Last updated: April 2026 · Pricing verified April 22, 2026 · Reviewed by the Libautech team, builders of Bundles & Upsell and 8 other Shopify apps used by 5,000+ merchants across 50+ countries.
Most gift card app lists rank 15 tools by feature checklist and recommend Rise.ai or Govalo for everyone. That framing misses the fundamental distinction in this category. Selling branded digital gift cards as standalone products, using Shopify's built-in native gift card functionality, offering free gifts with purchase to lift AOV, and running corporate bulk gift card programs all solve completely different jobs — and the right app depends on which gifting mechanic you are actually deploying.
The first job is standalone digital gift card platforms. Customers arrive at a Shopify store wanting to purchase a $25, $50, $100 gift card to send to a friend, family member, or colleague. Standalone gift card platforms (Rise.ai, Govalo, Gift Card Pro, Vify, Go Gift Cards) let merchants sell branded digital gift cards as products with custom designs, personal gift messages, scheduled delivery to specific dates, bulk corporate gift card programs, and store credit management. Enterprise platforms like Rise.ai extend into store credit and loyalty program mechanics; specialist platforms like Govalo focus purely on the gift card experience.
The second job is Shopify-native gift card functionality. Shopify's built-in gift cards cover basic use cases: customers buy a digital gift card as a product, receive it via email, and redeem it at checkout. No branded design customization beyond Shopify's basic template, no scheduled delivery, no personal gift messages, no corporate bulk features. For stores under $50K/month where gift cards are occasional occasional revenue rather than strategic program, Shopify native gift cards are free and sufficient.
The third job is free gift with purchase and promotional gifting. Rather than selling gift cards as products, some merchants add free gifts (physical products, samples, branded items) to customer carts when they hit specific spend or quantity thresholds — buy $100 get a free branded tote, buy 3+ products get a free sample pack, reach $200 cart value and unlock premium free gift. Free gift apps (Libautech Bundles & Upsell, Dealeasy, Rapi) handle this distinct mechanic: automated free gift addition to cart when thresholds are met, progressive gift reveals (better gifts at higher spend), free gift eligibility rules, and tight integration with the broader upsell and discount funnel. The mechanic lifts AOV through psychological threshold incentives rather than generating direct gift-card revenue.
The fourth job is corporate and bulk gift card programs. For stores serving B2B clients or running large corporate gifting campaigns, bulk gift card management matters: create 500 gift cards at once for a company holiday program, manage recipient lists with personalized messages, schedule batch delivery across time zones, and track redemption analytics. Corporate gift card specialists (IziGift, Govalo enterprise tiers, Rise.ai enterprise) handle B2B workflows that consumer-focused gift card apps cannot scale to effectively.
This post ranks 8 apps across all four jobs with verified April 2026 ratings and pricing, and explains which combinations make sense for different store profiles.
Gift card apps stack with broader conversion and loyalty tools. See our guides on best Shopify upsell and cross-sell apps for the upsell funnel that pairs with free gift with purchase, best Shopify loyalty apps for the loyalty layer that integrates with store credit and gift card redemption, and best Shopify discount apps for the broader discount orchestration layer that coordinates with gift card campaigns.
| App | Rating | Free Plan | Paid From | Primary Job | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rise.ai | ⭐ 4.7+ | Free trial | $19.99/mo | Gift cards + store credit + loyalty | Category veteran with gift cards, store credit, and loyalty platform |
| Govalo Gift Card Suite | ⭐ 3.3+ (22) | Free to install | $29/mo | Branded digital gift cards | BFS branded gift card specialist with scheduling and corporate |
| Shopify Native Gift Cards | — | Free | — | Basic digital gift cards | Free basic gift card functionality built into Shopify admin |
| Libautech Bundles & Upsell | ⭐ 5.0 (36) | Free trial | $14.99/mo | Free gift with purchase + upsell funnel | Free gift automation with full upsell funnel at flat rate |
| GiftKart | ⭐ 4.9+ | Free plan | $19.99/mo | Gift cards + cashback + wallets | Comprehensive gift cards with cashback and Klaviyo/Omnisend API |
| Vify Professional Gift Cards | ⭐ 4.9+ | Free plan | $14.99/mo | Branded designs + scheduling | Beautiful branded gift card designs with flexible scheduling |
| Go Gift Cards | ⭐ 4.8+ | Free trial | $14/mo | Focused gift card specialist | Affordable focused gift card specialist without loyalty overhead |
| IziGift Corporate Gift Cards | ⭐ 4.8+ | Free trial | $29/mo | B2B bulk corporate gift cards | Corporate bulk programs with batch scheduling and analytics |
Best for: Shopify stores wanting a mature gift card platform combined with store credit and loyalty program mechanics — the category veteran with multi-channel support (online plus Shopify POS), automated workflows, and free migration from competing platforms.
