Shopify Custom Theme Development Experts

Most Shopify stores run on a Theme Store theme, and most of them should. A custom build starts to make sense when the theme is working against you: product types it can't display well, a design system it can't hold, or years of patches that break with every update.

Shopify custom theme development means building a theme around your catalogue and designs, usually from a Figma file, on Online Store 2.0 (Shopify's current theme architecture, where every page is made of editable sections). The finished theme should let your team change layouts and content in the theme editor without calling a developer.

It is not adjusting the theme you already have; that is theme customisation, a far smaller job. Nor is it the visual design itself. A designer produces the files, and the developer turns them into a working theme.

Compare portfolios and starting prices below, and ask each developer for a live store they built from someone else's designs.

Top-rated Shopify custom theme developers and studios

Codersy

AgencyBelgrade, SerbiaFrom $500

5.00(22 reviews)

shopexpertsscore

Codersy is a Shopify focused agency that designs and builds high converting storefronts for growing brands. With 300+ projects delivered, we specialise in Shopify and Shopify Plus, custom theme development, and performance first builds that feel pixel perfect on every device. We also handle complex integrations and custom apps when off the shelf solutions fall short. Expect clear communication, disciplined QA, and an owner ready handover so your store stays fast, stable, and easy to evolve long term.

Offered services

Shopify Development

Store Setup & Management

Design, UX & Branding

View Profile Get a Free Quote

Shinetech Software

AgencyBeijing, ChinaFrom $40

5.00(5 reviews)

shopexpertsscore

Shinetech Shopidev is the dedicated Shopify development team within Shinetech Software. We specialize in building, customizing, and scaling Shopify stores for growing brands and enterprise merchants. As a Shopify Partner, our team combines deep technical expertise with proven delivery processes to provide reliable, long term ecommerce solutions.

Offered services

Shopify Development

Store Setup & Management

View Profile Get a Free Quote

Let us match you with the right Shopify expert for your needs.

Share your project details, and we'll handpick the best matches from our Shopify expert directory.

Let us Match You

Vigeo Studio

AgencyBratislava, SlovakiaFrom $100

5.00(3 reviews)

shopexpertsscore

We specialize in custom development and end-to-end technical support for Shopify merchants, from daily store maintenance to complex custom engineering. We bridge the gap between simple design and advanced functionality. Our Technical Expertise We deploy a robust tech stack to build scalable, high-performing solutions: Frontend: Liquid, JavaScript (React/Vue), HTML5, and CSS3. Backend & Integrations: Node.js and PHP for custom apps and API connections. Low-Code Solutions: We have a dedicated team trained specifically in GemPages for rapid, high-converting landing page builds. How We Help Custom Development: Our senior developers write clean, bespoke code for features that off-the-shelf themes can’t handle. Store Health & Maintenance: Ongoing site audits, speed optimization, and technical troubleshooting. Operational Support: Expert assistance with product uploads, catalog management, and content updates. Whether you need a quick GemPages layout or a complex custom-coded integration, we provide reliable, growth-oriented solutions tailored to your brand.

Offered services

Shopify Development

Store Setup & Management

Technical Support & Maintenance

Design, UX & Branding

View Profile Get a Free Quote

Matteo Gavin

Theme DeveloperRome, ItalyFrom $65

5.00(26 reviews)

shopexpertsscore

Hi, I’m Matteo, a Shopify Expert and Web Designer specialized in building, optimizing, and scaling high-performance eCommerce experiences. I’ve worked extensively with Shopify for several years, helping medium and large businesses design, develop, and grow their online stores with a strong focus on UX, performance, and conversion rate optimization. I’m currently ranked among the Top 10 Shopify Experts in Italy, and I collaborate daily with brands that need more than just a “nice-looking” store, they need a platform that truly supports their business goals. My experience covers: Custom Shopify theme development Advanced theme customization and UI/UX optimization Shopify app integrations and API-based solutions Store migrations and complex setups (B2C, B2B, multi-market) Ongoing optimization, performance improvements, and CRO

