Use the Shopify Search & Discovery app to customize your search, filters, and product recommendations. Help customers find your products and sell more.
A great shopping experience starts with simple search and seamless discovery. Customize search, filtering, and product recommendations, so you can enhance your products’ relevance and sell more. Use the Shopify Search & Discovery app to deliver results for every search and increase average order value with customized recommendations on any product page. Plus, use analytics to understand how customers are navigating your store and help shoppers find what they’re looking for with these insights.
Frequently asked questions
Is this app actually free, or will I get hit with charges later?
Shopify Search & Discovery is completely free with no paid tiers or hidden fees. There is only one plan — free — and it is built and maintained by Shopify itself.
Will it work with my existing theme, or do I need to switch?
The app works best with Online Store 2.0 compatible themes. Older (vintage) themes may not support filters or recommendation blocks at all. If your theme doesn't support filtering, a warning message will appear in the 'Collection and search filters' section of your Shopify admin, and you may need to contact your theme's developer.
What are the hard limits I need to know before I rely on this app?
There are several important caps: collections with more than 5,000 products will not display filters at all; you can create a maximum of 25 filters store-wide; only 100 filter values will be shown to customers on the storefront (e.g., only 100 brands even if you have 150); and the price filter only works in your store's default currency. These limits make the app unsuitable for large or fast-growing catalogs.
How long does setup take — can I do it myself without a developer?
Setup is done entirely through the Shopify admin dashboard with no coding required for most stores. You can configure filters, synonym groups, product boosts, and recommendations through a point-and-click interface. However, if your theme doesn't display changes correctly, you may need to contact your theme's developer for assistance.
Does it support AI or semantic search, or is it just basic keyword matching?
The app includes a Semantic Search feature powered by Shopify's AI, which uses related words, concepts, and context to improve search results beyond simple keyword matching. It also supports autocomplete, instant search, typo tolerance, synonym groups, and stop words. Semantic Search can be tested in a theme preview before activating it.
Can I control what products appear in search results and recommendations?
Yes. You can use product boosts to pin specific products to the top of results for chosen search terms, create synonym groups so shoppers find products regardless of the words they use, and manually assign related or complementary products on any product detail page. Product recommendations can also be managed in bulk via the Bulk Editor or Shopify Flow using metafields.
What do other merchants say — is the support reliable?
The app holds a 3.5-star rating across 463 reviews on the App Store. Positive reviewers praise its ease of use and the value of getting it for free. However, a notable share of 1-star reviews cite frustration with the 5,000-product filter limit, the 25-filter cap, and the inability to filter by tags. Support is provided by Shopify directly, so dedicated one-on-one support agents are not available in the same way as third-party apps.
