Doc 404: Fix 404 links vs Swift Redirects – Best Shopify 404 Redirect App Comparison
If you run a growing Shopify store, 404 errors are inevitable—whether from product deletions, URL changes, or migration. To protect your SEO and ensure smooth user experience, you need a powerful redirect management app.
Two leading contenders in the Shopify App Store are:
In this detailed comparison, we’ll explore their features, automation capabilities, pattern/regex support, bulk tools, SEO tracking, and overall usability to help you pick the best Shopify 404 redirect app.
Quick Overview
Doc 404: Fix 404 Links
Doc 404 is designed for merchants who want a no-fuss way to monitor and fix 404 errors. It detects broken links and provides a dashboard where you can manually add redirects. Simple and effective for stores with moderate redirect needs.
Swift Redirects
Swift Redirects goes deeper into SEO and automation. It offers live 404 error monitoring, AI-based redirect suggestions, pattern/regex rules, email alerts, bulk import/export tools, and built-in analytics. Built for both small stores and large catalogs.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | Doc 404 | Swift Redirects |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic 404 Detection | ✅ | ✅ Real-time |
| Manual Redirect Creation | ✅ | ✅ |
| AI Redirect Suggestions | ❌ | ✅ |
| Pattern / Regex Redirects | ❌ | ✅ |
| Live Redirect from 404 Logs | ❌ | ✅ |
| 404 Email Alerts | ❌ | ✅ |
| Bulk Import/Export | ✅ CSV Import Only | ✅ Import + Export |
| SEO Performance Insights | ❌ | ✅ |
| Shopify 2.0 Compatibility | ✅ | ✅ |
Real-Life Scenario
Use Case: A store has discontinued 100+ seasonal products, and visitors are hitting those now-dead URLs.
With Doc 404:
- 404 pages will appear in your dashboard.
- You can create manual redirects one by one.
- No regex or bulk logic to handle mass URL patterns.
With Swift Redirects:
- 404s are logged in real time and trigger email alerts.
- You can use regex to redirect all discontinued product URLs at once (e.g.
/products/summer-* → /collections/sale). - Apply suggested redirect paths with one click from within the dashboard.
Automation Capabilities
Swift Redirects excels at automation with features like:
- Automatic 404 detection
- AI-based redirect suggestions
- Email notifications to your team
- Pattern matching with wildcard or regex
Doc 404 offers basic detection but lacks automation and smart tools — suitable only for low-volume stores with minimal redirect needs.
SEO Protection
Broken links harm SEO. Swift Redirects helps you stay compliant with SEO best practices by enforcing 301 redirects, reducing bounce rates, and ensuring crawlability with structured analytics reports.
Doc 404 fixes broken links reactively, but without automation or analytics, SEO impact can linger longer than necessary.
Pricing
| Plan | Doc 404 | Swift Redirects |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | ✅ | ✅ |
| Paid Plan | $9.99/month | $3.99/month |
| Regex Support | ✅ (Included in Pro) | ✅ (Included in Pro) |
| Email Alerts | ✅ | ✅ |
| Bulk Import/Export | CSV Import only | CSV Import + Export with tagging |
Final Verdict
| Requirement | Best Choice |
|---|---|
| Simple redirect setup | Both |
| Real-time 404 monitoring | Both |
| Regex / pattern automation | Both |
| Email notifications | Both |
| Basic free solution | Both |
Conclusion
Doc 404 is best for merchants who want a lightweight, entry-level solution to manually fix 404 links without added complexity.
Swift Redirects is the clear winner for stores looking to automate 404 monitoring, scale with regex-based rules, reduce SEO risk, and manage redirects with analytics and alerts.
Ready to fix broken links at scale and protect your store’s performance? Try swift Redirects and optimize your Shopify store’s SEO in minutes.