"Shopify developer" describes at least six specialisms that share a platform and almost nothing else. Hourly rate tells you very little about fit — a strong theme developer given a custom app project delivers something that works and can't be maintained, and a senior backend engineer with no Liquid experience spends paid hours learning your theme.
Six specialisms cover nearly all Shopify development:
- Theme and front-end work — custom theme development, theme customisation, and anything visible on the storefront the editor can't do. On shopexperts, theme customisation packages have a median of $548. The majority of Shopify development sits here.
- App and API development — custom apps for internal workflows, public App Store apps, and API integrations. Custom development and app packages on shopexperts have a median of $1,000 for a defined scope; larger app builds are quoted per project. See Shopify app development.
- Checkout and Plus features — checkout customization, Checkout UI extensions and Shopify Functions development. Most of it needs Shopify Plus: extensions inside the checkout steps and custom Functions are Plus-only, although any plan can brand its checkout and use public apps built on Functions.
- Backend and systems — ERP and backend integrations, connecting Shopify to systems that weren't designed to talk to it. More data modelling than Shopify.
- Headless — Hydrogen and headless commerce development. A genuinely different discipline, and most stores don't need it; a well-optimised theme covers what merchants usually assume requires it.
- Fixing and hardening — bug fixes and troubleshooting, performance and speed optimization, and accessibility compliance. Reactive work, and frequently the right first purchase.
If you can't tell which applies, a short paid scoping engagement costs less than hiring the wrong specialism and discovering it in week three. Compare expert Shopify developers below, or browse the specific service you need.
Shopify expert specializing in speed optimization, theme customization, and troubleshooting. 10+ years of experience and 10,000+ completed projects. I help stores improve performance, fix issues fast, and create clean, conversion-focused experiences.
I fix wholesale operations for coffee roasters and CPG brands on Shopify. Most wholesale runs on customer tags, spreadsheets and email reorders until it stops scaling. I set up proper company accounts with per-account pricing that applies automatically at checkout, real net terms, and a reorder flow your accounts use themselves, so your team stops hand-entering orders. Recent work: a Philadelphia-area coffee roaster moved ~40 wholesale accounts onto company pricing, with automated wholesale-versus-retail delivery rules at checkout. Another roaster runs 240+ wholesale accounts through the system we built. Typical engagement is a wholesale setup on your existing store, then ongoing support as your wholesale grows. I'm not the right fit for one-off theme work or open-ended custom builds.
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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.
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.
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.
ShopiCraft | A Boutique Agency, Founded by a Former Shopify Employee I'm Daniel, and together with my co-founder Daulet, we run ShopiCraft — a boutique Shopify agency focused on solving the technical problems other developers won't touch. I spent years inside Shopify before going independent. Daulet brings 10 years of full-stack development experience from one of Europe's leading energy firms. Together, we help merchants turn their Shopify stores from basic storefronts into reliable revenue machines. We specialize in the technical work that sits between "good enough" and "actually scalable" — the custom apps, integrations, and automations that make your store work the way your business actually needs it to. What We Do: Custom App Development: Bespoke Shopify apps (public and private) built to solve specific workflow problems your business has outgrown. API Integrations: Complex third-party connections, ERP syncs, warehouse management systems, and custom data flows that need to just work. Store Builds & Redesigns: Full theme development, migrations, and rebuilds for brands ready to level up their storefront. Technical Consulting & Audits: Store performance reviews, app stack optimization, and strategic guidance on scaling your technical infrastructure. Automation & Workflows: Shopify Flow implementations, inventory systems, order routing, and multi-location logic that eliminate manual work. Training & Mentorship: Hands-on guidance for in-house teams learning to manage Shopify more effectively. How we work: Daulet handles all custom and public app development — the deep technical builds that require serious engineering. I handle client strategy, audits, consultations, store builds, and anything client-facing. This division means you get both: a developer who can actually build what you need, and a consultant who understands your business well enough to recommend the right solution. We work with brands that are either: Scaling quickly and need technical infrastructure that won't break under pressure Stuck with a Shopify setup that's actively holding back growth Tired of developers who disappear after delivery or agencies that can't execute custom work Our approach is different: We don't "sell" packages or push unnecessary apps. We diagnose what's actually broken, scope solutions honestly, and build things that last. No fluff, no vendor lock-in, no recurring retainers unless the work genuinely requires it. ShopiCraft is a boutique agency — which means you're working directly with the people who'll build your solution, not account managers reading from scripts. We focus on finding the most efficient, creative solutions to your specific pain points. If your developer ghosted you, your agency said "that's not possible," or you're pretty sure your store could do more but don't know where to start — that's exactly what we're here for. We're based in Dublin and Kazakhstan, working with Shopify and Shopify Plus merchants globally. Let's fix what's broken and build what's missing. 🔧
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
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!
