The Shopify App Store has more than 16,000 published apps, and choosing the right one for your store isn't easy. This is where the official "Built for Shopify" certification badge comes in as a signal.
This article, aimed at both store operators and developers, organizes and explains Built for Shopify — from an overview and the review criteria to concrete benefits and the application process.
The Basics of Built for Shopify
Built for Shopify is a certification status given only to apps, among those published on the Shopify App Store, that meet quality standards set by Shopify. Apps are comprehensively reviewed against metrics such as usability, performance, and track record, and only those that clear the bar receive certification.
Apps have always gone through a review to be published on the App Store, but Built for Shopify is a program set up specifically to make "especially excellent apps" visible, functioning as a trust signal for store operators choosing an app.
The badge inside the red box in the image below is the Built for Shopify certification badge.
Image source: RuffRuff Order Bonus
Certified Apps Display a Dedicated Badge
Apps that earn Built for Shopify display a dedicated badge. The badge appears in the Shopify App Store's app listings, search results, and category pages, so you can immediately tell an app is certified.
How to Find Badged Apps
Using the "Built for Shopify" filter in Shopify App Store search results lets you narrow results down to certified apps only.
The Shopify App Store also has a dedicated guide page collecting certified apps only.
Asking the Shopify admin's AI assistant, "Sidekick," to recommend Built for Shopify apps is also an efficient way to find them.
Reviewed Across 3 Areas: Performance, Design, and Integration
Built for Shopify certification is mainly reviewed across the following three perspectives:
- Performance: Does adopting the app significantly slow down the store's load speed?
- Design: Does it look consistent with the admin, in line with Shopify's design guidelines (Polaris)?
- Integration: Does it use current technical standards and integrate smoothly with the Shopify admin and core features?
You could say the Built for Shopify badge is a sign that an app "won't slow your store down, won't leave you confused about how to use it, and integrates solidly with Shopify."
[For Store Operators] Benefits of Choosing Built for Shopify Apps
Now let's look at the benefits of choosing Built for Shopify certified apps, from a store operator's perspective.
Choose Apps with Confidence, Backed by Guaranteed Quality
The biggest benefit is the peace of mind of choosing an app that has cleared Shopify's quality review. It becomes easier to avoid failures like "it turned out to be buggy once I started using it," "the site got slower," or "support never replied."
Especially for operators who aren't experienced at choosing Shopify apps, considering options from among certified apps is a rational way to keep risk low.
Less Impact on Store Load Speed and Operational Load
As reflected in the review criteria, certified apps are kept to a small impact on store load speed. It's a major benefit that even running several apps together won't make the site excessively slow, avoiding harm to the user experience.
Since integration with the admin is also well built out, you're less likely to get confused during day-to-day operations, which should also benefit your operational efficiency.
[For App Developers] Benefits of Earning Built for Shopify
Next, let's cover the benefits of earning Built for Shopify from an app developer's perspective.
Improved Credibility and Brand Strength
The fact that you've cleared Shopify's official quality standards raises the credibility of your company as a whole. Shopify also allows using the Built for Shopify badge and logo as promotional material through its official media kit.
Highlighting your certification on your own site, in press releases, or in sales materials can boost your appeal to prospective customers.
Increased Visibility Within the App Store
According to Shopify, Built for Shopify certified apps appear to get priority placement in various spots across the App Store.
Specifically, this includes placement in the top category "Built for Shopify, picked for you" at the very top of the App Store's homepage, and priority placement in "Recommended [category]" sections on category pages — giving you more exposure in places operators are likely to see.
The Built for Shopify badge also serves as a signal when the Shopify admin's AI assistant, "Sidekick," recommends apps.
Easier to Rank Higher in Search Results
According to Shopify, Built for Shopify certified apps are more likely to rank higher in App Store search results. In categories with a lot of competing apps, a difference in search ranking can translate directly into a difference in install numbers.
Shopify has also published results showing that "new installs increase by an average of 49% within just 14 days of earning certification."
Built for Shopify's Application Requirements and Steps to Get Certified
Now let's briefly cover the requirements and steps for actually earning Built for Shopify certification.
