Shopify free gift app comparison

Shopify free gift apps compared: gifts that stay free only when they are earned

By the Discount Prime team | Tested Nov 2, 2026 | Last updated November 2026

Adding a free gift to the cart is the easy part. The hard part is everything after: the shopper removes an item and drops below the threshold, adds the gift twice, raises its quantity, or adds it by hand without qualifying. We set up a single gift and a two-tier gift ladder on a live Shopify store, tried each of those cases, then checked how 11 popular gift with purchase apps and Shopify's own Buy X Get Y document the same situations.

Start free on Shopify See free gift features

Cart totals with free gift savings and a tiered gift progress bar

Key takeaways

Discount Prime adds the gift automatically when the cart reaches the threshold, or lets the shopper pick from up to 6 gifts per tier.
Gifts are only free while the cart qualifies. When we added a gift by hand without qualifying, it stayed at full price, and the widget removed it on the next cart load.
Tiers stack: one gift at 200 dollars, another at 500, a choice at 1,000.
The threshold is measured before bundle, cross-sell and upsell discounts and says so in the admin. Among the apps we reviewed, only Qikify documents the threshold basis as a setting.^G26
Gifts run in the same engine as volume, bundle, cross-sell, upsell and free shipping campaigns, so a gift, an add-on discount and free shipping applied together in one checkout.

How we tested

We tried each case on a live store and read what 11 popular apps and Shopify publish about the same situations.

Store: Shopify development store, Dawn theme, Discount Prime Ultimate.
Date: November 2, 2026.
Campaigns: "Free Gift Notebook" (a 12 dollar notebook free over 200 dollars, added automatically) and "Gift tiers" (a 15 dollar tote added automatically at 500 dollars, and a choice of 1 gift at 1,000 dollars). Live at the same time: a bundle, a cross-sell offer, an upsell, and free shipping over 150 dollars.
Competitors: Competitors were not installed. Their columns reflect App Store listings, pricing pages, help centers and community threads accessed November 2, 2026. "Not documented" is not "not supported".

The 11 apps we reviewed, plus Shopify Buy X Get Y

Rebuy's listing showed "not currently available on the Shopify App Store" on Nov 2, 2026.^G42

How a free gift works in Discount Prime

You set a spend threshold, pick up to 6 gifts, and choose whether the gift is added automatically or picked by the shopper.

Scenarios: spend and get a gift, spend more get more, let them choose, wholesale thank-you gift.
Tiers: add more spend levels; each tier keeps the gifts from the tiers below.
Gift mode: "Add automatically" or "Customer picks", with "Number the customer may choose" capped at the number of gifts in the tier.
Once per order: on by default.
Storefront display: progress bar, toast with Undo, or silent.
Eligibility: all customers, Shopify customer segments, specific customers, or purchase-history conditions.

Free gift scenarios: spend and get a gift, spend more get more, let them choose, wholesale thank-you gift

Gift tiers with a spend threshold per tier, add automatically or let the customer pick, up to 6 gifts per tier

The five field tests

Each test is one merchant situation: what we tried, what Discount Prime did, and what other apps document for the same case.

Test 1. Reaching the threshold

Setup

Headphones (219 dollars) added to an empty cart. Before adding, the product page showed 200 dollars more to unlock the notebook.

What happened in Discount Prime

The notebook was added automatically at 0.00 with a "Free gift" tag, a toast said "Free gift unlocked" with an Undo button, and a progress bar showed the next tiers at 500 and 1,000 dollars.

What competitors document (as of Nov 2, 2026)

Shopify Buy X Get Y never adds the gift automatically; the shopper must add it. Auto-add is documented by BOGOS, EG, Monk, AOV.ai, CartBot, Upcart, Rebuy and Essential.^{G54 G1 G11 G17 G28 G24 G37 G40 G53}

Free gift added automatically to the cart at 0.00 under Your free gifts

Toast with Undo and a tier progress bar toward the 500 and 1,000 dollar gifts

Toast saying the free gift is unlocked, with Undo

Test 2. Letting the shopper choose, with a cap

Setup

Tier 2 set to "Customer picks", 2 gifts offered, "Number the customer may choose" set to 1.

