Champ › Shopify forum apps compared
Shopify Forum Apps Compared: Prices and Limits
Updated 5 November 2026
There are several forum apps on the Shopify App Store. They differ most in four things: limits on members or posts, the length of the free trial, how customers sign in, and where the forum lives. This page puts those facts side by side.
Note We make Champ, so we are not neutral. To keep this page fair, every fact about another app comes from that app's own Shopify App Store listing, read on 5 November 2026. Where a listing does not say something, the table says "Not stated". Listings change, so check the current listing before you decide. If something here is out of date, email support@getchamp.net and we will correct it.
Forum apps side by side#
| App | Free trial | Free plan | Limits on the lowest paid plan | Customers sign in with their store account | Rating on the App Store |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champ | 14 days | No | None: no limits on members, posts or forums | Yes | 3.5 (6 reviews) |
| Xenforum | 7 days | No | 1,000 users, 5 GB of files | Not stated | 4.3 (21 reviews) |
| Shopicial | 7 days | No | 1,000 users, 10 GB of storage | Not stated | 2.9 (14 reviews) |
| Forum Innovate | 7 days (Standard), 5 days (Premium) | Yes, up to 100 active members every 30 days | Not stated for paid plans | Not stated | 3.0 (1 review) |
| ShelfLife Community Forum | 14 days (Growth) | Yes, with a monthly post limit | Not stated for Growth | Not stated | No reviews yet |
| Social Place | 7 days | No | 1,000 posts and comments each month | Yes ("Auto login store customers") | 5.0 (3 reviews) |
Prices on the App Store are shown in the visitor's own currency, so we do not copy them here. Champ is $29 a month (USD), with one plan.
Where each forum lives#
Most Shopify forum apps now put the forum on the store's own web address, which is good for your customers and for Google. The listings describe it like this:
- Champ: on your store's address, by default
yourstore.com/community/champ. You can change
the address.
- Xenforum: the listing's demo forum is at a path on the store's own domain.
- Shopicial: the listing's demo forum is at a path on the store's own domain.
- Forum Innovate: "on a path controlled by the app" in the online store.
- ShelfLife Community Forum: "directly on your Shopify storefront", using app embeds.
- Social Place: "embedded in your storefront", on a Shopify page.
Read why your own domain matters for SEO.
What each app is best at#
These notes come from the features each listing puts first.
- Champ — one plan with every feature and no limits, members-only forums with customer
tags, moderators who work on the storefront without admin access, built-in spam protection, private messages, points and a leaderboard, and webhooks and an API. On the Shopify App Store since March 2018.
- Xenforum — a forum with plans that grow by users and file storage, and an Enterprise plan
for high-traffic forums.
- Shopicial — a "social forum" with a mobile app on its higher plans.
- Forum Innovate — a new app (launched February 2026) with an AI tool that creates starter
categories and discussions, and product questions on product pages.
- ShelfLife Community Forum — a new app (launched May 2026) with product tagging in posts and
Shopify Flow support.
- Social Place — a social-style community with badges and roles based on purchases, and
Instagram sync on a higher plan.
How to choose#
- Count your customers. If you have more than 1,000 customers who may join, check each
plan's user or post limit. A forum that hits its limit stops new members or posts until you upgrade.
- Test the sign-in. Install the app on a trial, sign in to your store as a customer, and
open the forum. You should not need a second account.
- Open the demo. Look at a real forum before you install. See Champ's live forum.
- Post as a spammer would. Try posting a link from a new account, so you know what your
moderators will see.
- Check the exit. Ask how you get your content back if you leave. Champ gives you a full
download at any time from the Data section of the dashboard.
Not an app: Discourse and hosted forums#
You can also run a forum outside Shopify, for example with Discourse or Website Toolbox, and link to it from your store. These are full community products, but they live on a separate site and need extra work to share your customers' sign-in. Read Champ vs Discourse and how to add a forum to your Shopify store.
Sources#
Read on 5 November 2026: Xenforum, Shopicial, Forum Innovate, ShelfLife Community Forum, Social Place, Champ.
Try Champ free for 14 days
Champ adds a forum to your Shopify store, on your own web address, with your colours, fonts and logo. Customers sign in with the account they already have. Then $29 a month, with no limits on members or posts.