How to Choose Between Shopify’s Native Importer and Import Apps
A Shopify import tool brings data into your store in bulk, such as products, customers, inventory or orders, instead of entering each record by hand. Shopify includes a free CSV importer for products, customers and inventory, while import apps add features such as field mapping, scheduled imports, other file formats and order imports.
The right tool depends on the job. A one-time upload of a few hundred products is easy with the built-in importer, but weekly supplier updates, files in other layouts or historical orders usually call for something more capable.
Which Shopify Import Tool Do You Need?
“Import tool” covers several kinds of tools, and choosing the right kind matters more than choosing a brand. Match the tool to what you’re importing and how often you’ll do it.
| Your job | Tool type | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| One-off upload of products or customers in Shopify’s format | Shopify’s built-in CSV importer | Free, simple and available on every plan |
| Regular product, price or stock updates from spreadsheets or supplier files | Bulk import and export tool | Field mapping, scheduling and safer updates to existing records |
| Historical orders | Order import app or full import tool | Shopify’s built-in importer doesn’t import orders |
| Moving a whole store from another platform | Store migration app or service | Connects to your old platform and moves products, customers and orders together |
| Adding supplier or marketplace products to sell | Dropshipping or marketplace importer | Pulls listings from supplier catalogs or marketplaces, often with pricing rules |
This guide focuses on the built-in importer and bulk import tools, which cover most everyday imports. Migration apps and dropshipping importers solve narrower jobs and are usually chosen separately.
Shopify’s Built-In Import Tool
Shopify’s admin includes CSV import for products, customers and inventory at no extra cost. For products, go to Products, select Import, add your CSV file, review the preview and confirm, and Shopify emails you when the import finishes.
The importer is strict about format. Product files must be UTF-8 encoded CSVs of 15 MB or less, with column headers that match Shopify’s product CSV template, and larger catalogs need splitting into several files.
Updates need care too. When you choose to overwrite existing products, Shopify matches rows by handle, so a changed handle creates a new product instead of updating the old one. Customer imports can overwrite existing customers with the same email or phone number, which replaces their details with whatever your file contains.
The built-in tool also has gaps that grow with your store. It doesn’t import historical orders, map columns from files in other layouts, accept Excel or Google Sheets directly, connect to FTP or supplier URLs or run on a schedule. When those gaps cost you time each week, an import app is worth considering.
Shopify Import Tools Compared
The tools below go beyond the native importer in different ways. Details come from each tool’s listing or documentation at the time of writing, and plans and features change, so check current information before you choose.
| Tool | Platforms | Data covered | Field mapping | Scheduling | Free option | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matrixify | Shopify | Products, customers, orders, redirects, pages, blogs, menus, metafields and more | Uses its own file templates | Yes, on higher plans | 10 items per data type per file | $20 per month |
| StoreRobo Import Export | Shopify | Products, variants, collections, customers, orders, discounts, metaobjects and metafields | Custom CSV mapping from the Pro plan | From the Basic plan | 25 products per file, plus small limits on other data | $15 per month |
| Firebear Import & Export Tool | Shopify | Products, customers and orders | AI-assisted column mapping | From the Basic plan | 100 import rows and 100 export rows | $20 per month |
| EZ Importer | Shopify | Orders and draft orders, with customer, transaction and tax details | Column mapping | Not listed | 25 free credits | $25 for 100 imports |
| Bulkflow | Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix | Product data imports, updates to existing records and exports of selected store data | Yes | Scheduled data updates | Free plan | Paid plans available |
Matrixify
Matrixify is one of the most established Shopify import and export apps, rated 4.9 from more than 1,700 reviews and handling files up to 20 GB. It covers almost every kind of store data, which makes it a common choice for large catalogs, complex updates and full store migrations.
It works through Excel, CSV and Google Sheets files in its own column format, so there’s a learning curve before you’re fluent. The free plan allows 10 items per data type per file, while paid plans run from $20 per month for up to 5,000 products to $50 for up to 50,000 and $200 for Enterprise.
