I help Shopify and Shopify Plus brands increase revenue by fixing the highest-leverage parts of the funnel. Product pages, cart experience, checkout flow (within platform limits), site speed, and UX. Why clients work with me: I’m not “design-only” or “dev-only.” I combine CRO analysis, UI/UX design, and performance-first implementation - so changes aren’t just “prettier.” They ship cleanly, load fast, and can be measured in GA4. My approach: Audit → prioritized roadmap → implementation → measurement Core services: CRO & UX audits (GA4 funnels, heatmaps, session recordings) PDP/collection/cart optimization (conversion + theme architecture) Speed & Core Web Vitals improvements (render-blocking cleanup, image strategy, JS reduction) Custom theme development (Figma → Shopify, modular Liquid/JSON) Shopify migrations (staged rollout, SEO preservation, QA + rollback plan) Technical stack: Shopify/Shopify Plus, Liquid, Hydrogen, JavaScript (ES6+), GA4, A/B testing tools, Figma. No page-builder bloat. No app stacking. No fragile workarounds - just clean code your team can maintain. Send your store URL + goals — I’ll reply with the highest-impact opportunities and the key risks to address first.
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
Friction Studio — Conversion-Led Shopify Development for Ambitious Brands Friction Studio is not just a Shopify agency — we are strategic partners for DTC and eCommerce brands that want stores built to perform, scale, and convert. We don’t simply deliver a website; we engineer Shopify systems that elevate revenue, reduce friction, and strengthen customer experience. We help established and scaling brands unlock higher growth by combining conversion-driven design with robust Shopify engineering. Our focus is simple: high-impact UX, scalable development, and business outcomes that matter. How We Help You Grow: Custom Shopify & Shopify Plus Builds — Premium, performance-focused stores designed for long-term scalability. Conversion-Focused Redesigns — Strategic UX and merchandising upgrades that increase conversion rates and AOV. Platform Migrations to Shopify — Seamless transitions from legacy systems without data loss or SEO setbacks. Performance & Speed Optimization — Technical tuning to improve user experience and search performance. Landing Page & CRO Systems — Revenue-driven landing pages and CRO experimentation for paid acquisition and retention. We take a systems-first approach, aligning design, development, analytics, and conversion strategy so every touchpoint drives measurable results. Why Brands Choose Friction Studio: We operate as long-term growth partners, never one-off vendors. We’re obsessed with clean code, fast experiences, and friction-less buying journeys that turn visitors into loyal customers. Our work isn’t just technically sound, it’s commercially intelligent. From advanced integrations to retention-driven experiences, we build Shopify solutions that strengthen both brand perception and bottom-line performance.
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I help e-commerce brands unlock growth, turn attention into action, and transform traffic into meaningful, measurable revenue. For over 5 years, I’ve been passionately focused on conversion optimization and Shopify development, working closely with teams to identify friction points, remove hesitation, and create clear, confident paths to purchase. I don’t just analyze data, I turn insights into impactful improvements that consistently move core KPIs. I’ve partnered with brands across fashion, home, lifestyle, and multiple DTC verticals, delivering strong, repeatable gains in add-to-cart rates, checkout conversion, revenue per session, and full-funnel performance, on average 5-10% improvement. What motivates my work is understanding the real reasons behind user behavior and turning those insights into sustainable, long-term growth. I am now looking to bring this expertise to a dedicated team in a full-time capacity. My approach combines robust quantitative analysis with deep qualitative research, blending GA4, heatmaps, session recordings, and user audits with clear experimentation roadmaps and disciplined A/B testing. This balance allows me to drive reliable results because lasting growth comes from intentional experimentation, thoughtful UX, and confident, data-backed decisions.
Always Open Commerce (AOC) is a Shopify focused Free-Agency and BigCommerce for established brands that need reliable execution and measurable growth. We handle end-to-end builds, redesigns, and platform migrations, plus ongoing optimization and support. Our team is structured by specialty, not generalists: Shopify developers, UX/UI designers, CRO specialists, technical SEO, paid media, content, and data/catalog specialists. This allows us to diagnose issues quickly and actually implement fixes, not just provide recommendations. Core services: Shopify theme builds, redesigns, and performance improvements Migrations from Magento, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and legacy platforms with SEO-safe redirects and data validation CRO and UX optimization (navigation, collection architecture, PDP systems, cart/checkout improvements) Technical SEO and analytics setup (GA4, Search Console, tracking) Product data management and catalog scaling (attributes, filters, rules, feeds) Tech stack and tools: Shopify (Online Store 2.0, Liquid), GA4, Google Tag Manager, Search Console, Hotjar, Figma, and common eCommerce apps and integrations depending on the project. We work best with teams that want a long-term partner, clear communication, and disciplined delivery, especially for technically complex catalogs, B2B and industrial eCommerce, and brands that care about UX and conversion performance. Built like an agency, priced like a freelancer.
We are a UK-based Shopify agency working with ecommerce brands, retailers and B2B operators that need structure, not just speed. As a Shopify Partner, we support scaling teams launching, rebuilding or restructuring on Shopify with commercial discipline from day one.
At OnlyGrowth, we help Shopify and Shopify Plus brands grow through strategic website design and development. We partner with brands to plan, design, and develop high-performing ecommerce experiences, including full website redesigns, custom Shopify theme development, and conversion-focused landing pages built to support acquisition, retention, and long-term customer value. While our core offering is web design and development, we bring a deep growth background to every project. We analyze customer behavior, heatmaps, and data to identify friction points, uncover opportunities, and continuously improve how shoppers move through the store.
Logo Media is a Shopify-focused development agency with 15+ years of experience helping DTC and e-commerce brands build, optimize, and scale their online stores. We've partnered with 200+ brands — including Chubbies, Alo Yoga, and Krave Beauty — generating over $680M in client revenue with an average 25%+ improvement in conversion rates. Our team specializes in custom Shopify theme development (Horizons, Prestige, Impact, Skeleton), complex migrations (WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce → Shopify), CRO strategy, Shopify Plus builds, and third-party app integrations. We also handle B2B/wholesale setups, Shopify Collective configurations, and headless/Hydrogen builds for brands that need performance at scale. Tech stack: Shopify Liquid, Hydrogen/Remix, JavaScript, Node.js, Tailwind CSS, Figma, ClickUp, Vercel, and a growing suite of AI-powered development tooling. We work across the full project lifecycle — from discovery and design to launch and ongoing optimization — and bring a data-driven, partnership-first approach to every engagement.
I've been a Shopify developer for nearly 15 years. I've grown with the platform and have handled some amazing clients and projects. I'm a full-stack developer and have the skillset to handle any issue; or help you plan and grow.
Looking for a Shopify store that doesn't just look great, but actually converts? You're in the right place. I'm Marwane, a Top Rated Shopify Developer and Designer with a 100% Job Success Score on Upwork. I specialise in building conversion-optimised Shopify stores for DTC brands, e-commerce startups, and established businesses ready to scale online. What I bring to the table: - Custom Shopify store design & development (from scratch or theme-based) - High-converting landing pages & product pages (Replo, Shopify 2.0, Liquid) - Shopify theme customisation & redesigns Mobile-first, responsive design that looks flawless on every device - CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) strategies baked into every build - SEO-friendly architecture to help your store rank and get found - Shopify Plus experience for scaling brands
Oakreativ is a growth-focused Shopify agency based in New Zealand. Serving a diverse clientele across the globe, from Germany to Australia, Oakreativ is your go-to destination for expert Shopify development.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.