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Meridian supports two types of Shopify apps: public and private. Meridian’s private app is what Shopify calls a custom app.

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Public app

A public app can be distributed through the Shopify App Store (https://apps.shopify.com/) to be available to, and installed by, any and multiple merchants on their Shopify store(s). Public apps are built to scale across many merchant stores and typically require more infrastructure, merchant communication tools, and App Store management. In Meridian, public apps have access to the full Grow pillar: App Store ranking, submission checker, reviews management, and the CRM.

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Private app

A private app (a custom app, in Shopify’s terms) is built for a specific merchant client and is not listed on the Shopify App Store. Private apps typically have lower traffic volume and a simpler resource footprint. Private apps are common for agencies building custom solutions for individual merchants. In Meridian they keep hosting, the database, deploys and Shopify API alerts; the merchant features (App Store listing and keywords, Plan Builder, usage, CRM, analytics, automations, emails, discounts and affiliates) are public-only.

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Choosing and switching

New apps are public by default. Pick private when you create the app, or switch either way later from its settings page. Nothing is deleted when an app goes private: its emails, automations, plans and store data stay, and switching back to public turns them on again.

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App type and subscription tier

App type doesn’t constrain the subscription. Every tier (Lite, Pro, Enterprise) can create both private and public apps, switching doesn’t change the price, and plans are priced per app, so each app carries the capacity it needs. See Options.
Last modified on September 28, 2026