f you've recently started a new Shopify store, or you're just looking at expanding your existing one, then you should know that there are Shopify apps that can simplify the process. These apps can assist you with your marketing, your sales, your security, and nearly everything else. And, luckily, many of them are free! To help you make some progress for as little cost as possible, we've put together this list of the best free Shopify apps of 2021.
It's also important to recognize that there is a difference between a freemium app and a completely free app.
A freemium app has a free plan available, but selected features will only be available with a paid subscription. A completely free app, on the other hand, has no upsells. There's no need to give them your credit card number at all.
In this article we've done our best to provide you with one example of each type.
Let's dive in!
Best Free Shopify Trust Badge Apps
A trust badge is a symbol that you put on your site to reassure visitors that your website is legitimate and that their payment information will be collected by secure third-party payment providers, should they make a purchase. These badges will typically include the logos of the payment methods you allow (e.g. Visa, Mastercard, Paypal) but can also denote your values, such as being organic or GMO-free.
Free Trust Badge by ShopClimb (Best Freemium App)
If you're looking for premium trust badges, look no further than Free Trust Badge. This app comes with over 600 badges in many different styles. You can embed them in any section of any page on your site, making them incredibly versatile. The size, look, and color can be customized to perfectly match your store's design. The free plan is enough to get started, but the paid plans won't break your budget either, coming in at $6 and $20/month respectively.
Ultimate Trust Badges by Conversion Bear (Best Completely Free App)
To be honest, most trust badge apps are pretty similar, and you probably don't need a paid version. Not when apps like Ultimate Trust Badges are around for free! Ultimate Trust Badges is currently the highest-ranked app in the category. It comes with over 300 badges, all of which can be customized to match your store's look and feel. They can be added to any section of any page without any coding knowledge. Did we mention that it's completely free??
Best Free Shopify Currency Converters
Currency conversion apps allow customers to shop in the currency that they are most familiar with. If your store primarily operates in United States Dollars (USD) but you also sell to Europeans, then these apps will allow your customers to view your prices in Euros. However, this does not change the actual payment method. Your customers will still pay in the store's primary currency, but their payment provider (Visa, Mastercard, Paypal) will take care of the currency conversion.
Language Translate - Transcy by FireApps (Best Freemium App)
Transcy is a leading localization solution that assists businesses of all sizes in developing cross-border sales. Transcy not only allows you to translate your entire Shopify store to another language, but it can also act as a currency converter, with support for over 160 local currencies. These comprehensive, powerful features can help you increase sales and break down cultural barriers between you and your international customers. It's the perfect tool for reaching a global audience!
MULTI CURRENCY CONVERTER HERO by Booster Apps (Best Completely Free App)
If you're turned off by how the BEST Currency Converter limits free plans to 5 currencies, then the MULTI CURRENCY CONVERTER HERO might be just what you're looking for. This completely free app has over 100 currencies to choose from, 2 different styles for displaying them (including flags), and gets displayed as a little hovering button on your store. While we prefer having the button tucked away in the header, this is still a great fit for most store designs and it's completely free!
Best Free Shopify Loyalty/Rewards Program Apps
Time and time again, studies have shown that it is significantly cheaper to sell to an existing customer than a new one. This is because existing customers have already confirmed that they are interested in your products, put their money on the line, and put their trust in you.
Smart business owners will seek to reward repeat purchases, often through loyalty or rewards programs. But, these are no longer reserved for the airlines and grocery stores of the world. Nowadays, any online store owner can implement their own program through the aid of a web application. In this section, we will go over our favorite free Shopify loyalty program apps.
Smile: Rewards & Loyalty by Smile.io (Best Freemium App)
Smile is the most-reviewed loyalty program app on the Shopify app store, and has been putting smiles on faces since 2012. Smile focuses entirely on rewards and referrals, which is good news for growing your business. There is a completely free plan available, albeit with limited features. Either way, Smile is a great choice for getting your loyalty program started, and should eventually help you grow your revenue enough to justify upgrading to a paid plan.
Loyalty, Rewards & Referrals by Booster Apps (Best Completely Free App)
Even though this app is simpler than Smile, and only has 4% of Smile's reviews, Loyalty, Rewards & Referrals has managed to climb the charts to be the 2nd most recommended loyalty program app. This one even has a perfect 5.0 rating (at the time of writing this)! But don't let its simplicity fool you — this app can keep up and more. You can install it in a matter of minutes, and they will never ask you for a credit card number. You officially have no excuse for not having a loyalty program!
