How to choose the right variant images & swatch app for Shopify store? 2026

The Variant Images Problem

Shopify allows assigning only a single image per variant, and this creates a problem for stores that want to assign multiple images per variant.

Let’s assume you are selling jewelry in three colors: gold, silver, and rose gold. When users click an option, you want to display only relevant variant images. For example, if the user clicks the gold option, only photos of golden jewelry should be displayed. And all other variant images should be hidden.

Below is an example of how the page should work when a shopper clicks on different metal colors. If clicked on gold, only gold images are shown; if clicked on silver, only silver rings are displayed in the variant image gallery.

Additionally, we will show how to display all available variants in your variant picker using variant images, color swatches, or custom image swatches. In the video below, you can see an example of a variant picker with custom image swatches that are not part of the media gallery; these are custom metal images representing gold, silver, and rose gold.

Solution: Shopify Apps

The variant image display problem is a classic issue, and many apps solve it. All apps that solve this problem can be found by searching the “variant images” keyword on the Shopify App Store search bar.

The goal of this post is to help you choose the right app for your case. We will list different apps that solve this problem in each case.

Case 1: Grouping Products – Displaying Products as Variants (Combined Listing)

There are two different setup types to create variants. The first and most obvious is to create a product and add variants using Shopify Variants. And the second way is to create each variant as a separate product.

Let’s say you are selling a t-shirt with three different colors: red, green, and blue. If you created each of these colors as a separate product and want to link them by displaying different color options on each product page, this is the proper case for you.

To solve this case, you can find the right apps by searching the “combined listings” keyword on the App Store search bar.

These are the top apps that can solve the combined listings problem.

Case 2: Show only Images of the selected variant option – Preserve Original Media Gallery

If you have a product with multiple variants and each variant has more than one image to display, this is your case. In this case, you need an app that shows only relevant variant images and dynamically hides the rest of the images on the page when shoppers select a different option in the variant picker.

You need an app that can preserve your original media gallery and hide irrelevant images in the gallery, across Zoom and mobile modes. And you need to make sure the transition between images is smooth without causing a page load, and that the app isn’t affecting your page load speed.

Some apps replace your original gallery with their own custom gallery, which may not match the original look and feel of your theme. Preferably, you need an app that won’t modify the original look and feel of your media gallery.

These are the variant image apps that match all the criteria mentioned above.

Case 3: Show relevant variant images based on multiple options like color & style, not only color

Sometimes it is not enough to show variant images based on a single option; you actually need to show different images for combinations of options. For example, you may have color and style options, and you need to display images based on both color and the selected style. Then this is the proper case for you.

The only app that can currently display multiple variant images based on multiple option combinations is the Rubik Variant Images & Swatch app. Check this documentation for more information about the setup.

Case 4: Displaying custom images in the variant picker

If you have a product with multiple variants and need to display custom images for the variant options, you need an app that supports the swatch feature. You can see an example below where, in the variant picker, we display images representing the metal color of the rings. These images are not part of the media gallery, but they can be assigned to options like gold, silver, and rose gold, helping shoppers see the options clearly.

These are the apps that you can install from the App Store to create a variant picker with custom image swatches.

Case 5: Assign Variant Images automatically with AI

Assigning variant images is a time-consuming process when you have hundreds of products with hundreds of images and variants. All apps require some manual process to assign images. Most apps will require you to group images in your product admin, then assign the first image in the group to your variants so they can detect all images that belong to the variant.

The following apps require image grouping.

And then there are apps where you should assign variant images to options with the interface designed for this purpose. These apps are the following:

And then one of these apps is standing out with the “Auto Assign” feature, which uses AI to assign variant images, which is the Rubik Variant Images & Swatch app. The AI auto-assign feature works best when image files include variant option information or when the image alt text provides information about the variant option. It also analyzes image content to detect prominent features, such as color. It can be a bit more challenging if you don’t have proper file names or alt text, and your option names contain fancy custom names.