Rise.ai (formerly Gift Wizard) is the long-established category leader for Shopify gift card management. The positioning is gift cards plus store credit plus loyalty as a unified platform: rather than treating gift cards as isolated products, Rise.ai runs them as the foundation layer for a broader retention and loyalty program — automated store credit workflows, rule-based recommendations for when to issue credit (returns, compensation, birthday rewards, VIP anniversary), cash-back as an easy-to-manage reward mechanic, and integrated referral and affiliate marketing.
Core features: branded digital gift card sales with custom designs, store credit issuance and management, automated workflows for rule-based credit distribution, loyalty points integration with gift card redemption, multi-channel capability (online and Shopify POS for in-person redemption), bulk corporate gift cards for B2B programs, referral and affiliate marketing integration, free replatforming and migration from competing gift card apps, and established merchant base with extensive case studies.
Where it falls short: Rise.ai's breadth creates configuration complexity that overwhelms smaller stores. Store credit philosophy favors simple cash-back mechanics over traditional points-based gamification, which some merchants prefer for engagement depth. Pricing compounds past entry tier as usage grows. Gift card design customization is functional but less polished than specialist alternatives like Govalo or Vify.
Pricing: Free trial available. Paid plans from $19.99/mo scaling with gift card transaction volume.
Best for: Shopify stores wanting the most polished branded digital gift card experience — Built for Shopify specialist with custom designs, video gift messages, scheduled delivery, and corporate bulk features.
Govalo Gift Card Suite holds 3.3 stars across 22 reviews with Built for Shopify certification. The positioning is premium branded gift card experience specialization: rather than bundling gift cards with loyalty mechanics, Govalo focuses purely on making the digital gift card purchase and delivery experience as polished as possible — custom branded designs, video gift messages that recipients can play on delivery, scheduled delivery to specific dates (customers buy in November, gift delivers December 24), corporate bulk gift cards for B2B programs, and fully customizable branded experience across all customer-facing UI.
Core features: branded digital gift card sales with custom designs, video gift messages embedded in gift card delivery, scheduled delivery to specific dates and times, bulk corporate gift card creation and management, gift card balance check and expiry date display on storefront, personal gift notes and direct recipient sending, customizable brand voice across gift card experience, Built for Shopify certification with async performance, and merchant support specialized in gift card workflows.
Where it falls short: 3.3 rating is notably lower than alternatives (Rise.ai 4.7+, GiftKart 4.9+, Vify 4.9+), suggesting merchant feedback includes consistency issues that potential buyers should investigate before committing. Pricing $29/mo entry is higher than most alternatives. Narrower feature scope means stores needing loyalty integration require separate apps.
Pricing: Free to install. Paid plans from $29/mo scaling with gift card sales volume.
Best for: Shopify stores wanting gift cards combined with cashback, customer wallets, and marketing automation integration — the comprehensive gift card platform with Klaviyo and Omnisend API integrations for campaign orchestration.
GiftKart holds 4.9+ rating. The positioning is comprehensive gift card plus cashback plus wallet platform: digital gift cards with personalization, cashback campaigns that issue store credit back on qualifying purchases, customer wallets managing accumulated credit, win-back rewards for lapsed customers, and API integrations with Klaviyo and Omnisend for marketing campaign orchestration. For stores running sophisticated email and SMS marketing where gift cards and store credit are part of broader retention campaigns, the API integration depth matters.
