Best Bubble.io plugins in 2026
Short answer: The Bubble.io plugins we install most on client projects are Stripe for payments, SendGrid for email, ApexCharts for dashboards and PDF Conjurer for documents; together they cover about 90% of what a typical SaaS MVP needs beyond Bubble's native features. Before adding any plugin, check its last update date, read the negative reviews and prefer official plugins.
After 150+ Bubble.io projects, we've tried a lot of plugins. Most are average. Some are essential. This list covers only the plugins we actually use on real client projects — not a dump of the entire plugin marketplace.
All 10 plugins at a glance
| Plugin | Category | Use it for | Built by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe by Stripe | Payments | One-time payments, subscriptions, invoices | Stripe (official) |
| PayPal Checkout | Payments | Markets where PayPal is preferred | Third party |
| Google Maps by Bubble | Maps | Markers, routes, address autocomplete | Bubble (official) |
| Cloudinary | Files | Image upload, transformation, CDN delivery | Third party |
| PDF Conjurer | Files | Invoices, reports, certificates as PDF | Third party |
| ApexCharts | Charts | Dashboards and analytics | Third party |
| OpenAI by Bubble | AI | Text generation, classification, embeddings | Bubble (official) |
| SendGrid | Transactional email at scale | Third party | |
| Rich Text Editor (Quill) | UI | Formatted notes, articles, messages | Third party |
| Draggable Elements | UI | Kanban boards, sortable lists | Third party |
Payments
The official Stripe plugin. Handles one-time payments, subscriptions, invoices and customer management. The most reliable payment plugin in the ecosystem — we use it on every project that needs billing.
For projects targeting markets where PayPal is preferred. Works alongside Stripe without conflict.
Maps & Location
The built-in Google Maps integration. Markers, routes, address autocomplete and geolocation. Essential for any marketplace or location-based app.
File Management
Image upload, transformation and CDN delivery. If your app handles profile photos, product images or any media, Cloudinary is far more powerful than Bubble.io's built-in file storage for image-heavy apps.
Generate PDFs from Bubble.io data — invoices, reports, certificates. We use this on every project that needs document generation.
Charts & Data Visualization
Beautiful, responsive charts — line, bar, pie, area and more. Connects directly to Bubble.io data. Our go-to for any dashboard with analytics.
AI & Automation
The official OpenAI plugin. Text generation, classification, embeddings — connect GPT-4 to your Bubble.io workflows without writing API code. We use this increasingly on SaaS products with AI features.
Transactional emails at scale. More reliable than Bubble.io's built-in email for production apps with thousands of users receiving notifications daily.
UI & Interactions
A proper text editor inside Bubble.io. For apps where users need to write formatted content — notes, articles, messages.
Drag-and-drop interactions. We use this for kanban boards, sortable lists and visual builders inside client apps.
How to choose the right plugins for your project
The plugin marketplace has thousands of plugins, and the quality varies enormously. After installing and testing hundreds of them across client projects, we've developed a simple evaluation framework before adding any plugin to a production app.
Check the last update date first. Bubble.io evolves constantly, and plugins that haven't been updated in over a year often break with platform changes. A plugin last updated two years ago is a liability, no matter how good its reviews are. Plugin breakage is also the most common issue in our Bubble.io maintenance cost breakdown.
Read the negative reviews, not the positive ones. Five-star reviews tell you the plugin works in the happy path. The two-star reviews tell you where it breaks — and whether the developer responds to issues. A plugin with a responsive developer and a few negative reviews is safer than one with perfect ratings and an absent maintainer.
Prefer official plugins where they exist. Stripe by Stripe, Google Maps by Bubble, OpenAI by Bubble — official plugins get priority support when the underlying API changes. Third-party alternatives sometimes offer more features, but they also carry more risk of abandonment.
Count the dependencies. Every plugin you install adds page load weight and a potential point of failure. If you can achieve the same result with Bubble.io's native API Connector and twenty minutes of configuration, that's almost always the better long-term choice. We cover this trade-off in detail when scoping client projects — fewer dependencies means lower maintenance costs over the life of your app.