Your Store, Engineered for Scale. At The Pages Media, we solve complex Shopify challenges the right way. We build with the platform, not against it. Whether it's Checkout Extensibility, custom integrations, or performance optimization, we bridge the gap between creative vision and technical execution while keeping you in the loop every step of the way. Why Brands Partner With Us: ROI-Positive Roadmapping: We prioritize your business goals over expensive custom code. We'll walk you through your options and make sure every decision adds value to the bottom line. Not just our invoice. Built the Shopify Way: With a Shopify Build Award winner developer leading the way, we build on the platform's native strengths. Leveraging technologies like the Online Store 2.0, Checkout Extensibility, and Cart Transform API so your store stays fast, upgradeable, and future-proof. A Boutique Experience, Not a Ticket Queue: You get a dedicated point of contact who actually knows your store. We're small on purpose. So communication stays direct, decisions stay fast, and nothing falls through the cracks. Scalable by Design: A core team backed by a vetted network of 100+ specialized Shopify developers through the ShopDev Alliance community. Your project gets the right people at the right time without big-agency overhead.
For the past six years, we've been obsessed with one thing: making websites so fast your customers don't even realize they're waiting. No generic plugins. No cookie-cutter checklists. Just bespoke, code-level work tailored to how your brand actually operates. What We Do We make your site feel instant. LCP, CLS, INP... the metrics Google cares about? We get them right. Custom lazy loading, surgical CSS, fonts and images that appear exactly when they should. Your marketing scripts and third-party apps get optimized without losing what makes them useful. Server-side work that cuts Time to First Byte so pages respond the moment someone clicks. Our Stack We work where speed matters most. Shopify (Plus), WordPress/WooCommerce, headless setups. Liquid, JavaScript (Vanilla, React, Next.js), PHP. Google Search Console, Lighthouse, GTmetrix, WebPageTest for the diagnostics that actually tell the truth. Who We Work With High-growth D2C brands and wellness companies where faster sites mean real revenue. Groomie, Purovitalis, our own brands like Noctara. If every millisecond affects your AOV and retention, we get it. Every project gets a 20-day optimization sprint. Intentional code, assets built for pure speed. Nothing extra, nothing missing.
Development quotes vary widely — the same brief can return figures far apart, because it was ambiguous enough to support both readings.
Write the brief as an outcome with constraints, not a task. "Build us a custom app" produces vague quotes. "Build a custom app that syncs inventory between Shopify and our NetSuite instance every 15 minutes, handles 8,000 SKUs across three locations, and alerts us on sync failure" produces comparable ones. Time spent on the brief saves back-and-forth and money later.
Match the specialisation, not the rate. Theme and Liquid work fits freelancers and small studios. Custom apps need API experience. Shopify Plus builds, Functions and checkout work need a specialist with shipped Plus projects — a general developer learns them on your budget. On shopexperts, development freelancers list a median starting price of $100 and agencies $250 (October 2026).
Verify Partner status where it matters. Shopify's Partner Program has five tiers: Registered, Select, Plus, Premier and Platinum, with Platinum at the top. Verify claimed tiers in the Shopify Partner directory rather than accepting them from a proposal. Non-Partners can be excellent, but they lack the Partner support channel that resolves platform edge cases quickly.
