Algolia AI Search & Discovery vs Playmerce Engine
Two Shopify apps, side by side: detected stores, momentum, reviews, plans, listed features and who runs each. Store counts as of Nov 4, 2026.
The short answer
- Algolia AI Search & Discovery is detected on 131× as many Shopify stores as Playmerce Engine: 1,308 vs 10 as of Nov 4, 2026.
- On the Shopify App Store: Algolia AI Search & Discovery 3.7 from 45 reviews and Playmerce Engine 5.0 from 2 reviews.
- Algolia AI Search & Discovery lists 41 features Playmerce Engine’s listing doesn’t mention, including A/B testing, AI insights, AI recommendations.
Head to head
- United States
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- Finland
Momentum
New reviews each month
Review pace is the clearest public read on how fast an app is winning new merchants.
Free
- · 10K search requests/month
- · 50K records included
- · 5K crawls/month
- · 5K recommendation requests/month
Elevate
- · 99.999% availability
- · Agentic and generative features
- · Enterprise Support plans & Enhanced SLA
- · NeuralSearch
- · Professional Services Available
- · Real-time personalization
Grow
- · 100K records, then $0.40 per 1K
- · 10K searches/mo, then $0.50 per 1K
- · Data transformation
- · Keyword search + browse
- · Manual synonyms
- · Query suggestions
Grow Plus
- · 100K records, then $0.40 per 1K
- · 10K searches/mo, then $1.75 per 1K
- · AI synonyms & ranking
- · Advanced personalization
- · Everything in Grow, plus:
- · Query categorization
Starter
- · 24/7 support
- · AI created branded assets
- · Conversion opportunity session analysis
- · Multiple widget themes
- · Real-time analytics
- · Unlimited shoppable widgets
Growth
- · 24/7 support
- · AI created branded assets
- · Conversion opportunity session analysis
- · Multiple widget themes
- · Real-time analytics
- · Unlimited shoppable widgets
Scale
- · 24/7 support
- · AI created branded assets
- · Conversion opportunity session analysis
- · Multiple widget themes
- · Real-time analytics
- · Unlimited shoppable widgets
Coverage counts what each App Store listing names. Every feature, checked off app by app, is in Shoplist.
See every featureAlgolia AI Search understands shopper intent exceptionally well, providing relevant results even for complex keywords! This improves your site performance, significantly minimizes “no results”, and provides a seamless search experience for your shoppers. Save hours without having to create synonyms or manually assign categories. Impress shoppers with speed and relevance on any device.
Show each shopper products they’re most likely to buy, before they leave with the Playmerce Engine. Make your storefront act on automation faster than visitors who bounce. The Engine trains a model on your shopper, product catalog and store data to launch product discovery interfaces for exit intent visitors at the moment of their need.
- Get lightning-fast results that match exactly what the shopper wants
- Dynamically shape shopper experience by curating and personalizing results
- Maximize catalog exposure and drive upsell with AI recommendations
- Easily create and control campaigns with user-friendly merchandising tools
- Let the AI-powered engine help products find people
- Convert shoppers with products they're most likely to buy
- Customize shoppable widgets to blend into the storefront
- Engage store visitors with interactive rewards
All the numbers
Every figure, side by side
A green dot marks the app ahead on a measured figure. Estimates, gaps and apps that leave no storefront trace never take the lead.
Adoption
| Measure |  Algolia AI Search & Discovery |  Playmerce Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Detected stores | 1,308(ahead) | 10 |
| Net store change, 28 days | −8 | 0 |
| Stores added, 28 days | 53 | Not enough data |
| Big-brand share | 38% | Not enough data |
| Top store categories | Apparel & Accessories, Home & Garden, Health & Beauty | Apparel & Accessories, Health & Beauty, Sporting Goods |
| Top store countries | United States, Australia, United Kingdom | Finland |
Reviews
| Measure | Algolia AI Search & Discovery | Playmerce Engine |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | 3.7 ★ | 5.0 ★(ahead) |
| App Store reviews | 45(ahead) | 2 |
| New reviews, 28 days | 2 | Not enough data |
| Reviewers a year or more in | Not enough data | Not enough data |
Pricing
| Measure | Algolia AI Search & Discovery | Playmerce Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not listed | Not listed |
| Lowest paid monthly plan | No monthly plan listed | $19/month |
| Longest free trial | Not listed | 30 days |
| Plans listed | 4 | 3 |
Listing
| Measure | Algolia AI Search & Discovery | Playmerce Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify category rank | #26 | #84 |
| Shopify App Charts | #6 in Search and filters | #5 in Promotions - Other |
| Built for Shopify | No | No |
| Launched | Oct 28, 2016 | May 11, 2026 |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Developer | Algolia | Playmerce |
FAQ
Algolia AI Search & Discovery and Playmerce Engine: common questions
- Which is more popular, Algolia AI Search & Discovery or Playmerce Engine?
- Algolia AI Search & Discovery is detected on 131× as many Shopify stores as Playmerce Engine: 1,308 vs 10 as of Nov 4, 2026.
- Which has better reviews, Algolia AI Search & Discovery or Playmerce Engine?
- On the Shopify App Store: Algolia AI Search & Discovery 3.7 from 45 reviews and Playmerce Engine 5.0 from 2 reviews.
- What features does each app list that the other doesn’t?
- Algolia AI Search & Discovery lists 41 the others don’t mention, such as A/B testing, AI insights, AI recommendations, AI search. A feature missing from a listing may still be supported; this compares what each App Store listing says.
- Where does this comparison’s data come from?
- Shoplist crawls Shopify storefronts to detect which apps each store runs, and reads each app’s Shopify App Store listing for reviews, pricing, features and integrations. Store counts are as of Nov 4, 2026; estimated figures are labeled.
How Shoplist compares apps
Store counts come from Shoplist’s crawl of Shopify storefronts, which detects the apps each store runs; they are as of Nov 4, 2026. Reviews, ratings, plans, features and integrations come from each app’s Shopify App Store listing. 28-day figures are labeled when estimated, and a figure that is missing or estimated never decides who leads. Read the methodology.