Comparison
Altera imports files that follow Matrixify's format. Simple CSV maps the columns in your existing CSV, Excel or XML file to Shopify product fields and product metafields.
The short answer
Altera imports and exports files in Matrixify's format. Its own listing puts it plainly: you can “import and export your Matrixify Excel or CSV files as-is, zero changes.” That's the whole design. If your file already matches that structure, or you don't mind reshaping it to match, Altera covers a lot more than products. Orders, customers, collections, discounts, metafields across the store, metaobjects and translations are all in scope.
Simple CSV maps whatever columns your file already has to Shopify product fields or product metafields with a dropdown, so a supplier column called product_name doesn't need to be renamed first. We don't touch orders, customers, collections or metafields outside products. If you need to move that wider store data, Altera is the better fit.
| Capability | Altera | Simple CSV |
|---|---|---|
| Data types | Products, variants, orders, customers, collections, discounts, metafields across the store, metaobjects, translations and more | Products, variants, product metafields, pricing and inventory only |
| File format | Matrixify-compatible Excel or CSV, imported as-is with no column remapping | CSV, XLS, XLSX or XML, including a supported file inside a ZIP, GZ or TAR.GZ archive. Dropdown mapping to Shopify fields |
| Column mapping | None. Your file must already match Matrixify's structure | Any source column maps to a Shopify product field or product metafield, with five example rows shown before you commit |
| Free plan | Community: 100 rows per file, 1 export at a time, on any store. Developer: unlimited rows on development or trial stores, with no scheduling | 100 rows per file on any store, with manual imports only |
| Paid plan | Pro, $15/month: unlimited rows, scheduled jobs, custom data transformations and multiple concurrent exports | Pro, $19/month: unlimited rows and 3 scheduled automations every 6 hours. Scale, $49/month: 7 automations, hourly, with optional out-of-feed cleanup |
| Update matching | Products: ID, then Handle, ignoring letter case. Variants: ID, then an option-combination hash, then normalized SKU | SKU, first barcode, handle or Shopify ID. Secondary barcodes do not match. Text identifiers match exactly after letter case and surrounding spaces are ignored |
| Trial | No trial. 30-day money-back guarantee on Pro | 14-day free trial on Pro and Scale |
Have an XML product feed? Our XML import guide shows how Simple CSV handles the file without a conversion step.
Choose Altera when
Your file already works with Matrixify, or you're fine conforming to that structure. You need to move data beyond products, such as orders, customers, collections, discounts, translations or metafields outside products. Altera also fits if you want CLI access on a development store for scripted imports.
Choose Simple CSV when
Your source file's column names don't match Shopify's or Matrixify's structure and you'd rather not rename them by hand. You're only moving products, variants, product metafields, pricing or inventory. You want to see five mapped example rows before anything changes in your store.
Free tier, honestly
On a live store, free means 100 rows per file on Altera's Community plan and Simple CSV's Free plan. Altera's separate Developer plan allows unlimited rows on development or trial stores, while Simple CSV stays at 100 rows per file. Neither app schedules imports on a free plan.
For the full Simple CSV limits, automation frequencies and Scale cleanup options, see our pricing page and feature overview.
On price
Altera Pro is $15 a month. Simple CSV Pro is $19 a month. Altera skips the trial and backs Pro with a 30-day money-back guarantee instead, while we give you 14 days free on Pro and Scale before anything is charged.
We won't pretend the price gap isn't there. If the column mapping problem is what's costing you time today, that's the $4 you're paying for.
Our Shopify product import guide explains the complete workflow before you choose a tool.
Questions
No. Altera imports Matrixify-format files as-is. If your columns don't already match that structure, you reshape the file first.
No. Simple CSV imports and updates products, variants, product metafields, pricing and inventory only.
Altera matches products by ID first, then Handle. For variants it falls back from ID to an option-combination hash to normalized SKU. Simple CSV matches by SKU, first barcode, handle or Shopify ID. Secondary barcodes do not match. Its text identifiers match exactly after letter case and surrounding spaces are ignored.
No. Scheduling is a Pro-only feature on Altera, the same $15/month plan that removes the row limit. Simple CSV's Free plan doesn't schedule either. Scheduling starts on Pro.
Yes. Altera connects to Google Sheets, Google Drive, SFTP, WebDAV and FTP. Simple CSV imports a supported data file from a direct URL, including a published Google Sheet link.
Install Simple CSV, map your columns and review five example rows before anything changes in your store.