For most stores that are starting out, a premium theme at €150–400, properly set up, is enough. Custom code becomes necessary when the theme gets in the way of selling: an unusual purchase journey, a store slowed down by apps, or a brand that needs its own design. The best choice is often a premium theme completed by the development of a few specific sections.
Below we go through the costs, the three possible paths and the cases where custom work is worth it. The sources are listed at the end.
Shopify's base costs
Before the theme, there is the subscription. These are the plans shown by Shopify:
- Basic: €36 a month, or €27 a month with annual payment;
- Grow: €105 a month, or €79 a month annually;
- Advanced: €384 a month, or €289 a month annually.
If you use an external payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds a commission: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced (Gradiweb).
Keep these amounts in mind for the yearly budget: the subscription is paid every month whatever the theme, and the commission weighs on every sale made through an external gateway.
These costs are the same whatever the theme. So they don't separate the three paths: it is the theme and the apps that do.
Themes: free, premium or custom
There are three families of themes:
- Free: Dawn and the other themes offered by Shopify;
- Premium: in the official Theme Store, €150 to €400 as a one-off purchase;
- Custom: with agencies, €3,000 to €15,000 (Gradiweb).
Free is for testing an idea. Premium is enough for many stores. Custom answers a specific need, not a general wish for “a beautiful site”.
One practical point: the theme is a one-off purchase or a development, whereas the subscription and the apps come back every month. When you compare the three families, also look at what they spare you from paying afterwards.
Apps: the cost that adds up
A store starting out with 3 to 5 basic apps spends €50 to €150 a month (Gradiweb). It is a recurring cost on top of the subscription.
Before installing an app, ask yourself whether it meets a permanent need, whether a custom section would do the same thing, and what it adds to the weight of your pages.
Every app also adds scripts to your pages and can slow the store down. A custom section often replaces a paid app for good: you write the code once, and the line disappears from your monthly bill.
Page builders: handy, but not free
PageFly, GemPages and their equivalents are convenient. But that is one more subscription, and heavier pages.
Online Store 2.0's custom sections give the same flexibility in Shopify's usual editor, without an app: you move and edit the blocks as usual, but the code is yours.
Three possible paths
- Premium theme and setup. Quick and inexpensive, suited to a start. You pick a theme, we or you set it up, and the store can open.
- Premium theme, custom sections and features. This is our main option: uniqueness and speed without redoing everything. You keep the base of a proven theme and we develop only what it lacks.
- A fully custom theme or a headless store (Shopify + Next.js or Hydrogen). For a particular purchase journey or maximum speed. Shopify keeps the products and the payment; the storefront becomes a separate site.
| Criterion | Premium theme + setup | Premium theme + custom sections | Custom theme or headless |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Theme at €150–400 | Premium theme + development of the sections and features | From €1,990 with us; €3,000–15,000 with an agency |
| Timeline | The shortest | In between | 2 to 6 weeks with us |
| Uniqueness | That of the theme | High on the parts we develop | Total |
| Speed | Depends on the apps you add | Good: a section often replaces an app | Maximum in headless |
| Who updates the theme | The theme's publisher | You or a developer, with the documentation | You or a developer: code in Git, access handed over |
Theme and agency prices come from Gradiweb.
When a custom theme is worth it
Custom work makes sense in four cases:
- a product configurator or calculator;
- B2B prices and integrations with an ERP;
- a brand for which design is a competitive advantage;
- a slow store that is losing sales.
In each of these cases the standard theme doesn't cover the need, or covers it with apps that cost money every month and make the pages heavier. Outside these cases, a well-tuned premium theme generally does the job.
The risks of custom work, and how to reduce them
Two risks are real: theme updates fall to the owner, and you depend on a developer.
With us, the code is in Git, it is documented and all the access is handed over to you. Any developer can therefore take over the work.
Ask any provider this before you sign: where is the code, who has the access, and what happens if you change developer?
Speed is sales
Check your store in PageSpeed Insights, and remove unused apps before any redesign: it is often the first gain, and it costs nothing. A slow store loses sales: measuring before changing the theme avoids paying for a redesign of a problem that came from the apps.
Our price
Custom Shopify starts at €1,990: a customised theme or a headless storefront, up to 50 products to start. Timeline: 2 to 6 weeks.
Options: migrating the data from the old platform +€290, an AI assistant +€490, cryptocurrency payment +€390. Product management stays in the familiar Shopify admin.
Calculate the price of your store or see our custom Shopify service.
In short
The choice comes down to one question: what is stopping you from selling today? If the answer is “nothing specific”, start with a well-set-up premium theme. If the answer is an identified need, add custom sections: that is the best balance of uniqueness, speed and budget. Keep the fully custom theme or headless for cases where the purchase journey or the speed demands it.
Sources
- Shopify, plan prices (page consulted in October 2026): shopify.com/fr/pricing.
- Gradiweb, article on Shopify prices in 2026 (external gateway commissions, themes, apps): gradiweb.com.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a free theme enough to start with?
- Yes, to test demand: Shopify offers free themes, including Dawn. Once sales settle in, a premium theme or custom sections can take over.
- Why is my store slow?
- Most often because of apps and page builders: each one adds scripts to your pages. Measure the store with PageSpeed Insights and remove the apps you don't use. A custom section often replaces a paid app for good.
- What is a headless store?
- Shopify handles the products and payment, and the storefront is a separate, very fast site (Shopify + Next.js or Hydrogen).
- Will I be able to manage my products myself?
- Yes. All product management stays in the familiar Shopify admin.
- Can I migrate from WooCommerce or Wix?
- Yes, we migrate the catalogue, the customers and the orders. Migrating the data from the old platform is an option at +€290.