ACOD vs Payflow: two good apps, different scopes
Updated · ACOD (E-TRADE PARTNER)
ACOD and Payflow are architectural cousins: both charge the COD fee through a shipping rate paired with the COD payment method, both run on native Shopify Functions, and both are Built for Shopify certified. The real difference is scope. Payflow is a general checkout-rules toolkit — hide, rename, and reorder any payment or delivery method, plus checkout validations, with a free plan limited to one active customization. ACOD is a COD specialist — everything in the app exists for COD fees and COD availability, with a dedicated linking flow, per-variant fees, and a COD-focused rule set.
Who is writing this
We are E-TRADE PARTNER, the developer of ACOD. This comparison is factual — competitor details come from their public App Store listings and websites as of July 2026, and we state plainly where the other app is the better choice. Verify current pricing and features on both listings before deciding.
At a glance
| ACOD: Cash On Delivery COD Fee | Payflow: COD & Checkout Rules | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | E-TRADE PARTNER (Warsaw, Poland) | Appfleece |
| App Store rating | 4.9 ★ (107 reviews) | 4.9 ★ (~107 reviews) |
| Launched | 2024 | December 2023 |
| Scope | COD only: fee + availability rules | General checkout rules: hide/rename/reorder payments & shipping, validations, plus a COD fee setup |
| COD fee mechanism | Shipping rate two-way linked to the COD payment method | Shipping rate paired with COD via keyword matching on rate names |
| Pricing | $4.99–9.99/mo flat by Shopify plan; yearly ~20% off; 7-day trial; dev stores free | Free plan (1 active customization) + $4.99/mo premium ($49.99/yr); dev stores free |
| Checkout validations (block checkout) | No | Yes |
| Rename / reorder payment methods | No — COD visibility only | Yes |
| Built for Shopify | Yes | Yes |
Where Payflow is genuinely stronger
- Breadth beyond COD. If you also want to hide a card gateway for PO boxes, rename “Cash on Delivery” per market, reorder payment methods, or hard-block invalid checkouts with validations, Payflow does all of that in one app.
- The free plan. One active customization free is enough for a simple store that needs exactly one rule — a genuinely free way to run a basic COD fee.
- AND/OR condition groups across its 50+ conditions give complex multi-clause rules more expressive power.
Where ACOD is stronger
- Explicit rate linking, not keyword matching. You select the exact shipping rates that belong to COD; nothing depends on rate names containing recognizable keywords. Rename a rate freely — the link holds by selection, and multi-variant setups (cash vs card at the door with different fees) stay unambiguous.
- A COD-shaped interface. Every screen is about the fee and where COD appears — nothing to configure around renaming, sorting, or validations you don't use. Merchants set it up in about five minutes without reading docs.
- Safe testing mode — the whole setup visible only to test@example.com checkouts while you verify on a live store.
- Predictable flat pricing with no customization caps on any tier.
How to choose
Need one app for many checkout rules, or want to start free with a single rule? Payflow is a strong pick. Want the COD job done with the least surface area, explicit rate selection, and a testing mode — and you're fine with $4.99/month? That's ACOD. Both run on Functions, both are BFS-certified — this is one of the closest matchups in the category, which is why we wrote the differences down instead of pretending they're bigger than they are.
The COD-specialist option
Explicit rate linking, per-variant fees, deep COD rules and a safe testing mode — from $4.99/month, Built for Shopify.
Install ACOD on Shopify — 7-day free trialFrequently asked questions
›Do ACOD and Payflow use the same fee mechanism?
Both use the shipping-rate model (fee lives in a dedicated COD rate, enforced at checkout via Shopify Functions). ACOD links rates by explicit selection; Payflow matches rates by keywords in their names.
›Is Payflow's free plan enough for a COD fee?
For a simple single-rule setup, yes — its free tier allows one active customization. Stores needing multiple rules or customizations move to its $4.99/month tier, at which point the two apps cost the same on Basic-plan stores.
›Can ACOD rename or reorder payment methods like Payflow?
No — ACOD deliberately stays a COD specialist. For general payment-method renaming/sorting, our sibling app Hide & Sort Payments covers that job, or Payflow bundles it with COD in one app.