Finding Bolts in the Bolt Store

The Bolt Store is where you discover and install bolts that extend your store's capabilities. With categories, search, collections, and filters, you can find exactly what you need—whether you know what you're looking for or you're just exploring possibilities.

Accessing the Bolt Store

Open the Bolt Store from your admin by going to Settings › Bolts › Browse Bolt Store, or click the Bolt Store link in your sidebar. You can also visit it directly at bolts.cart-os.com.

The Bolt Store shows all available bolts—both free and paid, from CartOS and third-party developers. Your installed bolts are marked so you can easily see what you already have.

Bolt Store homepage

The homepage highlights bolts worth exploring:

Featured bolts

Curated bolts that CartOS recommends. These are selected for quality, usefulness, and broad appeal. Good starting point if you're new to bolts.

New arrivals

Recently added bolts. Check here periodically to see what's new in the ecosystem.

Most popular

Bolts with the most installations. Popularity indicates that many merchants find these valuable, though popular doesn't always mean right for you.

Top rated

Highest-rated bolts based on merchant reviews. A 4.8-star bolt with hundreds of reviews is generally a safe bet.

Staff picks

Bolts the CartOS team particularly likes. These aren't necessarily the most popular but are ones we think deserve attention for quality or innovation.

Collections

Themed groupings like "Essential Bolts for New Stores," "Holiday Season Must-Haves," or "Bolts for Fashion Brands." Collections help you discover bolts suited to specific situations.

Browsing by category

The category menu organizes bolts by function. Click a category to see all bolts in that area:

Marketing

Email marketing, SMS, pop-ups, lead capture, social proof, urgency tools, referral programs, affiliate marketing, and promotional tools.

Sales and conversion

Upsells, cross-sells, product bundles, discount tools, abandoned cart recovery, checkout optimization, and pricing tools.

Customer experience

Reviews and ratings, wishlists, live chat, FAQ and help desk, size guides, product customizers, and accessibility tools.

Shipping and fulfillment

Shipping labels, carrier integrations, tracking, fulfillment services, dropshipping, print on demand, and delivery management.

Inventory and products

Inventory management, product feeds, catalog tools, variant management, digital products, and product sourcing.

Orders and payments

Payment gateways, invoicing, subscriptions, pre-orders, deposits, B2B and wholesale, and order management.

Multi-channel

Marketplace integrations (Amazon, eBay, Etsy), social selling (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), Google Shopping, and channel management.

Analytics and reporting

Advanced analytics, reporting tools, customer insights, heatmaps, and business intelligence integrations.

Store design

Page builders, visual customization, image optimization, galleries, and theme enhancements.

Integrations

Connections to external services: accounting (QuickBooks, Xero), CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot), ERP, warehouse systems, and automation platforms.

Trust and security

Fraud prevention, security tools, trust badges, age verification, and compliance tools.

Store management

Admin tools, staff management, task automation, and operational efficiency tools.

Searching for bolts

Basic search

Type keywords in the search bar to find bolts. Search looks at bolt names, descriptions, and features. Try searches like:

  • "reviews" – Find review and rating bolts
  • "email marketing" – Find email bolts
  • "Klaviyo" – Find the specific Klaviyo integration
  • "abandoned cart" – Find cart recovery bolts
  • "QuickBooks" – Find accounting integrations

Search tips

  • Try different terms for the same concept ("reviews," "ratings," "testimonials")
  • Search for the external service name if you want a specific integration
  • Use broad terms to explore, specific terms to find
  • If search returns too many results, add more specific terms

Filtering results

When browsing a category or search results, use filters to narrow down options:

Price

  • Free – No cost at all
  • Free plan available – Has a free tier with paid upgrades
  • Paid – Requires payment (one-time or recurring)
  • Price range – Filter by monthly cost

Developer

  • CartOS – Built by CartOS (core bolts)
  • Third-party – Built by independent developers
  • Specific developer – If you like one bolt from a developer, filter to see their others

Rating

  • Filter to show only bolts rated 4 stars and above, or 4.5+
  • Higher rating filters give you safer bets but may hide newer quality bolts

