Comparison · comparisons
Shopify Rollouts vs ABConvert: which one fits the change you are about to make
Shopify Rollouts and a testing app answer different questions. A decision framework for when to schedule a launch, when to run a test, and why most stores end up using both.
TL;DR · Verdict
Use Shopify Rollouts when you already know what you are shipping and need it live safely: scheduled or gradual theme and checkout launches, with an automatic revert date. Use a testing tool when you have not decided yet and the question is which version makes more money. Rollouts deploys decisions. Testing finds them. Most stores need both.
You have a change ready for your store. A new theme, a different product page layout, a checkout update. Publishing it was never the hard part. The hard part is not knowing whether it lifted revenue or quietly cost you three weeks of it before anyone noticed.
Shopify now ships Rollouts natively, which is a real improvement to that situation and it is included with your plan. It also created a fair question: if launching changes safely is built in, do you still need a testing app?
The answer gets much easier once you notice the two tools are answering different questions.
The question that decides it
Before comparing features, answer one thing about the change in front of you:
Have you already decided what you are shipping?
If yes, your problem is deployment. You want the change live on a schedule, in front of a controlled share of visitors, with a way back if something breaks. That is what Rollouts is built for.
If no, your problem is discovery. You have two or more ideas, you do not know which one earns more, and you want the data to decide before you commit. That is what a testing tool is built for.
Most storefront work is a mix of both, which is why this is rarely an either-or purchase.
What Rollouts does well
Rollouts lives in your Shopify admin under Markets, and it covers three kinds of change: editing your main theme, replacing your main theme, and replacing your checkout and accounts pages with a new setup.
It offers two rollout types. Launch applies your change to eligible visitors, either immediately, on a schedule, or gradually over time. Experiment compares a modified version against the existing one so you can see which performed better. Reach is controlled by a percentage of visitors plus the markets the change applies to, and a rollout can revert automatically at a predetermined end date or be applied permanently.
If your next move is "publish the new theme to 10 percent of visitors on Tuesday, then everyone on Friday, and roll it back automatically if I do not confirm it," Rollouts does that natively, with no app to install. Reach for it. That is a genuinely better answer than any third-party tool for that job, including ours.
Two constraints worth knowing before you plan around it. Rollouts needs the Basic plan or higher, and the Experiment type needs Grow or higher. It also supports online store checkouts only, so headless and custom storefronts are outside its scope. That last one is not a point in our favor, to be clear: they are outside ours too.
Where the question is which version wins
A testing tool starts from a different assumption: you do not know the answer yet, and the point of the exercise is to find it.
That changes what the tool has to cover. The decision you are testing is usually not "which theme," it is "does a higher price hold conversion," or "does free shipping at $75 beat $50 on margin," or "does this landing page beat the one it replaces." Those questions live in pricing, shipping rules, and page routing, not in a theme file.
ABConvert covers price, shipping, template, theme, URL redirect, offer, and checkout tests, with a visual editor for changes you would rather not touch code for. The common thread is that each one starts from an undecided question about revenue, and ends with a number that answers it.
What each one covers
| The job | Shopify Rollouts | ABConvert |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule a launch for a specific date | Yes | Not currently |
| Roll a change out gradually to more visitors | Yes | Not currently |
| Automatic revert at an end date | Yes | Ends the test and returns traffic |
| Compare two theme versions | Yes, Grow plan or higher | Yes |
| Compare two page templates | Not covered | Yes |
| Test one landing page against another by URL | Not covered | Yes |
| Test a price change | Not covered | Yes |
| Test a free shipping threshold | Not covered | Yes |
| Change checkout and accounts pages | Yes, as a setup swap | Checkout tests |
| Headless or custom storefront | Not supported | Not supported |
| Plan requirement | Basic or higher; Grow or higher to compare versions | From $99 per month |
The table makes the split clearer than any argument does. Rollouts is strong on the deployment row and thin on the pricing and routing rows. A testing tool is the reverse. Neither of those is a flaw, they are just different products.
Which should you choose?
Choose Rollouts when the decision is made and the risk is in the launch. Theme replacements, checkout setup changes, anything you want live on a date with a safety net. It is included, it is native, and for scheduled and gradual launches it is currently the better tool. We do not schedule launches today, and if that is your requirement you should use the thing that does.
Choose a testing tool when the decision is not made and the answer is worth money. Price, shipping thresholds, landing pages, templates, offers. These are the levers where being wrong is expensive and being right compounds, and they are not what a theme deployment tool is shaped to answer.
Use both if you are like most growing stores: test the question, then use Shopify's own deployment path to ship the winner safely. They are not competing for the same slot in your stack.
Caveat
Rollouts is new and Shopify is still adding to it, so the lines above are accurate as of writing and may not stay that way. Check Shopify's Rollouts documentation before you plan around it.
If you want a broader view of the testing tools available, our ABConvert vs Intelligems comparison covers the paid end of that market, and pricing shows what running tests costs on test order volume rather than your whole store.
