Add-ons let you offer paid extras alongside a personalized product. Think gift wrap, a hanger, or a quality upgrade. This guide shows you how to create an add-on in the design editor, then price it and control its visibility from the product page. It is for merchants who already have a product and want to earn a little more per order.
What add-ons are
An add-on is an optional extra a customer can choose while they personalize a product. Each add-on carries a surcharge, either a flat amount or a percentage of the price.
An add-on can take one of two shapes:
- A single yes/no toggle. For example, a “Gift wrap” checkbox the customer either picks or skips.
- A set of choices. For example, a “Hanger” add-on with the options None, Standing, and Wooden.
When a customer selects a paid add-on, the surcharge is added to the cart as a small fee line item. This is why add-ons work on any Shopify plan, not only Shopify Plus. You do not need a cart transform for the price to show up correctly.
Each add-on applies either to all variants or to specific variants you choose. An add-on scoped to no variants is hidden in the storefront, so always give it at least one variant.
Create an add-on in the design editor
You create and configure add-ons in the design editor. Open it from the product page, then work in the Products panel.
Open the design editor from the Add-ons card
On the product page, scroll to the Add-ons card. Click + New add-on. If you have no add-ons yet, click Create one in the design editor instead. Either link opens the design editor for this product.
Open Add-ons in the Products panel
In the design editor, open the Products panel, then find the Add-ons section. Add a new add-on there.
Set the label, display type, and choices
Give the add-on a clear label, like “Gift wrap” or “Hanger”. Pick a display type that fits how customers will choose:
- Checkbox for a single yes/no toggle.
- Radio, button group, or dropdown for a list of options.
- Image swatch or color swatch for visual options.
Then add the choices customers can pick from.
Set required, visibility rules, and variant scope
Decide whether the add-on is required. A required add-on forces the customer to make a choice before they add to cart. If you need it, set conditional visibility rules and choose which variants the add-on applies to.
Save in the design editor
Save your work in the design editor. Your new add-on now appears on the product page Add-ons card, ready for pricing.
Set add-on prices and visibility on the product page
The Add-ons card on the product page is where you set prices, control visibility, and reorder. The card header tells you how many add-ons are active and how many you have in total, with a reminder to click a price to edit it.
A note on what saves when: visibility and reorder save instantly. Price edits stage on the page save bar, so you confirm them with the rest of your product changes.
Edit a single add-on's price
For a single-choice add-on, click its price to edit it inline. Type the sale price and press Enter. Leave the input empty to fall back to the provider cost. A price of zero shows as Free.
Expand a multi-choice add-on to price each choice
A multi-choice add-on shows a price range, like “up to €5.00”. Click the row to expand it. Each choice shows its provider cost next to an editable sale price. Set a price per choice. An empty input clears the override and falls back to the provider cost. Use Reset all to cost to clear every override at once.
Hide or show an add-on in the customizer
Open the row menu (the three-dot icon at the end of a row) and choose Hide add-on or Show add-on. A hidden add-on dims and shows a “Hidden” tag, and it does not appear in the customizer. This change saves instantly.
Reorder add-ons
Drag the handle on the left of a row to change the order. The order you set here is the order customers see in the customizer. Reordering saves instantly.
Save your price changes
Visibility and order are already saved. To commit price edits, use the page save bar at the bottom of the product page.
Common questions
Do add-ons work without Shopify Plus?
Yes. The surcharge is added as a small fee line item in the cart, so add-ons work on any Shopify plan. You do not need a cart transform.
Why does my add-on not show in the storefront?
Two common reasons. The add-on is hidden in the customizer, or it is scoped to no variants. Check the row menu for Show add-on, and confirm the scope is All variants or at least one variant.
What happens if I leave a price empty?
An empty price input falls back to the provider cost for that choice. A price of zero shows as Free.
Why are my price changes not saved?
Price edits stage on the page save bar, so they only persist after you click save. Visibility toggles and reordering save on their own, instantly.
Next
Once your add-ons are priced, see how the whole product page fits together in the product page, or preview the buyer side in how a shopper personalizes a product.