The App Store is dead (backed by numbers)

Shopify App Store
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Numbers on the app store in 2026 on X/Twitter:

The highlights

  • Half of the apps have been released in 2026.
  • 80% of the apps launched in 2026 do not have a single review
  • AI farmers took over (and dont even have reviews)

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image829Ă—560 41.7 KB

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image756Ă—520 41.9 KB

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image759Ă—507 68.3 KB

Some random response from a merchant:

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image1020Ă—295 37 KB

@Patrick_Jakubik I think that this is from you.

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Unreact has a total of 201 apps :joy:

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Yes, actually unreact has been around since 2023 and this chart seemingly shows only the ones created in 2026!

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Imagine maintaining all those

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I hope they have a good AI-driven process… I really hope for them. Same for support requests.

I guess that as long as it’s “easy” apps it’s fine. But at the same time it has no much values because easy apps can be built for free with sidekick.

As for complex apps, I wouldn’t trust, seemingly, a solo dev who has that many apps indeed.

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Follow-up…Blair announced that Shopify started removing hundreds of apps: How Can Shopify Stop App Store Spam and Unfair Competition? - #17 by Blair