What happened in Discount Prime

The cart picker showed "0 of 1 chosen". After one pick it showed "1 of 1 chosen" and the other gift was disabled.

What competitors document (as of Nov 2, 2026)

Pick N of M is documented by Monk (total gifts and per-item caps), Rebuy Selectable GWP, Essential and BOGOS (limit one selection per gift). Upcart states its tiers do not let the customer choose.^{G18 G40 G53 G4 G37}

Tier 2 set to Customer picks with the number the customer may choose capped at the gifts selected

Gift picker in the cart showing 0 of 1 chosen

Gift picker at its limit, 1 of 1 chosen, other option disabled

Test 3. Trying to get more than earned

What happened in Discount Prime

Gift quantity: we set the gift quantity to 3. It stayed at 1.

Dropping below the threshold: we lowered the cart below 500 dollars. The tier gifts were removed automatically and the notebook (still earned) stayed at 0.00.

Adding a gift by hand: we added two totes straight to the cart with the gift tag, without qualifying for the tier. They were charged at full price (15 dollars each), not 0.00, and the widget removed them on the next cart load.

Why: the gift is the real product, priced at 0.00 by a Shopify Function only while the cart qualifies. There is no hidden duplicate product to manage.

What competitors document (as of Nov 2, 2026)

Auto-removal is optional in EG ("Rule works in reverse") and Monk (Auto Remove; when off the gift stays at full price). Gift Box can let a gift reach checkout and then removes it by editing the order. BOGOS and Gift Box offer a hidden duplicate product method. Essential re-checks on every cart change and at checkout.^{G12 G19 G23 G3 G22 G53}

Gift lines at 0.00 with a Free gift tag and a fixed quantity

After the cart drops below the tier thresholds only the earned gift stays free

Test 4. Which price counts toward the threshold

Setup

The admin states: "Measured on the price before bundle, cross-sell and upsell discounts. Price changes and tiered or flat price discounts still count."

What happened in Discount Prime

A 160 dollar bundle with a 32 dollar bundle discount still showed "40 dollars more to unlock" the notebook, so the bundle discount did not push the shopper further from the gift.

What competitors document (as of Nov 2, 2026)

Shopify Buy X Get Y counts full price before other discounts. Qikify documents a before or after setting. For BOGOS, EG and Monk the basis is stated only in community posts, not in their docs. Upcart gift tiers ignore discounts.^{G54 G26 G10 G37}

Qualifying purchase measured on the price before bundle, cross-sell and upsell discounts

Test 5. Gift, add-on discount and free shipping in one checkout

What happened in Discount Prime

A cross-sell add-on discount, the free notebook and free shipping over 150 dollars all applied in one Shopify checkout.

What competitors document (as of Nov 2, 2026)

Apps that offer several discount types (BOGOS, Monk, Qikify, Upcart, Essential) document per-discount combination toggles. None of the docs we read describes one conflict system across gift, volume, bundle, upsell and shipping offers. Upcart advises avoiding duplicate rewards when its tiers and discounts both run.^{G4 G13 G16 G36}

Checkout with a cross-sell add-on discount, a free gift and free shipping together

Inside the campaign

Every gift offer is one campaign, in the same list as your other discounts.

Campaign list with a single free gift at 200 dollars and a two-tier gift ladder at 500 and 1,000 dollars — A single gift and a two-tier ladder in the campaign list.

Storefront display options: progress bar, toast with undo, or silent — Progress bar, toast with Undo, or silent.

Eligibility: all customers, Shopify segments, specific customers or purchase-history conditions — All customers, Shopify segments, specific customers or purchase-history conditions.

What shoppers see

Shoppers see how far away each gift is on the product page and in the cart, then a confirmation when it unlocks.

Product page message showing how much more unlocks each gift — The product page says how much more unlocks each gift.

