Sharely: Social Media Icons and ShareThis Share Buttons both operate within the 'Design elements' and 'Badges and icons' categories on Shopify, but they serve different primary purposes and target distinct merchant needs. Sharely focuses on enhancing credibility and driving traffic *to* a merchant's social media profiles by displaying social media icons on the store. ShareThis, on the other hand, emphasizes expanding the reach of a merchant's content by providing share buttons that allow customers to easily share products and blog posts across various social platforms. Sharely boasts a significantly higher rating (5/5) and more user reviews (96) compared to ShareThis (2.5/5 and 23 reviews), suggesting a higher level of user satisfaction. While Sharely offers a customizable social media icon bar with support for unlimited social media networks, ShareThis provides access to a wider range of social channels for sharing (40+). The key difference lies in the objective: Sharely is about building a social presence *from* the store, while ShareThis is about spreading content *from* the store *to* social media. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on the merchant's primary goal. Are they looking to grow their social media following and direct customers to their existing profiles? Or are they primarily concerned with increasing the visibility of their products and content through customer sharing?
96 reviews
23 reviews
Add social media icons or social share buttons, giving your store credibility and widespread sharing
Make it easy for your audience to share your content across 40+ of the most popular social channels
| Rating | 5/5 | 2.5/5 |
Rating Sharely: Social Media Icons5/5 ShareThis Share Buttons2.5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 96 | 23 |
Reviews Sharely: Social Media Icons96 ShareThis Share Buttons23 | ||
| Primary Function | Display social media icons linking to merchant's profiles | Enable customers to share content on social media |
Primary Function Sharely: Social Media IconsDisplay social media icons linking to merchant's profiles ShareThis Share ButtonsEnable customers to share content on social media | ||
| Number of Social Networks Supported | Unlimited (Social Media Icons) | 40+ (Share Buttons) |
Number of Social Networks Supported Sharely: Social Media IconsUnlimited (Social Media Icons) ShareThis Share Buttons40+ (Share Buttons) | ||
| Customization | Flexible design and icon styles | Tailor alignment, size, color, and design |
Customization Sharely: Social Media IconsFlexible design and icon styles ShareThis Share ButtonsTailor alignment, size, color, and design | ||
| Target Merchant Type | Merchants focused on growing their social media presence and driving traffic to their profiles. | Merchants focused on increasing the visibility of their content through social sharing. |
Target Merchant Type Sharely: Social Media IconsMerchants focused on growing their social media presence and driving traffic to their profiles. ShareThis Share ButtonsMerchants focused on increasing the visibility of their content through social sharing. | ||
| Value Proposition | Social proof and improved conversions by showcasing social media presence | Expanded organic reach and audience growth through easy content sharing |
Value Proposition Sharely: Social Media IconsSocial proof and improved conversions by showcasing social media presence ShareThis Share ButtonsExpanded organic reach and audience growth through easy content sharing | ||
| Ease of Use | Likely high, given the positive rating and focus on social media icons | Not explicitly stated, but 'easily add share buttons' suggests reasonable ease of use |
Ease of Use Sharely: Social Media IconsLikely high, given the positive rating and focus on social media icons ShareThis Share ButtonsNot explicitly stated, but 'easily add share buttons' suggests reasonable ease of use | ||
For merchants prioritizing building a strong social media presence and driving traffic *to* their social profiles, Sharely: Social Media Icons is the clear winner, backed by a significantly higher rating and a greater number of positive reviews. The app's focus on customizable icons and unlimited social network support makes it ideal for showcasing a diverse social presence. Conversely, if the primary goal is to increase the visibility of products and blog posts through customer sharing *on* social media, ShareThis Share Buttons might be considered, despite its lower rating, owing to its support for over 40 social channels and features like anchored sidebars. However, merchants should exercise caution given the lower rating and fewer reviews, and possibly consider competitor apps with higher satisfaction rates before committing to ShareThis.
Sharely: Social Media Icons is likely more suitable as it helps establish that presence by directing customers to where the store *is* active on social media.
ShareThis claims to use 'responsive, lightweight code that loads asynchronously,' suggesting minimal impact on site speed. Sharely does not mention anything regarding site speed.
Technically yes, but it might be redundant. Consider the placement and potential overlap in functionality. It is recommended to test the combination of apps to observe how they work together on the storefront.
Neither app explicitly mentions analytics in their description. You may need to check app documentation, look for integrations, or contact the developer to see if data on click-through rates is provided.
Both apps mention customization options. Sharely offers flexible design and social bar icon styles, while ShareThis allows you to tailor alignment, size, color, and design. It's difficult to definitively say which is easier without testing.
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