5 Essential Chrome Extensions for Shopify Developers

Building and managing Shopify stores requires a diverse set of skills, from technical development to design and content creation. To work efficiently, you need a robust digital toolkit.

In this post, I’m sharing five Google Chrome extensions that I use daily as a Shopify developer. Each of these tools serves a distinct function to help you build better sites, test user experiences, and manage your time effectively.

1. Koala Inspector: Deep Dive into Competitor Apps

Koala Inspector is an incredible tool for market research and competitor analysis. Its primary functionality allows you to view the specific technology stack and apps running on any Shopify store.

For example, if you see a store with an excellent loyalty and rewards program, Koala Inspector can instantly reveal if they are using Yotpo, Smile.io, or a custom solution. This is invaluable when you are looking to emulate successful features from other sites in your niche.

A Note on Competitor Analysis

While this tool is powerful, I urge beginners to use it strategically.

• Don't just copy: Simply installing the same apps as a successful competitor doesn't guarantee the same results.
• Ask "Why": Try to understand why a business positioned their site that way.

Developing the skill to understand the business logic behind technical decisions is crucial for long-term success in e-commerce.

2. ColorZilla: Instant Design Assets

When working on web design or minor graphic adjustments, ColorZilla is a lifesaver. It is an advanced eyedropper tool that sits in your browser bar.

It allows you to:

• Click on any pixel on a webpage to grab the exact color.
• Automatically copy the Hex or RGB code to your clipboard.
• Save a history of picked colors.

This saves a massive amount of time when you are trying to match a button color to a product image or recall a specific text value used elsewhere on the site.

3. Ad Blockers: Essential for UX Testing

This recommendation isn't about the ethics of ad blocking, but rather the technical reality of web development. Approximately 27% of web traffic uses ad blockers.

As a developer or store owner, you must test how your site behaves for this significant segment of your audience.

What to Test:

• Pop-ups: Many email capture pop-ups are triggered by scripts that ad blockers might suppress.
• Layouts: Ensure that blocking certain elements doesn't break the visual flow of your page.

I recommend toggling your ad blocker on and off while QA testing your store to ensure a consistent experience for all users.

4. Unhook: Reclaim Your Productivity

While not specific to Shopify code, Unhook is vital for time management. YouTube is an excellent resource for learning, but its algorithm is designed to keep you watching entertainment content rather than working.

Unhook allows you to hide distracting elements on YouTube, such as:

• Recommended video sidebars.
• Comments.
• The algorithmic home feed.

Pro Tip: Configure Unhook to redirect your YouTube home feed directly to your Subscriptions page. This "short-circuits" the algorithm, ensuring you only see content from creators you trust and intend to watch, rather than getting sucked into a two-hour rabbit hole.

5. Grammarly: Professional Copywriting

Whether you are writing product descriptions, ad copy, or client emails, professionalism is key. Grammarly provides a layer of polish that goes beyond standard browser spell-checkers.

It helps catch:

• Typos in critical areas (like the checkout timeline).
• Contextual spelling errors.
• Tone inconsistencies.

Even the free version is robust enough to prevent embarrassing mistakes that could lower the perceived trustworthiness of your brand.

---

Summary

Building a Shopify business isn't just about writing Liquid code; it's about efficient workflows and understanding the ecosystem. These five extensions help cover the bases of analysis, design, testing, focus, and communication.

Do you have a favorite Chrome extension for development? Let me know in the comments below!