How do I check the apps and plugins a Shopify store depends on before buying?

Treat the app list as a dependency map. For each entry, ask what job it does, how long it has been in place and what the store would lose if it vanished tomorrow. Some are cosmetic. Others run the checkout, calculate shipping or sync stock, and those deserve your closest attention.

Next, trace the money and the logins. Look at who the subscription is billed to, whether the vendor will let the account move to you, and whether any plugin was custom-built by a freelancer. Ask for the freelancer’s code and documentation. If a developer is no longer reachable, the fix will cost you later.

Check how current things are. Look for apps that have not been updated lately, duplicates doing the same job, and leftovers from old tests that still slow pages down. Ask the seller for the sales funnel and which apps drive repeat orders. After closing, plan to review each app in your first weeks, keeping the ones that earn their cost and removing the rest carefully. Keep a running sheet of what you find, with a column for risk. It becomes your first month’s task list and a useful reference when you negotiate what the seller should hand over or fix.

Key takeaways

• Get the full app list with costs, billing accounts and purpose.
• Test checkout, shipping, stock sync and email before you commit.
• Find any custom plugin and make sure you receive its code.