Article · Comparison
Should I use Shopify's own Bundles app or a bundle app like Supr?
We make Supr Bundle & Subscription App, so read this with that in mind: every statement about Shopify Bundles below is taken from Shopify's own help pages and linked, and every statement about Supr comes from our help center. Shopify Bundles creates fixed bundles and multipacks from the Shopify admin. Its help pages say it does not support mix and match bundles and that bundles are not compatible with subscriptions. A bundle app such as ours covers build your own boxes and subscriptions as well.
Who this is for: For merchants deciding between Shopify's own Bundles app and a bundle app, who want the differences with sources.
Who wrote this, and how to check it
We build Supr, so we have a stake in the answer. To keep it fair we limited ourselves: each claim about Shopify Bundles is a quote or a close paraphrase of a Shopify page, with the page linked next to it. If a limit is not on a page we can link, it is not in this article. Shopify updates these pages, so open the links before you decide.
What Shopify's pages say Shopify Bundles does
- It lets you "create and edit fixed product bundles and multipacks right from your Shopify admin" (Shopify Bundles).
- "If any products in the bundle have more than one variant, then your customer can choose from the associated variants" (Eligibility and considerations).
- "Product bundles support discount codes and automatic discounts" (Shopify Bundles).
- Bundles can be sold on the Online Store, Shop and Shopify POS sales channels, and on headless storefronts (Shopify Bundles).
- "The product with the lowest inventory level determines how many bundles can be sold" (Eligibility and considerations).
What Shopify's pages say it cannot do
- "The Shopify Bundles app doesn't support mix-and-match bundles" (Eligibility and considerations).
- "Bundles aren't compatible with purchase options, which includes subscriptions, pre-orders, and try-before-you-buy" (Eligibility and considerations), and "Bundles aren't compatible with the Shopify Subscriptions app" (Subscriptions considerations).
- "Bundles can't contain other bundles", "Bundles don't support import, export, or bulk editing capabilities" and bundles "can't be used in exchanges" (Eligibility and considerations).
- The limits for the app are up to 30 components on a fixed bundle, "up to 2000 units per component" and a "maximum of 3 options and 100 variants total per bundle" (Shopify Bundles).
- The bundle price is set by hand: when a component's price changes, "the bundle price doesn't update" (Shopify Bundles).
What Supr's help center says it does
- Four bundle types, each buyable one-time or on subscription: Quantity break (buy more of one product and save), Buy X, get Y, Fixed bundle and Build your own bundle, also called mix and match or build-a-box.
- A build your own box has groups, a Minimum to pick and Maximum to pick, an optional Tiered discounts ladder of up to 10 steps, and a stock check that marks a box or a flavour Sold out or Unavailable.
- Prices: Full price, Percentage off, Amount off or Fixed price on a bundle option, and Free gifts and Add-ons attached to an option.
- Bundle options appear on your existing product pages, so no separate bundle product is needed, and you do not need the Shopify Bundles app.
Side by side
Each Shopify cell is sourced from the linked pages above. Where a row says Not described, the pages we read say nothing either way, so we do not claim a limit.
| Question | Shopify Bundles (Shopify's pages) | Supr (our help center) |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed set of different products | Yes, fixed bundles | Yes, Fixed bundle |
| Multipack of one product | Yes, multipacks | Yes, Quantity break |
| Customer builds their own box (mix and match) | Not supported | Yes, Build your own bundle |
| Sold on subscription | Not compatible, per Shopify | Yes, every bundle type |
| Bigger discount as the box fills | Not described | Yes, up to 10 tiered discount steps |
| Free gift or add-on with a bundle | Not described | Yes, Free gifts and Add-ons |
| Sold in POS and on headless storefronts | Yes | Check with us before you rely on it |
Can the two work together?
Yes, in one way. Our help center says a bundle product made with Shopify Bundles can be sold on subscription with a few rules: because Shopify does not allow a bundle product to be added to the cart with a subscription, we add the bundle's component products instead, all on one subscription, priced together as the bundle's price with your subscription discount. Every component must be in the same offer, in stock, and the widget on. Checkout lists the components as separate lines, and express buttons such as Shop Pay are hidden while a subscription is selected. The bundle's price does not follow later component price changes, so update it yourself. See Using Supr Bundle & Subscription App with other apps and tools.
Bundles from other bundle apps usually cannot be combined with our subscriptions, because most bundle apps use their own widget and discounts. If you plan to run both bundles and subscriptions, the questions in 12 questions to ask a Shopify subscription app help you check that before you install anything.
A simple way to choose
- Only fixed sets and multipacks, one-time, in a store that sells in person or on headless: Shopify Bundles may be all you need.
- Customers build the box, or you want subscribers to receive a bundle: you need an app that supports it. Build the box by following Mix and match 6 from 20 flavours.
- Not sure how to price the box: see Build a box pricing compared.
Questions
Does Shopify Bundles support mix and match?
Shopify's Eligibility and considerations page says: The Shopify Bundles app doesn't support mix-and-match bundles.
Can I sell a Shopify Bundles product on subscription?
Shopify's page says bundles aren't compatible with subscriptions. Our help center describes selling one on subscription by adding its component products, with rules such as every component being in the offer.
Do I need Shopify Bundles to use Supr bundles?
No. Bundle options are built inside an offer on your existing product pages, with no separate bundle product.
Does Shopify Bundles update the bundle price when a component price changes?
Shopify's page says the bundle price doesn't update when a component's price changes.
Every setting is covered in the help center: A Beginner's Guide to Bundles.
Install on ShopifyRelated
- How do I sell bundles on subscription on Shopify?
- How do I let customers build their own box on Shopify?
- How do I sell a set of different products as one bundle on Shopify?
- What should a coffee roaster charge on repeat orders of a subscribed bundle?
- What breaks when a Shopify store uses one app for subscriptions and another for bundles?
- Which Shopify subscription and bundle apps document the most features?
- How do I run a monthly art supplies club on Shopify?
- How do I stop subscription box members cancelling on Shopify?