Merchant Guard: GMC Risk vs StoreHQ: Compliance Scanner
Two Shopify apps, side by side: detected stores, momentum, reviews, plans, listed features and who runs each. Store counts as of Oct 13, 2026 for Merchant Guard, Jul 30, 2026 for StoreHQ.
The short answer
- Only Merchant Guard lists a free plan.
- StoreHQ lists 2 features Merchant Guard’s listing doesn’t mention, including Accessibility, Data privacy.
Head to head
Free
- · 0–100 score, grade and 4 pillars
- · 3 full risk scans every 30 days
- · Monthly auto re-check, email on change
- · Prioritized fix list
- · Read-only — no customer data
- · Reconsideration outline if suspended
Pro
- · AI flags misleading product claims
- · AI rewrites thin product descriptions
- · Email alert on new risks or score drops
- · Everything in the Free plan
- · Monitoring auto-on when you subscribe
- · Never touches customer data
Coverage counts what each App Store listing names. Every feature, checked off app by app, is in Shoplist.
See every featureGoogle can suspend your Merchant Center account — killing your Shopping ads and free listings — over a vague "Misrepresentation" flag. Merchant Guard scans your store the way Google's reviewers do and scores your risk across four pillars: prohibited products, product data, store policies and trust signals. You get a 0–100 score, what Google flags and the exact fix, plus a reconsideration outline if suspended.
StoreHQ Compliance Scanner audits your storefront for common legal and platform compliance risks. It checks your store policies, cookie and privacy setup, advertising claims, SMS and email consent, auto-renewal and recurring-billing disclosures, and accessibility. The scan is read-only and never changes your store.
- Get a 0–100 Merchant Center compliance score across four risk pillars
- Catch prohibited products before they get your Google account suspended
- Find product-data, price and availability gaps that get items disapproved
- Check contact info and policies — top "Misrepresentation" triggers
- Checks privacy, return/refund policy, terms, shipping, and cookie consent
- Flags deceptive advertising claims, fake urgency, and hidden fees
- Reviews SMS and email consent and required contact details
- Checks auto-renewal enrollment, cancellation, and renewal-term disclosure
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 |  Merchant Guard |  StoreHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Detected stores | Not published | Not published |
| Net store change, 28 days | 0 | 0 |
| Stores added, 28 days | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Big-brand share | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Top store categories | Not published | Not published |
| Top store countries | Not published | Not published |
Reviews
| Measure | Merchant Guard | StoreHQ |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | Not published | Not published |
| App Store reviews | Not published | Not published |
| New reviews, 28 days | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Reviewers a year or more in | Not enough data | Not enough data |
Pricing
| Measure | Merchant Guard | StoreHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Not listed |
| Lowest paid monthly plan | $29/month | No monthly plan listed |
| Longest free trial | 7 days | Not listed |
| Plans listed | 2 | Not published |
Listing
| Measure | Merchant Guard | StoreHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify category rank | #170(ahead) | #188 |
| Shopify App Charts | Not on this week’s charts | Not on this week’s charts |
| Built for Shopify | No | No |
| Launched | Jun 8, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Developer | Wigley Studios LLC | StoreHQ |
FAQ
Merchant Guard and StoreHQ: common questions
- Is Merchant Guard or StoreHQ cheaper?
- Only Merchant Guard lists a free plan. Shoplist compares base prices only between monthly plans in the same currency; usage charges and annual plans vary, so check each plan’s limits.
- What features does each app list that the other doesn’t?
- StoreHQ lists 2 the others don’t mention, such as Accessibility, Data privacy. 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 Oct 13, 2026 for Merchant Guard, Jul 30, 2026 for StoreHQ; 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 Oct 13, 2026 for Merchant Guard, Jul 30, 2026 for StoreHQ. 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.