Best Shopify Themes to Build a Profitable Store [Free & Paid]
Starting a Shopify business is an exciting process, but finding the best Shopify theme can be somewhat challenging.
One of the essential steps of setting up a Shopify store is choosing the best Shopify theme to make your store look professional, stunning, and profitable.
Themes are worth paying close attention to, and in doing so, dictates whether your store is optimized, performant, and has the best opportunity at being a revenue generating monster.
Again, it's vital to opt for trusted and suitable themes since they play a role in whether your Shopify store will be a success or not.
Below we’ll answer the most common questions and highlight the best free Shopify themes and the best premium Shopify themes.
Is it Worth Buying a Theme on Shopify?
Well, generally speaking this is where you need to evaluate your own technical ability. You see, when using a free theme it is your responsibility to rectify any issues that may arise. Issues may include:
- Performance degradation
- Unknown theme bugs
- Technical SEO issues
A free Shopify theme is a great starting point, but if you are serious about building a solid reputable online business, you’ll really need to consider purchasing a theme.
Most themes purchased come with developer support - meaning any bugs encountered will be fixed. This does not include feature requests. Whether Free or purchased, any feature requests will need to be implemented by you, or outsourced using services like Upwork - unless, of course, a feature request is added to the next version of the theme.
So, in short, yes, it is worth buying a Shopify theme from Shopify.
That aside, a cheaper alternative will be purchasing themes from Themeforest. With the same developer support at more affordable rates, you can't go wrong.
ThemeForest Shopify Themes
What is The Best Free Theme to Use on Shopify?
Without a doubt, the Debut theme. This is the default theme when first signing up to Shopify.
Whilst the lack of design leaves a less than desirable impression, it is worth noting that the debut theme was designed to be amazingly performant, easy to navigate, and most importantly designed to get you started as quickly as possible.
Debut Theme
What is The Highest Converting Shopify Theme?
This has to be Ella on ThemeForest - with a whopping 26k+ sales, and a 5-star rating, you are most certainly purchasing a theme with premium functionality.
Ella is the pinnacle of success when it comes to Shopify themes, it is an all-in-one theme, boasting multiple layouts and styles that allows Shopify store owners to build a simple or complex structures, using multip layout options or one of the many child themes.
With Ella’s primary focus on visibility, this will be a sure-fire way to put your products in the spotlight - thus increasing conversion, and more importantly, revenue!
Ella’s core features:
- Incredible UI/UX
- Mobile Optimized
- Banner and product blocks
- 22+ homepage designs and skin layouts
- 9+ shopping pages
- 12+ layout options for product pages
- Multiple headers
- Multiple footers
- And much more
Ella Theme
The 4 Best Premium Shopify Themes
1, Ella Shopify Theme
Theme Description: As described above, and taking the number one spot - Ella is a multipurpose Shopify theme to build a successful Shopify store. With over 26k sales on Themeforest, it makes it one of the top-selling Shopify themes available.
Furthermore, the theme package includes 20+ layouts/skins, 15+ child themes, several header/footer options, product pages, blog layouts, landing pages, multiple languages, multiple currencies, and much more.
- Rating: 5-star rating
- Price: $89
Ella Theme
2, Kalles Shopify Theme
Theme Description: Kalles is a well-designed and clean Shopify theme available on Themeforest, with over 9,000 sales so far.
It's an SEO-friendly Shopify theme that loads faster and provides a versatile user experience.
Moreover, the latest version of the Kalles Shopify theme has several improvements such as a better UI/UX experience, a smaller theme package, speed optimization, improved product pages, and animation effects.
It's an excellent e-commerce theme for budding Shopify entrepreneurs to start their e-commerce journey on the right foot.
- Rating: 5-star rating
- Price: $89
Kalles Theme
3, Minimog Shopify Theme
Theme Description: Minimog is a Shopify theme for selling a wide range of products such as clothing, jewelry, sports goods, shoes, bags, electronics, and more.
Minimog has over 4,000 sales and one of the plus points is that it comes with ready-made layouts, elements, components, and content blocks that make launching online faster.
Minimog is responsive, SEO-friendly, and optimized for speed, thus taking your online store to the next level.
- Rating: 5-star rating
- Price: $79
Minimog Theme
4, Avone Shopify Theme
Theme Description: Avone is one of the most popular Shopify themes available on the Themeforest.
It has over 6,000 sales so far. This Shopify theme is full-customizable, responsive, and SEO optimized.
Avone theme has some additional features for fast performance and better user experience such as image lazy loading and fast page-loading.
It's jam-packed with so many features and options. The theme has 30+ homepage templates, 10+ different sale pages, 8+ product pages, and 10+ header styles.
Furthermore, the Avone theme has several built-in features such as GDPR compliance, wishlist, Instagram shop, Insta feed, product countdown, product filters, sticky cart, top bar, and many more.
