5 best Klevu alternatives for Shopify (2026)
The best Klevu alternatives for Shopify in September 2026 are Doofinder, Fast Simon, Algolia, Shopify Search & Discovery, and Sledge. Doofinder starts at $61 a month, Fast Simon has a free tier priced by sessions, Algolia charges per search past a free tier, Search & Discovery is free, and Sledge runs on one flat plan from $29.99.
Klevu's Shopify listing says from $449 a month. Open the plan cards and that $449 buys Recommendations, $549 buys Category Merch, and both are add-ons to Site Search. So the practical entry is Site Search at $649 a month for 50,000 searches, and Klevu may bill it separately from your Shopify invoice.
The name changed too. Klevu combined with Searchspring in January 2025 to form Athos Commerce. An August 2025 update promised a migration path for Klevu customers and said older platforms would be shut down gradually beginning in 2027. The 2027 line is gone from Athos's own copy of the release, and no date has been given for the Klevu Shopify app itself. Klevu still earns its place on custom-built storefronts that don't run on a Shopify theme, and it works fully with Shopify Markets for selling in several countries.
// How we picked
How we chose these alternatives
Each app here covers Klevu's core job: storefront search with filters and merchandising. Every rating and price comes from the app's Shopify App Store listing, checked September 15, 2026. Searchspring is left out because Athos Commerce owns it too. Findify, owned by Maropost, is another enterprise option from $499 a month. Boost alternatives and Searchanise alternatives have their own pages, so this list picks different apps.
// Comparison table
Klevu alternatives at a glance
| App | Best for | Pricing model | Starting price | Rating (reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doofinder | Search depth without a sales call | Fixed monthly tiers | $61 a month | 4.7 (764) |
| Fast Simon | Merchandising rules and A/B tests | Monthly sessions | Free (100 sessions), then $39.99 | 4.8 (353) |
| Algolia | Stores with a developer | Searches and stored items | Free to 10,000 searches, then pay per search | 3.6 (44) |
| Shopify Search & Discovery | A small catalog on no budget | Free | Free | 2.7 (507) |
| Sledge | Search, merchandising, and offers on one bill | Flat monthly plan | $29.99 a month | 4.5 (14) |
| Klevu | Big brands with custom-built storefronts | Searches, add-ons sold separately | $649 a month for Site Search | 4.9 (13) |
// Alternative 1 · Doofinder
Doofinder: search depth from a plan card, not a quote
Doofinder has been on the Shopify App Store since July 2015, with 4.7 stars from 764 reviews as of September 2026. It pairs AI search with an AI shopping assistant, recommendations, and category merchandising.
The useful part is a price ladder you can read without a call: Basic at $61 a month, Pro at $186, and Advanced at $436, each with a 15-day trial.
The catch is that 1:1 personalized results and visual search wait for Advanced, so matching Klevu's personalized search costs $436, two-thirds of Klevu's entry price.
Best for: search depth close to Klevu's, without a sales call.
// Alternative 2 · Fast Simon
Fast Simon: merchandising rules, metered by sessions
Fast Simon has been on the Shopify App Store since February 2014, with 4.8 stars from 353 reviews as of September 2026. It adds collection merchandising and AI shopping agents to search, and it can also power a custom-built storefront.
The useful part is Top Pro at $299.99 a month: 30,000 sessions, merchandising rules with A/B tests, and visual collection merchandising, for less than half of Klevu Site Search alone.
The catch is that the meter is monthly sessions, and no lower tier carries merchandising rules or A/B tests. Free stops at 100 sessions, Starter at 2,000 for $39.99, and Essential at 10,000 for $99.99.
Best for: merchandising rules and A/B tests on traffic steady enough to predict.
// Alternative 3 · Algolia
Algolia: search you build with a developer
Algolia has 3.6 stars from 44 reviews as of September 2026. Its free tier covers 10,000 searches a month and 50,000 stored items.
The useful part is a bill that follows volume. Grow charges $0.50 per 1,000 searches past the free allowance, and Grow Plus adds AI synonyms and ranking at $1.75 per 1,000.
The catch is that every plan card on the listing says self-service support only unless you contact sales, and Algolia may bill separately from your Shopify invoice.
Best for: a team with a developer who would rather build search than rent a finished one.
// Alternative 4 · Shopify Search & Discovery
Shopify Search & Discovery: free, with fences
Shopify's own app is free, with 2.7 stars from 507 reviews as of September 2026, the lowest rating on this page. It adds filters, synonym groups, product boosts, and related and complementary recommendations.
The useful part is semantic search with no setup. Shopify's storefront search starts matching what shoppers mean, not only their exact words, once your store qualifies, with nothing to switch on in the app.
The catch is that qualifying takes a Grow, Advanced, or Plus plan and fewer than 200,000 products, and stores in Japanese are left out. Semantic search also skips predictive search, the suggestions that drop down as you type. A product boost takes at most 10 search terms.
Best for: a catalog where Klevu was always more engine than the job needed.
