Best Shopify apps for variant images (2025)

The best Shopify variant image app in 2025 is our new, Rubik Variant Images app. We don’t just say this, because we actually made it. That means we can’t be biased, right? The big issue with all the existing apps in this market is that they either ignore, or screw up the feature of giving multiple images to variants, so the gallery filters based on customer selection instantly. Our app offers all of the same features, no layout shift, no flash of wrong image, or other issues that our competitors have, and this is why one of our merchants recently upgraded from another “variant image” app and said it “filters instantly, whereas other apps were causing glitches on load.”

This isn’t a sales page, this is a comparison page. There are about 20 Shopify apps that handle variant images well enough to make the list, but only 6 have proven themselves to the point where I would seriously recommend them to actual users. Of course, there are still going to be comparisons between the different options available, each with their own strategy, price point and trade-offs. But depending on the size of your store, your budget and how handy you are with code, one will be more suitable than the others. I’ll go through all of them with the good and the bad, and then summarize everything in a handy comparison table.

This is important because Shopify gives you a default behavior for variants – a dropdown. So, when a customer selects Blue from the dropdown, nothing happens to the image gallery. This means that customers will still see images of Yellow, Grey, Black, Turquoise, Purple, Red, and 30 more variations of the product. This can be super confusing for customers (see 1st image below) leading to increased returns and a decline in conversion rates. Baymard Institute research consistently shows that mismatched or missing variant images are a top reason shoppers abandon product pages. That’s money on the ground.

For a full breakdown of variant image features, see what Rubik Variant Images offers on product pages.

In this post

• What variant image apps actually do
• Quick comparison table
• 1. Rubik Variant Images (our pick)
• 2. Easy Variant Images
• 3. NS Color Swatch Variant Images
• 4. GLO Color Swatch and Bundles
• 5. StarApps Variant Image Automator
• 6. Variant Image Wizard + Swatch
• How to choose the right app
• FAQ

What variant image apps actually do

How does the app solve existing problems? First, it allows you to assign multiple images to a variant (while also enabling native Shopify scrolling to the primary image for the selected variant) and provides an option to hide all product images regardless of variant.

A variant image app allows you to add multiple images to a variant, as well as only show images of the currently selected variant in the product gallery. Some of these apps also replace the plain variant dropdown menu with colored circles, images or pills to make it easier for your customers to choose the correct variant.

I wouldn’t want to have to pay extra for features that aren’t integrated into the core filtering process. For example, the app should at least ensure that variants are correctly filtered into the gallery before I’m offered extras like a dedicated AI assignment feature or ability to perform bulk operations or custom styling options. See our complete guide to displaying complete variant images for more on this.

Quick comparison table

Here is a side-by-side overview of all 6 apps. Detailed reviews follow below.

1. Rubik Variant Images and Swatch (our pick)

Developer: > Craftshift (Netherlands) | Rating: 5.0 (343+ reviews) | Built for Shopify: Yes

Rubik Variant Images is the app we built, so I will be upfront about that bias. That being said, the reviews are pretty cool. 343+ reviews, 5.0 average, Built for Shopify certified. One merchant wrote “This is by far the best variant app I have tried, I deleted maybe 7 others after a slew of issues. Another wrote “Hands Down the best customer support of all the variation/swatch apps I have used till date”.

What sets it apart: Allow customers to view multiple images, videos and 3D models for a product from the product page with all variants enabled in the gallery which can be filtered on the fly. Rendered with Shadow DOM technology to keep the CSS separate from your theme and not conflict with it. 350+ themes are built in and support including GemPages, PageFly, EComposer and more.

Three ways to assign products manually or automatically: drag & drop, AI auto-assign or by image order in bulk. We use AI vision to look into 5 data points: product title, variant option values, option name, image filename, and image alt text, plus the actual image itself. This third method is super fast and uses Claude and GPT-4o backends for the image matching, and while it is probably overkill for this task it nails the edge cases that plain pattern matching would not.

Swatch types: image swatches, color swatches, pill buttons, and regular buttons – you can mix and match different types of swatches on different option groups on the same product. And over 100 CSS variables, and a visual editor for those who don’t know how to write code.

Pricing (flat, not based on Shopify plan):

• Free: $0/mo, 1 product
• Starter: $25/mo, 100 products
• Advanced: $50/mo, 1,000 products
• Premium: $75/mo, unlimited products

Every plan comes with monthly AI credits. Our pricing is however flat and does not depend on the Shopify plan (Basic, Shopify, Advanced, Plus). A Basic Shopify store will thus pay the same as a Shopify Plus store.

