CartGate: Checkout Rules vs ShipEmbargo
Two Shopify apps, side by side: detected stores, momentum, reviews, plans, listed features and who runs each. Store counts as of Nov 9, 2026 for CartGate, Oct 14, 2026 for ShipEmbargo.
The short answer
- On the Shopify App Store: CartGate 5.0 from 15 reviews and ShipEmbargo 5.0 from 1 reviews.
- Both list a free plan. Paid plans start at $9/month for CartGate and $6/month for ShipEmbargo.
- ShipEmbargo lists 5 features CartGate’s listing doesn’t mention, including Cart alerts, Checkout alerts, Customer tags.
Head to head
- United States
- Canada
- United Kingdom
Momentum
New reviews each month
Review pace is the clearest public read on how fast an app is winning new merchants.
Free
- · Block products from being sold
- · Force a product to be bought alone
- · Require add-ons to have a main item
- · Set a maximum quantity per order
Pro
- · Block incompatible products together
- · Match accessory-to-base quantities
- · Pause all sales while on vacation
- · Require a compatible base product
- · Require purchase history
- · Set a minimum cart total
Free
- · 1 active shipping rule
- · Block or allow destinations
- · Custom checkout messages
- · No theme changes needed
- · Products, collections & product tags
- · US states, countries & postal codes
Unlimited
- · Block or allow destinations
- · Custom checkout messages
- · No theme changes needed
- · Products, collections & product tags
- · US states, countries & postal codes
- · Unlimited active shipping rules
Coverage counts what each App Store listing names. Every feature, checked off app by app, is in Shoplist.
See every featureSome orders should never happen: an accessory checking out without its base device, two products that can't ship together, or a bundle item bought again on its own. CartGate blocks these carts before checkout. Set rules by product, variant, tag, or collection, and choose to block the cart or warn the customer on the product page.
Merchants selling regulated products face a patchwork of rules that Shopify has no built-in way to handle: keeping one product out of one place. ShipEmbargo adds it. Block products, collections or tagged items from chosen states, countries or postal codes — or turn the rule around and allow only the places you can ship to, blocking the rest.
- Block orders that break your rules.
- Limits hold at every checkout: Apple Pay, Shop Pay, direct links, and more.
- Stop card testing fraud by restricting cheap or suspicious order patterns.
- Prevent customers from buying incompatible products in the same order.
- Control shipping to specific US states, zip codes or countries
- Target rules by product, collection, or product tag
- Show buyers your own message when a shipment is blocked at checkout
- Runs natively in checkout with no theme code and no storefront scripts
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 |  CartGate |  ShipEmbargo |
|---|---|---|
| Detected stores | 238 | Not published |
| Net store change, 28 days | +19 | 0 |
| Stores added, 28 days | 19 | Not enough data |
| Big-brand share | 16% | Not enough data |
| Top store categories | Apparel & Accessories, Home & Garden, Food, Beverages & Tobacco | Not published |
| Top store countries | United States, Canada, United Kingdom | Not published |
Reviews
| Measure | CartGate | ShipEmbargo |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | 5.0 ★ | 5.0 ★ |
| App Store reviews | 15(ahead) | 1 |
| New reviews, 28 days | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Reviewers a year or more in | Not enough data | Not enough data |
Pricing
| Measure | CartGate | ShipEmbargo |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Lowest paid monthly plan | $9/month | $6/month(ahead) |
| Longest free trial | 7 days | 7 days |
| Plans listed | 2 | 2 |
Listing
| Measure | CartGate | ShipEmbargo |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify category rank | #12(ahead) | #39 |
| Shopify App Charts | #14 in Order limits | Not on this week’s charts |
| Built for Shopify | Yes | No |
| Launched | Apr 17, 2026 | Aug 7, 2026 |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Developer | Spook Software | Vera Labs LLC |
FAQ
CartGate and ShipEmbargo: common questions
- Is CartGate or ShipEmbargo cheaper?
- Both list a free plan. Paid plans start at $9/month for CartGate and $6/month for ShipEmbargo. Shoplist compares base prices only between monthly plans in the same currency; usage charges and annual plans vary, so check each plan’s limits.
- Which has better reviews, CartGate or ShipEmbargo?
- On the Shopify App Store: CartGate 5.0 from 15 reviews and ShipEmbargo 5.0 from 1 reviews.
- What features does each app list that the other doesn’t?
- CartGate lists 4 the others don’t mention, such as Custom branding, Pop-ups, Product page alerts, Variant-specific. ShipEmbargo lists 5 the others don’t mention, such as Cart alerts, Checkout alerts, Customer tags, Geolocation. 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 9, 2026 for CartGate, Oct 14, 2026 for ShipEmbargo; 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 9, 2026 for CartGate, Oct 14, 2026 for ShipEmbargo. 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.