Build Your eCommerce App Stack
Tell us your platform, your stage, and what you’re struggling with. Get a curated stack of the apps we actually install for clients — no bloat, no 30-app overkill.
Why the right app stack matters
The Shopify and WooCommerce app stores have thousands of apps, and it’s easy to end up paying for fifteen that overlap, slow your store down, and quietly drain R3,000+/mo. The stores that scale profitably run a lean, deliberate stack — one good app per real problem, not one app per shiny feature.
This recommender maps the apps we install most often to the specific problems they solve. Where we have a tried-and-tested pick we use ourselves, we link it directly. Where the best-in-class app is something we don’t have an affiliate relationship with, we’ll still name it honestly — because the goal is your store working, not our commission.
Honesty note: Some links are affiliate links (we earn a small commission at no cost to you), and some are plain recommendations with no affiliate relationship at all. We mark which is which on every result. Every app here is one we’d genuinely install — we’ve built 400+ stores and we don’t recommend bloat.
Frequently asked questions
Fewer than you think. A healthy starting stack is 4–7 apps: email marketing, reviews, search (if you have a big catalogue), SEO, and shipping. Add loyalty, upsells, and support as you grow. Every app adds monthly cost and usually some page-load weight, so the rule is one app per real problem — not one per feature you read about. If you’re past ten apps and can’t name what each one does for revenue, it’s time for an audit.
It varies. Some (MailerLite, Klaviyo, Judge.me) have solid WooCommerce versions or plugins. Others (Searchanise, AiTrillion, ReConvert) are Shopify-first. The recommender adjusts its picks based on the platform you select. For WooCommerce, the WordPress plugin ecosystem covers most of the same ground — we’ll point you to the right equivalents.
A lean starter stack runs roughly R500–R1,500/mo on top of your platform fee, depending on your order volume (most apps price by usage). The big ones to budget for: email (free up to a list size, then scales), reviews (often free tier), and any premium upsell or loyalty app. We can model the exact monthly cost for your situation — send us your store via the WhatsApp button.
Yes — that’s a big part of what we do. Installing an app is easy; configuring it so it actually moves the needle (email flows that recover carts, review requests timed right, upsells that don’t annoy) is the real work. We do it at R600/hr for existing stores, or build it into your project if we’re developing your store. Get a quote and tell us what you’re trying to fix.
Because some problems are best solved by an app we don’t have an affiliate deal with — Judge.me for reviews, Klaviyo for advanced email, Gorgias for support. We’d rather give you the honest best pick and mark it as a plain recommendation than push a worse app just because it pays us. Trust closes more business than commission.
Before you build your stack
Pick your platform first
Apps follow the platform. Take the Platform Picker first — 6 questions, matched to Shopify, WooCommerce, or 8 others.
Find your platform → CHECK THE MATHProfit margin calculator
Apps cost money. Run your margins first so you know what you can afford to spend on your stack each month.
Calculate your margin → WANT IT DONE FOR YOU?Get a build quote
We install, configure and optimise your whole stack so each app actually earns its keep. From R600/hr or built into your project.
Request your quote →