Checkout Plus vs Essential Upsell & Cross Sellfor Shopify (2026)
Checkout Plus and Essential Upsell & Cross Sell both target Shopify merchants seeking to optimize their checkout experience and increase average order value (AOV). However, they approach this goal with different focuses. Checkout Plus aims for a holistic checkout customization experience, encompassing trust-building elements, information gathering, and payment/shipping customizations, along with upsell features. In contrast, Essential Upsell & Cross Sell is primarily focused on boosting AOV through various upsell and cross-sell strategies, particularly through frequently bought together recommendations, product bundles, and post-purchase offers. Checkout Plus aims for broader checkout optimization and could be valuable even for stores without a complex upsell strategy who want other checkout customization options such as collecting gift messages and delivery instructions. Essential Upsell & Cross Sell excels in its specific domain, offering a wide range of upsell techniques and is probably more suited to shops with a high number of different products and variations. While Checkout Plus incorporates some social proof elements, Essential Upsell & Cross Sell leans more heavily into recommending related or frequently bought-together items, capitalizing on purchasing behavior.
At a Glance
Checkout Plus
52 reviews
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell
1,004 reviews
Detailed Overview
Checkout Plus
Customize Your Checkout: Free Gifts, Trust Badges, Upsells, Messages, Payment Customizations & Rules
Key Features
- Upsells: Sell more at checkout increasing average order value (AOV)
- Social Proof: Establish trust with Reviews, UGC & Trust Badges at Checkout
- Gift Messages, Delivery Instructions & Surveys: Collect information at Checkout
- Post Purchase: Thank you, Order Status & Customer Account Customizations
- Payment, Shipping Methods & Order Limits: customize at checkout with conditions
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell
One click upsell and cross sell. Show frequently bought together product upsell & related products.
Key Features
- Show frequently bought products (FBT), related products, product recommendations
- Post purchase upsell & cross sell: Product addons, bought together bundles
- Automatic discount promotions: Add discounts to upsell & "also bought" products
- Product page upsell: Add one click upsell & cross-sell products & BOGO bundles
- Cart upsell: Add upsell cart app, cross-sell & product add-ons to cart drawer
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 4.8/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Checkout Plus4.8/5 Essential Upsell & Cross Sell5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 52 | 1004 |
Reviews Checkout Plus52 Essential Upsell & Cross Sell1004 | ||
| Primary Focus | Holistic Checkout Customization | Upsell and Cross-Sell Optimization |
Primary Focus Checkout PlusHolistic Checkout Customization Essential Upsell & Cross SellUpsell and Cross-Sell Optimization | ||
| Key Differentiator | Payment & Shipping Customization Rules; Gift Messages | Frequently Bought Together & Related Products Recommendations; Post Purchase Upsells |
Key Differentiator Checkout PlusPayment & Shipping Customization Rules; Gift Messages Essential Upsell & Cross SellFrequently Bought Together & Related Products Recommendations; Post Purchase Upsells | ||
| Target Merchant Type | Merchants seeking comprehensive checkout experience control with limited technical knowledge needed | Merchants aggressively seeking to increase AOV via upsell and cross-sell opportunities, and potentially require more hands-on customization |
Target Merchant Type Checkout PlusMerchants seeking comprehensive checkout experience control with limited technical knowledge needed Essential Upsell & Cross SellMerchants aggressively seeking to increase AOV via upsell and cross-sell opportunities, and potentially require more hands-on customization | ||
| Ease of Use (Implied) | Likely easier initial setup due to broader, less specialized functionality | Potentially steeper learning curve due to the wider variety of upsell strategies and more complex configurations |
Ease of Use (Implied) Checkout PlusLikely easier initial setup due to broader, less specialized functionality Essential Upsell & Cross SellPotentially steeper learning curve due to the wider variety of upsell strategies and more complex configurations | ||
| Value Proposition | Enhanced customer experience, trust building, and data collection during checkout | Significant AOV increase through targeted upsell and cross-sell offers |
Value Proposition Checkout PlusEnhanced customer experience, trust building, and data collection during checkout Essential Upsell & Cross SellSignificant AOV increase through targeted upsell and cross-sell offers | ||
Our Verdict
For merchants prioritizing a well-rounded checkout experience with customizations like payment rule implementation, trust badges, and the ability to collect information such as gift messages or delivery instructions, Checkout Plus is a better fit. It offers a comprehensive solution to enhance the checkout process beyond just upsells. It’s probably a better choice for new stores that do not yet have a deep and granular understanding of their customers.
However, if the primary goal is to aggressively boost AOV through targeted upsell and cross-sell strategies, especially using frequently bought together recommendations, product bundles, and post-purchase upsell funnels, Essential Upsell & Cross Sell is the clear winner. Its laser focus on upsell and cross-sell, backed by a significantly larger number of positive reviews, suggests a more effective and robust upsell-oriented solution. More established stores would benefit more.
Common Questions
Does Checkout Plus offer post-purchase upsells?
Checkout Plus offers customization on the thank you page and order status page, which enables post-purchase marketing messaging, which can be a lower key form of upselling compared to Essential Upsell & Cross Sell's dedicated post-purchase upsell features.
Is it easier to implement payment rules with Checkout Plus or Essential Upsell?
Checkout Plus explicitly mentions the ability to customize payment methods with rules. Essential Upsell focuses on product-based upsells, not payment gateway management.
Which app is more effective for displaying 'Frequently Bought Together' product recommendations?
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell explicitly lists 'Show frequently bought products (FBT)' as a key feature, suggesting a dedicated and potentially more effective approach to this specific type of upsell.
If I need to collect delivery instructions at checkout, which app is better?
Checkout Plus lists 'Delivery Instructions' as a key feature, indicating a dedicated functionality for gathering this information during checkout.
Which app is more likely to increase conversion rates by improving customer trust at checkout?
Checkout Plus appears better for this. Its features like Trust Badges, Reviews, and UGC at checkout are designed to build customer confidence and reduce cart abandonment.
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