This blog reviews the leading Shopify progress bar apps used to increase average order value through free shipping, discounts, and free gift-based goals. Apps evaluated are Kite Discount & Free Gift, Progressify, Bluecart, Hitsy Progress Bar, Kai Progress Bar, Essential Free Shipping Upsell, and Upcart.
Apps were evaluated based on progress bar logic, reward automation, placement flexibility, targeting, and the capability of having its own discount engine (rather than the simple Shopify native discount setup).
Some apps act only as visual progress indicators, while others include their own discount engine and free-gift engines, apart from the widgets.
Progress bars can be single-goal or multi-goal, combining free shipping, tiered discounts, and free gifts in one flow.
Among all options, Kite Discount & Free Gift stands out as the most complete Shopify progress bar app solution because it combines progress bar UX (widget) with a strong backend discount and gift configuration, in one app.
Shopify progress bar apps help stores display dynamic widgets that show how close a cart is to rewards like free shipping, tiered discounts, or free gifts. They are known to increase average order value (AOV) with a high engagement rate when displayed in carts and checkout.
Shopify lacks native dynamic progress bar widgets, requiring theme code edits or apps for real-time cart tracking and automation.
Progress bar apps fill this gap with their no-code solution, UX versatility, multi-goal logic, and backend discount configuration. So let's look at and evaluate the best Shopify progress bar that fits your use case.
Comparison Table: Top Shopify Progress Bar Apps
App Name
Pricing (Starting)
Shopify Rating
Progress Bar Capabilities
Discount / Reward Logic
Kite Discount & Free Gift
Free plan; $19/mo - $49/mo (progress bar widget only)
Kite Discount & Free Gift Shopify progress bar app that is backed by a powerful discount & free gift capability. It cart progress visualization with native discount and free-gift automation, making it suitable for merchants who want both UX and backend control.
Key Features of Kite Discount & Free Gift
Multi-goal progress bars to configure free shipping, discounts, and free gifts as goals.
Configure automatic discounts
Option for both auto-add or claim-based free gift widgets
BOGO and BXGY logic
Widget-only mode (UX without applying rewards)
Highest-tier-only reward control
Widgets: Embed anywhere via blocks/CSS; in cart drawer(side-cart) /product page
Create on-brand Shopify progress bars with a drag & drop editor
Pricing
Free plan
$19/mo - $ 49/mo
Pros
Combines progress bar widget + discount engine
Supports complex multi-reward logic
Flexible placement across cart and product pages
Eliminates need for separate discount apps
Cons
Priced for the value delivered. But at $19 and with a powerful discount engine that can handle any kind of traffic volume and scale, especially during Black Friday and shopping holidays, Kite Discount & Free Gift is worth it.
2. Progressify
Progressify is a simple Shopify progress bar app that offers only the UI capability to showcase a progress bar widget. However you cannot configure an actual discount using the app.
Key Features of Progressify
Single/multi-goal bars (up to 3)
Triggers: Cart drawer/product pages
Automation: Visual progress only
Widgets: Upsell suggestions included.
Targeting: Market/currency-specific thresholds.
Pricing
$5/mo
Pros
Simple setup for beginners.
Lightweight UI
Cons
No native discount or gift logic
Limited to 3 goals
3. BlueCart – Upsell Progress Bar
BlueCart is a UI-focused Shopify progress bar app visualizes existing Shopify discounts via progress bars in cart drawers and as floating elements.
Key Features of BlueCart
Multi-tier progress tracking
Triggers: Site-wide floating button
Automation: Reads Shopify discount rules
Multi-currency support
Pricing
$4/mo
Pros
Simple UI
Floating visibility boosts awareness
Cons
No reward automation
Cannot create discount or free gift rules that are segmented, targeted, or have a customized discount logic.
4. Hitsy Progress Bar
Hitsy is a basic Shopify progress bar app that offers multi-tier progress bars with flexible reward messaging.
Key Features of Hitsy
Up to 5 tiers by value/quantity.
Custom positions for widgets.
Conditional display rules
Pricing
Free plan
$5.90/mo
Pros
Quantity-based goals.
Easy customization
Cons
No internal discount engine
Manual reward setup required
5. Kai Progress Bar & Free Gift
Kai Progress Bar & Free Gift is a Shopify progress bar app that combines progress bars with built-in reward/discount logic.
Key Features of Kai
Multi-goal stacking
Auto-added free gifts
Discount and BOGO set up capabilities
Widgets include Pop-ups
Pricing
$5.99/mo to $7.99/mo
Pros
Strong promotion flexibility
Native reward logic
Unlimited campaigns
Cons
Basic UI possibilities
Campaign complexity can increase setup time
6. Essential Free Shipping Upsell
Essential is a Shopify progress bar app that focuses on versatile free shipping bars with upsells.
Key Features of Essential
Announcement bar support in addition to the cart
Goal-based visual widget
Multi-language & multi-currency support
Pricing
Free plan
$9.99/mo to $29.99/mo
Pros
Easy to use
Strong free plan
Cons
Limited to simple goals
No native discount engine
7. Upcart – Cart Drawer Cart Upsell
Upcart is a cart drawer builder app with progress bars as embedded elements.
Key Features
Custom cart drawer
Triggers: Free shipping/discount.
Widgets: CSS/HTML control.
Pricing
Free Plan
$29.99/mo to $54.99/mo
Pros
Full cart customization
Strong upsell features
Cons
Progress bar is a secondary feature
No in-built discount engine
Limitations of Shopify’s Native Set Up for Progress Bar
No built-in dynamic cart progress widgets; requires custom JavaScript and theme sections.
Visibility limited to static announcements; no real-time cart value tracking across pages.
Automation gaps: Cannot auto-apply discounts, gifts, or tiered rewards based on cart goals.
Logic constraints: No multi-goal stacking (e.g., shipping → discount → gift) or targeting rules.
Segmentation limitations: No product/collection-specific bars or market-based thresholds.
Analytics gaps: No built-in tracking of bar-driven AOV uplift or goal completions.
Conclusion
Different Shopify progress bar apps serve different merchant needs. Display-only tools are useful for simple free-shipping messaging, while advanced merchants benefit from apps that combine progress bars with reward automation.
Based on depth of logic, flexibility, and backend control, Kite Discount & Free Gift emerges as the strongest overall option among the top Shopify progress bar apps because it unifies progress visualization with discount and free-gift configuration in one system.
Hurrify customers to buy within a given timeframe with a sales countdown timer & improve conversions
Another popular Shopify checkout app is Checkout Promotions. The app comes with the ability to leverage a collection of highly robust visibility rules that help show customers one-click post purchase upsell promotions after an order payment has been made. Some of its key features include:
Features
AI recommended and manual recommendations for upselling.
Complete branding control.
Checkout Upsell for increasing AOV.
AI recommended and manual recommendations for upselling.
Pricing
Development
Free
Monthly Plan
$99/ month
Plus Plan
$99/ month
Plus Plan
$99/ month
Shopify Progress Bar App - FAQs
What is a Shopify progress bar?
Does Shopify have a native progress bar?
What is the difference between visual and automated progress bar apps?
Which Shopify progress bar app is best for basic promotions?
Which app is best for advanced progress bar promotions?
Are progress bars effective for increasing AOV?
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Sid B
Sid is the founder of Skai Lama and The Indian Dream Podcast. He is passionate about building SaaS and talks about eCommerce Growth, 0-1 Startups, Building Businesses and Brands, and Shopify.
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