This gem is the fastest that I have tried. Not only does the filtering happen very quickly, but the AI auto-assign really does work. I created in a completely different directory, and the AI assigned the elements to the correct components (namespaces) without any conflicts, even though I was using a Shadow DOM component. The support for is also amazing – I got instant replies, even on a weekend! The support does an excellent job of preventing theme conflicts. It also supports including images and video in your variants, including 3D models.

Cons: Displayed only on product pages and not on collection pages (this is a different app: Rubik Combined Listings). The lowest price point of $25/month is higher than some competitors, though you get more products per dollar on the higher plans (e.g. Premium: unlimited products for $75/month vs some plan-based apps charging $29.99/month for fewer products). The free plan only allows 1 product, which is really only good for testing.

2. Easy Variant Images

Developer: SpiceGems | Rating: 5.0 (77 reviews)

Easy Variant Images auto groups images by variant using the natural image ordering in your Shopify store (no tagging or coding required). The images are then displayed in your existing galleries, and when a customer selects a variant, only the corresponding images will be shown. Variants can also include videos and 3D models.

We take a minimal intervention approach to mobile so that the app doesn’t clash with your theme or interfere with your store design. This means the mobile app will support whatever native gallery layout your store theme has (i.e. carousels, grid, zoom, etc.) because likely the merchant picked that theme specifically for that layout.

This one was so freakin’ easy to set up – simply select it from the same dropdown menu as 6 Photo and it loads up straight away. Plus it looks just the same (no extra files or styling changes that the viewer can see) which I was worried about. It DOES support videos and 3D models, and currently has a 5.0 star rating with 77 reviews which indicates it’s easy to use!

PROS: Ability to use swatches via theme’s default variant selector; Great performance (runs really fast on my mac). CONS: No custom swatches, Reviews (77) – really small base, AI assignment – no, Trials (30 days) – yes, but only paid (no free plan), and Limited to the look you can customize compared to some other apps that allow you to create your own swatch renderer.

Best for: Merchants who want free variant images to go invisible without altering the look and feel of the product page. This is a good option for merchants who don’t require custom swatches and don’t want to alter their theme’s gallery to show variants.

3. NS Color Swatch Variant Images

Developer: NestScale (Singapore) | Rating: 4.9 (161 reviews) | Built for Shopify: No

NS Color Swatch Variant Images is a universal app for variant images and collection page swatches. It offers all the same features as NS Variant Variant Images, but also includes color swatches, image swatches, dropdowns, and button-style selective filters. This app also allows for collection page swatches, where customers can switch to a different color right from the product card, something that most purely variant image apps do not offer.

Pricing: Free (with limitations, no combined listings), Growth $7.99/mo, Professional $14.99/mo (with collection page features). The combined listings / product grouping feature requires the Professional plan.

Pros: Has a relatively low starting cost for product page variant swatches, offers multiple color swap styles, lets you group separate products as variants on the Professional plan ($14.99/mo) which also includes collection page swatches.

Not Shopify certified. 4.9/5.0 rating lower than Rubik or Easy Variant rating. Collection page feature locked behind highest plan ($14.99). Smaller development team than GLO or StarApps.

Best for: This one is for merchant on a very tight budget who need to display variant images/product swatches on the product page and have collection swatches all from one app. If you are looking for something at $7.99/mo (including revenue share) that doesn’t include any AI features, Native Swatches is worth looking into.

4. GLO Color Swatch and Bundles

Developer: Globo.io (Vietnam) | Rating: 4.9 (1742 reviews) | Built for Shopify: Yes

GLO Color Swatch and Bundles is the most reviewed app in this category with 1,742 reviews left by our customers, that means huge base of customers who already installed and tested app on their stores. GLO app allows to display variant images swatches, color swatches, image swatches, supports bulk upload, also app hides out of stock variants and as a bonus it creates product bundles.

An “and Bundles” was added to the comparison as the app also markets itself as a variant image solution – though it attempts to be more than that, offering swatches, collection swatches (on the Gold plan), and product bundles all at once. If you need bundles and variant images, this app does everything you need in one place. If you only need variant images, you are paying for extra features that you most likely won’t be using.

Pricing: Free $0 (1 group, 1 bundle), Silver $9.90/mo (no combined listings), Gold $19.90/mo (combined listings unlimited). Combined listings only on Gold.