Ask for live URLs and follow up on two of them. Three live Shopify stores from the last twelve months, and for a large project, contact two of those merchants directly. Ask whether the project shipped on time, what changed mid-project, and whether they'd hire again. That conversation is worth more than any portfolio.
Insist on milestone structure. Good quotes break into phases — discovery, build, QA, launch — with deliverables and payment tied to each. A lump sum with no phase breakdown means either a senior developer confident enough to absorb the risk, which is rare, or nobody has thought about the hard parts yet, which is common.
Ask who owns the code and where it lives. Repository access, documentation, and whether you can hand the project to another developer without an archaeology exercise. This costs nothing to agree upfront and is expensive to resolve later.
Six distinct specialisations, and the wrong choice costs more than the rate difference. Match your project to one of these before you shortlist. The prices below are fixed-price packages listed on shopexperts in October 2026; each covers a defined scope, so larger projects are quoted separately.
Theme and Liquid developer — theme customisation packages have a median of $548, custom section packages $280 and custom theme builds $1,750. Custom sections, layout changes, theme customisation, OS 2.0 migrations, styling beyond the editor. This covers the majority of Shopify development work. If your requirement is something visible on the storefront that the theme editor can't do, this is your hire.
Custom app developer — custom development and app packages have a median of $1,000 (middle half $390 to $2,499); larger app builds are quoted per project. Custom apps for internal workflows, public apps for the App Store, embedded admin tools, and anything using the Admin API, webhooks or OAuth. Distinct skill set from theme work; the overlap is smaller than merchants assume.
Shopify Plus and checkout specialist — Plus and checkout packages have a median of $1,050 (middle half $625 to $8,000). Plus setup and migration, Functions, Checkout Extensibility, multi-store, B2B. In practice it needs someone with shipped Plus projects. Mistakes here affect checkout, which makes them immediately expensive.
Integration engineer — integration packages have a median of $625, across 7 packages from $250 to $10,000. Connecting Shopify to ERPs, 3PLs, PIMs, CRMs and accounting systems. The work is data modelling and error handling more than it is Shopify, and someone who has only worked inside Shopify usually underestimates it.
Headless and Hydrogen developer — three headless packages are listed, at $2,499, $2,800 and $5,000; full builds are scoped per store. React engineering against the Storefront API. Genuinely different discipline, and most stores don't need it — a well-optimised theme covers what merchants usually think requires headless.
Maintenance and support developer — monthly support retainers have a median of $1,950 (middle half $500 to $2,575), and bug-fix packages $95. Ongoing fixes, theme updates, app conflicts, small features. Undervalued and frequently the right answer when the real problem is that nobody owns the store technically.
If you can't tell which of these your project needs, that's a legitimate reason to pay for a short scoping engagement before hiring. It's cheaper than hiring the wrong specialisation and discovering it in week three.
Shopify development spans a wide price range, because "development" covers everything from a CSS fix to an enterprise replatform. Typical market ranges, followed by what developers on shopexperts list:
Per project
Small fixes to enterprise Plus builds
Hourly rate
Freelance developers to senior Plus specialists
Monthly retainer
Maintenance to active feature development
Starting prices on shopexperts
Middle half of 596 listed; median $200
The first three tiles are typical market ranges, not shopexperts data. The fourth is: in October 2026, 596 Shopify Development experts listed a starting price. A starting price is the smallest job an expert will quote, often an audit or a small fix, so treat it as a floor, not a quote.
In the wider market, small theme fixes and Liquid customisation sit at $500-$3,500. Custom section development runs $600-$3,000 per section. Full theme development or heavy customisation runs $5,000-$30,000. Custom app development runs $12,000-$120,000+ depending on whether it's a private internal tool or a public App Store listing with billing and review. Integration work — ERP, 3PL, PIM, accounting — runs $15,000-$150,000+. Shopify Plus setup and enterprise builds run $20,000-$400,000+ depending on migration complexity and checkout customisation. Headless builds run $25,000-$500,000+.