StoreRobo Import Export
StoreRobo, from WebToffee, imports and exports a broad range of Shopify data, from products and variants to collections, orders, customers, discounts, metaobjects and metafields. It accepts CSV, XLSX and file URL imports, can migrate products from WooCommerce and is rated 4.6 from 37 reviews.
Its features unlock by plan, so check which tier you need. The free plan covers 25 products per file, FTP or SFTP and scheduling start on the $15 Basic plan, and custom CSV import with column mapping starts on the $30 Pro plan.
Firebear Import & Export Tool
Firebear’s tool imports and exports products, customers and orders using CSV, XML, XLSX and Google Sheets files, with sources such as file uploads, URLs, FTP and Google Drive. It uses AI-assisted mapping to match columns from other systems to Shopify fields and can run scheduled import and export profiles.
The free plan allows 100 rows per import and export, while the $20 Basic plan raises that to 5,000 rows and adds Google Drive and Sheets, scheduling and email notifications. It has only 8 reviews and a 2.1 rating on its listing, so test it carefully with your own files before relying on it.
EZ Importer
EZ Importer focuses on one job that Shopify’s built-in tool can’t do: importing orders and draft orders from CSV files. It handles multiple line items, customer data, transactions, taxes and order metafields, with column mapping and templates for data from other Shopify stores and platforms.
Pricing works on credits, starting at $25 for 100 imports, and new users get 25 free credits. It’s rated 4.5 from 78 reviews, which makes it a practical add-on when you only need order history alongside another product import tool.
Bulkflow
Bulkflow is a bulk data management tool for ecommerce stores, covering data import, export and updates for Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix. It supports bulk import, export, field mapping and scheduled data updates, so you can import product data, update existing records and export selected store data from one place.
That suits stores that receive the same supplier or price files regularly, since field mapping matches their columns to your store’s fields and scheduled updates reduce repeated manual uploads. It’s also useful if you run stores on more than one of those platforms. Bulkflow offers free and paid plans, so you can test it with your own files before committing.
Features to Compare in a Shopify Import Tool
Feature lists look similar until you test them with your own data. Focus on the features that decide whether your imports run smoothly:
- Data types. Confirm the tool handles everything you need, such as products, variants, inventory, metafields, customers or orders.
- Sources and formats. Check that it reads the files you actually receive, whether CSV, Excel, Google Sheets, XML, a URL or FTP.
- Field mapping. Mapping lets you import supplier files without rebuilding them in Shopify’s template, and saved mappings save time on repeat imports.
- Update behavior. Look at how the tool matches existing records, such as by handle, SKU or ID, and whether you can update only selected fields.
- Scheduling. If your data changes regularly, scheduled imports keep prices and stock current without manual uploads.
- Previews and error reports. Clear reports showing which rows failed and why make problems quick to fix.
- Limits and pricing. Free plans usually cap rows or items per file, so compare the first paid tier that fits your real volume.
Tips for Safer Shopify Imports
Most import problems come from the process rather than the tool. A few habits prevent the mistakes that are hardest to undo:
- Back up first. Export your current products, customers or inventory before any large import or update.
- Clean the file. Remove duplicate rows, extra spaces and inconsistent values, and make sure handles and option combinations are unique.
- Check images and encoding. Use publicly accessible image URLs and save files as UTF-8 so special characters come through correctly.
- Test a small batch. Import a few records, including products with variants, and check them in your store before running the full file.
- Update only what you need. When changing prices or stock, import only those columns so descriptions and images aren’t overwritten.
- Turn off order notifications. Importing historical orders can trigger staff notifications for each order, so disable them before you start.
Conclusion
The best Shopify import tool is the one that matches your data and your routine, whether that’s Shopify’s free CSV importer for simple uploads or an app with mapping and scheduling for regular updates. Comparing tools on data types, update behavior and real costs, then testing with your own files, keeps your catalog accurate as your store grows. We hope this guide helps you choose the right Shopify import tool for your store. If regular bulk updates are part of your workflow, you can explore Bulkflow.