Requirements Needed to Apply
To apply for Built for Shopify review, you first need to clear certain requirements. The main ones are:
- At least 50 installs from stores active on a paid plan
- At least 5 reviews on the App Store
- A recent rating score that clears Shopify's set threshold
- Over the past 28 days: LCP (main content load time) of 2.5 seconds or less, CLS (layout shift) of 0.1 or less, and INP (responsiveness to interaction) of 200 milliseconds or less
- Adopting the app doesn't lower the storefront's Lighthouse performance score by more than 10 points
Beyond this, there are numerous other detailed review items, such as design and admin integration, and category-specific requirements. If you want to check all requirements in full, see Shopify's official requirements documentation.
Apps that just launched with little track record, or apps with low ratings, can't even proceed to the application stage in the first place. In other words, this is a program you can only take on once your app has a certain amount of operating history and quality behind it.
The Process from Application to Certification
Once you meet the application requirements, you can access the application form from the Partner Dashboard. The form has you submit screenshots of your app's screens and check that it meets the review criteria.
After you apply, Shopify's review team conducts an assessment, and you'll receive a request for changes if there are issues. Compliance with the design guidelines is a point that tends to draw feedback, and it seems rare to pass on the first try. Aim for certification by repeating fixes and reapplying as needed.
You Need to Keep Meeting the Criteria Even After Certification
Built for Shopify isn't something that, once earned, lasts forever. Since January 2025, Shopify has been conducting a review of certified apps at least once a year, and if an app no longer meets the criteria, its status can be revoked after a 60-day grace period to make fixes.
Shopify is also continuously updating the certification criteria themselves. Maintaining certification requires ongoing maintenance.
Built for Shopify Certified Apps to Know | The RuffRuff Series
Here we introduce 7 apps from the "RuffRuff" series — Japanese-made apps that have earned Built for Shopify certification.
RuffRuff 予約販売
RuffRuff 予約販売 is an app that adds a "pre-order" feature to your product pages. It lets you implement a wide range of pre-order-based selling patterns in a single app — limited-time sales, pre-launch announcements, made-to-order pre-orders, member-only early access, and support for deferred payment.
It's simple to set up, and also supports things like changing the purchase button's wording and displaying a countdown timer.
RuffRuff Order Limits
RuffRuff Order Limits is an app that lets you set granular purchase conditions on orders, such as "limit one per customer" or "purchase available only when the total is over a set amount." It comes with features that are useful on the ground for running a store, such as preventing stock from running out and curbing bulk buying abuse on sale items.
RuffRuff Order Bonus
RuffRuff Order Bonus is a no-code app for setting up promotions like "get 1 free for every 3 purchased" to encourage bulk buying, distributing novelty items when specific conditions are met, and offering a choice of gifts. You can use it to raise average order value and boost customer satisfaction.
RuffRuff Selling Periods
RuffRuff Selling Periods is an app that lets you set a sales start date and time and a sales end date and time for each product or variant. You can run new product launch announcements and limited-time sales on the schedule you set.
It can prevent products from being purchased outside their selling period, and it can also show a countdown timer for the time remaining until a launch or the end of a sale.
RuffRuff Table of Contents
RuffRuff Table of Contents is an app that automatically generates a table of contents for blog posts and product pages, making long-form content easier to read. Since the links within the table of contents function as internal links, it can help SEO as well.
RuffRuff Table of Contents is the first app from a Japanese company to earn Built for Shopify. It's easy to set up in just two steps with no code, and you can start using it for free.
RuffRuff Product & Blog Tags
RuffRuff Product & Blog Tags is an app that automatically displays a list of tags attached to products and blog posts. It helps store visitors move smoothly from a tag to related content, improving browsing engagement. It can also be used as a tag filter on collection pages and blog listing pages, with fully customizable design and placement.
RuffRuff Author Profiles
RuffRuff Author Profiles is an app that displays author profiles on blog posts, products, and pages. Beyond writers and editorial reviewers, you can also use it to introduce the artisans, artists, and designers behind a product.
Making it clear who wrote an article, or who made a product, helps strengthen the credibility of your content. Authors can be registered without being tied to your store's staff count, and the app supports applying an author to multiple posts, products, and pages at once, as well as a live preview that lets you check the result while you adjust the design. The free plan covers up to 5 authors.
Use Built for Shopify as a Guide for Choosing and Developing Apps
Built for Shopify is a certification status for identifying high-quality apps among the vast number available on the Shopify App Store.
For store operators, it's a reliable signal when you're unsure which app to choose. For developers, it's a title that lets you objectively demonstrate your own app's quality.
Whether you're looking for an app on the Shopify App Store or thinking through your own app's development direction, be sure to keep Built for Shopify in mind.
