Comparison
Bulk Gift Cards vs Datora Bulk Gift Cards for Shopify
Datora generates gift cards in bulk but cannot import a CSV or migrate existing codes. Here is the honest comparison, including what its reviewers report.
Updated 2026-08-11
Short answer
Datora is a generator: you tell it how many cards and what value, and it makes them. It has no CSV import, so it cannot create cards with different amounts per row, attach customers per row, or migrate existing codes from another platform. Bulk Gift Cards does all three. Datora is cheaper at $9.95 a month and has a longer track record, though its recent reviews report stuck jobs and unanswered support.
| Feature | Bulk Gift Cards | Datora | Bulk Gift Cards |
|---|---|---|
| CSV import | Yes, one row per card | No. Generation and export only |
| Different amounts per card | Yes, per CSV row | No, one amount per job |
| Import existing codes | Yes | No |
| Currency per card | Yes | Not stated |
| Attach a customer per card | Yes, per row, with per-row notify | Send by email on paid plans |
| Free plan | 20 cards per batch, unlimited batches | 50 cards total, code download expires after 1 day |
| Cheapest paid plan | $49/mo, unlimited | $9.95/mo, 750 cards |
| Unlimited volume | $49/mo | $99.95/mo |
| Code history and search | Searchable by code, email or note; reveal any code | CSV download per job, with a retention window per plan |
| Concurrent jobs | Not limited | 1 to 5 depending on plan |
| App Store record | New listing, July 2026 | 4.3 stars, 11 reviews |
Competitor link: View Datora | Bulk Gift Cards on the Shopify App Store ↗
Generator versus importer
This is the whole comparison in one line: Datora is a generator, Bulk Gift Cards is a generator and an importer.
If your need is “make 400 identical $25 cards”, Datora does that and does it for $9.95 a month. That is a legitimate use case and a fair price.
The moment the rows differ, Datora is the wrong shape. Mixed values for a tiered corporate order. Named recipients from a spreadsheet. Existing codes from the POS system you are leaving. All of those need a CSV going in, and Datora only produces one coming out.
The one-day download window
Datora’s free plan expires the code download after one day. This is worth spelling out because of how Shopify handles gift card codes.
Once a Shopify gift card is created, the full code is never retrievable again. Shopify admin shows the last four characters and the Admin API returns the same. There is no support path to recover the rest. So on Datora’s free plan, if you generate 50 cards on a Friday and do not download the CSV before Saturday, those 50 codes are unrecoverable and the cards are live with money on them.
The paid tiers extend the window to a week or a month. Bulk Gift Cards keeps the codes indefinitely and lets you search and reveal any one of them later, which is what you want the first time a customer emails saying they lost their card.
Where Datora is ahead
Track record. Eleven reviews at 4.3 is eleven more than we have, and an app that has been in the store for years has been through more edge cases than a July 2026 listing.
Price at the entry tier. $9.95 for 750 cards a month is genuinely cheap if generation is all you need.
Job presets and duplicate jobs are a nice touch for stores running the same campaign quarterly.
Which to install
Pick Datora if every card in a batch has the same value, you never need to import existing codes, you sell in one currency, and $9.95 versus $49 is the deciding factor.
Pick Bulk Gift Cards if any row differs from any other row, if you are migrating from another platform, if you sell in multiple currencies, or if you want the codes to still be there in six months.
Both create native Shopify gift cards. Neither locks you in, and cards created by one keep working if you uninstall it.
Frequently asked questions
Can Datora import a CSV of gift cards?
No. Datora generates gift cards from a job definition (quantity and amount) and lets you download the resulting codes as CSV. It does not accept a CSV as input, so it cannot create cards with different values per row or import codes from another platform.
Can I migrate existing gift cards to Shopify with Datora?
No. Migration requires creating a card with a code you specify, and Datora only generates new codes. For a migration off Square, Toast, Lightspeed or Clover you need Bulk Gift Cards, BatchCard, Gift Card Factory or BluePeacock.
Is Datora's free plan usable?
For a one-time test, yes: 50 cards total, one running job. The catch is that the CSV download expires after one day on the free plan. Miss that window and the codes are gone, because Shopify only stores the last four characters of a gift card code after creation.
What do Datora's reviews say?
It holds a 4.3 rating across 11 reviews. The one-star review, edited over several months in 2025, reports jobs stuck 'pending for weeks' that could not be deleted, and no response from the developer even after Shopify tried to make contact. Worth weighing against the app's longer track record.
Is Datora cheaper?
At entry level, yes: $9.95 a month for 750 cards against $49 a month unlimited. For unlimited volume Datora is $99.95 a month, which is more than double Bulk Gift Cards Pro.
Try Bulk Gift Cards on your store today.
Free tier on every app. No credit card to install.