CatalogCSV
Shopify Spy (the “Shopify Scraper & Parser” extension from shopify-spy.com) is a Chrome extension that turns a store’s public catalog into a spreadsheet. CatalogCSV does the same core job. This page puts the two side by side, including the places where Shopify Spy does more, so you can pick the one that fits the export you actually need.
Facts about Shopify Spy are from its Chrome Web Store listing and shopify-spy.com/pricing, read 1 October 2026. Prices change; check theirs.
At a glance
| Shopify Spy | CatalogCSV | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Up to 100 products, all features | First 100 products per export, every format and option |
| Paid | $29 one-time for a 1-month pass, $199 one-time for a 1-year pass | $9/month or $79/year subscription, cancel any time |
| File formats | CSV (Shopify import format) and XLSX | CSV only, in three layouts: Variant rows (26 columns), Shopify import CSV (29 columns, every product a draft), Image URLs (8 columns) |
| Product images | Can download the image files | Exports image links only; the files are not downloaded |
| Collection filter | Yes | No; exports the whole catalog, so you filter in the sheet |
| Browsers | Chrome (Chrome Web Store) | Chrome and Microsoft Edge; an Opera listing is on the way |
| Account | Paid passes are tied to the email address you use in the extension | None. A Pro license key is the whole login, on up to three browsers or computers |
| Payment | USDT (crypto); bank wire for the 1-year pass only | Subscription through our payment provider, with a customer portal to cancel |
Where Shopify Spy is the better pick
Be honest with yourself about what you need from the file. Shopify Spy is the stronger choice if any of these matter:
- You want an Excel workbook, not a CSV. Shopify Spy exports XLSX. CatalogCSV only writes CSV, which opens directly in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers, but it is still a CSV.
- You want the image files themselves. Shopify Spy can download product images. CatalogCSV gives you every image link (with position, alt text and size in the Image URLs file), and you would need another tool to download them.
- You only want one collection. Shopify Spy has a collection filter and single-product download. CatalogCSV exports the whole catalog every time.
- You need a few extra fields. Its “Slow mode” adds variant barcode, variant tax code, variant weight unit and image alt text. Shopify Spy also splits very large exports into several files automatically.
- You dislike subscriptions. Shopify Spy sells one-time passes that simply end. CatalogCSV is a subscription that renews until you cancel it.
Where CatalogCSV may suit you better
- Price over a year. A year of unlimited exports is $79 here against $199 for Shopify Spy’s 1-year pass. For a single month it is $9 against $29. If you subscribe for one big export, remember to cancel: you keep access for the time you’ve paid for.
- A draft-safe import file. In the Shopify import CSV, every product is set to draft and unpublished, so nothing goes live in the destination store by accident.
- A variant-per-row sheet for analysis. Variant rows has one row per variant with price, compare-at (sale) price, SKU, in-stock status, options, vendor, type, tags, weight, product URL and image links, and you can add the description as HTML or plain text.
- Files that behave in Excel. The Variant rows and Image URLs files carry a UTF-8 BOM so accents and emoji show correctly, no cell can run as a hidden formula, and you can switch to semicolons for European Excel. (The Shopify import CSV stays plain comma-separated, which is what Shopify’s importer reads.)
- Minimal permissions. CatalogCSV asks for activeTab, scripting and storage, and no host permissions. It can only read the tab you click it on, and only when you click.
- Everything local. The CSV is built on your machine. There is no account, no analytics and no tracking. Requests go to the store you’re exporting and, once you activate Pro, to our license service to check your key.
CatalogCSV has its own limits too. It can’t read a store that is running a bot check, a password-protected store needs its password entered first, and it does not show sales, apps or themes.
Try both on the same store
Both tools are free up to 100 products, so you don’t have to take anyone’s word for it, including ours. Pick a store you care about, export it with each extension, and open the two files side by side. Check the columns you actually use, how variants are laid out, and whether the file opens cleanly in your spreadsheet app. Then pay for the one whose file you would rather work with, or for neither if 100 products is enough.
Shopify Spy is a product of shopify-spy.com. CatalogCSV is not affiliated with it, or with or endorsed by Shopify.