Best Free Email Marketing Shopify Apps
Email marketing is one of the most effective and cost-effective marketing channels in existence. It is estimated that email generates an average return of $36 for every $1 spent giving it one of the highest return-on-investments (ROIs) of anything you can invest in. Unfortunately, email marketing companies are aware of this, and the best email services are far from free. We couldn't find a single, reputable email marketing app that is completely free. If you know of one, feel free to email us at Partners@dropcommerce.com.
Omnisend Email Marketing & SMS by Omnisend (Best Freemium App)
Omnisend is one of the most reputable email marketing services on the market, and their Shopify app currently has a 4.7/5 Star review across nearly 4000 reviews. This app covers all of the email marketing bases, with features such as emails campaigns, segmented workflows, SMS marketing, advanced analytics, and 5-star customer support. The Free plan offers users up to 500 emails per month, templates and workflows, and pop-up/sign-up forms. While this won't be enough for a fully-developed Shopify store, it's more than enough to help a new store get started on a budget.
Best Free Shopify Upsell/Cross Sell Apps
As one of the primary drivers of revenue on Shopify stores, marketing apps usually come with a price tag. Many of them charge expensive monthly subscription fees, while others choose to slice off a piece of every transaction they touch. However, there are other options available for businesses on a budget. Here are a few of our favorite free Shopify marketing apps for 2021.
ReConvert Usell & Cross Sell by StilyoApps (Best Freemium App)
Boasting over 2000 reviews with an average rating of 5/5, Reconvert has been increasing revenue for nearly three years. This app is packed with features like is packed with features upsells, recommended products, post-purchase surveys, feedback forms and more. While it's hard to argue that this app is anything but the best, the downside is that it comes with a price tag. While Reconvert does have a free plan, its monthly allowance won't last you long. If you truly want to avoid paying anything, you may be better off with our next entry.
Honey: Upsell & Cross Sell App by HoneyApps (Best Completely Free App)
Although it is still early (less than a month since their first reviews), Honey has hit the Shopify app store and made quite a splash. This free all-in-one marketing app is loaded with features like upsells, cross-sells, timers, pop-ups, A/B testing, and more. There's a good chance that Honey will change their plans in the future (it's so much value for free) so make sure to add it to your store as soon as possible to get grandfathered in.
Best Free Shopify GDPR/CCPA Cookie Management Apps
Back in May of 2018, the European Union passed a bill called the GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation. This bill set in place rules for collecting data from website visitors. If your store is located in Europe, Brazil, or California, or sells to any of those locations, this will apply to you. Failure to comply can lead to hefty financial penalties or even the closure of your business.
For our sake, the main takeaway is that website owners must secure permission from visitors before they are allowed to collect data or issue the visitor with a web cookie. The internet has adapted by creating little pop-up banners that ask the visitor for permission automatically, and there are now many Shopify apps that accomplish this very purpose.
Note: Installing these apps does not guarantee that your store will be GDPR compliant. It just makes things easier. You will still need to work through their checklist.
GDPR/CCPA + Cookie Management by iSenseLabs (Best Freemium App)
When it comes to GDPR cookie management for Shopify stores, this app is probably your best option. GDPR/CCPA + Cookie Management is customizable, simple to install, and will allow you to only show the pop-up to users from specific regions, so you can collect as much data as possible. The app information is available in 10 languages, so most of Europe will have no trouble reading it. We've seen apps with more integrations and features, but none that are as highly rated as this one. Did we mention it has Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics integrations, stopping them from collecting data on designated users? Very impressive.
EU GDPR Cookies Notification by Omega (Best Completely Free App)
Although it is one of the lesser-known GDPR apps compared to the biggest players in the space, EU GDPR Cookies Notification has earned its spot on this list. This is a free app that can be customized, only shown to selected regions, and formatted to different styles. It is lacking some of the enhanced features like the Facebook Pixel & Google Analytics integrations, but there are workarounds. Overall, this is a great app that can save you some money without compromising on functionality.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, if you're looking to start an e-commerce store on a budget, then there are plenty of free Shopify apps that can help get you started. If you're looking for products to sell, then you should also take a look at Dropcommerce.
DropCommerce is a dropshipping app that allows you to sell high-quality products from North American suppliers directly on your store. There are over 23,000 products to choose from, and the shipping takes 4-7 days on average. It's free to make an account and check out the options, so give it a look!
If you enjoyed this article, then make sure to check out:
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