TL;DR
I’ve been building Shopify apps since 2018 and genuinely love this ecosystem, but lately the Built for Shopify program has started to feel creatively restrictive. While it’s meant to ensure consistency and good design, it’s made apps start to look and feel the same. Unless I fully adopt Shopify’s own design systems like Polaris or App Bridge and it’s components, and look identical to other apps, it’s nearly impossible to pass the design review, even when the merchant experience and performance of my app is excellent. What makes it harder is that the “Built for Shopify” badge directly affects rankings and visibility, so apps that don’t conform get penalized, even if merchants love them. It feels like entrepreneurial creativity and individuality are being penalized in favor of uniformity, which I think will hurt the richness of the ecosystem in the long run. I’m not criticizing Shopify’s design team but I do feel the design requirements of this program unintentionally reward conformity over innovation. I think that apps that meet performance standards, offer a great customer experience, and prefer to express their individuality with their own look and feel should not be penalized. We should encourage “out-of-box” thinking in the ecosystem, and freedom in design is a big part of that.
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Hi Shopify Community,
I’ve been part of the Shopify ecosystem since 2018, and I’ve always taken pride in building apps that put merchant experience and thoughtful design first. Over the years, my apps have been used by more than 200,000 merchants, which has given me a deep appreciation for both what merchants value and what helps the ecosystem thrive. I wanted to share some honest feedback on the Built for Shopify program. Feedback that comes from a place of respect and genuine care for the ecosystem.
I’m also sharing this here because I want to start a genuine conversation amongst the community. I can’t imagine I’m the only one who feels this way, and I think it’s important for developers to be able to discuss openly how these programs impact us, our creativity, and ultimately the merchants we serve. Even if people disagree with my perspective, I believe there’s value in having the dialogue out in the open.
Apps are starting to look and feel the same
The program’s design requirements have led to a sameness across the app store, especially amongst the top ranking apps. Apps are beginning to lose personality. For entrepreneurs like me, who have always poured energy into creating delightful, differentiated experiences, this feels restrictive. What once felt like an opportunity to express creativity and serve merchants in unique ways now feels like “slapping Shopify’s UI on top”. To be fair, Shopify doesn’t explicitly require developers to use Polaris or App Bridge. But in practice, the design review is so intertwined with them that passing without those tools is unlikely. Apps that build entirely on Polaris sail through, while apps that use their own design system, or prefer not to use app bridge components, face much tougher scrutiny, even if the merchant experience is excellent.
Implication that apps are not “Built for Shopify”
The label itself creates a strange cognitive dissonance. Many of us have always built exclusively for Shopify, yet if our apps don’t align with the visual mold, we fall outside the program. That doesn’t change the fact that our apps are purpose-built for Shopify merchants, but it feels like our contributions are diminished if they don’t fit the badge.
Built for Shopify or Built to Look Like Shopify?
Do the design requirements of Built For Shopify truly improve the merchant experience? Are merchants forming stronger emotional connections with their apps now than before? Is it improving retention for Shopify, or reducing the richness of the ecosystem?
An analogy: if Apple pushed every developer to make their iOS apps look and feel nearly identical, the App Store would lose much of its novelty and creativity. While one could argue that Shopify apps serve businesses rather than consumers, the reality is that more than 80% of Shopify merchants are solopreneurs. The line is blurred. Personality, delight, and emotional connection matter here too.
The impact on rankings and visibility
What makes this especially difficult is that the Built for Shopify badge isn’t just symbolic. It directly affects discoverability. Apps that conform to the design system are ranked higher in the app store and gain preferential visibility. That means developers who already build high-quality, merchant-loved apps are effectively penalized if they don’t give up their individuality and follow the same template.
This shifts the incentive structure in the ecosystem. Instead of rewarding creativity, merchant satisfaction, and problem-solving, it rewards design conformity. The unintended result is an ecosystem where developers feel pressured to prioritize looking like Shopify over innovating for merchants. In the long run, this could dilute the diversity and creativity that made the app store so valuable in the first place.
The bigger concern
It pains me to say this, but the Built for Shopify program makes me feel less motivated to build for Shopify! I love this platform, but the badge criteria leave me feeling excluded, as though I don’t fit the mold. That’s not the intention, I’m sure. But the dissonance for me is real.
To be clear, this isn’t a criticism of Shopify’s design system. I think the Shopify design team is world-class, and their work is outstanding.
I hope this perspective adds value to the conversation. My intention isn’t to upset anyone, but to represent a view I believe other developers share quietly. Thank you for listening, and for all the work you do to make this ecosystem thrive.
— A long-time Shopify partner