Shopify's built-in theme editor has improved substantially with Online Store 2.0, offering sections on every page, flexible blocks, and app integration through metafields and app blocks. For many stores, the native editor is sufficient. But for brands that need custom landing pages, complex marketing pages, or layouts that their theme does not support out of the box, a page builder app fills the gap.
The challenge is that page builders come with trade-offs. They add code to your pages, which can affect performance. They create design elements that live outside your theme's design system, which can lead to visual inconsistency. And they introduce a dependency — if you ever want to remove the app, the pages built with it will break. These trade-offs are manageable, but they need to be understood upfront.
I have used all the major page builders across client projects, from simple landing pages to complex product page redesigns. This guide covers the six leading options, with honest assessments of each — including the performance implications that matter for your app stack health.
When you actually need a page builder
Before evaluating specific apps, it is worth asking whether you need a page builder at all. Many merchants install one because they want more design control, without realising that their theme already supports most of what they need through its built-in sections and customiser settings.
A page builder makes sense when you need to create landing pages for paid advertising campaigns that require unique layouts and messaging not available in your theme. It makes sense when you are running seasonal promotions with dedicated pages that need to be built quickly without developer involvement. And it makes sense when your theme's built-in sections genuinely cannot achieve the layout you need.
A page builder does not make sense when you are using it to build your homepage, product pages, and collection pages — because these pages should be built within your theme for performance and consistency reasons. For permanent, high-traffic pages, custom theme development produces better results than a page builder. A page builder is a tool for agility, not a replacement for proper theme architecture.
If you are comparing the two leading options, our PageFly vs Shogun comparison provides a detailed head-to-head assessment.
What to look for in a Shopify page builder
Code quality and performance
This is the most important consideration and the one most merchants overlook. Page builders generate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the pages they build. Clean, efficient code means faster page loads. Bloated code with unused styles and excessive JavaScript means slower pages and lower Core Web Vitals scores. The difference between the best and worst page builders in terms of code quality is significant.
Template library
A strong template library reduces the time needed to create pages. Look for templates designed for your use case — product landing pages, collection pages, about pages, FAQ pages, and promotional pages. The templates should be well-designed, mobile-responsive, and easy to customise rather than just starting points that need complete redesigns.
Mobile editing
Most UK ecommerce traffic comes from mobile devices. Your page builder must offer genuine mobile editing — not just responsive preview but the ability to customise layouts, spacing, and visibility per device. Pages that look great on desktop but break on mobile are worse than no page builder at all.
Shopify integration depth
The builder should integrate with Shopify's native features: product data, collection data, metafields, and the cart. It should support dynamic content so product information on landing pages stays current without manual updates. Deep Shopify integration also means the builder works with Shopify's built-in analytics, discount codes, and checkout flow.
SEO features
Pages built with a page builder need proper SEO fundamentals: custom meta titles and descriptions, clean URL structures, proper heading hierarchies, image alt text, and valid schema markup. Some builders handle this well; others create SEO issues through improper heading structures or missing meta data.
Shogun
Overview
Shogun is one of the most established page builders on Shopify, positioned as a premium solution for brands that need high-quality landing pages and marketing content. The platform has evolved beyond a simple page builder to include content scheduling, A/B testing, and analytics on higher-tier plans.
Pricing
Shogun offers a Build plan at $39/month, Measure at $149/month (adds A/B testing and analytics), and Advanced at $499/month (adds content scheduling and team collaboration). There is a free 10-day trial but no ongoing free plan. All plans include the core page builder with unlimited pages.
Strengths
Shogun produces some of the cleanest code among Shopify page builders. Pages built with Shogun load faster than those built with most competitors because the output HTML is more efficient and the JavaScript payload is lighter. For stores where performance matters — and it always should — this is a significant advantage.
The editor is polished and intuitive, with a true drag-and-drop experience that does not fight against you. The element library is comprehensive, covering everything from basic text and image blocks to tabs, accordions, countdowns, and product grids. Custom CSS and JavaScript can be added per page or per element for advanced customisation.
The A/B testing feature on the Measure plan is genuinely useful for landing page optimisation. You can test different layouts, headlines, and CTAs with statistical significance tracking. For stores running paid advertising, this capability can pay for the app many times over through improved landing page conversion rates.
