Shopify App Development: Public vs Custom App, Cost and Upkeep

Shopify app development cost depends mostly on which kind of app you need: a custom app built for one store is the smaller, cheaper job, while a public app sold to many merchants costs far more because it must pass Shopify's App Store review, handle billing and support every store that installs it. Many businesses need neither, because an existing App Store app or a theme change solves the problem for less. Whichever you build, budget for upkeep, since Shopify releases a new API version every three months and each one is supported for at least 12 months.

This article is for store owners, founders and agencies deciding whether to commission a Shopify app. It covers the difference between public and custom apps, when an app is the right answer, what drives the price, what Shopify charges and checks for public apps, and what an app costs to keep running. Shopify facts are from shopify.dev and the Shopify Help Center as checked in October 2026.

#Public app vs custom app: the real difference

The difference is who can install the app. Shopify's app distribution documentation (opens in a new tab) sets out two current options, and the choice cannot be changed later, so it is worth getting right before any code is written.

A custom app is built for a specific merchant. It can be installed on a single store, on several stores within the same Shopify Plus organisation, or on development stores. It needs no approval from Shopify, but it cannot charge merchants through Shopify's billing system. The Shopify Help Center (opens in a new tab) describes it simply as an app that you or a developer builds exclusively for your store.

A public app is built for many merchants. Any store can install it, either from an App Store listing or through a direct link if it is unlisted. It has to pass Shopify's review, follow the App Store requirements and register for the App Store, which carries a one-time fee.

There used to be a third way: custom apps created directly in the Shopify admin with a ready-made access token. Shopify's distribution page now says these can no longer be created, though existing ones keep working. If your store relies on an old admin-created app or a "private app" from before 2022, it still runs, but any rebuild will be a custom app made the current way. Shopify's help page says custom apps are now created and managed in the Dev Dashboard, and ones made in the admin before 1 January 2026 are treated as legacy.

#Which one a business usually needs

Most businesses that commission an app need a custom app. If the goal is to connect your store to your own stock system, add a back-office tool for your team, or apply a rule only your business has, there is no reason to take on App Store review, billing and multi-store support. A public app makes sense only when selling the app to other merchants is itself the business plan.

#Do you need an app at all

Often you do not. Before paying for development, test the cheaper options in this order, because each one costs less to build and less to maintain.

• Shopify's own settings cover more than many owners expect: discounts, markets, shipping profiles, customer accounts and basic automation.
• An existing App Store app is usually the right answer for common needs such as reviews, subscriptions, loyalty or product filters. A monthly fee is often cheaper than a build, as long as the app is maintained and does not slow your pages.
• A theme change is enough when the need is about how things look or where they appear on the page. That is theme work, not app work, and my article on custom versus premium Shopify themes covers that decision.
• A custom app earns its cost when the job involves your own data, your own systems or your own rules: syncing orders to an ERP or accounting tool, a wholesale price rule, a staff tool inside the admin, or an integration no App Store app offers.

The same build-or-buy logic applies on WordPress, and my comparison of custom plugins versus existing plugins walks through it in more detail. If the job is mainly moving data between two tools, read Zapier versus a custom integration first, because a no-code connector is sometimes enough.

#Two Shopify Plus limits to know first

Some of the most requested custom features depend on your Shopify plan, so check this before scoping:

• Checkout changes: Shopify's checkout UI extensions reference (opens in a new tab) says extensions for the information, shipping and payment steps are available only to stores on a Shopify Plus plan.
• Backend logic in a custom app: Shopify Functions let an app change discounts, delivery options, payment options and cart validation. The Shopify Functions documentation (opens in a new tab) says stores on any plan can use public apps that contain functions, but only Plus stores can use custom apps that contain them.

So a store on a standard plan that wants, for example, its own discount logic may be better served by a public app that already does it, or by a different approach entirely. A good developer tells you this in the first call, before any quote.

#What drives Shopify app development cost

The cost follows what the app has to touch and how many stores it must serve. Two apps that sound similar can differ several times over in effort.

