Shopify app still charging after uninstall? What to do

If a Shopify app is still charging after uninstall, one of three things is happening: the charge was generated before you uninstalled and is showing up on the next invoice, the app bills you outside Shopify and needs cancelling separately, or something has gone wrong that only the developer can fix. This article explains how Shopify app billing actually works, how to work out which case you are in, how to cancel a Shopify app subscription for good, and why an app that bills through Shopify's own system cannot keep charging you once it is gone.

The problem: an app you removed is still on the bill

The complaint shows up on many review pages, and the gallery category is no exception. On Cozy Image Gallery's one- and two-star review page a reviewer wrote on 8 October 2025 that they had “been billed for months now with ZERO WORKING GALLERIES” and could not work out how to uninstall; another, undated in the listing when we read it, says they “uninstalled it for my website more than a month ago and I am still being billed monthly”. We do not know how that app bills or what happened on those stores, and we make no claim beyond what the page shows. The app is still listed (3.1 stars on 28 September 2026). What we can explain is the machinery behind charges like these, which applies to every app.

Why it happens: how Shopify app billing works

Shopify's developer documentation states that “all apps published on the Shopify App Store are required to use a Shopify provided billing solution” (About billing for your app). There are two: Shopify App Pricing, where the developer defines plans in the app submission and Shopify hosts the plan selection page and automates billing, proration and upgrades, which the same page calls the default for new public apps; and Manual Pricing, the legacy method where the developer builds its own billing logic on top of Shopify's Billing API. In both, the charge appears on your Shopify bill.

Recurring app charges run on 30-day cycles that are included in your Shopify bill (App charges). The same Help Center page explains the first reason for a surprise: “Uninstalling an app stops future billing cycles, but it might not remove a pending app charge that has already been generated for your upcoming invoice.” If you uninstalled a few days into a cycle, that cycle's charge can still land on the next invoice. It is not a new subscription; it is the last one.

The second reason is external billing. Shopify's uninstall guidance is explicit: “Some third-party apps charge you outside of Shopify, so those charges won't display on your Shopify bill. Uninstalling the app from your Shopify admin doesn't cancel external charges” (Uninstalling apps). If you gave an app a card number on its own site, or paid through PayPal or a payment link, removing the app from Shopify does not tell that payment processor anything. Those subscriptions have to be cancelled with the developer.

The third case is a genuine error on the developer's side with a manual-pricing app, for instance a charge that should have been cancelled through the API and was not. Shopify's documentation notes that only one active recurring charge per app is allowed at a time, so this is uncommon, but it is the case where you will need Shopify Support and the developer both.

How to cancel a Shopify app subscription for good

Identify the charge's status. In your Shopify admin go to Settings, Billing, and open the current bill or View current charges. The Help Center distinguishes a pending charge (listed under current charges, not yet invoiced) from a paid charge (on a past bill). This tells you whether you are looking at the last cycle or an ongoing one.
Confirm the app is actually uninstalled. Under Settings, Apps and sales channels, check that it is no longer installed; the Help Center describes how to view apps that were uninstalled and each app's install history on the same page. An app that was removed from a page in the theme editor but never uninstalled is still subscribed.
Check for external billing. Look at the app's listing on the App Store for its pricing model and at your card or PayPal statements for the developer's name. If the charge is not on your Shopify bill, it is external, and you must cancel it in the developer's own billing portal or by written request.
Request a refund from the developer through Shopify. The Help Center's App charges page has the procedure: contact the developer via the App Store listing with your store domain, the uninstall date and the charge details. Shopify “contacts you after 3 days to ensure the app developer has helped to resolve your issue” and contacts them again on your behalf if not.
If the app is no longer listed or the developer does not respond, contact Shopify Support with the same details. They can see the charge on your Shopify bill even when they cannot fix the app itself.

How Snug Gallery bills, and why it cannot keep charging you

Snug Gallery uses Shopify App Pricing for its Standard and Unlimited plans, and its free plan is free. Choosing or changing a plan happens on the Plan page inside the app, which hands you to Shopify's hosted plan selection; the app then reads back which plan your store is entitled to. There is no card form on our side, no separate account, and no billing portal outside Shopify, because none of those exist in the app. The charge is a line on your Shopify bill and nowhere else.

Because the subscription is Shopify's, uninstalling ends it the way Shopify's documentation describes: future recurring charges stop, and at most a charge already generated for the current cycle appears on the next invoice. If that happens and you feel it is unfair, the refund route above applies to us as it does to any developer, and support is answered by the people who wrote the app within two business days. Beacon Wave Studio's support page says the same for all of its apps.

What is left after uninstall is covered in Who owns your gallery images?: your photos stay in your store's Files, and our servers delete the store's access token immediately.

Reading a listing's pricing before you install

The App Store listing shows a developer's plans, and an app that bills through Shopify presents its plan picker inside your Shopify admin, not on an external checkout. If, after installing, an app sends you to its own website to enter a card, you now know that uninstalling from Shopify will not stop that payment. The other signs that predict a painful exit, such as unanswered reviews and an unreachable support address, are in How to tell if a Shopify app is abandoned before you install it.

Frequently asked questions

I uninstalled an app and there is still a charge on my next Shopify bill. Is that normal?

It can be. Shopify's Help Center says uninstalling stops future billing cycles but a pending charge already generated for the upcoming invoice may still appear. It should be the last one. If a charge appears on the cycle after that, contact the developer and Shopify Support.

Why does Shopify Support say they cannot cancel my app subscription?

If the app bills outside Shopify, the charge is not on your Shopify bill and Shopify has no way to stop it; only the developer can. If the charge is on your Shopify bill, Support can see it and will follow up with the developer about a refund request after three days.

Does Snug Gallery charge anything outside Shopify?

No. Paid plans are billed through Shopify App Pricing and appear on your Shopify bill. There is no external account, card form or portal. Uninstalling ends the subscription as described in Shopify's documentation.

Will I be charged if I only downgrade to the free plan?

Changing plans is done through Shopify's hosted plan selection from the app's Plan page. Shopify handles proration and plan changes for App Pricing subscriptions; the details of how upgrades and downgrades are prorated are on the Help Center's App charges page.