- Rating: 5-star rating
- Price: $79
Avone Theme
Best Free Themes for Shopify
1, Debut Shopify Theme
Theme Description: As described above, the debut Shopify theme, is the default theme, and is designed to get you up and running in a matter of minutes. However, it’s worth noting that it’s a blank canvas - meaning you are in control of the design and branding.
Debut Theme
The debut theme ships with many features, including but not limited to:
- Pickup availability
- Slideshow
- Predictive search
- Customer testimonials
- Promotional banner
- Home page video
- Product recommendations
- Product filtering
- Reviews: 50% positive reviews
- Price: Free
2, Simple Shopify Theme
Theme Description: The simple Shopify theme as the name indicates, is a simple theme to get you up and running as quickly as possible.
The theme boasts a simple clean UI, with an ultra-thin layout, and a simple sidebar menu to help push the user directly to the product page with minimal effort.
Simple Theme
Simple features:
- Sidebar menu
- Product image zoom
- Image animations
- Product recommendations
- Reviews: 86% positive reviews
- Price: Free
3, Brooklyn Shopify Theme
Theme Description: The Brooklyn Shopify theme is tailor-made for the modern apparel industry, boasting a tiled, responsive layout, and a large sliding masthead to showcase collections,
The navigation is clean and conforms to the latest UX standard, perfect for driving conversions.
Brooklyn Theme
Brooklyn features:
- Header slideshow
- Dynamic product grid
- Slide-out cart
- Home page video
- Reviews: 68% positive reviews
- Price: Free
4, Narrative Shopify Theme
Theme Description: The Narrative Shopify theme focuses on providing a design layout for the storyteller, and most importantly a brand specialist. Whilst it’s true that most focus on branding, the narrative theme goes that little bit further to provide design functionality to allow you to focus on telling a story about your brand and product niche.
Narrative Theme
Narrative features:
- Hero video
- Designed for visual storytelling
- Fixed navigation
- Vertical slideshow
- Wide layout
- Reviews: 54% positive reviews
- Price: Free
5, Boundless Shopify Theme
Theme Description: The boundless Shopify theme is a minimalist theme and is a photographer's dream. If your store has a heavy focus on product shots/fashion, then this theme is for you.
The layout is slick, clean, and most importantly visually impressive to really showcase products.
Boundless Theme
Boundless features:
- Optimized for large images
- Slideshow with fading effect
- Sticky navigation
- Single product gallery
- Full-width collection images
- Home page video
- Reviews: 45% positive reviews
- Price: Free
6, Venture Shopify Theme
Theme Description: Primarily built for outdoor, camping, hiking, traveling, and sports. The venture Shopify theme is built to handle a large product catalog, and guiding the user directly where they need to be - the checkout page.
Venture Theme
Venture features:
- Multi-column menu
- Slideshow
- Promotional banner
- Product filtering
- Single featured product
- Reviews: 47% positive reviews
- Price: Free
7, Supply Shopify Theme
Theme Description: If clean, simple, and tech-based products are your thing, then the supply Shopify theme is perfect for your store.
Supply boasts a professional, and succinct layout - every effort has been placed on UI/UX, to ensure a seamless user experience.
Supply Theme
Supply features:
- Collection filtering in the sidebar
- Slideshow
- Featured collections on the home page
- Reviews: 60% positive reviews
- Price: Free
8, Minimal Shopify Theme
Theme Description: The minimal Shopify theme is one of the most popular currently offered by Shopify, and with 83% positive reviews it should not be ignored.
Minimal does not mean minimal, and really refers to an uncluttered layout with plenty of space between elements. If you plan to sell a small number of products, and in the jewelry/accessories space, then this is the one for you.
Minimal Theme
Minimal features:
- Quick setup
- In-store pickups
- Cart notes
- Recommended products
- Stock counter
- Reviews: 83% positive reviews
- Price: Free
9, Express Shopify Theme
Theme Description: One product? No problem. The express Shopify theme is explicitly designed for you and many budding Shopify entrepreneurs to harness the power of express to deliver a quick, responsive, and clean checkout process without all the clutter and distractions.
Whilst express is primarily designed for one-page products, it can also house multiple products.
Express Theme
Express features:
- Optimized for one-page stores
- Mobile-first design
- Quick buy
- Slide-out cart
- Featured collections on the home page
- Reviews: 33% positive reviews
- Price: Free
10, Studio Shopify Theme
Theme Description: Studio is an elegant Shopify theme with a clean layout and simplistic design. The Studio Shopify theme is best suited to art, crafts, and designs.
