Tolstoy alternatives for Shopify: what each one does differently (October 2026)
Seven Shopify apps set against Tolstoy on the same criteria, read on their App Store listings on October 1, 2026: free plan, first paid plan, what each one meters, formats and rating.
We read the Shopify App Store listings of Tolstoy and seven Tolstoy alternatives on October 1, 2026: Videowise, Whatmore, Firework, ReelUp, Vizup, Moast and Storiq. Tolstoy is the only one of the eight whose free plan is a 30-day period, and it bills by viewer, with extra viewers at $10 per 1,000 on its first two plans. The seven alternatives keep a free plan with no end date, start their paid plans between $9 and $39 a month, and meter impressions, clicks, views or stories instead of viewers.
Comparison pages from earlier in 2026 still quote Tolstoy from $19 a month; the listing now shows $12. Storiq is our app, launched on September 29, 2026 with no reviews yet, and it only covers stories on product pages. Hosting details and full free-plan caps are in our comparison of shoppable video apps for Shopify.
What Tolstoy offers and why merchants compare it
Tolstoy: Shoppable Video & UGC launched in December 2020 and holds 4.7 stars from 278 reviews. It imports Reels, TikToks and UGC, publishes them as carousels, stories, feeds, pop-ups or floating videos on your pages and in the Shop app, and reuses them in email and SMS.
Three points on the listing send merchants toward apps like Tolstoy on Shopify:
- The free plan is a starting period: no card, uncapped on-site views for 30 days for eligible accounts. "Publish shoppable videos to your store" appears in Starter.
- You pay per viewer. Starter costs $12 a month for 5,000 viewers, and extra viewers cost $10 per 1,000. A store with 20,000 viewers in a month would pay $162 on Starter, against $44 on Plus, which includes 20,000.
- The tiers jump. Plus costs $44, Pro $195 for 100,000 viewers (extra at $7 per 1,000). Every paid plan bundles AI Studio and AI Sales Agent tokens with the viewers.
Shopify charges recurring app plans every 30 days and adds usage charges to the same invoice.
Tolstoy's own pricing page, read the same day, shows yearly rates first ($8, $29 and $129 a month), adds a $299 Max plan absent from the listing, and gives Pro 50,000 viewers where the listing says 100,000. Check the allowance on the billing screen before you upgrade.
Tolstoy alternatives for Shopify at a glance
| App | Rating (reviews) | Free plan | First paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tolstoy | 4.7 (278) | Uncapped on-site views for 30 days | $12/mo, 5,000 viewers |
| Videowise | 4.8 (252) | Shop app and TikTok Shop, no on-site widgets | $9/mo, 5,000 widget impressions |
| Whatmore | 4.9 (377) | 300 video clicks/mo, 15 videos | $29/mo, 3,000 clicks |
| Firework | 5.0 (48) | 1,000 views/mo, 10 uploads | $39/mo, 10,000 views |
| ReelUp | 4.9 (300) | 100 views/mo, 10 videos | $29.99/mo, 3,000 views |
| Vizup | 5.0 (97) | Unlimited views, 6 widget designs | $19.99/mo |
| Moast | 5.0 (338) | Unlimited views, 10 videos per widget | $15/mo |
| Storiq | No reviews yet | 3 stories, 1,000 story views/mo | $9.99/mo, 10,000 story views |
Only Tolstoy and Firework name both email and SMS. Moast names emails, Whatmore adds email embeds on its $79 Growth plan, and Videowise lists Klaviyo under "works with". ReelUp, Vizup and Moast carry the Built for Shopify badge; Tolstoy does not.
Viewers, views, clicks or stories: what each app meters
Tolstoy counts viewers; each alternative counts something else. Whatmore counts video clicks, so 3,000 clicks stretch across many more page loads than 3,000 views. ReelUp counts a view only after 4 seconds of watching. Videowise counts unique widget impressions, Firework views, Storiq story views. Moast and Vizup put no cap on free views.
Before you switch, check your last 30 days of Tolstoy viewers against each candidate's allowance.
Each alternative against Tolstoy
Tolstoy vs Videowise
Tolstoy's own alternatives page names Videowise as the app it is compared against most often. Like Tolstoy, Videowise Shoppable Video UGC publishes to the Shop app, imports from TikTok and Instagram, and keeps on-site widgets in a paid plan. Its free plan has no end date but covers only the Shop app, TikTok Shop, import, tagging and hosting. Pro costs $9 a month for 5,000 unique widget impressions (14-day trial), against Tolstoy's $12 for 5,000 viewers. It offers 16+ widget styles and names live video shopping.
