Check what you hold before you decide. The first steps are to confirm who owns the app in the Partner account, find where it is hosted and see who controls the repository. Then choose between recovery and rebuild. If you cannot reach the code, hosting or credentials, a rebuild is usually the safer plan, and it gives you the chance to put ownership in writing this time.
This is not legal advice, so have a lawyer read your contract. Our custom Shopify app development team can assess what you have and quote both routes.
Immediate steps
Do these in the first week.
- Find the app in your Shopify Partner or Dev Dashboard account and see who is the owner.
- List who controls the domain, hosting, database and any third-party keys.
- Check whether the app runs on the developer’s servers or yours.
- Ask for the repository, in writing, with a deadline, and keep the thread.
- Back up what you can reach, such as data exports and webhook logs.
- Do not delete or uninstall the app until you know what you can recover.
What you own and what you can access
Four things, often confused.
| Item | Usually in your control? | How to check |
| Shopify app record and installs | Often yes, if the app is in your account | Partner or Dev Dashboard ownership |
| Hosting and database | Only if the account is yours | Billing and login owner |
| Source code | Only if you hold a repository or a copy | Repository ownership |
| Intellectual property rights | Depends on your written agreement | Contract and assignment clauses |
Rebuild or recover
The deciding question is what you can still reach.
Rule of thumb: a rebuild is a known price, while a recovery from nothing is an open-ended guess.
Realistic rebuild cost
Use the same bands as a new build.
| Scope | Rebuild cost | Note |
| Basic embedded app | $8,000 to $15,000 | Rebuild is usually cleaner than reverse engineering |
| Integration-based app | $15,000 to $30,000 | Plan for data migration and testing |
| Large operational app | $30,000 to $50,000 or more | Phase it by feature |
Bands are third-party 2026 estimates. A new team can often reuse the behaviour, data and settings from the running app.
How to prevent it next time
Put these in the contract before work starts.
- Written assignment of intellectual property on payment.
- Code in a repository you own, with the developer as a collaborator.
- Hosting, domain and Partner access in your name.
- Documentation and a handover session at launch.
- Escrow or periodic code exports if you rely on a sole developer.
Taking over and rebuilding
We take over and extend Shopify apps. We do not have a published rebuild-from-nothing case study with a timeline, so we would size yours after reviewing what you hold.
Read more: our Shopify app development service
Send us what you hold today, and our custom Shopify app development team will say whether to recover or rebuild, with a cost range.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not automatically. Ownership depends on your contract. Without a written IP assignment, the developer may still hold the copyright. Ask a lawyer to read your agreement.
The Partner account shows who owns the app record, but not the source code. Source lives in a repository and on a host, so check who controls both.
Recover if you can get the code, hosting and credentials. Rebuild if the developer cannot be reached and you hold neither. Many teams rebuild a cleaner version at a similar cost to a first build.
Plan for the cost of a new build for the same scope, with ranges of $8,000 to $15,000 for a basic embedded app and $15,000 to $30,000 for an integration-based one, per third-party estimates.
Require a repository you own, hosting and Partner access in your name, written IP assignment, documentation and a handover period. Review them before final payment. See who to hire.