Core features: personalized e-gift cards with custom branding, cashback campaigns with configurable earning rules, customer wallets for accumulated credit management, win-back reward workflows for lapsed customers, API integrations with Klaviyo, Omnisend, and other marketing platforms, bulk gift card creation for corporate programs, multilingual support for international stores, scheduled gift delivery, and comprehensive analytics on gift card performance.
Where it falls short: feature breadth creates configuration complexity comparable to Rise.ai. Pricing scales with usage volume past entry tier. Not as gift-card-specialized as Govalo's focused branded experience, but broader than pure specialists.
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans from $19.99/mo.
Best for: Shopify stores under $50K/month where gift cards are occasional occasional revenue rather than strategic program — free built-in functionality covering basic digital gift card sales without subscription overhead.
Shopify's built-in gift card functionality is available on all Shopify plans at zero additional cost. The positioning is free baseline coverage: customers buy digital gift cards as products, receive them via email, and redeem them at checkout. Basic Shopify template design (no deep branding customization), instant email delivery (no scheduling to specific dates), standard email copy (no personal gift messages), no bulk corporate features. For stores where gift cards are a minor revenue line and specialist features are not justified, native functionality works adequately.
Core features: digital gift card sales as products, custom denomination support, email delivery to recipient, balance tracking in Shopify admin, checkout redemption integration, no subscription cost, and native integration with Shopify's order and customer systems.
Where it falls short: limited design customization beyond basic Shopify templates. No scheduled delivery to specific dates. No personal gift messages from sender to recipient. No bulk corporate gift card workflows. No store credit or loyalty program mechanics. Most growing stores outgrow native functionality within 6-12 months as gift card revenue becomes meaningful enough to justify specialist tooling.
Pricing: Free.
Best for: Shopify stores wanting free gift with purchase automation as part of a complete upsell funnel — automated free gift addition to cart when customers hit spend or quantity thresholds, with progressive gift reveals at higher cart values and tight integration with bundles, volume discounts, BOGO, and FBT.
Libautech Bundles & Upsell holds 5.0 stars across 36 reviews with Built for Shopify certification. The free gift with purchase mechanic is listed as a core feature on the Shopify App Store listing alongside BOGO, bundles, volume discounts, and cart discounts — the specialized feature set for merchants wanting promotional gifting mechanics rather than standalone gift card sales.
The strategic argument is mechanic clarity. Free gift with purchase and selling gift cards as products are genuinely different jobs. Selling gift cards is a revenue line: customer pays $50 for a $50 gift card, you recognize $50 in gift card liability, recipient later redeems for $50 of products. Free gift with purchase is an AOV mechanic: customer wouldn't buy $100 without the free gift incentive, the free gift costs you $10 in COGS, the additional $30-50 in marginal revenue on the incremental order more than offsets the gift cost. Different P&L treatment, different implementation, different tools.
Free gift with purchase typically delivers 15-30% AOV lift in merchant benchmarks when the free gift threshold is set 15-30% above average order value. The mechanic works because threshold incentives trigger loss aversion — shoppers at $85 cart value with a free gift at $100 will often add $15-20 in extra items to unlock the gift, producing net incremental revenue after gift COGS.
Core features: free gift with purchase automation with cart threshold triggers, progressive gift reveals (free gift at $50, upgraded gift at $100, premium gift at $200), free gift eligibility rules by product, collection, or customer segment, integration with cart progress bars communicating threshold progress, cart drawer free gift display showing unlocked gifts, bundle and volume discount stacking alongside free gift mechanics, BOGO and BXGY offers, cart upsell popups at checkout moment, five upsell placements (product page, cart, checkout, thank-you page, post-purchase), real-time analytics on offer performance, Built for Shopify certification with async loading, and integration with the broader 9-app Libautech conversion stack.