Offered services

Shopify Development

Store Setup & Management

Training, Coaching & Support

View Profile Get a Free Quote

Godspower Oboido

Theme DeveloperWashington, United StatesFrom $80

Not yet rated

shopexpertsscore

I build Shopify stores that survive $1M+ sales days, high-traffic launches, and zero-downtime requirements. Senior Shopify Developer with 8+ years of experience building, scaling, and operating high-traffic Shopify storefronts for sports, entertainment, and hospitality brands. I’ve worked on Shopify ecommerce systems for organizations including Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Michigan State Football, OKC Thunder, Call of Duty, Four Seasons Hospitality, Coco5, Forme, and others — supporting $1M+ single-day sales, $500K+ launch days, and enterprise-scale inventories exceeding $60B across North America. My expertise spans Shopify 2.0 theme builds, advanced customizations, custom app development, and performance optimization for stores where downtime, slow checkout, or failed launches are not acceptable. I also run and operate my own Shopify store, which means every engagement is approached with an operator’s mindset — prioritizing conversion, scalability, clean architecture, and long-term maintainability over shortcuts or quick fixes. Best suited for brands doing real volume — or preparing for it.

Offered services

Shopify Development

Store Setup & Management

View Profile Get a Free Quote

EcomGraduates

AgencyWashington, United StatesFrom $250

5.00(108 reviews)

shopexpertsscore

EcomGraduates LLC is a boutique Shopify development agency specializing in custom Shopify themes, high-performance storefronts, and conversion-focused eCommerce solutions. Founded by Glen and Ellie in 2020, we combine deep technical expertise with strategic design to help brands grow online, from startups to established businesses. Our services include custom theme development, advanced Shopify customization, site audits, speed optimization, and ongoing store management. Trusted by over 1,200 store owners and rated 5★ for quality and communication, EcomGraduates builds scalable, brand-forward Shopify experiences that drive sales and improve user engagement.

Offered services

Shopify Development

Store Setup & Management

Copywriting & Content

View Profile Get a Free Quote

Braun Design Co

AgencyAustin, United StatesFrom $500

4.95(5 reviews)

shopexpertsscore

Braun Design Co | Boutique Shopify Plus Partner | Austin, TX | Since 2016 We build and maintain custom Shopify stores for brands that want a real partner, not a revolving door of junior devs and project managers. With 10 years focused exclusively on Shopify, we specialize in custom builds, platform migrations (Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce to Shopify and Shopify Plus), and long-term development partnerships for brands in wellness, sports & lifestyle, food, jewelry, and consumer products. Clients we've built for: KT Tape · Baby Trend · Derma E · Saalt · 1928 Jewelry · Gossamer Gear · Urban Body Jewelry · Post & Porch · Dorai · New Canaan Farms · The Symphony Store What we do: Custom Shopify and Shopify Plus builds Platform migrations with zero-downtime planning and SEO preservation AI search optimization (AEO, also called AISO) with schema markup and structured data for AI-driven product discovery Agentic Storefront configuration and MCP integration for AI shopping assistants Conversion rate optimization (CRO) and UX/UI improvements Site speed and performance optimization (Core Web Vitals, LCP, CLS) ADA and WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility audits and remediation SEO audits and on-site optimization Checkout optimization and Shopify Checkout Extensibility Third-party app integrations and custom development Analytics, tracking, and attribution setup Ongoing monthly maintenance, content updates, and feature additions Why brands stick with us: Our average client relationship spans 5+ years. Our longest-running retainer client has been with us since 2019 with monthly development, maintenance, and strategic support. That's not a transaction. That's a partnership. You work directly with our core team. We know Shopify and we know your business. No revolving door of freelancers. We don't just build stores. We optimize them. From improving page speed and Core Web Vitals scores to CRO testing and making sure your site is accessible to every customer, we take post-launch performance just as seriously as the initial build. If your current agency feels like a black box, or you're tired of explaining your business from scratch every time you need something done, we're the alternative.

Offered services

Shopify Development

Store Setup & Management

View Profile Get a Free Quote

Tim Fowler

Theme DeveloperLondon, United KingdomFrom $100

Not yet rated

shopexpertsscore

Shopify developer with 8 years of hands-on experience building, migrating, and maintaining stores across industries including beauty, logistics, and lifestyle brands. I specialise in full theme builds from Figma designs, Online Store 2.0 development, complex migrations, subscription implementations, and international market expansions. I work with agencies and private clients, handling everything from quick fixes to full rebuilds. I'm based in Thailand (GMT+7) and work async-first, with availability for calls during EU/UK hours and early US timezones.

