Raphael Lajoux

I write independent Shopify tool reviews and guides for Tools Unfiltered. My focus is on helping store operators make decisions under real constraints: limited time, tight budgets, and no technical team to rescue you when things break.

Most tool reviews online are thinly-veiled affiliate content—feature lists lifted from vendor sites, no real negatives, and zero context about fit. I evaluate tools based on whether they solve actual problems for Shopify stores at specific stages, not whether they look good in search results or pay high commissions.

My approach is simple: tools are means to ends, not ends themselves. I focus on use cases, failure modes, and exclusions—who should not use a tool—because that's what matters when you're deciding where to allocate limited resources. If a tool is overkill, redundant, or overpriced for your stage, I'll say so, even if an affiliate program exists.

I've built and operated stores, dealt with tool sprawl, and debugged broken integrations at 2am. That perspective shapes what I write. Tools Unfiltered exists to provide the kind of honest, context-aware recommendations I wish existed when I was making these decisions.

Editorial Philosophy

Every review includes explicit negatives and exclusions. Perfect tools don't exist, and pretending they do serves vendors, not readers. I evaluate based on Shopify-specific fit, setup complexity, and practical value—not feature counts or marketing claims.

Affiliate links appear on some recommendations, but they don't influence tool selection. I recommend against tools even when affiliate programs exist, and I suggest free alternatives when they make sense. Transparency is table stakes.

Browse Content

• Shopify Tool Reviews
  Opinionated, workflow-first reviews for Shopify and the surrounding stack.
• Tool Comparisons
  Side-by-side comparisons to help you choose between similar tools.
• Shopify Guides
  Step-by-step guides for setup, optimization, and tool selection.

Contact & About

For questions, corrections, or tool suggestions: Contact page

More about this site: About Tools Unfiltered