The Libautech portfolio advantage: Bundles & Upsell is part of the Libautech Package plan at $9.99/mo, which also includes Sticky Add to Cart, Announcement Bar, Currency Converter, Shoppable Videos UGC, Amazon Buy Button, and other conversion apps. Pairing free gift with purchase with announcement bar threshold messaging ("Only $15 away from your free gift!") and sticky add to cart (ensuring shoppers can quickly add qualifying products) creates a coordinated AOV lift system.
Where it falls short: not a gift card sales platform — Libautech Bundles & Upsell handles promotional free gift mechanics, but does not sell branded digital gift cards as standalone products. For merchants wanting to sell $25, $50, $100 gift cards as gift products, dedicated gift card platforms (Rise.ai, Govalo, GiftKart, Shopify native) are the correct tools. The app covers the free gift with purchase half of the gifting category, not the gift card sales half — many stores need both mechanics through separate apps.
Pricing: Starter $14.99/mo. Pro $29.99/mo. Unlimited $49.99/mo (flat-rate, no revenue share). 7-day free trial. Also included in Libautech Package at $9.99/mo bundling 6+ Libautech apps.
Best for: Shopify stores wanting the most polished branded gift card designs with flexible scheduling — design-focused specialist for stores where gift card visual presentation matters as brand touchpoint.
Vify holds 4.9+ rating. The positioning is design depth with flexible scheduling: beautiful branded gift card designs with extensive customization, scheduled delivery to specific dates (holiday gifts purchased weeks in advance deliver on exact target date), custom denomination support, personal gift messages from sender, and professional-grade visual presentation that treats the gift card as a premium brand touchpoint rather than utility product.
Core features: premium branded gift card designs with deep customization, scheduled delivery to specific dates and times, custom denomination support, personal gift messages with sender-recipient pairing, multi-currency support, balance check on storefront, gift card expiry management, and free plan for smaller stores.
Where it falls short: design-focused specialization means feature breadth narrower than Rise.ai or GiftKart (no loyalty, no store credit workflows, no cashback mechanics). Pricing scales with gift card sales volume past entry tier. Narrower corporate bulk functionality than IziGift or Govalo enterprise tiers.
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans from $14.99/mo.
Best for: Shopify stores wanting affordable focused gift card specialist without loyalty overhead — the budget-friendly alternative for stores whose gift card needs are narrow but require more than Shopify native functionality.
Go Gift Cards holds 4.8+ rating. The positioning is affordable gift card specialist: rather than bundling gift cards with loyalty mechanics (Rise.ai) or cashback workflows (GiftKart), Go Gift Cards focuses narrowly on clean digital gift card sales with branded designs, scheduled delivery, and personal gift messages at meaningfully lower pricing than enterprise platforms.
Core features: branded digital gift card sales, scheduled delivery options, personal gift messages, custom denomination support, balance tracking, checkout redemption, responsive customer support, and $14/mo entry pricing.
Where it falls short: narrower feature depth than Rise.ai, Govalo, or GiftKart. No loyalty integration, no cashback mechanics, no marketing automation API. Support less sophisticated than enterprise alternatives. Better positioned as Shopify native upgrade rather than Rise.ai alternative.
Pricing: Free trial. Paid plans from $14/mo.
Best for: Shopify stores running corporate gifting programs or B2B bulk gift card campaigns — enterprise specialist for batch creation, personalized recipient lists, scheduled batch delivery, and comprehensive redemption analytics.
IziGift Corporate Gift Cards holds 4.8+ rating. The positioning is B2B bulk gift card specialization: for merchants running corporate holiday programs, employee recognition rewards, or B2B client gifting at scale, IziGift handles batch creation of 50-5,000 gift cards at once with personalized recipient management, bulk CSV import for recipient lists, scheduled batch delivery across time zones, corporate branding across all gift cards in a program, and comprehensive redemption tracking analytics.
Core features: bulk gift card creation from 50 to 5,000+ at once, personalized recipient list management with CSV import, scheduled batch delivery across multiple time zones, corporate branding across entire gift card programs, redemption tracking with per-campaign analytics, enterprise-scale email delivery infrastructure, API integration for automated B2B programs, and specialized support for corporate gifting workflows.