Compatibility

  • Filter by your CartOS plan to see only compatible bolts
  • Filter by theme compatibility if relevant

Sorting

Sort results by:

  • Relevance – Best match for your search (default)
  • Most popular – Most installations
  • Highest rated – Best reviews
  • Newest – Most recently added
  • Price: low to high – Cheapest first
  • Price: high to low – Most expensive first

Bolt detail pages

Click any bolt to see its detail page with full information:

Overview

  • Description of what the bolt does
  • Key features list
  • Screenshots showing the bolt in action
  • Demo video (if available)

Pricing

  • Cost structure (free, one-time, monthly, usage-based)
  • Plan tiers and what's included in each
  • Free trial availability

Reviews

  • Overall rating and number of reviews
  • Rating breakdown (how many 5-star, 4-star, etc.)
  • Written reviews from other merchants
  • Developer responses to reviews

Developer info

  • Who built the bolt
  • Other bolts by the same developer
  • Developer's website and support contact

Support and documentation

  • Link to help documentation
  • Support channels (email, chat, forum)
  • Support hours and response time expectations

Requirements

  • CartOS plan requirements
  • Theme compatibility notes
  • Other bolts required or recommended

Changelog

Recent updates showing the bolt is actively maintained. A bolt with updates in the past few months is healthier than one unchanged for years.

Comparing bolts

When you find multiple bolts that might meet your needs, compare them:

Comparison view

Add bolts to your comparison list (click "Compare" on bolt cards), then view them side by side. Comparison shows features, pricing, ratings, and other details in columns.

What to compare

  • Features – Does each bolt have what you need?
  • Price – Total cost over time, not just monthly rate
  • Ratings – Both overall score and review quality
  • Support – Who's there when you need help?
  • Developer track record – History of updates and responsiveness

Your installed bolts

View bolts you've already installed at Settings › Bolts in your admin. This shows:

  • All installed bolts
  • Their status (active, inactive, needs attention)
  • Available updates
  • Quick access to each bolt's settings

When browsing the Bolt Store, installed bolts show "Installed" badges so you don't accidentally try to install something twice.

Installing a bolt

When you've found the right bolt:

  1. Click Install (free bolts) or Start Free Trial / Purchase (paid bolts)
  2. Review permissions the bolt requests
  3. Confirm installation
  4. Follow any setup instructions

Free trials typically last 7-14 days. Set a reminder to evaluate before the trial ends and you're charged.

Finding alternatives

On any bolt's page, scroll down to see "Similar Bolts" or "Merchants Also Installed." These suggestions help you discover alternatives you might not have found through search.

If you're not satisfied with a bolt you've installed, check these alternatives before giving up on the functionality entirely.

Requesting bolts

Can't find a bolt for what you need? You have options:

Request a feature

If the functionality could be a core CartOS feature, submit a feature request through Help › Suggest a Feature in your admin.

Request a bolt

If it's better suited as a bolt, submit a request in the Bolt Store under "Request a Bolt." Other merchants can upvote requests, signaling demand to developers.

Hire a developer

For custom needs, a CartOS partner can build a custom bolt or private integration for your store.

Staying updated

Bolt Store newsletter

Subscribe to the Bolt Store newsletter (footer of the Bolt Store) for monthly highlights of new and noteworthy bolts.

Following developers

If you find developers whose work you like, follow them to get notified when they release new bolts.

Watchlist

Add bolts to your watchlist to track them for later. You'll be notified of price changes, major updates, or new reviews.

Tips for discovering useful bolts

Browse when you're not in a hurry

Take time to explore categories you haven't looked at. You might discover solutions to problems you didn't know you had—or opportunities you hadn't considered.

Read reviews for insights

Reviews often reveal use cases and tips beyond the bolt's official description. Learn how other merchants use bolts in ways that might apply to you.

Check what similar stores use

If you know other merchants on CartOS—especially in your industry—ask what bolts they find valuable. Industry-specific recommendations are often the most relevant.

Revisit periodically

The Bolt Store grows constantly. What didn't exist when you launched might be available now. Check in every few months to see what's new.