Side-by-side comparison · 24 data points
Add story-style highlight menus to showcase products, collections, and categories in clickable bars.
| BL Story Highlight Menu Bar | Smart Product Filter & Search | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | ||
| Description | ||
| Screenshots | images | images |
| Languages | ||
| Platforms | ||
| Developer | ||
| Listed | ||
| Last updated |
Help shoppers find what they mean with AI-powered search, smart filters, and instant results
| Metric | BL Story Highlight Menu Bar | Smart Product Filter & Search |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 1.0 ★ | ★ 4.9 ★ |
| Total reviews | 1 | ★ 2.4k |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Free plan available | Free plan available |
| Built for Shopify | — | ★ Yes |
| Pricing tiers | 3 tiers | ★ 4 tiers |
| Listed features | 5 | 5 |
| Languages | 3 supported | 1 supported |
| Listed since | Oct 2024 | Mar 2018 |
Based on the data on this page, Smart Product Filter & Search is the stronger choice for most Shopify App Store merchants — 4.9★ vs BL Story Highlight Menu Bar's 1.0★ is a meaningful gap that usually reflects real product or support quality differences across the user base.
Pricing entry tiers: BL Story Highlight Menu Bar at Free plan available, Smart Product Filter & Search at Free plan available. Check each app's tier structure for the capacity limits you actually need before deciding — the headline number is the same shape, but the gating shape per tier (seats, usage volume, integrations) varies.
Smart Product Filter & Search has the larger user base (2,357 reviews vs 1), which usually maps to broader integration coverage, faster bug-fix cadence, and a deeper bench of community workflow patterns. BL Story Highlight Menu Bar's smaller cohort can be an advantage for niche workflows where the bigger app has accumulated bloat.
Recommended by size: small/early-stage merchants who need fast install and low risk should default to Smart Product Filter & Search; mid-market and enterprise merchants with specific feature requirements should evaluate both — BL Story Highlight Menu Bar's 1-review base may include the workflow context that matches your specific use case better than Smart Product Filter & Search's broader-but-shallower coverage.
This verdict is generated from the live marketplace data on this page — rating, review count, pricing tier, and category position all refresh from the canonical Shopify App Store listing every 24 hours. AppRanks does not accept payment to influence comparison outcomes; the methodology is documented on the About page and applies identically to every pair on the site.
Read each app's audit: BL Story Highlight Menu Bar audit • Smart Product Filter & Search audit
| — |
| Keyword | BL Story Highlight Menu Bar | Smart Product Filter & Search |
|---|---|---|
| product filter search | Not ranked | #1 |
| filter search | Not ranked | #1 |
| product filter | Not ranked | #1 |
No tracked changes.
| Signal | BL Story Highlight Menu Bar | Smart Product Filter & Search |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating | 1.0 ★ (1) | 4.9 ★ (2.4k) |
| Rating distribution | 5— 4— 3— 2— 1— | 594% 43% 30% 20% 12% |
No reviews yet.
Both BL Story Highlight Menu Bar and Smart Product Filter & Search offer paid plans only. BL Story Highlight Menu Bar starts at Free plan available; Smart Product Filter & Search starts at Free plan available. Compare the per-tier features in the Pricing section above before committing.
Smart Product Filter & Search has the higher average rating (4.9★ from 2,357 reviews) compared to BL Story Highlight Menu Bar (1.0★ from 1 reviews). Both are tracked daily by AppRanks, so the figures here update each refresh cycle.
Smart Product Filter & Search holds the higher average rating (4.9★ vs 1.0★). That is the one dimension AppRanks can separate them on here — read both apps' detail pages for the feature breakdown and recent listing changes.
Both apps are one-click installs from the Shopify App Store. Smart Product Filter & Search has the deeper published review base (2,357 vs 1), which often — though not always — accompanies better-tested setup docs. AppRanks doesn't measure setup time directly: read the recent reviews on each app's detail page for user-reported install experience.
BL Story Highlight Menu Bar typically suits early-stage and growth-mode teams based on its published review base (1 reviews). Smart Product Filter & Search typically suits early-stage and growth-mode teams based on its published review base (2,357 reviews). A larger review base generally means the app has been exercised at scale — relevant if you are processing high volume or handling enterprise compliance requirements.
Easy to use and gives good results! We had some difficulties with implementing our styling but the serviceteam was very quick and helpfull!
Great response time, if there are any issues, it is always fixed within hours. Great to work with and added in custom fixes
Ottima Assistenza, grazie
We've been using this app across various stores for longer than I can remember, at least 4 years. It's our go-to filter and search app. Fantastic support from Clara who goes over and above to ensure we are taken care of. Thank you!
I have a store with hundreds of poster prints, and this app has been the missing piece I've been looking for. I only wanted a clean, simple search bar without the extra filters and buttons, but I couldn't figure out how to set it up myself. Clara from support responded within minutes and had everything configured exact
Migration support varies by app and category. BL Story Highlight Menu Bar and Smart Product Filter & Search both publish their export options on their marketplace listing pages (or in their support docs); some apps offer one-click import from competitors, others require CSV. The fastest check: search "import from BL Story Highlight Menu Bar" in each app's help center. AppRanks does not track migration tooling directly — this is a category-specific capability worth verifying before commitment.
