Live on the App Store
We maintain Product Save & Sync, a public App Store app with verified five-star reviews. We know the approval process, the platform quirks and the post-launch reality because we live in them.
Shopify apps, built by people who ship them
Shopify app development services for merchants worldwide
We run a live app on the Shopify App Store (Product Save & Sync), and we build private and public apps for merchants who need more than a theme tweak. Plus-tier, B2B, Functions, Checkout Extensibility — the full surface.
Built for Shopify's vocabulary
GraphQL Admin API, Polaris, App Bridge, Shopify Functions, Checkout Extensibility, webhooks, bulk operations — native tools, not retrofitted generic web apps.
Plus and B2B experience
Private apps for enterprise brands, wholesale workflows, complex fulfilment rules, and migrations from WooCommerce, Magento or custom platforms onto Shopify Plus.
What we build
Four shapes the work usually takes — from private custom functionality to App Store launches.
Public App Store apps
End-to-end: scoping, design, build, Shopify App Store approval, launch and post-launch iteration. We've been through the review process with our own app and know the gotchas that catch first-time submitters.
- App Store
- Public apps
- Review process
- Listings
Private merchant apps
Custom functionality for a single brand that doesn't belong in a public app — bespoke workflow automation, integrations with your ERP or 3PL, B2B pricing logic, operator tools for your internal team.
- Private apps
- Custom admin
- ERP
- 3PL
Shopify Plus and B2B
Checkout Extensibility, Shopify Functions for discount and shipping logic, wholesale pricing, company-level B2B workflows, Hydrogen headless storefronts — the Plus-tier surface that merchants outgrow templates for.
- Plus
- B2B
- Functions
- Checkout Extensibility
- Hydrogen
Migrations and integrations
WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce and custom platform migrations onto Shopify, with product data, metafields, customer history and SEO signal preserved. Plus ERP, 3PL, ESP and analytics integrations after launch.
- Migration
- WooCommerce
- Magento
- Integration
- Metafields
Template app vs custom build
When an off-the-shelf App Store app is enough — and when it isn't.
The honest version. Most merchants' needs are met by an existing App Store app, and we'll tell you that where it's true. Custom builds win when your workflow, integrations or B2B model don't fit anyone else's template.
| Off-the-shelf App Store app | Custom build from Software Clever | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to install | Minutes. Install, configure, live. | Weeks. Discovery, build, test, review (for public apps), launch. |
| Fit to your workflow | Good where your process maps to the vendor's assumed one. Configurability is bounded. | Shaped to how your team actually operates — the exceptions and local conventions stay intact. |
| Pricing model | Monthly subscription, often per-user or per-store. Scales with growth. | One-off build plus optional retainer. You pay for engineering once. |
| Data and customer ownership | Hosted by the vendor; you depend on their export formats and retention policy. | Private deployment on your Shopify store; full data access, full source, no phoning home. |
| Vendor roadmap dependency | If the vendor deprecates the feature you rely on, your options are limited. | You control the roadmap. Priorities follow your business, not the vendor's funding round. |
| Plus-tier and B2B fit | Some apps support Plus features; many don't. Checkout Extensibility support is inconsistent. | Built natively against Shopify Functions, Checkout Extensibility, and the Plus B2B data model where the project calls for it. |
| What you own at the end | A subscription seat. | The source code, private app credentials, and documentation. |
- Time to install
-
Off-the-shelf App Store app
Minutes. Install, configure, live.
Custom build from Software Clever
Weeks. Discovery, build, test, review (for public apps), launch.
- Fit to your workflow
-
Off-the-shelf App Store app
Good where your process maps to the vendor's assumed one. Configurability is bounded.
Custom build from Software Clever
Shaped to how your team actually operates — the exceptions and local conventions stay intact.
- Pricing model
-
Off-the-shelf App Store app
Monthly subscription, often per-user or per-store. Scales with growth.
Custom build from Software Clever
One-off build plus optional retainer. You pay for engineering once.
- Data and customer ownership
-
Off-the-shelf App Store app
Hosted by the vendor; you depend on their export formats and retention policy.
Custom build from Software Clever
Private deployment on your Shopify store; full data access, full source, no phoning home.
- Vendor roadmap dependency
-
Off-the-shelf App Store app
If the vendor deprecates the feature you rely on, your options are limited.