Plugins and performance: what nobody tells you
Here's something most plugin lists won't mention: plugins are one of the most common causes of slow Bubble.io apps. Each plugin loads its own JavaScript on every page where it's used — and sometimes on every page, period, depending on how it's built.
On a recent client project, we inherited an app with 31 installed plugins. Page load time was over six seconds. After auditing which plugins were actually used in workflows, we removed 19 of them — the app loaded in under two seconds with zero functionality lost. The previous developer had installed plugins to test them and never cleaned up.
Our rule on every project: audit installed plugins quarterly, remove anything unused, and prefer one well-maintained plugin that does three things over three plugins that do one thing each. If your app is already slow, we can review it for free and tell you which plugins to remove.
Common plugin mistakes that cost clients money
- Paying for plugins that duplicate native features — Bubble.io's built-in functionality covers user authentication, file uploads, scheduled workflows and basic charts. We regularly see apps paying monthly for plugins that replicate what the platform does for free.
- Building core business logic inside a plugin — if your app's central feature depends entirely on a third-party plugin, you've created a single point of failure you don't control. Core logic belongs in native workflows; plugins should handle peripheral enhancements.
- Installing before testing in a separate app — some plugins modify global page behavior. Test in a scratch app first, then install in production.
- Ignoring plugin pricing at scale — a $10/month plugin is trivial for an MVP, but some plugins charge per usage. Model the costs at your target user volume before committing your architecture to them.
If you're unsure whether your current plugin stack is helping or hurting, this is exactly the kind of audit we do during a free project review — it usually takes us under an hour to spot the problems.
When to skip plugins entirely: the API Connector
Bubble.io's API Connector is the most underrated feature on the platform — and the reason experienced developers install fewer plugins than beginners, not more.
The API Connector lets you call any REST API directly from your workflows: send data, receive data, authenticate with API keys or OAuth. Anything with a documented API — payment processors, email services, AI models, CRMs, analytics tools — can be integrated without a plugin sitting in between.
The advantages are significant. You control the exact API calls, so nothing breaks when a plugin developer abandons their project. You load zero extra JavaScript. You can use API features the moment they launch, instead of waiting for a plugin update. And you avoid monthly plugin fees for what amounts to a few HTTP requests.
The trade-off is setup time: configuring an API Connector call takes 20–40 minutes the first time versus 5 minutes installing a plugin. For quick prototypes, plugins win. For production apps you'll maintain for years, the API Connector usually wins. On our 8-week MVP builds, we typically use plugins for UI components and the API Connector for all external service integrations — the best of both approaches.
The short list: if you install nothing else
If you're building a typical SaaS MVP, start with these four: Stripe for payments, SendGrid for email, ApexCharts for your dashboard and PDF Conjurer if you need documents. These four cover 90% of what most apps need beyond Bubble.io's native features.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Bubble.io plugins in 2026?
The essential Bubble.io plugins for most projects are: Stripe for payments, SendGrid for transactional email, ApexCharts for dashboards, PDF Conjurer for document generation, Cloudinary for image handling, and the official OpenAI plugin for AI features. These cover roughly 90% of what a typical SaaS app needs beyond Bubble.io's native features.
Do Bubble.io plugins slow down my app?
Yes, they can. Each plugin loads its own JavaScript, and too many plugins is one of the most common causes of slow Bubble.io apps. Best practice is to audit installed plugins quarterly, remove anything unused, and prefer native Bubble.io features or the API Connector over plugins where possible.
Are Bubble.io plugins free?
Many Bubble.io plugins are free, including most official ones like Stripe and Google Maps. Paid plugins typically cost $3–$30 per month or a one-time fee. Watch out for plugins that charge per usage, as costs can scale unexpectedly with your user base.
Co-founder and CEO of Webziper. Since 2019 he has led 150+ Bubble.io projects for founders worldwide, from scoping and estimates to launch and support. LinkedIn →