Fits: many widget styles and live shopping at a lower entry price. Our comparison of Videowise alternatives reads the same apps from Videowise's side.
Whatmore
Whatmore Shoppable Videos&Reel has the most reviews of the group. Free Forever keeps 300 video clicks a month, 15 videos, stories and a floating product-page video. Starter, $29, adds daily Instagram sync and 3,000 clicks; email embeds start on Growth at $79.
Fits: a store posting Reels every week.
Firework
Firework Shoppable Video & UGC has the channel list closest to Tolstoy's: the Shop app, Klaviyo, and video in email and SMS. The free Pilot plan gives 1,000 views a month and 10 uploads; Starter is $39 for 10,000 views. Branding stays until the $259 Growth plan.
Fits: a brand that relies on video in email and SMS.
ReelUp
ReelUp‑Shoppable Videos+Reels shows clips as a carousel, as stories, or as autoplay videos below the add to cart button. Free covers 100 views of 4 seconds or more and 10 videos, with a watermark; Basic is $29.99 for 3,000 views.
Fits: product pages where the video should sit under the buy button.
Vizup
Vizup Shoppable Video Carousel, by ShopGracias, keeps unlimited views, unlimited product tags and 6 widget designs free, with Shopify Markets and translations. Pro costs $19.99 a month with a 3-day trial.
Fits: a store selling in several markets that wants no view meter.
Moast
Moast Shoppable Video & UGC puts carousels on product, home and collection pages and in emails, publishes to the Shop app, and imports Reels and TikToks. Free: unlimited views, 10 videos per widget, no end date. Pro is $15 a month. The listing names no stories layout.
Fits: a carousel on many pages with no view cap.
Storiq
Storiq ‑ Product Stories replaces one part of Tolstoy: stories on product pages. A theme app block adds a story bar whose bubbles open a full-screen viewer, and a product tagged on a slide shows a card with its image, title and price read live from your catalog. There is no carousel, email, Shop app publishing or Instagram and TikTok import: you download a clip and upload it, as our guide to adding Reels and TikToks to Shopify explains.
Free: 3 active stories and 1,000 story views a month. Starter, $9.99, adds product cards, 15 stories, 10,000 views and scheduling; Pro, $29, removes the limits. 7-day trial on both.
Fits: stories with a product card on product pages. Our page on shoppable stories covers when the format beats a feed.
What Tolstoy offers that the alternatives do not list
Tolstoy's paid plans include AI Studio tokens (2,000 a month on Starter) and AI Sales Agent tokens (500 on Starter), plus virtual try-on and sizing. None of the seven other listings names try-on or AI Studio tokens. Plus adds an AI widget builder, Ad Spy and team collaboration. If your team uses these weekly, a video-only Tolstoy alternative means a second app for them.
Which Tolstoy alternative fits your store
Start from the reason you are leaving: the 30-day free period (Moast and Vizup keep unlimited free views), the viewer bill (compare units), or a format (our page on the five formats of shoppable video defines each one). Then install the free plan of one or two Tolstoy alternatives, put the same clip on one product page, and read the numbers before you cancel Tolstoy.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Tolstoy?
Yes. As of October 1, 2026, Moast and Vizup list free plans with unlimited video views and no end date. Whatmore's free plan covers 300 video clicks a month, Firework's 1,000 views, ReelUp's 100 views and Storiq's 1,000 story views. Tolstoy's own free plan gives eligible accounts uncapped on-site views for 30 days.
Does Tolstoy have a free plan?
Yes. Tolstoy's free plan needs no card and gives eligible accounts uncapped on-site views for 30 days and a first widget. Its App Store listing puts "publish shoppable videos to your store" in Starter, $12 a month for 5,000 viewers.
How much does Tolstoy cost per month?
On its Shopify App Store listing on October 1, 2026: Starter $12 a month for 5,000 viewers, Plus $44 for 20,000 viewers and Pro $195 for 100,000 viewers. Extra viewers cost $10 per 1,000 on Starter and Plus and $7 per 1,000 on Pro. Billed yearly, the three plans cost $96, $348 and $1,548.
Is Videowise cheaper than Tolstoy?
At entry level, yes: Videowise Pro costs $9 a month for 5,000 unique widget impressions, and Tolstoy Starter costs $12 for 5,000 viewers. The two apps meter different units, so compare them on your own traffic. Both bill extra usage at $10.