Offered services

Shopify Development

Technical Support & Maintenance

Store Setup & Management

View Profile Get a Free Quote

Jessica Romero

Conversion-Focused DesignerWashington, United StatesFrom $1500

Not yet rated

shopexpertsscore

With over 10 years of experience with Shopify and Klaviyo, I help established women-led brands with strategic Shopify design, Klaviyo email marketing automation setups, and ongoing eCommerce marketing support to help their online business grow organically and sustainably. My most recent Shopify projects include: splatterandbloom.com harrysfamous.com convictionco.com theurbanharvest.com

Offered services

Shopify Development

Store Setup & Management

Marketing & Growth

Training, Coaching & Support

View Profile Get a Free Quote

Dmytro Spravko

Shopify Plus EngineerWashington, United StatesFrom $80

5.00(1 reviews)

shopexpertsscore

With over 8 years of hands-on experience, I've helped more than 250 businesses—ranging from ambitious startups to powerhouse brands generating 9-figure revenues—achieve exceptional results on Shopify. I offer end-to-end solutions designed to accelerate growth, enhance performance, and unlock your eCommerce store’s full potential. Here’s what I bring to the table: 1. Custom Shopify Design & Theme Development Visually striking, conversion-focused designs tailored to your brand and built for an exceptional user experience. 2. Shopify Development & App Integration From integrating third-party tools to building custom public and private apps, I develop scalable solutions that align with your unique business needs. 3. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) & UX Strategy Data-driven UX improvements and CRO tactics that turn traffic into paying customers. 4. Advanced Shopify API & Custom Coding Building powerful, bespoke features using Shopify's API and advanced code implementations to streamline operations and drive innovation. 5. Site Speed Optimization Faster load times for better user satisfaction and stronger search engine rankings. 6. Technical SEO Optimization Modern SEO techniques that increase visibility, improve indexing, and drive high-quality organic traffic. 7. Ongoing Store Maintenance & Data Management Reliable support to keep your store secure, optimized, and always running at peak performance. I go beyond simply building Shopify stores—I create strategic, performance-optimized experiences that boost sales and customer lifetime value. Combining deep technical know-how with a sharp understanding of buyer behavior, I help transform your Shopify site into a high-performing revenue engine. Ready to scale your Shopify success? Let’s talk about how I can help grow your brand through tailored solutions and smart eCommerce strategy. Contact me today for a consultation!

Offered services

Shopify Development

Store Setup & Management

Design, UX & Branding

Technical Support & Maintenance

View Profile Get a Free Quote

Load More Experts

How to hire a custom theme developer for Shopify

Custom Shopify theme development quotes are hard to compare, because each developer prices their own reading of the same design file. Remove the guesswork before you ask for numbers.

Finish the designs before you request quotes. Desktop and mobile layouts for the home page, a collection page, a product page, the cart and one content page give a developer something concrete to price. Unfinished designs get quoted as if the developer will fill the gaps, and they will, at build rates.

Ask for a Figma to Shopify build, not a portfolio. Plenty of attractive portfolio stores started as a purchased theme with new colours. Ask which projects began from another team's design file, then open those live stores on a phone and click through to checkout.

Look at the theme editor, not just the storefront. A good custom theme gives your team sections and blocks with sensible settings: a banner with image, heading and button fields, not a hard-coded image that needs a developer to change the text. Ask for a screen share of the editor on a past build.

Agree a performance target in writing. Custom code can be lean or bloated depending on the developer's habits. Ask how they'll measure Core Web Vitals, Google's scores for loading (LCP), responsiveness (INP) and layout stability (CLS), on product and collection templates before launch.

Red flags in a theme quote. No line for testing across devices and browsers. A private starter theme the developer won't let you see. Silence on accessibility, which is cheaper to build in than to retrofit. And any plan to edit a purchased theme's core files while calling the result custom.

When is Shopify theme development from scratch worth it?

A premium Theme Store theme costs $180–$500, once. A bespoke build costs $5,000–$30,000, and every future fix is yours to fund. That gap needs a specific reason.

Build from scratch when your products don't fit a standard product page (made-to-measure clothing, configurable furniture, kits assembled from many parts), your merchandising depends on layouts no theme offers, or you run a design system across other channels and every theme needs its styles overridden line by line. A theme buried under years of patches from different freelancers is often cheaper to replace than to keep repairing.

