Buying Guides
Shopify Option Apps vs. a Trade-Specific Configurator
A Shopify product configurator app works for simple options. Made-to-measure home products need sizing rules, deposits and production sync. How to choose.
A Shopify product configurator app is a good fit when your options are simple: a colour, a size from a list, a monogram. Made-to-measure home products need more: sizes entered to the millimetre or sixteenth of an inch, rules about what fits, deposits and orders that flow into production. This post compares the two approaches so you can tell which side of that line you are on.
What Shopify option apps do well
Shopify is a strong general ecommerce platform, and product-option apps extend it. Apps such as Globo and Easify add extra fields to a product page: dropdowns, swatches, text inputs and add-on pricing. They typically cost from $0 to about $100 a month.
For many products, that is enough. If you sell finished hardware, a handful of stock door sizes, sample kits or accessories, an option app on a Shopify store can be quick to set up and easy to run.
Some apps go further into visual customization. Zakeke, for example, is listed on the Shopify App Store at $69.90 to $299.90 a month plus a 1.5 to 1.9% transaction fee (listing, as of September 2026).
Where made-to-measure orders outgrow a Shopify product configurator
Option apps are designed for adding choices to a product, and that is what most Shopify product configurator setups do well. Custom home products are closer to a specification. The gaps tend to show up in three places.
Trade sizing rules. A cabinet door has to fit the box it goes on. A countertop needs square footage, edge profiles and cut-outs. Flooring needs a waste factor and box rounding. Generic option apps lack these trade rules, so an impossible order can reach checkout.
Deposits. Custom orders often take a deposit up front and a balance before delivery. Option apps do not provide deposit-per-product payment, so shops end up invoicing by hand. See deposits vs. pay in full for why the split matters.
Production sync. Once the order is placed, someone has to turn it into a cut list or work order. Option apps do not sync to production systems, so that step is usually retyping.
Side by side
| Need | Shopify option app | Trade-specific configurator |
|---|---|---|
| Simple choices (colour, finish, stock size) | Yes | Yes |
| Custom dimensions with fit rules | Limited, no trade rules | Built in per industry |
| Square footage, linear foot or waste factors | Usually manual pricing workarounds | Calculated by the rules |
| Deposit per product | No | Yes, where the tool supports it |
| Dealer logins, tiers and net terms | Shopify's native B2B is on Shopify Plus | Included in some tools |
| Sync to production software | No | Webhook, CSV or direct sync, depending on the tool |
| Monthly cost | About $0 to $100 for the app | Higher flat subscription |
The cost row is real. A trade configurator costs more per month than a basic option app. The comparison that matters is the subscription difference against the time spent fixing wrong orders, chasing deposits and retyping orders into production.
The B2B question
If you sell to dealers or contractors, check the plan you would need. Shopify's native B2B features are on Shopify Plus. Factor that into the cost model if trade orders are part of your business. Our guide to choosing cabinet ordering software includes a two-year cost template.
Keep both, or switch
You do not have to choose one or the other for everything. Common setups:
- Shopify for retail, configurator for custom. Stock items and samples stay on Shopify. Custom orders go through a configurator on a subdomain styled like the store.
- Configurator for everything. If almost every order is made to measure, one ordering system keeps catalogue, rules and dealers in one place.
- Shopify only. If your custom range is narrow (a few fixed sizes per style), an option app may cover it.
A useful test: take your last ten orders and count how many needed a phone call or email to fix a size, a missing option or a deposit. Multiply each fix by the staff time it took. If that total is larger than the price difference between the two approaches, a guided configurator built for your trade is worth pricing out.
Fees to check on either path
Whatever you pick, read the pricing for transaction fees. Some apps and platforms take a percentage of sales on top of your processor's fees. Over a year of large custom orders, that line can exceed the subscription.
How Inlay handles this
- Inlay is a guided ordering and checkout flow with trade rules built in per industry: sizes that fit the box, square footage with waste factors, edge profiles and cut-outs, linear-foot pricing and box rounding.
- It runs on your own subdomain, themed to match your website, so it can sit alongside a Shopify store.
- Deposits or pay in full are set per product, through your own Stripe account, and Inlay takes 0% of sales.
- Orders sync to Allmoxy or any system that accepts a webhook, CSV or email, and the dealer portal is included from the Showroom plan.
Book a 20-minute demo to see a made-to-measure order next to a standard option app.