Free gift apps compared

Discount Prime: tested on a live store. Competitors: as documented on Nov 2, 2026. "Not documented" means we could not find it on the App Store listing or help center.

Discount Prime, 11 Shopify gift apps and Shopify Buy X Get Y, compared on free gift features
Criterion	Discount Prime	BOGOS	EG (EasyGift)	Monk	AOV.ai	CartBot	Gift Box	Qikify	Kaching Cart	Upcart	Rebuy	Essential	Shopify BXGY
Rating / reviews (Nov 4, 2026)	5.0 / 20	5.0 / 4,599^G1	5.0 / 1,150^G11	4.9 / 606^G15	5.0 / 880^G27	4.9 / 507^G24	4.9 / 231^G21	4.7 / 677^G25	5.0 / 1,603^G29	4.8 / 952^G34	4.7 / 791, listing unavailable^{G42 G43}	5.0 / 30^G51	Not applicable^G54
Built for Shopify	Yes	Yes^G1	Yes^G11	Yes^G15	Yes^G27	Yes^G24	Yes^G21	Yes^G25	Yes^G29	Not shown^G34	Not applicable^G42	Yes^G51	Not applicable^G54
Free plan for live stores	Free plan available; Free Gift starts on Prime	Yes, 30 orders lifetime^G1	Yes, 1 rule^G11	No, dev stores only^G15	Yes, $500 revenue cap^G27	Yes^G24	No, dev and trial only^G21	Yes, 1 campaign^G25	No, dev stores only^G29	No, dev stores only^G34	Not documented^G40	Not documented^G52	Built in^G54
Paid range (USD per month)	$49.90 to $99.90	$29.99 to $109.99, plus $0.05 per order over the cap^G1	$14.99 to $49.99^G11	Not documented^G15	$19.99 to $39.99^G27	$9.99^G24	$29.99 to $79.99^G21	$9.99 to $49.99^G25	$9.99 to $24.99 on the listing^G29	$29.99 to $54.99^G34	From $25 per package, third-party figure^G45	Not documented^G52	$0^G54
Order or revenue cap	No order cap; unlimited orders	Orders^G1	No cap^G11	Not documented^G15	Revenue, free plan only^G27	Not documented^G24	Orders^G21	No caps stated^G25	Orders^G29	Orders^G34	Order volume^G41	Not documented^G52	No^G54
Trigger: cart value	Yes	Yes^G2	Yes^G11	Yes^G17	Yes^G27	Yes^G24	Yes^G21	Yes^G26	Yes, per a third party^G30	Yes^G37	Yes^G40	Yes^G52	Minimum purchase, before discounts^G54
Trigger: quantity	No, spend threshold	Yes^G2	Yes^G11	Not documented^G15	Not documented^G27	Yes^G24	Not documented^G21	Yes^G26	Not documented^G29	Yes, item count^G37	Yes^G40	Yes^G53	Yes^G54
Trigger: products and collections	Yes: count spend on products, collections, tags, vendors or types	Products yes; collections not documented^G2	Yes^G11	Yes^G18	Yes^G28	Products^G24	Yes^G21	Not documented^G25	Yes, per a third party^G30	Not documented^G34	Yes^G40	Yes^G52	Yes^G54
Trigger: customer segment	Yes: segments and specific customers, Ultimate	Yes, customer tags^G2	Yes, $29.99 plan and up^G11	Yes, customer tags^G17	Yes^G27	Not documented^G24	Not documented^G21	Not documented^G25	Tags, per a third party^G30	Not documented^G34	Not documented^G40	Yes^G52	Yes, segments^G54
Trigger: order history	Yes: purchase-history conditions, no segment needed	Yes^G2	Yes^G11	Not documented^G15	Not documented^G27	Not documented^G24	Not documented^G21	Not documented^G25	Not documented^G29	Not documented^G34	Not documented^G40	Not documented^G52	Not documented^G54
Gift tiers	Yes: up to 5, cumulative, Ultimate	Yes, spend more get more^G2	Yes, by cart value^G11	Tiered progress bar^G15	Yes, milestones^G27	Not documented^G24	Not documented^G21	Not documented^G25	Gifts bar, detail not documented^G29	Yes, up to 4^G35	Yes^G40	Yes^G53	No ladder^G54
Gift choice (pick N of M)	Yes: up to 6 gifts per tier, capped picks, Ultimate	Yes, popup or slider^{G1 G4}	Yes, popup^G11	Yes, total gifts and per-item caps^G18	Yes^G28	Not documented^G24	Yes, popup^G23	Not documented^G25	Not documented^G29	No^G37	Yes, Selectable GWP^G40	Yes^G53	Shopper adds it by hand^G54