Extend a premium theme when the problem is one or two templates. Custom sections at $600–$3,000 each leave the rest of the theme intact, and updates stay manageable as long as the new code lives in its own section files. Most stores belong here — and a good developer will tell you so.

Either way, the handover decides whether you own the theme. Ask for:

- A Git repository in your company's account, connected through Shopify's GitHub integration or a documented deploy process

- Section and block schema (the settings definitions behind each section) with every setting labelled in plain language

- Short written documentation: what each section does and what not to touch

- An update path: who fixes the theme when Shopify changes something, and at what rate

How much does a custom Shopify theme cost?

Two typical market ranges for a build from approved designs, plus the entry prices developers list on shopexperts.

Full custom theme

$5,000 – $30,000

Bespoke build from approved designs

Custom sections

$600 – $3,000

Per section, with editor settings

Starting prices on shopexperts

$40 – $10,000

Median $475 across 82 developers

Template count moves the price most. Five templates and a dozen sections sit near the bottom of the full-build range; product configurators, several collection layouts, multiple languages and a large section library push toward the top. Theme and Liquid developers (Liquid is Shopify's templating language) typically charge $60–$150 an hour.

Every one of the 82 custom theme developers on shopexperts published a starting price in September 2026, and their $475 median sits below even the custom sections tile. Use it to spot who takes small theme jobs, and budget a full build against the market ranges.

Quotes compare fairly only on finished designs, so send approved desktop and mobile files with your request.

What goes into a custom theme build?

Most custom theme projects combine several of these:

Figma to Shopify builds

Approved designs turned into templates, sections and styles

Section and block libraries

Reusable sections with settings your team edits in the theme editor

Complex product pages

Configurators, variant logic and specs fed from metafields

Theme rebuilds

A heavily patched theme replaced with clean, documented code

Performance and accessibility

Fast templates and keyboard-friendly markup from the first commit

Handover and upkeep

Git repository, documentation and an agreed update path

Frequently asked questions about Shopify custom theme development

How long does a custom Shopify theme take to build?

Most builds from approved designs take 4 to 12 weeks. The spread comes from template count, how many custom product features are involved, and how quickly your team signs off each stage. Content entry and app setup are often left out of the estimate, so ask whether the developer is loading products and pages or handing over an empty theme. Rushing usually means cutting device testing, which is where launch-week bugs come from.

How does a Figma to Shopify build work?

The developer breaks the design into templates, sections and blocks, decides which elements your team should be able to edit, and builds each one in Liquid. Expect questions about states the designer didn't draw: empty collections, long product titles, sold-out variants, error messages. A Figma file that includes those states produces a cheaper, faster build. Pixel-perfect matching at every screen size is possible but costs extra, so agree which breakpoints matter.

Will a bespoke Shopify theme be faster than a premium theme?

Not automatically. A custom theme can drop features you don't use, which helps, but speed depends as much on image handling, fonts, third-party scripts and the apps you install afterwards. A careless custom build can be slower than a well-made Theme Store theme. Put a Core Web Vitals target in the contract and test the product page with your real apps installed, not an empty demo store.

Freelancer or agency for a custom theme build?

Both are well represented. In September 2026, the 82 custom theme developers on shopexperts included 43 freelancers and 39 agencies, with 20 in the US, 14 in the UK and 7 in Canada. A freelancer suits finished designs and a contained scope. An agency suits projects that also need design, copy, migration or project management, and gives you continuity if one person leaves.

Can we edit a Shopify custom theme ourselves after launch?

Yes, if it was built properly. Text, images, section order and most layout choices should be editable in the theme editor with no code. New section types, logic changes and anything that touches Liquid still need a developer, so many stores keep a small retainer or book a theme customisation specialist for later changes. Ask the developer to walk your team through the editor before final payment.

Do we need Shopify Plus for a custom theme?

No. Custom themes work on every Shopify plan. Checkout is the exception, because it sits outside the theme entirely: you set its colours, fonts and logo in Shopify's checkout editor, and custom blocks inside the checkout steps are built as app extensions rather than theme code, which on those steps requires Plus. A theme developer who promises a fully custom checkout on a non-Plus store is describing something the platform doesn't allow.