Cons: None (huge community of users). No feature to customize notification email. Charges extra for certain features. Limited reporting capabilities. Can be buggy at times. Support is very slow to respond. Only supports Shopify.

PROS: Jack of all trades, master of none. The variant image features while not as in-depth as dedicated apps for the function do a great job at allowing you to easily experimentation with different nuances of a single product. For those using combined listings, these combined image features are only available on the $19.90 Gold plan. The UI can be somewhat busy because the platform offers features for 3 different functions. No AI assistance in automatically assigning the correct image for a customer’s view.

Best for: Merchants who want variant swatches and product bundles from a single app (perhaps you’re already using bundles in another section of your store and want them all in one app?). This app is best for merchants who are already spread out using GLO for bundles and want to add variant images. For stores where image quality of variant products is paramount, a dedicated app will still yield better results.

5. StarApps Variant Image Automator

Developer: StarApps Studio (India) | Rating: 4.8 (578 reviews) | Launched: 2017

StarApps Variant Image Automator is probably the most veteran app listed here. It’s been on the app store since 2017. Like Easy Variant Images, this app automatically groups images for your product and uses Shopify’s image order (you don’t have to tag anything), and it uses your theme’s gallery to display the images. It also supports video and 3D models.

The product tuner / editor “Automator” was named after the semi-automatic way it automatically groups variants together, in the order they are published in the Shopify product gallery. Boundary detection is automatic, so you don’t have to set a boundary for every image like you could using drag-and-drop or by using AI-powered variant matching. It worked well for this function back in 2017, and still does today.

– The Longest Lifespan of a Slider Plugin (since 2017 – nearly a decade), it has minimal impact on page speed, and it utilizes your theme’s native gallery functionality. It has an enormous base of reviewers (578) and is very easy to set up. No individual image configuration.

Cons: 4.8 when compared to other dedicated variant image apps. Not SHOPIFY CERTIFIED. No custom swatches (only uses theme default swatch color). No AI generation. No free plan (only 30 day trial). One Rubik merchant informed us that StarApps would create glitches on load in their current theme.

Best for: Merchants who want to tap into the brand recognition and experience of a well-established plugin, even if the newest and most feature-rich options may offer better value. Best for simple setup – especially for merchants who have used StarApps for plugins in the past and know that they work with their active theme. See the in-depth comparison between this option and the Rubik widget plugin in our table.

6. Variant Image Wizard + Swatch

Developer: ProductWiz Inc. | Rating: 4.8 (343 reviews)

7 Customization options with depth – 7 variant image wizard + swatch. The swatch configurator is one of the most advanced swatch tools available in the app store today with in depth swatch settings including swatch shape, size, spacing, border, and tooltip settings. Ability to add and manage multiple images for a variant, and much more. Even links separate products together as swatches (kind of combined listings).

The “Wizard” refers to the Step by Step Setup process for configuring the site. This makes it easy for not so technical merchants to figure things out.

Overall: Highly customizable swatch options, setup wizard, ability to link separate products as swatches, offers free plan. 343 reviews.

Cons: 4.8. Not Built for Shopify certified. The advanced configurator is very powerful, but can be frustrating for simple things like seeing if a variant has an image. Product linking is an afterthought and isn’t as powerful as a dedicated combined listings app.

Best for: This Shopify app is best suited for online store owners who are looking for full flexibility of swatch appearance and are willing to invest some time and effort to configure the plugin settings in a panel. In such cases, Variant Image Wizard can help you to adjust swatches to meet very specific image requirements.

How to choose the right app

Forget the feature lists for a second. Ask yourself three questions:

1. Does the solution require generation of custom swatches or is simply applying a filter to images sufficient? If the theme provides a default variant selector (simple dropdowns or basic buttons) and you only need to filter the gallery, then plugins like Easy Variant Images or StarApps Automator would be the easiest solution. However, if you are looking for a circle, images, pill or thumbnail variant of the selectors, you will need to use Rubik, NS Color Swatch, GLO or Variant Image Wizard.

2. What is the number of products in the store? If under 50 then manual assignment in any product app is sufficient. For 100-1000 products, then you need either bulk assignment provided by some StarApps or automatic grouping provided in Rubik. For 1000+ products, the store owner is better off with AI-assisted assignment provided by Rubik. For smaller stores, simple apps are enough.

3. Collection Page Swatches? Pure variant image apps such as Rubik, Easy Variant and StarApps only work on the product page. So if you also want to show swatches on your collection pages (so shoppers can easily select a color from the product listings) you will need either NS Color Swatch, GLO (on the Gold plan) or a separate combined listings app like Rubik Combined Listings. We talk more about collection page swatches here.