Weaknesses
Shogun is the most expensive page builder on this list at its entry-level pricing. At $39/month for the Build plan, it costs nearly three times more than PageFly's equivalent tier. The premium features (A/B testing, analytics) that justify the higher pricing are locked behind the $149/month plan.
The template library is decent but not as extensive as PageFly's or GemPages'. Design-forward brands may find fewer ready-to-use templates that match their aesthetic, requiring more customisation from scratch.
Shogun's product page building capabilities exist but are less refined than its landing page features. If your primary goal is customising product page layouts, dedicated product page tools within your theme may serve you better.
Best for
Brands that prioritise performance and code quality, and brands that want A/B testing capabilities for landing page optimisation. Shogun is the right choice when page speed and conversion optimisation are more important than template variety or price.
PageFly
Overview
PageFly is the most installed page builder on Shopify, with the largest user base and the most extensive template library. The app offers a genuinely functional free plan that allows you to build pages without financial commitment, which has driven its widespread adoption.
Pricing
PageFly offers a Free plan (1 published page per page type, access to all elements), Pay as you go at $24/month (10 published pages), and Unlimited at $99/month (unlimited pages). All plans include the full element library and customisation options. The pricing is straightforward and volume-based.
Strengths
PageFly's free plan is the best in the category. You get one published landing page, one product page, one collection page, and one blog post — all with full access to every design element and feature. For stores that need a single landing page for a campaign, the free plan may be all you ever need.
The template library is the largest among Shopify page builders, with hundreds of templates across every page type and industry vertical. Most templates are well-designed and require minimal customisation to use. For merchants who want to build pages quickly without starting from scratch, PageFly's template collection saves significant time.
The editor is feature-rich, with comprehensive styling options, responsive controls per breakpoint, and support for custom code injection. PageFly also offers product page sections that can be added alongside your theme's existing sections, which provides flexibility without completely replacing your theme's product page.
Weaknesses
PageFly's code output is heavier than Shogun's or Replo's. Pages built with PageFly tend to include more CSS and JavaScript than necessary, which affects load times. For stores focused on performance, this overhead is a genuine concern. The impact is measurable on mobile, where heavier pages result in lower Core Web Vitals scores.
The sheer number of features and options in the editor can feel overwhelming for new users. While there are tutorials and documentation, the learning curve is steeper than simpler builders like EComposer. Some advanced features require understanding CSS concepts that non-technical users may struggle with.
Customer support quality has been mixed in our experience. Response times are generally acceptable, but complex technical issues can take multiple exchanges to resolve.
Best for
Budget-conscious stores that want the most features for the least money, and stores that need a large template library to build pages quickly. PageFly is the pragmatic choice for most Shopify stores that need a page builder.
GemPages
Overview
GemPages occupies the middle ground between PageFly's feature richness and Shogun's polish. The app offers a clean editor with a good balance of features, an extensive template library, and AI-powered page generation that can create initial page layouts from a text prompt or an existing URL.
Pricing
GemPages offers a Free plan (1 published page), Build at $29/month (unlimited pages), Optimise at $59/month (adds A/B testing and custom code), and Enterprise at $199/month (adds priority support and advanced features). The pricing sits between PageFly and Shogun.
Strengths
GemPages' AI page generation is a genuinely useful feature. You can input a URL from any website and GemPages will generate a Shopify page with a similar layout, which you can then customise. While the AI-generated pages need refinement, they provide a much faster starting point than building from scratch.
The editor is intuitive and well-designed, with a cleaner interface than PageFly. The learning curve is moderate — easier than PageFly but not quite as simple as EComposer. The template library is extensive and well-organised by industry vertical and page type.
GemPages offers built-in A/B testing on the Optimise plan at $59/month — significantly cheaper than Shogun's $149/month for the same capability. For stores that want landing page testing without enterprise pricing, this is compelling.
Weaknesses
Code quality is moderate. GemPages produces cleaner output than PageFly but heavier than Shogun or Replo. The performance impact is noticeable on mobile, particularly for pages with many elements and animations. Excessive use of GemPages' animation features can create a poor user experience and degrade page speed.
The free plan is limited to a single page, which is less generous than PageFly's multiple page types on the free tier. The AI page generation feature, while useful, can produce inconsistent results that require significant manual editing.
Best for
Stores that want a balance of features, usability, and price. GemPages is a strong middle-ground option for stores that find PageFly too complex and Shogun too expensive.