Auto-add	Yes	Yes^G1	Yes^G11	Yes^G17	Yes^G28	Yes^G24	Yes, optional^G21	Not documented^G25	Yes, per a third party^G30	Yes^G37	Yes^G40	Yes^G53	No^G54
How the gift is priced	The real product, priced at 0.00 by a Shopify Function while the cart qualifies	Hidden clone product, native discount function, or draft order^{G3 G4}	EG automatic discount to $0, Shopify automatic, or code^G13	Shopify Functions discount code, 100% off^G16	Not documented^G27	Not documented^G24	Hidden $0 ghost product, or draft order^G22	Not documented^G25	Not documented^G29	$0 duplicate, or 100% automatic discount^G35	Shopify Functions, 100% off^G40	App discount; gift keeps its real price^G53	Native discount^G54
Auto-remove below the threshold	Yes for automatic gifts, always on	Checkout guard, and removal in cart drawers^{G4 G5}	Only with "Rule works in reverse" on^G12	A setting; when off, the gift stays at full price^G19	Not documented^G27	Reverse bot^G24	Post-order edit removes the gift^G23	Only in "after discounts" mode^G26	Not documented^G29	Discount removed with the gift; tier removal not documented^G36	Varies by method^G40	Yes, plus a checkout recheck^G53	The discount stops applying^G54
Threshold basis documented	Yes, in the admin: before bundle, cross-sell and upsell discounts	After discounts, vendor forum post^G10	Before discounts, merchant post^{G10 G14}	After automatic discounts, forum post^G10	Not documented^G27	Not documented^G24	Cart value; post-order check uses the final order^G23	Yes, a before or after setting^G26	Not documented^G29	Gift tiers ignore discounts^G37	Not documented^G40	Not documented^G52	Yes, before discounts^G54
Stacking controls	Shared engine with volume, bundle, cross-sell, upsell and free shipping campaigns	Allow or deny for codes and automatic discounts^G4	Per-discount combine classes^G13	Combines automatically by design^G16	Custom discount building, paid plans^G27	Not documented^G24	Draft order mode: codes only^G22	Not documented^G25	Not documented^G29	Store-wide combination setting^G36	Not documented^G40	Codes must combine with product discounts^G53	Combination classes^G54
Progress bar	Yes	Yes^G1	Not documented^G11	Yes^G15	Yes^G27	Not documented^G24	Not documented^G21	Yes^G25	Yes^G29	Yes^G35	Yes^G40	Yes^G53	No^G54
Product page message	Yes	Today offer widget^G1	Gift page redirect^G11	Yes^G15	Promotion card^G27	Not documented^G24	Not documented^G21	Yes^G26	Not documented^G29	Not documented^G34	Not documented^G40	Yes^G52	No^G54
Toast with Undo	Yes	Not documented^G1	Not documented^G11	Not documented^G15	Not documented^G27	Not documented^G24	Not documented^G21	Not documented^G25	Not documented^G29	Not documented^G34	Not documented^G40	Not documented^G52	No^G54
Multi-language storefront	Yes, per-language widget text	Not documented^G1	Not documented^G11	Yes, translatable text^G15	AI widget translation, paid plans^G27	Not documented^G24	Yes^G21	Yes^G25	Not documented^G29	Not documented^G34	Not documented^G40	Not documented^G52	Yes, through Shopify^G54
Analytics	Yes, performance per campaign	Yes^G1	Yes, per rule with CSV^G11	Not documented^G15	Yes, AOV per campaign^G27	Not documented^G24	Yes, dashboard^G21	Yes^G25	Yes^G29	Yes^G34	Yes^G41	Not documented^G52	Shopify reports^G54
A/B testing	No	Not documented^G1	Not documented^G11	Not documented^G15	Yes, paid plans^G27	Not documented^G24	Not documented^G21	Not documented^G25	Yes^G29	Not documented^G34	Yes, separate package^G41	Not documented^G52	No^G54

