Question · Website & CRO
Do uninstalled Shopify apps slow down your store?
Answered by Nathan Frater ·
The short answer
They can. Every app you install adds code to your theme, and uninstalling it doesn't always take that code away, so the leftovers pile up.
You uninstall the app and there are just bits of code left behind. Do that a few times and it adds up.
Start with an app audit. List every app in a spreadsheet and sort them into three groups: the ones you know you’re using, the ones you’re not sure about, and the ones you know you’re not using. Delete the last group and check the unsure ones properly. While you’re there, make sure you’re not still paying monthly for something nobody uses.
For the apps you keep, ask whether you could build the feature natively instead. Sometimes metafields can do what the app was doing. Then clean out the leftover code from apps that are already gone.
The bigger option is migrating to a clean base theme. Just don’t attempt it right before Black Friday. Plan it for after your peak.