A Hextom Bulk Product Edit alternative for fixing product categories (2026)
Hextom: Bulk Product Edit is one of the longest-running bulk editors on the Shopify App Store. It applies a change you have already decided on across thousands of products. TaxonomyForge does an earlier job: working out which category, product type and attributes each product should have. Here is an honest look at both, including when you need neither.
What Hextom Bulk Product Edit does well
Its App Store listing describes a bulk editor for products, collections, customers, metafields and orders, with CSV import and export. It covers prices, SKUs and barcodes, tags, descriptions, inventory, images and metafields. Paid plans add scheduled tasks, and every plan keeps a backup so you can revert an edit. The listing shows a 4.9 rating from 1,160 reviews and a launch date of October 2015.
It can set product categories too. Hextom's help center explains that you pick "update product category" and enter the Shopify ID of the category, or upload a CSV with a column of category IDs. Product type is free text, so you type the value you want.
Where the two differ
To set categories with a bulk editor, you look up the category ID for each group of products yourself. Hextom's help center also says the app has no dedicated feature for creating or managing category metafields, and describes a workaround through metaobjects.
TaxonomyForge scans your catalog for products with missing categories, blank or generic product types (such as "Misc") and empty attributes. For each one it proposes:
- a Shopify Standard Product Taxonomy category, with a confidence score
- a cleaner product type
- attribute metafields such as material, color, style and occasion, drawn from your own product copy
Nothing is applied until you approve it. You review each change as a before and after, one by one or in bulk, and you can select all high-confidence matches in one click. Every change is audit-logged.
That is all TaxonomyForge does. It does not edit prices, inventory, tags, descriptions, orders or customers, and it does not import CSV files or schedule edits.
Side by side
| TaxonomyForge | Hextom: Bulk Product Edit | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Find and fill missing categories, types and attributes | Bulk edit almost any store data |
| Finds products with gaps for you | Yes, by scanning the catalog | You build the filter |
| Proposes a category per product | Yes, with a confidence score | No, you enter the category ID |
| Category attributes | Proposes attribute metafields from your copy | No dedicated feature, metaobject workaround |
| Approval before changes apply | Yes, one by one or in bulk | You preview and run the task |
| Prices, inventory, tags, orders, customers | No | Yes |
| CSV import and export, scheduled tasks | No | Yes |
| Free plan | No, 14-day free trial | Yes, 10 products per task |
| Paid plans | $19, $49, $99 per month | $9.99, $19.99, $49.99 per month |
When Hextom Bulk Product Edit is the better choice
Choose Hextom if your work goes beyond categories: price changes, sale scheduling, tag cleanup, inventory updates, or CSV imports. It handles far more kinds of edits, it costs less, and it has a free plan.
Also check Shopify's own admin before paying for either app. Shopify's help center says the admin generates an AI-powered category suggestion from a product's name, description and images, and adds relevant category metafields when you accept it. Its built-in bulk editor has a Product category column, so you can set categories for many products at once. Both are included in your Shopify admin. For a small catalog, that is probably all you need.
TaxonomyForge fits when the gaps are spread across a large catalog and you want proposals for category, type and attributes gathered into one review queue.
Pricing
TaxonomyForge costs $19 (Starter), $49 (Growth) or $99 (Pro) per month, each with a 14-day free trial.
As of October 2026, Hextom's listing shows a free Demo plan (10 products per task), Basic at $9.99 per month (500 products per task), Professional at $19.99 per month (5,000 products per task, 10 active scheduled tasks) and Advanced at $49.99 per month (50,000 products per task, 100 active scheduled tasks). Confirm current prices on the vendor's listing before you decide.
FAQ
Can Hextom Bulk Product Edit set Shopify product categories?
Yes. Hextom's help center describes an "update product category" bulk edit and a CSV option. In both cases you supply the Shopify ID of the category you want.
Does Shopify suggest product categories for free?
Shopify's help center says the admin generates an AI-powered category suggestion from a product's name, description and images, and that you can change categories for many products at once in the built-in bulk editor. Both are part of your Shopify admin, so try them first.
How much does TaxonomyForge cost?
TaxonomyForge has three plans: Starter at $19 per month, Growth at $49 per month and Pro at $99 per month. Each plan has a 14-day free trial.
Can I use TaxonomyForge and a bulk editor together?
Yes. They do different jobs. TaxonomyForge proposes categories, product types and attributes for you to approve. A bulk editor handles prices, tags, inventory and other edits that TaxonomyForge does not touch.
TaxonomyForge is live on the Shopify App Store. See TaxonomyForge →
*Hextom is a trademark of Hextom Inc., referenced for comparison only. Pricing and review figures reflect each app's Shopify App Store listing as of October 2026. Confirm current figures on each vendor's site.*