Custom build from Software Clever
You control the roadmap. Priorities follow your business, not the vendor's funding round.
- Plus-tier and B2B fit
-
Off-the-shelf App Store app
Some apps support Plus features; many don't. Checkout Extensibility support is inconsistent.
Custom build from Software Clever
Built natively against Shopify Functions, Checkout Extensibility, and the Plus B2B data model where the project calls for it.
- What you own at the end
-
Off-the-shelf App Store app
A subscription seat.
Custom build from Software Clever
The source code, private app credentials, and documentation.
How we work
Three steps, from discovery to App Store launch (or private rollout).
- 01
Discover
Scoping workshop with your operations and commercial teams. We clarify the job-to-be-done, the Plus-tier and B2B constraints, and whether a public or private app is the right shape.
- 02
Build
Sprints against real store data. Working app at the end of each sprint, weekly demos on a real staging store, per-sprint invoicing. We handle App Store review submission when relevant.
- 03
Grow
Post-launch iteration, new features, and integration work. Either retainer-based or on a per-project basis — not a lock-in, not a mandatory support contract.
Common questions
What Shopify operators, founders and CTOs usually ask.
Scope and delivery
Private app or public app — how do we choose?
Rule of thumb: private if the functionality is specific to how your brand operates and isn't useful to other merchants; public if many merchants share the same problem and you could conceivably sell it. Public apps carry App Store review overhead and platform-neutrality constraints; private apps don't. We'll walk through the call with you at discovery.
How long does a Shopify app take?
It varies — scope, Plus vs standard, and App Store review (if public) all move the number. A narrowly-scoped private app can ship in six to twelve weeks; a full public App Store launch with a review pass usually sits between ten and sixteen weeks from kick-off. Discovery is where we commit to a timeline.
Do you handle Shopify App Store approval?
Yes. We prepare the listing, handle the technical review items (GDPR webhooks, accessibility, billing API, App Bridge), respond to reviewer feedback, and shepherd the app through to Live. We've been through this with Product Save & Sync, so the surprises are mostly out of our system.
Technical
What about Shopify Functions and Checkout Extensibility?
Both are on the table. Shopify Functions handle custom discount, shipping and payment logic; Checkout Extensibility is the supported replacement for legacy Script Editor customisations on Plus. We build to the current Shopify-blessed patterns rather than older, deprecated surfaces.
GraphQL Admin API or REST?
GraphQL by default — it's the direction Shopify is pointing. REST stays on the table where a specific endpoint isn't yet on the GraphQL side or where Bulk Operations don't serve. For migrations of large datasets, Bulk Operations is usually the right tool regardless.
Can you work with our existing Shopify team?
Yes. We embed with your team, take a dedicated parallel track, or run standalone — the mode follows the scope. For public app projects, a tight collaboration with your merchandising and support teams during review pays off; for private apps, working closely with your engineers and operators makes the handover cleaner.
Commercials and ownership
How much does a Shopify app cost to build?
Small private apps typically sit in the low five figures; full public App Store launches with Plus-tier features are meaningfully more. It depends on scope, integrations, whether you need Checkout Extensibility, and whether there's a compliance posture (GDPR, accessibility) we're building around. Discovery is where we commit to a price.
What do we actually own at the end?
For private apps: the source, the app credentials, and deployment configuration — you can host it, maintain it, or hand it to another developer. For public apps: the same, plus the App Store listing and review history.
Do you offer ongoing support after launch?
Yes, optionally. Shopify's API changes on a clear cadence (quarterly API versions, annual deprecations); keeping an app compliant and current is real work. Most clients take a retainer for this — but it isn't a lock-in, and some take the handover and run it in-house.
Adjacent work
Shopify doesn't live alone. The work that most often sits alongside.
Custom software development
When Shopify isn't the right shape for the problem — internal tools, portals, integrations — the bespoke case is the same.
Read moreCustom dashboards
Merchant-facing analytics that go beyond Shopify Reports — AOV, cohort, channel attribution and embedded customer dashboards.
Read moreData platforms
Shopify is one source among many. The warehouse, pipelines and models that tie your store data to everything else.
Read moreShopify apps are our home ground. We run one publicly, we build them privately. Let's talk about yours.
Scope your appGet in touch
Tell us about the store, the gap, or the app nobody's built yet.
A short note is enough. We'll reply within one working day with a few questions or a calendar link.