What happens when shoppers try to get more

These are the cases where a free gift quietly costs money. Discount Prime: tested. Competitors: as documented on Nov 2, 2026.

How Discount Prime and 12 other options handle gift abuse and edge cases
App	Auto-remove below the threshold	Quantity lock on the gift	Inventory check on the gift	Threshold basis
Discount Prime	Yes for automatic gifts (tested). A gift added by hand stayed at full price (tested)	Yes (tested)	Not stated	Before bundle, cross-sell and upsell discounts (shown in the admin)
BOGOS	Checkout blocked below the minimum; removal in cart drawers; post-order hold or cancel^{G4 G5}	Limit one selection per gift; maximum gifts per order at checkout^G4	Clone not tracked by default; optional dual deduction^G4	After discounts, vendor forum post^G10
EG (EasyGift)	Only with "Rule works in reverse" on^G12	Not documented^G12	Out-of-stock alerts on the Standard plan and up^G11	Before discounts, merchant post^{G10 G14}
Monk	Auto Remove setting; when off, the gift stays at full price^G19	Auto Remove blocks raising the gift quantity^G18	Gift must be in stock and active^G17	After automatic discounts, forum post^G10
AOV.ai	Not documented^G27	Gift limit rules, paid plans^G27	Not documented^G27	Not documented^G27
CartBot	Reverse bot^G24	Not documented^G24	Not documented^G24	Not documented^G24
Gift Box	Gift can stay through checkout; removed by a post-order edit^G23	Not documented^G22	Original product decremented on order^G22	Cart value; codes apply later at checkout^G23
Qikify	Only in "after discounts" mode^G26	Not documented^G26	Not documented^G25	A before or after setting^G26
Kaching Cart	Not documented^G29	Shoppers cannot remove automatic gifts, per a third party^G30	Not documented^G29	Not documented^G29
Upcart	Discount removed if the shopper removes the gift; below-threshold not documented^G36	Not documented^G35	Only with the 100% automatic discount method^G35	Gift tiers ignore discounts^G37
Rebuy	Depends on the method; Bundle Builder leaves the gift at full price^G40	Each selectable gift once^G40	Not documented^G40	Not documented^G40
Essential	Yes, re-checked on every cart change and at checkout^G53	One free unit per tier^G53	Not documented^G53	Cart amount, item count or products; discount basis not documented^G53
Shopify BXGY	The discount stops applying; nothing to remove^G54	Maximum uses per order^G54	Native^G54	Full price, before other discounts^G54

Where other apps are stronger

Other apps lead on review volume, checkout guards, A/B testing, gift scaling and built-in cart drawers.

Review volume and track record. BOGOS (about 4,600 reviews, since 2014), Kaching Cart (about 1,600), EG (about 1,150).^{G1 G29 G11}
Checkout guards. BOGOS can block checkout below the minimum and hold or cancel suspect gift orders. Essential re-checks the goal at checkout.^{G4 G53}
A/B testing. AOV.ai (paid plans), Kaching Cart and Rebuy (separate package).^{G27 G29 G41}
Gift scaling options. Monk "Increase gifts with more purchases" with a maximum gift limit; BOGOS multiplier gifts.^{G18 G1}
Cart drawer apps with gift tiers built in. Kaching Cart, Upcart and Rebuy Smart Cart. Discount Prime works with the theme cart.^{G29 G35 G40}

Which setup fits your store

Start from the goal: each one maps to a free gift setup in Discount Prime.

