Essential Free Shipping Upsell vs Payment Rules Hide PaymentHerofor Shopify (2026)
Essential Free Shipping Upsell and Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero are both highly-rated Shopify apps focusing on checkout optimization, but they address fundamentally different aspects. Essential Free Shipping Upsell aims to increase Average Order Value (AOV) and sales by encouraging customers to add more items to their cart to qualify for free shipping or other rewards. It achieves this through a customizable progress bar and cart upsell features. Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero, on the other hand, focuses on streamlining the checkout process by allowing merchants to control the visibility and order of payment methods, catering to customer preferences and improving conversion rates by reducing friction. Essential Free Shipping Upsell targets merchants looking to actively boost sales through incentivized spending. Its strength lies in its ability to manipulate consumer behavior by presenting a clear path to a reward. Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero is geared towards merchants who want to refine the checkout experience for different customer segments. It optimizes the payment selection process, reducing confusion and potentially increasing completed purchases. While both contribute to improved checkout performance, one actively drives sales while the other focuses on optimizing the existing checkout flow.
At a Glance
Essential Free Shipping Upsell
438 reviews
Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero
218 reviews
Detailed Overview
Essential Free Shipping Upsell
Increase Profits, AOV & Sales With A Free Shipping Progress Bar Cart Goal and Cart Upsell.
Key Features
- Placed Anywhere: product page, cart page, cart drawer, or as an announcement bar
- Boosts Average Order Value: add product upsells, cross-sells & cart upsell.
- Revenue-Oriented: track additional revenue generated by free shipping bar.
- Highly Customisable: customise cart goal progress bar or use pre-made styles.
- Extras: translations, different currencies and Online Store 2.0 themes support.
Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero
Sort + Hide Payment Methods & Checkout Payment Rules
Key Features
- Enhance your Payment experience with intuitive control
- Create custom Payment Rules for different customer segments
- Use Hide Payment options to remove irrelevant methods
- Prioritize each Payment Method based on your business needs
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Essential Free Shipping Upsell5/5 Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 438 | 218 |
Reviews Essential Free Shipping Upsell438 Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero218 | ||
| Focus | Increasing AOV and Sales | Optimizing Payment Methods |
Focus Essential Free Shipping UpsellIncreasing AOV and Sales Payment Rules Hide PaymentHeroOptimizing Payment Methods | ||
| Primary Mechanism | Free Shipping Progress Bar & Upsells | Payment Method Sorting & Hiding |
Primary Mechanism Essential Free Shipping UpsellFree Shipping Progress Bar & Upsells Payment Rules Hide PaymentHeroPayment Method Sorting & Hiding | ||
| Target Merchant | Businesses looking to actively increase order value | Businesses seeking to refine checkout experience |
Target Merchant Essential Free Shipping UpsellBusinesses looking to actively increase order value Payment Rules Hide PaymentHeroBusinesses seeking to refine checkout experience | ||
| Checkout Stage Impact | Pre-checkout / Cart | Checkout Payment Selection |
Checkout Stage Impact Essential Free Shipping UpsellPre-checkout / Cart Payment Rules Hide PaymentHeroCheckout Payment Selection | ||
| Value Proposition | Drive more sales through incentivized spending. | Increase checkout conversion by offering a streamlined payment selection. |
Value Proposition Essential Free Shipping UpsellDrive more sales through incentivized spending. Payment Rules Hide PaymentHeroIncrease checkout conversion by offering a streamlined payment selection. | ||
Our Verdict
If your primary goal is to actively increase AOV and boost sales through incentivizing higher spending, Essential Free Shipping Upsell is the clear choice. The free shipping progress bar and upsell features are designed to directly influence customer purchasing behavior. However, if you're seeing high cart abandonment rates and suspect payment method confusion is a contributing factor, Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero will offer more targeted value. By allowing you to tailor the payment options presented to customers, you can streamline the checkout process and improve conversion rates.
In some cases, these apps could even be used together for a comprehensive checkout optimization strategy. Essential Free Shipping Upsell would incentivize larger purchases, and Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero would ensure a smooth and efficient payment process once the customer reaches the checkout page. Ultimately, the choice depends on which area of your checkout process needs the most improvement.
Common Questions
Which app is easier to set up?
Both apps claim easy setup. However, Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero might be slightly simpler to configure initially since it primarily involves managing payment method visibility and order, while Essential Free Shipping Upsell requires more customization of the free shipping goals and upsell offers.
Can Essential Free Shipping Upsell integrate with other upsell apps?
The description does not explicitly mention integration with other upsell apps, but it does offer 'integrated cart upselling & cross selling', suggesting it functions independently in this area.
Does Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero work with all payment gateways?
The description doesn't specify payment gateway compatibility. It's crucial to check the app documentation or contact the developer to confirm compatibility with your specific payment gateways.
Which app has better customer support?
Both apps have high ratings, implying good customer satisfaction. Payment Rules Hide PaymentHero specifically mentions fast German and English support, which is a differentiator, but not necessarily an indicator of better support overall.
Is Essential Free Shipping Upsell effective for all product types?
The effectiveness may vary depending on the product type and average order value. It's likely more effective for products where customers are willing to add additional items to reach the free shipping threshold. Products with very high individual prices might see less impact.
Get More From Your Shopify Store
Run audits for SEO, CRO, PageSpeed, and AI visibility. Get a clear report and actionable fixes.
Try Fix My Store