have a variety of products for print on demand that you can customize to the subject matter of your store.

Free Email Marketing Apps for Shopify

Shopify used to have a Mailchimp integration, but unfortunately it is no longer in the App Store. Instead, we recommend Privy for email marketing. Privy has free an paid plans, and you can even design an email sign up or special offer pop-up with their free plan. Klavio is also a popular choice for email marketing with Shopify.

Free Social Media Apps on Shopify

One of the first things you should do when setting up your Shopify store is add the Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest sales channels. These apps not only let you connect and sell products through social media, but they also have integrations to let you run ads and collect analytics on your site visitors.

Sell Digital Downloads Online with the Free Digital Downloads Shopify App

Digital downloads are a handy way to sell online without holding inventory, and Shopify’s digital downloads app makes it easy to set up. You can sell digital prints, recipes, signs, and more without needing to worry about inventory or shipping. These can also be low cost items and an easy way for your fans to support you as you get started.

Free Returns Management Apps for Shopify

Shopify allows store owners to generate a Returns and Exchanges policy which is a nice feature. New stores are typically more focused on getting awareness and orders, but once you’ve generated some business you’ll start to see return requests. In fact, a typical eCommerce return rate ranges from 20-40% of orders. Saara is on a mission to reduce the economic and environmental impact of returns by preventing them from happening. Saara’s EcoReturns for Shopify offers a free returns portal and return analytics for store owners to manage, automate, and understand return trends.