EComposer
Overview
EComposer is a newer page builder that has rapidly gained popularity by prioritising simplicity and ease of use. The editor is the most approachable of any Shopify page builder, making it accessible to merchants with no design or coding experience.
Pricing
EComposer offers a Free plan (3 published pages, access to all elements), Standard at $19/month (15 pages), Pro at $39/month (50 pages), and Premium at $99/month (unlimited pages). The free plan is generous, and the paid tiers are competitively priced.
Strengths
EComposer is the easiest page builder to learn. The interface is clean, the element library is well-organised, and the drag-and-drop behaviour is intuitive. A merchant with no design experience can build a presentable landing page in 30 minutes. For teams where non-technical staff need to create pages, EComposer reduces the training overhead significantly.
The free plan allows three published pages, which is more generous than most competitors. The built-in extension library adds additional functionality — countdown timers, colour swatches, image comparison sliders — without requiring separate app installations.
Performance is reasonable. EComposer's code output is cleaner than PageFly's and GemPages', though not quite as efficient as Shogun's or Replo's. The difference is marginal for pages with standard elements.
Weaknesses
EComposer's simplicity means fewer advanced features. Complex layouts, custom interactions, and sophisticated design elements are harder to achieve compared to Shogun or PageFly. The element library, while adequate, is smaller than PageFly's or GemPages'.
A/B testing is not available on any plan, which limits optimisation capabilities. The template library is growing but not yet as comprehensive as PageFly's or GemPages'. For brands with specific design requirements, the customisation ceiling may feel limiting.
Best for
Small stores and teams with non-technical users who need to create pages quickly without a learning curve. EComposer is the best choice when simplicity and speed of creation are more important than design depth.
Zipify Pages
Overview
Zipify Pages is built by the team behind Smart Marketer (Ezra Firestone) and is designed specifically for direct response marketing and sales funnels. Unlike general-purpose page builders, Zipify focuses on conversion-optimised landing pages and sales pages with built-in split testing.
Pricing
Zipify Pages offers a Starter plan at $19/month (1 published page), Basic at $39/month (5 pages), and Advanced at $69/month (20 pages). All plans include built-in split testing and analytics.
Strengths
Zipify's templates are designed for conversion. The pre-built sales page layouts follow direct response marketing principles with structured sections for testimonials, benefit stacks, guarantee blocks, and multiple call-to-action placements. For stores running paid traffic to dedicated landing pages, these templates provide proven frameworks.
Built-in split testing is available on all plans, including the $19/month Starter. This is significantly cheaper than Shogun's or GemPages' A/B testing tiers. The testing interface is straightforward, showing clear conversion data per variant.
Weaknesses
Zipify's editor is less flexible than Shogun, PageFly, or GemPages. It is optimised for its own template structures, which means building pages outside the direct response paradigm is more difficult. If you need general-purpose pages (about, FAQ, lookbooks), Zipify is not the right tool.
The page limits per plan are restrictive. Five pages on the $39/month plan is tight for stores running multiple campaigns simultaneously. The per-page pricing model means costs can add up for active marketing teams.
Code quality is average. Pages load reasonably well, but the output is not as clean as Shogun's or Replo's.
Best for
DTC brands running paid advertising funnels that need conversion-optimised landing pages with built-in split testing. Zipify is a specialist tool for a specific use case rather than a general-purpose page builder.
Replo
Overview
Replo is the newest entrant on this list and takes a fundamentally different approach to page building. Rather than creating pages in a standalone editor, Replo generates native Shopify sections that integrate directly into your Online Store 2.0 theme. This approach produces the cleanest code and the best performance of any page builder on Shopify.
Pricing
Replo offers a free plan (basic features, Replo branding), a Starter plan at $49/month, a Growth plan at $99/month, and Enterprise pricing. All paid plans include unlimited pages. The pricing reflects its premium positioning and developer-friendly approach.
Strengths
Replo's code output is the cleanest of any Shopify page builder. Because it generates native Shopify sections rather than injecting its own rendering layer, pages built with Replo perform almost identically to pages built with custom theme code. This is a significant advantage for performance-focused stores.
The editor is modern and well-designed, with a component-based approach that will feel familiar to anyone who has used design tools like Figma. Replo supports design tokens, reusable components, and responsive controls that give experienced designers and developers more precision than traditional drag-and-drop builders.