Where it falls short: B2B-focused design means consumer-facing gift card sales features are less sophisticated than specialists like Govalo or Vify. Pricing scales with batch size and recipient volume. Not the right fit for stores whose primary gift card revenue is consumer individual sales without corporate programs.
Pricing: Free trial. Paid plans from $29/mo scaling with corporate program volume.
For mature gift cards plus store credit plus loyalty program infrastructure: Rise.ai. Category veteran, 4.7+, multi-channel, $19.99/mo entry.
For branded digital gift card experience with video messages and scheduling: Govalo Gift Card Suite. BFS specialist, $29/mo entry (verify recent reviews before committing given 3.3 rating).
For free basic gift card functionality built into Shopify: Shopify Native Gift Cards. Free, adequate for stores under $50K/month.
For free gift with purchase automation as part of complete upsell funnel: Libautech Bundles & Upsell. 5.0/36, BFS, $14.99-49.99 flat-rate, Package at $9.99/mo bundling 6+ apps.
For gift cards plus cashback plus customer wallets with marketing automation integration: GiftKart. 4.9+, Klaviyo/Omnisend API, $19.99/mo entry.
For beautiful branded gift card designs with flexible scheduling: Vify Professional Gift Cards. 4.9+, design-focused, $14.99/mo entry.
For affordable focused gift card specialist: Go Gift Cards. 4.8+, $14/mo entry.
For corporate bulk gift card programs and B2B gifting at scale: IziGift Corporate Gift Cards. 4.8+, batch creation and scheduling, $29/mo entry.
For most Shopify stores doing $10K-100K/month, the honest recommendation depends on which gifting job you are solving. If you want to sell branded digital gift cards as products: Rise.ai ($19.99/mo) for mature platform with loyalty, or Vify ($14.99/mo) for design-focused alternative, or Shopify native (free) if gift cards are occasional revenue. If you want to lift AOV through free gift with purchase promotions: Libautech Bundles & Upsell ($14.99/mo) or Libautech Package ($9.99/mo) delivers free gift automation plus the broader upsell funnel. If you run corporate B2B gifting programs: IziGift ($29/mo) for enterprise bulk workflows.
The honest reality most lists miss: selling gift cards and giving free gifts are different mechanics requiring different tools. Many stores need both — Rise.ai or Vify for gift card product sales (especially during November-December holiday gifting spike when gift card revenue jumps from 1-3% to 8-15% of total revenue), plus Libautech Bundles & Upsell for free gift with purchase AOV lift (operational year-round). Budgeting $30-50/month across both categories usually delivers better total revenue impact than concentrating $50/month in either category alone.
This ranking is based on four criteria applied to every Shopify gift card app tested in 2026. First, Shopify App Store rating and verified review volume as of April 22, 2026 — the signal of long-term merchant satisfaction at scale. Second, which of the four gift card jobs each app solves best (standalone digital gift card platforms, Shopify-native gift cards, free gift with purchase promotional mechanics, or corporate bulk gift card programs) rather than a generic feature checklist — the strongest gifting strategies match app specialization to the merchant's actual mechanic (selling gift cards vs giving free gifts). Third, pricing structure and total cost at realistic merchant volumes — flat-rate subscriptions (Libautech Bundles & Upsell) scale differently than usage-based pricing (Rise.ai, GiftKart scaling with gift card volume), and the math differs meaningfully during holiday gifting spikes when gift card sales can 10x. Fourth, mechanic clarity and P&L accuracy — selling gift cards creates gift card liability on the balance sheet while free gift with purchase creates COGS expense against incremental revenue, which matters for accurate merchant decision-making about which app type to deploy.
Every pricing figure in this post was verified directly from the live Shopify App Store listing on April 22, 2026. App pricing structures change frequently as the category evolves — always confirm current pricing on the official listing before installing. Ratings and review counts reflect the Shopify App Store at the time of our last update.
Gift cards are products customers buy ($50 gift card for $50) that recipients redeem later for store credit. Free gifts with purchase are promotional products automatically added to carts when customers hit spend thresholds (buy $100, get a free branded tote). Gift cards generate direct revenue and create balance sheet liability. Free gifts are COGS expenses that lift AOV through threshold incentives. Different mechanics, different P&L treatment, different apps.