Nobody talks about this but you CAN switch apps. The product images are hosted on Shopify and your variant information is either as a metafield or through the app itself so it’s not going to hurt your store. Test out free plans and the trials of your top 2 picks, compare them on your actual products and stick with the app that performs better on your theme.

If you’re wondering if you need a variant image app at all, check out our complete variant images guide. If you want to know how variant images affect conversion numbers, check out our conversion rate data post.

Pricing comparison: flat vs plan-based

Flat pricing vs charging based on the Shopify plan – One thing worth noting even if it’s just in the fine print – some apps will charge the same price regardless of which Shopify plan you are on while others will have rates that scale with the shopify plan that you’re on. Something for merchants to pay attention to, as some apps will cost more on the higher plans than others.

Flat pricing apps for your Flat pricing needs on this list: Rubik ($25/mo to display 100 variant images regardless of plan), Easy Variant Images, Variant Image Wizard, and also GLO.

This is especially noticeable in the upgrade difference between plans. A Basic Shopify store may pay $X/mo for a plan-based app, but when the store upgrades to a Shopify Plus plan, the store pays $30 to $50/mo (or more) for the same app, same functionality, same number of products. A flat-rate app typically doesn’t hurt your bottom line as your store grows. Sounds small, until it isn’t.

Use our Shopify Fee Calculator to see the full cost of your app’s contribution (at different shopify plans) before creating any plan based apps.

FAQ

What is the best free Shopify variant image app?

Rubik Variant Images includes a FREE plan that allows for 1 product to be set up fully and viewed on your store with your theme. allows for ongoing free use for basic variant swatches. includes a FREE plan that allows for 1 group.

Do variant image apps slow down my store?

Apps that load variant data from metafields (like Rubik) add minimum overhead to your site as this data is loaded with the page, rather than an external API call. Apps that inject JavaScript and pull in data from other sites can add load time however. Check out the swatch app speed comparison for details.

Can I assign multiple images to each variant?

Yes. All 6 of the apps on this list support uploading multiple images for each variant. The article Multiple images per variant outlines the features of each app as well as a step by step guide on how to implement multiple images for variants. See the Multiple images per variant guide for more information.

Do these apps work with Shopify 2.0 themes?

Yes. All 6 apps are compatible with Shopify 2.0 (Online Store 2.0) apps and work with all new and old themes. Rubik Variant Images, in particular, has been tested with and is fully compatible with over 350+ themes including Shopify Dawn (free theme), Horizon, Prestige, Impact, Impulse, and other 3rd party popular themes. If you have a customized theme, we recommend first testing with the free plan (1 product) to confirm full compatibility.

Can variant image apps show swatches on collection pages?

Pure variant image apps (Rubik Variant Images, Easy Variant Images, StarApps) work on the product page, but for swatches on the collection page you’ll need to use NS Color Swatch (available on Professional plan), GLO (Gold plan) or a dedicated combined listings app like Rubik Combined Listings.

What is the difference between variant image apps and combined listings apps?

Variant image apps filter the gallery on the product page when selecting a variant. Combined listings apps filter and show products separately in the shop, and display product image swatches on collection pages. Many stores use both a variant image app (for product-page gallery filtering) and a combined listings app (for collection-level browsing). Read our when to use combined listings guide.

Which app has the best customer support?

Based on review sentiment, the app rated best for fast support is Rubik Variant Images. With a 5.0 rating across 343+ reviews, many reviewers mention fast support. In fact, one reviewer noted that the support team “will respond in less than a minute.” Another reviewer said that Umid helped them troubleshoot an issue the same day. StarApps and GLO also have good support reputations, backed by their larger review bases. When choosing an app, make sure to read the recent reviews and check that the support team is responding quickly to other users’ queries.

Related reading

• Shopify variant images: the complete guide
• Shopify color swatches: the complete guide
• How to show multiple images per variant
• Variant image swatches and conversion rates
• Shopify Combined Listings explained

Okay, you made it. Choose 2 apps from the list, get the free plan or trial version (where applicable) for each one, create the same product on each platform and SEE HOW IT COMES OUT FOR YOURSELF. Seriously, reading my review of one (albeit three) e-commerce apps is not as revealing as trying out the same product on two platforms simultaneously. Most apps on this list offer a free plan or trial, so you have a complete experience to test before committing. Start with some cool variant images.