Because Replo generates native sections, the pages are editable through Shopify's built-in theme customiser after being created in Replo. This means your team can make simple content updates without opening Replo, reducing app dependency.
Weaknesses
Replo's learning curve is steeper than EComposer, PageFly, or GemPages. The component-based approach is powerful but less intuitive for non-technical users. Merchants who want to drag elements onto a canvas and style them visually may find Replo's approach initially confusing.
The template library is smaller than established competitors. Replo is newer, and its content library is still growing. Stores that rely heavily on pre-built templates will find fewer options compared to PageFly or GemPages.
Replo requires an Online Store 2.0 theme. Stores on vintage (OS 1.0) themes cannot use Replo, which limits compatibility for stores that have not yet migrated their theme architecture.
Best for
Performance-focused stores on OS 2.0 themes, and teams with design or development experience who want the cleanest possible code output. Replo is the right choice when you need page builder flexibility without the performance trade-offs that other builders impose.
Side-by-side comparison
Free plan: EComposer leads with 3 pages. PageFly offers one per page type (effectively 4+). GemPages and Replo offer 1 page. Shogun and Zipify have no free plans.
Code quality: Replo leads, followed closely by Shogun. EComposer is moderate. GemPages and PageFly produce heavier code. Zipify is average.
Ease of use: EComposer is the most beginner-friendly. GemPages and Shogun are moderate. PageFly has a steeper curve. Replo is aimed at experienced users.
Template library: PageFly leads with the largest collection. GemPages is close behind. EComposer and Shogun have adequate libraries. Zipify's templates are conversion-focused but limited in variety. Replo's library is growing.
A/B testing: Zipify offers it on all plans from $19/month. GemPages from $59/month. Shogun from $149/month. Others do not include A/B testing.
Value for money: PageFly and EComposer offer the best value. GemPages is fairly priced. Zipify is good value for its specific use case. Shogun and Replo are premium-priced.
Performance impact
Performance is the elephant in the room with page builders. Every builder adds code to your pages, and that code costs load time. The impact ranges from negligible (Replo) to significant (PageFly on complex pages).
In testing across multiple stores, Replo pages typically add 20-40ms to load time compared to native theme sections. Shogun adds 40-80ms. EComposer adds 50-100ms. GemPages adds 70-130ms. PageFly adds 80-150ms on standard pages and more on complex layouts with many elements.
These numbers matter because they compound with other apps. A page built with PageFly that also loads a review widget, a chat app, and analytics scripts can easily be 500ms slower than a native theme page with the same content. For mobile users on slower connections, this translates to measurable conversion loss.
If you have already invested in custom Shopify development to optimise performance, adding a heavy page builder can undermine that investment. Consider whether the convenience of a page builder is worth the performance trade-off for each specific page.
Our recommendations
Performance-first stores: Replo. If page speed is non-negotiable and you are on an OS 2.0 theme, Replo's native section approach is the best option. The learning curve is worth it for the code quality.
Budget-conscious or first-time users: PageFly or EComposer. PageFly offers the most features on its free plan. EComposer offers the easiest learning experience. Both are excellent starting points.
Landing page optimisation: Shogun (if budget allows) or GemPages (for more affordable A/B testing). Built-in split testing is essential for stores running paid traffic to landing pages.
Direct response marketing: Zipify Pages. If you build sales pages and funnels, Zipify's conversion-focused templates and affordable split testing are purpose-built for this use case.
General-purpose with good balance: GemPages. It sits in the sweet spot of features, usability, and price. The AI page generation is a bonus that saves time.
When to skip the page builder
For permanent pages (homepage, about, collection pages), invest in custom theme sections built by a developer. The upfront cost is higher, but the result is faster, more maintainable, and more consistent with your overall design.
For simple content pages (FAQ, shipping info, size guides), Shopify's built-in page editor with your theme's default template is sufficient. Adding a page builder for these pages adds unnecessary complexity and dependency.
Page builders earn their place for campaign landing pages, promotional pages, and marketing content that changes frequently. Use them where their flexibility matters, and use native theme development where performance and consistency matter more. Auditing your app stack should include evaluating whether your page builder is genuinely earning its place or just adding overhead.
The right page builder depends on your team's technical ability, your performance requirements, and how frequently you create new pages. If you need help choosing the right approach — whether that is a page builder, custom theme development, or a combination of both — get in touch. We build and optimise Shopify stores as part of our Shopify development services.