A good Shopify developer saves you months. A bad one leaves you with a slow theme, tangled code and a store nobody dares to touch. The difference is rarely visible in a portfolio screenshot, so it helps to know what to look for before you hire.
This guide covers where to look, what to check, which questions to ask and what to watch out for. I've worked on Shopify for more than ten years, so I'll also share how I'd vet a developer if I were on your side of the table.
Key takeaways
- Write a one-page description of the work first. It makes quotes comparable and shows who asks good questions.
- Judge developers on live stores and how they communicate, not on a polished portfolio.
- Start with a small paid task before you commit to the full build.
1. Get clear on what you need
"I need a Shopify developer" can mean very different jobs. Work out which one you're hiring for:
- A new store build, usually from a design (see the Figma handoff checklist).
- Theme customization: changing sections, layouts and features on an existing theme.
- Custom functionality: tiered discounts, product configurators, subscriptions or integrations with other tools.
- An app, either private (for your store only) or public (listed on the Shopify App Store).
- Ongoing maintenance: fixes, updates and small improvements on a live store.
- A migration from another platform to Shopify.
Then write one page covering your goals, what you already have (designs, content, product data), any apps or integrations involved, your deadline and a budget range. It doesn't need to be a formal specification. It needs to be detailed enough that two developers could read it and come back with comparable answers.
2. Freelancer, agency or in-house?
| Freelancer | Agency | In-house | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Focused builds, customizations and ongoing work with one accountable person | Large projects that need design, strategy and development under one roof | Stores with constant, day-to-day development needs |
| Strengths | Direct communication, flexibility, often better value | A broad team, project management, extra capacity | Deep knowledge of your business |
| Watch out for | Availability. Ask about holidays and what happens if they're unavailable | Higher overhead, and your work may be handed to someone junior | Salary and management cost, and it can be hard to keep one person busy |
Many stores end up combining them: an agency for brand and design, and a senior freelance developer for implementation and ongoing support. I also work with agencies as an extra senior developer on larger builds.
3. Where to find Shopify developers
- The Shopify Experts marketplace. Shopify's own directory of freelancers and agencies, with reviews tied to completed projects. A good first stop.
- Freelance platforms such as Upwork. A large pool with built-in payment protection and reviews. Quality varies a lot, so you need to filter. You can see my Upwork profile here.
- The Shopify App Store. A developer who has published apps has shipped something real that other merchants rely on, and the listings and reviews are public. My own apps are on my developer page.
- Referrals. Ask other store owners, your agency, or the people behind apps you already use. A recommendation from someone who has actually worked with the developer is worth a lot.
- Communities. The Shopify Community forums and ecommerce groups are good for questions. Vet any individual you meet there as carefully as anyone else.
4. What to check before you hire
Live stores, not screenshots
Ask for links to live stores they built or maintain. Open them on your phone. Check how fast they load, whether the menu and cart work well, and whether the design holds together on a small screen. Ask which parts they built themselves, because agencies and freelancers often share credit on a project.
Shopify-specific skills
General web development isn't the same as Shopify development. Depending on your project, look for experience with:
- Online Store 2.0 themes: sections, blocks and JSON templates
- Liquid, Shopify's templating language
- Metafields and metaobjects for custom product and page data
- Shopify Functions and checkout extensibility for discount and checkout logic
- The Admin and Storefront GraphQL APIs and webhooks for integrations
- Theme performance and accessibility
Communication
In your first conversations, notice whether they ask smart questions, whether they push back when something doesn't make sense, and whether their messages are clear. How someone communicates before they're paid is the best preview of how they'll communicate afterwards. Agree on time zones and how you'll talk (chat, email or calls) up front.
Process
Do they work on a duplicate, unpublished theme rather than your live one? Do they use Git for version history? Do they test on real devices? Will you get a short handoff note when they finish? There's no single right answer, but a developer with no process at all is a risk.
Reviews and references
Read reviews for what they say about communication, deadlines and what happened when something went wrong. If you can, speak to a past client.
5. Questions worth asking
- Can you show me two or three live stores you built or maintain, and what exactly you did on each?
- How would you approach this project? What would you build with the theme's own settings and what would be custom?
- What do you need from me to start (designs, content, access), and what would slow you down?
- How do you handle changes after the scope is agreed?
- How do you test your work before it goes live, and on which devices?
- How will I see progress, and how often will I hear from you?
- What happens after launch? Is there a period where you fix bugs at no charge, and can you support the store afterwards?
- Who owns the code when the project ends? For customizations to your store, the answer should be you. If an app is involved, ask for the terms in writing.
6. Red flags
- A quote far below everyone else's with no questions asked. Either the scope was misunderstood or corners will be cut.
- "Yes" to everything. A good developer pushes back and asks why.
- No live stores to show, or only screenshots.
- Asking for your Shopify owner login. Never share it. Create a staff account or approve a collaborator request with only the permissions they need, so you can remove access later.
- Editing your live theme directly with no backup or duplicate.
- Guarantees about sales or search rankings. Nobody can promise those.
- Full payment upfront on a large project. Milestone payments are normal.
- No written scope of what is and isn't included.
7. Start with a small paid task
Before committing to a large build, hire for a small, real task first: a new section, a bug fix or a speed review. You'll learn how they communicate, how clean their work is and whether they hit deadlines, at low cost. If it goes well, you have a developer you trust. If not, you've lost very little.
8. Set the project up for success
- Share access safely through a staff account or collaborator request.
- Work on an unpublished theme so your live store is never at risk.
- Agree on milestones and what "done" means for each one.
- Pick one person to give feedback, and send it as a single list per round.
- Agree how changes are handled: when they're included and when they're quoted separately.
- Plan the handoff: a short note on what was built and how to edit it in the theme editor.
Budget is the other half of the conversation. For what drives the price of a project, read what Shopify development costs and why. And once the store is live, it's worth knowing what ongoing maintenance covers.
Looking for a senior Shopify developer?
I build stores from Figma designs, set up and customize existing stores, develop custom features and maintain live stores long term. Have a look at what I offer and some of my work, then get in touch with a short description of your project.