// Alternative 5 · Sledge
Sledge: search, merchandising, and offers on one flat plan
Sledge is a Shopify search and discovery app that runs AI search, filters, merchandising, recommendations, and offers on one flat plan: $29.99, $89.99, $199, or $399 a month, never a percentage of sales.
Search runs in keyword, semantic, or hybrid mode: exact words, meaning, or both. Conversational search reads a sentence as filters and stays off until you switch it on. Your plan sets how many conversational searches you get, and the trial gets none.
Merchandising rules pin, boost, demote, hide, filter, and inject products across collections, the search page, and instant search. Thirteen recommendation types sit beside them. A/B tests cover seven Sledge tools, merchandising included, but not recommendations or filter groups. On Pro and up, Growth Intelligence reads your orders and searches and puts dollar estimates on its findings.
The catch is that Sledge runs on Shopify only and works through Shopify themes, so it won't suit a custom-built storefront that doesn't use one. Its 14 reviews are a short record. Sledge has no Klevu importer, so merchandising rules get rebuilt by hand. Synonyms come in faster once you lay them out in Sledge's CSV template and import the file.
Best for: a Shopify store on a theme that wants search, merchandising, and offers on one bill.
// Staying with Klevu
When Klevu or Athos is still the right call
Klevu holds 4.9 stars from 13 reviews on a Shopify listing live since August 2016. Stay if your catalog is big enough to justify a dedicated discovery platform, your storefront is custom-built rather than a Shopify theme, a contract runs past this season, or your team leans on enterprise support.
Athos's August 2025 schedule set the full launch of its new platform for Q1 2026 and promised Klevu customers a migration path. Under that schedule, older platforms would be shut down gradually beginning in 2027. In June 2026, Athos announced the launch of its Intelligent Discovery Platform, available immediately. Ask Athos when your move is due, and weigh that date against the work of switching now.
// Switching note
How to switch without a blank results page
Run one storefront search app at a time, in this order.
- Install the replacement while Klevu still runs storefront search, and set it up during the trial.
- Rebuild synonyms and merchandising rules, starting with your top searches and best-selling collections.
- Switch storefront search over, turn Klevu's search off, and check Klevu's own billing, since its charges may sit outside your Shopify invoice.
// Which one fits you
Which Klevu alternative fits your store?
- Search depth close to Klevu's, bought from a plan card. Doofinder, from $61 a month with a 15-day trial.
- Merchandising rules and A/B tests on steady traffic. Fast Simon Top Pro, $299.99 for 30,000 sessions.
- A developer on staff who wants to build. Algolia, free to 10,000 searches a month, then pay per search.
- A small catalog and no budget yet. Shopify Search & Discovery, free.
- Search, merchandising, and offers on one flat bill. Sledge, from $29.99 a month.
Questions, answered
What replaced Klevu?
Athos Commerce, as a brand. Klevu combined with Searchspring in January 2025 under that name, and klevu.com now reads 'Klevu is now Athos Commerce.' The Klevu Shopify app is still listed. Athos's August 2025 update promised a migration path to its new platform and said older platforms would be shut down gradually beginning in 2027. To leave instead, Doofinder, Fast Simon, Algolia, Shopify Search & Discovery, and Sledge all replace Klevu's search.
Is Klevu shutting down on Shopify?
Not on a fixed date yet. As of September 2026 the Klevu app is still live on the Shopify App Store, rated 4.9 from 13 reviews. Athos Commerce's August 2025 rollout update promised Klevu customers a migration path to its new platform and said older platforms would be shut down gradually beginning in 2027. That 2027 line is gone from Athos's own copy of the release, and no date has been given for the Klevu Shopify app itself.
What is the cheapest Klevu alternative for Shopify?
Shopify Search & Discovery, which is free and made by Shopify. Fast Simon's free plan covers 100 sessions a month and Algolia's free tier 10,000 searches. The lowest fixed monthly prices are Sledge at $29.99, Fast Simon at $39.99, and Doofinder at $61, against $649 for Klevu Site Search.
Is Shopify Search & Discovery enough to replace Klevu?
For a small catalog, it can be. It is free and adds filters, synonym groups, product boosts, and related and complementary recommendations. Synonyms cap at 20 per group and 1,000 per store. Semantic search, which matches what shoppers mean and not only their exact words, needs a Grow, Advanced, or Plus plan and fewer than 200,000 products, and it doesn't work for stores in Japanese.
Can I move my Klevu synonyms and merchandising rules?
Not into Sledge with one click. Sledge has no Klevu importer, so pins, boosts, and other merchandising rules get rebuilt by hand. Synonyms move faster if you lay them out in Sledge's sample CSV template (search term, one-way or two-way direction, synonyms) and import the file. Whichever app you pick, set it up during its trial, before storefront search switches over.
Search that doesn't start at $649.
Klevu's practical entry is Site Search at $649 a month, before Recommendations or Category Merch. Sledge runs search, filters, merchandising, and offers on one flat plan from $29.99. On Pro and up, Growth Intelligence puts a dollar estimate on what to fix next.
14-day free trial · No code · Works with any theme · Uninstalls clean