MBA vs Boost AI Search & Discovery
A polished, Shopify-native AI search, filtering, and merchandising suite that layers AI bundles and personalized recommendations on top of best-in-class storefront discovery.
When MBA wins
If you want explainable co-purchase intelligence (support/confidence/lift you can inspect and tune), real-SKU bundle formats, B2B-aware mining and reorder-prediction data, agent/API access, or the same recommendation engine across Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento, and OroCommerce, MarketBasketAnalysis wins.
When Boost AI Search & Discovery wins
If you are Shopify-only and your primary need is a fast, deeply-integrated on-site search, faceted filtering, and visual merchandising experience (with AI bundles as a bonus), Boost is a mature, highly-rated, purpose-built choice.
Feature comparison
Color-striped rows favor MBA, Boost AI Search & Discovery, or are even. We mark each so you can scan for the trade-offs that matter to you.
| Feature | MBA | Boost AI Search & Discovery |
|---|---|---|
| Core focus | Explainable co-purchase mining and recommendations/bundles across the store; discovery via API and storefront widgets. | On-site AI search, faceted filtering, and merchandising first; AI bundles and recommendations as add-on discovery features. |
| On-site search and faceted filtering | Not a search/filter product; focuses on recommendation, bundle, and co-purchase intelligence rather than storefront search UI. | Best-in-class typo-tolerant AI search, advanced filters by tag/metafield/variant, instant results, Built for Shopify. |
| Recommendation transparency | Explainable rules from six engines (sql_pairs, fp_growth, seasonal_cohort, return_aware, profit-aware HUI, ai_catalog cold-start), plus a co_occurrence fallback emitting support/confidence/lift, inspectable and tunable in-admin. | AI/ML sub-models (Alternative, Complementary, combined); recommendations are effective but opaque, with no inspectable support/confidence/lift rules. |
| Bundle types | Real-SKU bundles with multiple formats (BYOB, volume, BOGO, virtual), substitutions, and post-purchase upsell. | AI-generated and embedded predictive bundles aimed at lifting AOV; fewer explicit bundle formats and merchant-defined SKU controls. |
| Platform coverage | Same intelligence across Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento, and OroCommerce on one API contract. | Shopify only. |
| Agent and API access | Public REST API plus a 19-tool MCP server (18 off Shopify) and ACP/agentic-commerce endpoints for agent-native commerce. | Built primarily as a Shopify storefront/admin app; no comparable public agent/MCP API surface advertised. |
| B2B and wholesale | B2B-aware mining on OroCommerce (per-organization context, cross-store insights), reorder-prediction data through the REST API, and a recommendation API for building custom B2B flows. | B2B wholesale features available on higher tiers (Convert and up), integrated with Shopify B2B. |
| Personalization and merchandising | Recommendations, substitutions, cart drawer, A/B testing with lift/CI, and Klaviyo/email recs. | AI-personalized search, recommendations, and bundles plus visual merchandising (pin/boost/reorder) and promotional banners on higher tiers. |
| Pricing model | Flat transparent pricing: free $0 tier, Plus $99/mo (or ~$79/mo on annual), no GMV or revenue-share. | GMV-tiered subscription that scales with store revenue (up to ~$699-$1,499/mo at higher GMV); 21-day trial, no permanent free plan. |
Pricing snapshot
MarketBasketAnalysis
Flat, transparent plan pricing: Free ($0) and Plus $99/mo flat (or ~$79/mo on annual). One paid plan, everything in it. These are product plans, not per-platform prices, and the same plans apply across every platform. Metered on capability and compute, never on GMV. No revenue share, no add-ons.
See plansBoost AI Search & Discovery
GMV-tiered subscription, Shopify-only. Launch from $29/mo (up to ~$159/mo), Convert from $239-$299/mo, Accelerate from $399/mo (scaling to ~$699-$1,499/mo at higher GMV), plus custom Enterprise. 21-day free trial, no permanent free plan; price rises with store revenue.
Visit Boost AI Search & DiscoveryThe honest verdict
Boost is a mature, highly-rated (4.7 from 1,500+ reviews), Built for Shopify search-and-discovery suite; if storefront search, filtering, and merchandising are your priority and you are Shopify-only, it is genuinely strong and we will not out-search it.
MarketBasketAnalysis is a different product: explainable co-purchase mining (support/confidence/lift you can inspect) and real-SKU bundle formats, not a search/filter UI, so the two can even be complementary.
Choose MBA if you run multiple platforms (Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento, OroCommerce) and want one recommendation engine and API contract instead of a Shopify-only app.
MBA fits merchants who need agent/API access (REST + MCP + agentic-commerce), B2B-aware mining on OroCommerce, and on-store/first-party privacy with bring-your-own-key AI.
On cost, MBA is flat and transparent (free $0 tier, $99 Plus) with no GMV or revenue-share, while Boost's price climbs with your GMV; high-revenue stores will pay materially more with Boost.
Want the full buyer's deep-dive?
This page is the per-vendor short version. For the long version, read “MBA vs Bloomreach” (8 pages on the enterprise-vs-mid-market trade-off) or “MBA vs the widget cluster” (4 pages of pricing math vs Glood, Rebuy, and PickyStory).
Try MBA on your own store
14-day money-back guarantee on all paid platforms. WP.org free tier on WooCommerce. No credit card required for the free path.