Integrations add the most uncertainty, because the other system's API sets the pace. My guide to API integration cost and timeline explains why two-way syncs take longer than one-way feeds and what to check in the other system's documentation.

#How I price an app build

I work hourly at USD 10 to 15 an hour, or on a fixed written quote after a short call, as set out on the pricing page. For an app, the fixed quote is usually the better choice for you, because it forces a written scope: which screens, which data, which outside systems, and what happens when something fails. I do not publish package prices for apps, because a stock sync and a wholesale portal are different projects. When comparing quotes from several developers, ask each one to list the same items so the numbers are comparable; comparing website quotes has a checklist that works for apps too.

#What Shopify requires and charges for public apps

A public app carries obligations a custom app does not. If you plan to sell an app on the App Store, these are the facts from Shopify's own pages as of October 2026, and they change, so check them again before you commit.

#App Store review

Every public app goes through review before it is published. Shopify's review process page (opens in a new tab) describes the stages (draft, submitted, paused or reviewed if changes are needed, then published) and does not give a fixed timeline, so do not plan a launch date around a guess. The review checks the app against Shopify's App Store requirements (opens in a new tab), which include:

• Apps must use Shopify's own billing (Shopify App Pricing or the Billing API) for any charges.
• Since 1 April 2025, all new public apps must be built only on the GraphQL Admin API; the older REST Admin API is legacy.
• Embedded apps must use session tokens and work without third-party cookies.
• Reinstalling the app must start with Shopify's OAuth sign-in before anything else happens.

Apps distributed through the App Store must also subscribe to three privacy webhooks, so they can respond when a customer asks to see their data or have it deleted, and when a shop's data must be deleted, according to Shopify's privacy law compliance guide (opens in a new tab).

#Billing and revenue share

Public App Store apps charge merchants through Shopify. The Billing API documentation (opens in a new tab) lists recurring, usage-based and one-time charges. Shopify's revenue share page (opens in a new tab) sets the terms:

Revenue share on the first USD 1 million of lifetime app revenue

0%

Revenue share above USD 1 million

15%

One-time App Store registration fee

USD 19

Processing fee on billing, charged separately

2.9%

Only revenue earned on or after 1 January 2025 counts towards the USD 1 million, the share is worked out on gross sales, and very large developers pay 15% on everything. Custom apps built for a single merchant do not need the registration.

#The upkeep every Shopify app needs

An app is not finished at launch. Shopify's API versioning page (opens in a new tab) says a new API version is released every three months and each stable version is supported for at least 12 months. If an app keeps asking for a version that is no longer supported, Shopify answers with the oldest supported version instead, which can quietly change how the app behaves.

In practice, budget for:

• API version updates at least once a year, tested on a development store before they reach your live store.
• Shopify platform changes, such as the move from REST to GraphQL or changes to how checkout can be customised.
• Changes in connected systems, because your ERP, courier or accounting tool updates its own API too.
• Hosting and monitoring, since an app's server runs outside Shopify and needs someone watching its errors.

For a public app, add merchant support, App Store listing updates and review of any new requirements. My article on web app maintenance cost after launch explains how to budget for this kind of ongoing work.

#Do it yourself or hire help

You can handle the decision yourself; the build is usually where help pays off. Any owner can list the problem, search the App Store, try two or three existing apps on a trial and ask a theme developer whether a layout change would do. That alone avoids many unnecessary builds.

A developer is worth hiring when the app writes to your orders, stock or customer data, talks to an outside system, or needs to pass App Store review. Mistakes there cost sales or data, not just time. Ask any developer you consider who will own the code, where the app will be hosted, how API version updates will be handled, and what happens to your store if the app's server goes down. The answers tell you more than a portfolio does.

#Where to start

Write one page that describes the problem in business terms: what happens today, what should happen instead, which data and systems are involved, and which Shopify plan you are on. Include the awkward cases, such as refunds, partial shipments or out-of-stock variants.

With that page, a developer can tell you whether you need an existing app, a theme change, a custom app or a public app, and quote it properly. If you are still choosing a platform or planning a new store, start with Shopify store development cost and timeline, and see how I approach Shopify app development and API integration work.