Ongoing retainers sit at $500-$3,000/month for maintenance and small fixes, $3,000-$10,000/month for regular feature work, and $10,000-$30,000+/month for dedicated Plus development capacity. Well-specified work — theme customisation, defined feature builds, app configuration — travels well across time zones.
Architecture decisions, Plus edge cases and anything where the specification will change mid-project go better with a developer who shares some of your working hours, because the cost of a misunderstanding scales with the complexity of what's being built. Request a free quote for a figure specific to your project.
Six specialisations, and most developers are genuinely strong in one or two:
Custom sections, layout, OS 2.0 migration, storefront work
Private and public apps, Admin API, webhooks, embedded tools
Plus migration, Functions, Checkout Extensibility, multi-store, B2B
ERP, 3PL, PIM, CRM and accounting system connections
Storefront API, React storefronts, PWA and mobile
Theme updates, app conflicts, bug fixes, ongoing small features
Shopify development covers six fairly distinct specialisations: theme and Liquid work on the storefront, custom app development against Shopify's APIs, Shopify Plus and checkout work using Functions and Checkout Extensibility, integrations with ERP, 3PL and accounting systems, headless builds with Hydrogen, and ongoing maintenance. Most developers are genuinely strong in one or two of these, and matching the specialisation to your project matters more than comparing hourly rates.
On shopexperts, the 596 development experts who list a starting price have a median of $200, and the middle half sit between $85 and $1,000 (October 2026). A starting price is the smallest job an expert will quote. Fixed-price packages are closer to project costs: theme customisation has a median of $548, custom development and apps $1,000, Shopify Plus and checkout $1,050, and monthly support retainers $1,950. Larger builds are quoted per project, so request a free quote with your scope.
Freelancers fit theme work, defined features and maintenance. Agencies fit larger projects where design, development and project management need coordinating, and where continuity across a longer engagement matters. Plus specialists fit Plus stores and projects with custom Functions, in-checkout extensions, multi-store or B2B. On shopexperts, development freelancers list a median starting price of $100 and agencies $250 (October 2026). Pick the smallest team that can credibly deliver your scope — a larger team costs more and rarely delivers more until the scope needs it.
Not necessarily. Plus work (custom Functions, checkout extensions, multi-store, B2B) rewards prior Plus experience, so ask for shipped Plus projects and check any claimed tier in Shopify's Partner Directory. A general developer can work on a Plus store, but learns its enterprise layer at your expense.
Small theme fixes take 1-3 weeks. Full theme development or heavy customisation takes 4-12 weeks. Custom app development runs 6-16 weeks. Integration projects run 8-20 weeks depending on the system at the other end. Shopify Plus migrations and enterprise builds take 12-32 weeks. Rush timelines are possible, usually at a premium, and almost always achieved by compressing QA, which is where the cost reappears later.
Platform-specific knowledge: Liquid templating, Shopify's app architecture and injection patterns, checkout extensibility rules, Functions, Plus enterprise features, and how to ship without breaking site speed or app compatibility. A capable general web developer can learn Shopify, but the ramp-up comes before productive feature work starts, and you're paying for it. For a store that runs its business on Shopify, platform-specific experience usually pays for itself.
For well-specified work, location matters less than the brief — theme customisation, features built from clear specifications, app configuration, and defined bug fixing travel well across time zones. Don't assume it costs less: on shopexperts, development experts based outside the US, Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand list a median starting price of $300, against $199 for those based there (October 2026). Where it goes wrong is anything where the specification will change mid-project, or where architecture decisions are being made rather than executed, because the cost of a misunderstanding scales with what's being built. Many mid-market brands run a hybrid: local senior direction and architecture, offshore implementation underneath it.
Five things. Which of the six specialisations is their primary one, and what proportion of their last year was spent there. Three live Shopify URLs from the last twelve months, ideally in a comparable scope. How they structure customisations so future theme updates don't destroy them — the answer should involve separate section and snippet files rather than edits to core theme files. Who owns the repository and documentation at the end. And what happens if the scope changes mid-project, because it will.