Depends on job. For selling branded digital gift cards: Rise.ai (4.7+, $19.99) for mature platform with loyalty, Govalo ($29) for BFS specialist with video messages, Vify (4.9+, $14.99) for design-focused. For free gift with purchase: Libautech Bundles & Upsell (5.0/36, BFS, $14.99-49.99) for upsell funnel integration. For corporate bulk: IziGift (4.8+, $29). For basic use: Shopify native gift cards (free).
Depends on scale. Under $50K/month with gift cards as occasional revenue: Shopify native is adequate and free. Past $50K/month where gift cards are strategic program with holiday spike windows (November-December gift card sales typically 8-15% of revenue vs 1-3% year-round): Rise.ai, Govalo, or Vify deliver meaningful upgrade through branded designs, scheduled delivery, and personal gift messages that lift gift card conversion 20-40%.
No — Libautech Bundles & Upsell handles the free gift with purchase mechanic (automatically add free products to cart when customers hit spend thresholds), not gift card sales. For selling branded digital gift cards as products, use Rise.ai, Govalo, GiftKart, Vify, or Shopify native functionality. Many stores run both: Libautech Bundles & Upsell for year-round AOV lift, dedicated gift card app for holiday gifting revenue.
Yes — merchant benchmarks consistently show 15-30% AOV lift when free gift thresholds are set 15-30% above average order value. The mechanism works because threshold incentives trigger loss aversion — shoppers at $85 cart value with a free gift at $100 will often add $15-20 in extra items to unlock the gift, producing net incremental revenue after gift COGS. Works best with clear cart progress communication via announcement bars, progress bars, and cart drawer display.
For most DTC Shopify stores: 1-3% year-round, spiking to 8-15% during holiday gifting windows (November-December, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day). Stores with strong brand loyalty and frequent gifting occasions (beauty, food, fashion, home goods) see higher baselines. Stores in utility or commodity categories see lower baselines. Plan gift card infrastructure for peak holiday windows rather than year-round averages.
Most modern gift card apps load widgets asynchronously with minimal page-speed impact. Built for Shopify certified apps (Govalo, some Libautech features) validate async loading without Core Web Vitals damage. Gift card product pages load like other product pages in the catalog — page-speed impact comes from storefront balance check widgets and cart drawer gift card displays. Prioritize BFS certification and test mobile Lighthouse scores before and after installation.
Rise.ai offers free replatforming and migration services from competing gift card apps including Shopify native, Govalo, GiftKart, and others. The migration typically preserves existing gift card balances, redemption history, and recipient information. For migrations between non-Rise.ai apps, manual CSV export and import is common. Outstanding gift card balances create accounting implications — work with your accountant to ensure liability transfers correctly.
Depends on gift card revenue share. Under 2% of total revenue: Shopify native (free) is sufficient. 2-5% of revenue: upgrade to Vify ($14.99), Go Gift Cards ($14), or similar focused specialist. 5%+ of revenue or corporate B2B programs: Rise.ai ($19.99), Govalo ($29), or IziGift ($29) for enterprise features. Add Libautech Bundles & Upsell ($14.99-49.99) for free gift with purchase regardless of gift card revenue share — the two mechanics work independently.
Audit your current gift card revenue for the past 12 months. If under 2% of total revenue: stick with Shopify native and prioritize other conversion optimization. If 2-5% with clear holiday spikes: install Vify or Go Gift Cards (~$15/mo) to add scheduled delivery and branded designs before the next holiday window; conversion typically lifts 20-40% on gift card product pages. Separately: install Libautech Bundles & Upsell ($14.99) with free gift with purchase automation to target 15-30% AOV lift year-round on non-gift-card orders. Two different levers, both high-ROI, solving different jobs.
We update these lists as new tools launch and existing ones improve. If you are a developer building a Shopify gift card, gift card sales, or free gift with purchase app and want your app considered for inclusion, submit it here — tell us what your app does, who it is for, and include a link to your Shopify App Store listing. We review every submission.