Goal	Setup
Lift average order value past one number	Spend and get a gift, add automatically, progress bar
Several spend levels	Spend more get more, tiers with automatic gifts
Let shoppers feel in control	Let them choose, Customer picks with a cap
Reward wholesale or loyal buyers only	Eligibility by segment or purchase history
Quiet gift for VIPs	Storefront display: silent

Shopify free gift app comparison FAQ

Does Discount Prime add the free gift automatically?

Yes, when the cart reaches the threshold. You can also let the shopper pick from up to 6 gifts per tier.

What happens if the cart drops below the threshold?

The gift for that tier stops being free, and an automatically added gift is removed on the next cart change. Gifts from lower tiers that are still earned stay free.

Can a shopper get the gift for free by adding it by hand?

No. The gift is priced at 0.00 only while the cart qualifies. In our test a gift added by hand stayed at full price and was removed on the next cart load.

Can shoppers change the gift quantity?

No. The gift quantity stays at the amount the campaign gives.

Do other discounts count toward the threshold?

The threshold is measured on the price before bundle, cross-sell and upsell discounts. Price changes and tiered or flat price discounts still count.

Can I offer different gifts at different spend levels?

Yes. Add tiers, and each tier keeps the gifts from the tiers below.

Does the free gift work with free shipping and other discounts?

Yes. Gifts run in the same engine as volume, bundle, cross-sell, upsell and free shipping campaigns. In our test a gift, an add-on discount and free shipping applied in one checkout.

Which plan includes free gifts?

One gift added automatically starts on Prime. Gift tiers, Customer picks and customer segments need Ultimate.

Keep reading

Free gift Free shipping Cross-sell Cross-sell apps compared Product bundles Bundle apps compared Upsell Widget translations Pricing Compare all discount apps

Sources

Every competitor claim above links to one of these pages. App names and logos belong to their owners and are used only to identify each app.

[G1] BOGOS listing, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G2] BOGOS docs, Gift offer, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G3] BOGOS docs, Understanding basic terms, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G4] BOGOS docs, Settings, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G5] BOGOS docs, Cart drawer apps, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G10] Shopify Community, gift with purchase app using cart total after rebate or coupon, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G11] EG Auto Add to Cart Free Gift listing, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G12] EG FAQ, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G13] EG, How to create a discount for your EasyGift rule, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G14] EG reviews, page 10, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G15] Monk Free Gift listing, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G16] Monk help, Why was the gift added at full price, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G17] Monk help, Auto-add free gift, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G18] Monk help, Let customers choose their free gift, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G19] Monk help, Auto-remove setting, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G21] Gift Box listing, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G22] Digismoothie help, How free gifts are added to orders, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G23] Digismoothie help, Discount lowers order below gift threshold, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G24] CartBot listing, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G25] Qikify Upsell and Cross-sell listing, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G26] Qikify help, Free gift purchase amount after product discount, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G27] AOV.ai Free Gifts listing, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G28] AOV.ai Free Gift product page, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G29] Kaching CartDrawer listing, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G30] Digismoothie (competitor), Kaching Cart Drawer page, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G34] Upcart listing, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G35] Upcart docs, Tiered rewards settings, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G36] Upcart docs, Discounts, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G37] Upcart help, Rewards module, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G40] Rebuy help, Ways to create a gift with purchase offer, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G41] Rebuy help, Plans and packages, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G42] Rebuy Shopify listing (not available), accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G43] Rebuy Shopify reviews, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G45] Ringly, Rebuy alternatives (third party), accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G51] appnavigator, Essential Free Gift, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G52] Essentials docs, Getting started with Essential Free Gift, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G53] Essentials docs, Cart Drawer free gift rules, accessed Nov 2, 2026
[G54] Shopify Help Center, Buy X get Y discounts, accessed Nov 2, 2026

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