What the App Store listing won't tell you
App Store listings show feature lists, screenshots, and star ratings. They rarely show the full pricing model, transaction fee structure, or what features are locked behind higher-priced tiers. The description says 'customer portal included' but doesn't tell you whether the portal supports payment method changes, address updates, and product swaps — or just order skipping. Reading the pricing page carefully (including footnotes) and testing the demo store are both necessary.
- Click 'Pricing' — look for per-transaction fees, not just the monthly base
- Identify which features require higher-tier plans
- Read the most recent negative reviews for recurring complaints
- Test the demo store as a subscriber before installing
Understanding App Store review scores
A high review score on the Shopify App Store is a positive signal but not a sufficient one. Review populations skew toward early adopters who install apps when they're new and leave positive reviews, and away from churned merchants who had a bad experience and simply left. A more useful signal is the trend in recent reviews — if an app with a 4.8 overall score has 3.2 ratings in the last 30 days, that tells you more than the aggregate. Also look for reviews from stores of similar size and product category to yours.
Key technical questions to ask before installing
Shopify subscription apps built on the native Subscription API behave differently from legacy apps that use custom checkout flows. Native API apps support Shopify Payments, Shop Pay, and multi-currency natively. They also respect Shopify's subscription contract structures, which matters if you ever want to move to another app — contracts are portable. Legacy checkout-layer apps may offer more flexibility but can complicate migrations.
- Is the app built on Shopify's native Subscription API?
- Does it support Shop Pay and all Shopify Payments methods?
- Are subscription contracts stored in Shopify's native contract objects (portable)?
- Does it work without modifications to theme code?
Trial period strategy: what to verify in 30 days
A well-structured 30-day trial evaluation should cover: widget setup and product page appearance (day 1–2), first test subscription and portal walkthrough (day 2–3), a simulated failed payment to test dunning behaviour (day 5–7), analytics accuracy check against actual order data (day 14), and a support ticket to measure response time (any day). If the app passes all five checks, you have evidence it will perform in production.
Migration: what to ask if you're switching from another app
If you already have subscribers on Recharge, Loop, Skio, or another app, the migration process is the most important thing to evaluate. Ask specifically how paused subscriptions are handled, whether prepaid subscribers transfer correctly, and whether customers are required to re-enter payment methods. The best migrations are invisible to subscribers — they continue receiving orders on the same schedule from a different underlying system.
- Paused subscriptions should transfer as paused — not cancelled or activated
- Prepaid subscribers should retain their remaining prepaid order count
- Payment methods should transfer via Shopify's saved payment method API
- Request a test migration on a subset of subscribers before full cutover