Is a Stackgrade score a star rating?

No. It is the sum of checks that are either true or not on the app's App Store listing. We never publish our own star ratings. Any rating we quote is the App Store's, with its review count, as of October 2026.

Why do new apps score low on trust?

Trust points come from a Built for Shopify badge, a 4.5 rating with at least 10 reviews, and a track record of 100 reviews or a launch by October 2023. A new app earns none of those yet, no matter how good it is.

Do you test every app by installing it?

No. For our own apps we looked at the admin screens. For others we read the App Store listing, plans and reviews. A feature that the listing does not state counts as a miss, so check any listing before you rely on a score.

How often do you update scores?

Every page shows its updated date. Prices, ratings and review counts move daily, so every number is labelled as of October 2026.

How Stackgrade Scores Shopify Apps (Methodology)

Key facts
Score range	0 to 100, whole numbers
Capability	40 points: four checks per category, 10 points each
Cost	35 points: free plan with the core feature 10, no percentage or per-order or overage fee 10, all prices shown 5, a paid plan with no cap 10
Trust	25 points: Built for Shopify 10, rated 4.5 or higher with 10 or more reviews 10, track record 5
Unstated features	Count as a miss, for every app including ours
Tiebreak	Capability points first, then review count, then name
Data date	October 20, 2026

Stackgrade ranks Shopify apps with rules written down in advance. This page lists those rules, so anyone can recompute a score from the data.

The three pools

Capability, 40 points. Four checks per category, 10 points each. They reflect the questions merchants ask most (bulk issuing, code export, rules, delivery windows, member price on page). They are listed below.

Cost, 35 points. Does the free plan include the core feature (10)? Is there no percentage of value, per-order or overage fee listed (10)? Are all plan prices shown on the listing (5)? Is there a paid plan with no cap on the core action (10)?

Trust, 25 points. Built for Shopify badge (10). Rated 4.5 or higher with at least 10 reviews (10). Track record: 100 or more reviews, or launched before November 2023 (5).

Rules we apply to every app

Stated or missed. A feature counts only if the App Store listing, plan cards or Shopify help pages state it. Unstated is a miss, not a no. This understates thin listings.
One date. All data was read on October 20, 2026. Ratings and review counts change daily.
Fees are separate from plans. A percentage of value, per-order or per-email overage fee fails the no-fee check. A usage cap alone does not.
Not scored when the job differs. Trust badge apps are not scored against label apps. Locksmith is not scored against pricing apps.
Ties. Capability points, then review count, then name.

Capability checks by category

Store credit

Check	What counts	Points
Bulk issue	Bulk issuing listed	10
CSV import	CSV import listed	10
Auto/campaigns	Campaigns, automation or Flow listed	10
Balance widget	Customer balance widget or page listed	10
Free plan	Free plan includes the core feature	10
No fees	No % of value, per-order or overage fee listed	10
Prices shown	All plan prices shown on the listing	5
Uncapped	A paid plan with no cap on the core action	10
BFS	Built for Shopify badge	10
Rated	Rated 4.5 or higher with 10+ reviews	10
Track	Track record: 100+ reviews or launched by Oct 2023	5

Gift cards

Check	What counts	Points
Bulk create	Bulk gift card creation listed	10
Code export	Full codes exportable as CSV with no time limit	10
Multi-currency control	Multi-currency cards with redemption control stated	10
Import codes	Import existing codes listed	10
Free plan	Free plan includes the core feature	10
No fees	No % of value, per-order or overage fee listed	10
Prices shown	All plan prices shown on the listing	5
Uncapped	A paid plan with no cap on the core action	10
BFS	Built for Shopify badge	10
Rated	Rated 4.5 or higher with 10+ reviews	10
Track	Track record: 100+ reviews or launched by Oct 2023	5

Product badges

Check	What counts	Points
Label job	Sale, new or custom product labels are the listed job	10
Rule targeting	Targeting by sale status, tag, collection, stock or automation rules	10
Dynamic text	Dynamic text values such as save % or stock left	10
Scheduling	Scheduling listed	10
Free plan	Free plan includes the core feature	10
No fees	No % of value, per-order or overage fee listed	10
Prices shown	All plan prices shown on the listing	5
Uncapped	A paid plan with no cap on the core action	10
BFS	Built for Shopify badge	10
Rated	Rated 4.5 or higher with 10+ reviews	10
Track	Track record: 100+ reviews or launched by Oct 2023	5

Estimated delivery dates

Check	What counts	Points
Product page ETA	Delivery dates on product pages are the listed job	10
Free geo windows	Location-based delivery windows on the free plan	10
Cut-off/blackout	Cut-off timer, countdown or blackout dates listed	10
Rules	Rules by product, collection, tag or zone listed	10
Free plan	Free plan includes the core feature	10
No fees	No % of value, per-order or overage fee listed	10
Prices shown	All plan prices shown on the listing	5
Uncapped	A paid plan with no cap on the core action	10
BFS	Built for Shopify badge	10
Rated	Rated 4.5 or higher with 10+ reviews	10
Track	Track record: 100+ reviews or launched by Oct 2023	5

Member and customer pricing

Check	What counts	Points
Tag pricing	Price rule by customer tag or group	10
Price on page	Member price shown on the product page while browsing (stated)	10
Multi-tier	More than one tier, group or price list on free or entry plan	10
Price types	Price types beyond one flat % (tiers, price lists, shipping)	10
Free plan	Free plan includes the core feature	10
No fees	No % of value, per-order or overage fee listed	10
Prices shown	All plan prices shown on the listing	5
Uncapped	A paid plan with no cap on the core action	10
BFS	Built for Shopify badge	10
Rated	Rated 4.5 or higher with 10+ reviews	10
Track	Track record: 100+ reviews or launched by Oct 2023	5

What the score does not measure

Support quality, page speed, how an app behaves after a theme change and how it handles refunds are not scored. We quote review complaints with their month so you can weigh them yourself. Features outside the checks, such as loyalty points, reloadable gift cards or B2B net terms, earn no points, so apps built around them can rank lower than their popularity suggests. Rise.ai and Gift Card Hero are examples.

Our conflict of interest

The team behind this site also builds Bulk Store Credit, Bulk Gift Cards, Product Badges, Arrively and Members Win. The checks were chosen with merchants' questions in mind, and we are aware that this could favour apps we know well. To keep that visible: the full matrix is shown on every ranking, our apps lose points where listings are thin (zero trust points for four of the five), and in three of five categories an app we do not build ranks first outright. In gift cards our app ties Datora at 75 and wins the tiebreak on capability, which we say on the page. If you disagree with a weight, reweight it from the data.

Corrections

If a listing changes or we read it wrong, the updated date on the page moves and the number changes. Read the about page for how we handle disclosure, and start with the store credit ranking or the gift card ranking.