The Studio Shopify theme is a 2.0 theme. More information can be found on Shopify here: https://www.shopify.co.uk/partners/blog/shopify-online-store
Studio Theme
Studio features:
- Editorial content
- Visual storytelling
- Quick buy
- Cart notes
- In-store pickups
- Product reviews
- Promo banners
- Quick view
- Recommended products
- Enhanced search
- Mega menu
- Product filtering and sorting
- Recommended products
- Sticky header
- Reviews: 67% positive reviews
- Price: Free
11, Refresh Shopify Theme
Theme Description: Refresh is a bold and stylish Shopify theme designed for fitness, health, and beauty businesses. It's equipped with a modern design, customizable layout, and several product sections.
The theme has a distinctive headings section supported by a minimalist color palette that puts attention on the store products. The theme allows you to share testimonials, product ingredients, special certifications, and product descriptions without compromising on the design and layout structure.
The Refresh Shopify theme is a 2.0 theme. More information can be found on Shopify here: https://www.shopify.co.uk/partners/blog/shopify-online-store
Refresh Theme
Refresh features:
- Editorial content
- Visual storytelling
- Cart notes
- In-store pickups
- Quick buy
- Slide-out cart
- Product reviews
- Promo banners
- Quick view
- Recommended products
- Mega menu
- Product filtering and sorting
- Recommended products
- Sticky header
- Image galleries
- Image rollover
- Image zoom
- Ingredients or nutritional information
- Lookbooks
- Product videos
- Shipping/delivery information
- Size chart
- Slideshow
- Usage information
- Reviews: No reviews
- Price: Free
12, Colorblock Shopify Theme
Theme Description: Colorblock is a powerful Shopify theme designed for clothing, accessories, and fashion online stores. The clean layout makes the product catalogs prominent with expanded navigation.
The Colorblock Shopify theme is a 2.0 theme. More information can be found on Shopify here: https://www.shopify.co.uk/partners/blog/shopify-online-store
Colorblock Theme
Colorblock features:
- Editorial content
- Visual storytelling
- Cart notes
- In-store pickups
- Quick buy
- Slide-out cart
- Product reviews
- Promo banners
- Quick view
- Recommended products
- Mega menu
- Product filtering and sorting
- Recommended products
- Sticky header
- Image galleries
- Image rollover
- Image zoom
- Ingredients or nutritional information
- Lookbooks
- Product videos
- Shipping/delivery information
- Size chart
- Slideshow
- Usage information
- Reviews: No reviews
- Price: Free
The Takeaway
Having the ability to pick and choose Shopify themes is an amazing feeling, the day of knowing the depths of tech to run a successful eCommerce store are long gone.
However, most Shopify store owners do require some level of modification to their themes - this is where spending that little extra on a paid theme goes a long way!
For example - you are just getting started and you opt for the narrative theme, you then come to realize that the layout, structure, and the overall flow no longer meet the requirements, or you just don’t like the theme. Well, it’s as simple as duplicating the current theme (always take a backup!) > install the new theme > modify > and release.
Now of course, if it’s simple functional changes, and you don’t have coding experience, outsource the work! As we say, always use a service that protects you, and your money - leverage Upwork, and never hire from social media, unless a level of due diligence has been performed.
To summarize we've briefly covered:
- Best free themes
- Best premium themes
- Is it worth buying a theme on Shopify
- What is the best free theme to use on Shopify
- What is the highest converting Shopify theme
What next:
- How to increase Shopify traffic
- Learn why you have Shopify traffic but not sales
- Best Shopify video apps
- Best free Shopify apps
- Check out the Best Shopify apps for SEO
- How to duplicate a Shopify theme
- Can you customize free Shopify themes?
- Are all Shopify themes responsive?
- Are paid Shopify themes worth it?
- Can I Use ThemeForest Themes on Shopify?
- Are Shopify free themes worth it?
- Are Shopify themes a one time purchase?
- Are Shopify free themes good?
- Are Shopify themes free?
- The best place to buy Shopify themes
- Are Shopify themes profitable?
- Are Shopify themes refundable?
- Can I change themes on Shopify?
- Can I download Shopify themes?
- Can I have two themes on Shopify?
- Can you make money selling Shopify themes?
- Do Shopify apps work with all themes?
- Do Shopify themes update automatically?
- Does Shopify have free themes?
- Does Shopify offer mobile themes?
- How do I buy themes on Shopify?
- How do I download themes from Shopify?
- How do I get free themes on Shopify?
- How do I install free themes on Shopify?
- How many Shopify themes are there?
- How much are premium Shopify themes?
- Is it easy to switch Shopify themes?
- What are Shopify themes built in?
- Why are Shopify themes so expensive? or are they?
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Additional Shopify Resources
With Shopify being one of the largest eCommerce platforms on the market means you’ll never be short of resources to learn how to build a profitable eCommerce business.
Kanteneo aims to be the best Shopify blog on the market, but you may require additional resources to help you on that journey. Below we’ve listed a top-selling Shopify book by Veronica Jeans to help you learn how to launch a profitable business.
