Best Shopify Development Agencies in 2026: 12 Studios Compared
Twelve Shopify development agencies compared by location, Shopify partner tier, specialties, and published pricing, plus what Shopify's partner tiers mean and what builds typically cost.
Key Signal
12 studios compared
The posts in this archive are written to help Shopify teams identify what is weakening buying momentum, what is suppressing AOV, and what deserves action first.
Disclosure: Thought Bulb, the first studio on this list, is us. We build HiveSense and several Shopify apps. We've listed ourselves first and labeled it, and everything we say about the other agencies comes from their own websites or Shopify's partner directory as of October 21, 2026. Partner tiers below are self-reported unless we say otherwise.
Picking a Shopify agency is mostly about fit. A global Platinum partner that runs 30- to 52-week projects isn't the right team for a $500,000-a-year store, and a two-person studio isn't the right team for a headless migration across 20 markets. This list covers studios across sizes and regions, with what each says it's best at.
Quick answer
| Agency | Based | Partner tier (as stated) | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thought Bulb (us) | Warsaw, Poland | Not stated on site | Custom themes, custom apps, CRO, migrations for DTC brands |
| Swanky | UK, Australia, France | Platinum | Plus migrations, B2B, subscriptions, international |
| We Make Websites | London, New York | Shopify Partner since 2011 | International, headless, migrations; part of Tech Mahindra |
| Electric Eye | Columbus, Ohio | Premier | DTC design and builds, migrations, retainers |
| Domaine | Remote-first | Platinum | Shopify-only; headless, B2B, migrations, enterprise |
| Fuel Made | Not stated | Shopify Plus Partner (legacy label) | Shopify builds, Klaviyo, CRO |
| Charle | London, Manchester, New York | "Shopify Plus level accreditation" | Plus, headless, migrations, B2B, SEO |
| Coalition Technologies | Los Angeles | Premier (Shopify directory) | SEO-led builds and redesigns |
| Ask Phill | Amsterdam | Platinum | Plus, Hydrogen headless, fashion and beauty |
| Velstar | Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh, Miami | Platinum | D2C and B2B, ERP integrations |
| Anatta | Austin, Texas | Platinum | Composable and headless, Plus migrations, ERP and OMS |
| Process Creative | Sydney (Redfern) | Not clear | Australian DTC brands |
How Shopify partner tiers work
Shopify ranks service partners in tiers: Registered, Select, Plus, Premier, and Platinum. Partners move up based on performance. Shopify's blog describes who each tier usually serves:
| Tier | Typical client, per Shopify |
|---|---|
| Select | Small and medium businesses |
| Plus | Mid-market and larger |
| Premier | Large enterprises |
| Platinum | Global enterprises |
Shopify has also retired some older labels. The Shopify Experts brand and marketplace ended in December 2023, and the Shopify Plus Partner program ended in December 2024. So "Shopify Plus Partner" on an agency site is now a legacy label, and "Plus" survives as a tier name.
You can search and filter agencies in Shopify's Partner Directory by service, price, location, industry, language, and tier. Contacting a partner through the directory doesn't commit you to anything, and partners bill you directly.
The agencies
Thought Bulb (us)
Thought Bulb is a Shopify studio in Warsaw, Poland, founded by Robin Singh. Its site describes "one expert Shopify team for brand design, storefront development, custom apps, CRO and social content," and says it has delivered 100+ custom storefronts for DTC brands in North America and Europe. Besides client work, it builds its own Shopify products: HiveSense, Smart Checkout Widgets, TB Bundles, and Agentmatica, and it publishes Cart Rocket on the Shopify App Store.
Published starting prices on thoughtbulb.dev include custom features and apps from $3,500, a product page CRO sprint from $1,500, fractional development at $100 an hour, WooCommerce to Shopify migrations from $5,000, and Magento to Shopify migrations from $8,000. It's best suited to small and mid-size brands that want one team for design, development, apps, and CRO. Its site doesn't list a Shopify partner tier.
Swanky
Swanky describes itself as a Shopify Platinum Partner with offices in the UK, Australia, and France. It lists Plus migrations, B2B, subscriptions, internationalization, POS, and CRO. Clients on its site include HelloFresh, Eden Project, and Loop Earplugs.
We Make Websites
We Make Websites works from London and New York and says it has been a Shopify partner since 2011. Its footer identifies it as a Tech Mahindra company. It focuses on international stores, headless builds, and migrations, with clients including Good American, Jigsaw, and Vollebak.
Electric Eye
Electric Eye is based in Columbus, Ohio, and was founded in 2016. It calls itself a Shopify Premier Partner and focuses on DTC design, builds, migrations, and ongoing retainers. Clients include Rancho Gordo and Barton Perreira.
Domaine
Domaine is remote-first with team members across North America and Europe, and says it works only with Shopify. It calls itself a Platinum Partner and covers headless, B2B, migrations, POS, and international. It lists an average project timeline of 30 to 52 weeks, which tells you the scale it works at. Clients include Timex, Peloton, and FIGS.
Fuel Made
Fuel Made is a Shopify and Klaviyo agency that also runs CRO work. It describes itself as a Shopify Plus Partner and Klaviyo Master Elite. Clients include Beardbrand, Umbra, and Tuft & Paw.
Charle
Charle is based in London with offices in Manchester and New York. It cites "Shopify Plus level accreditation" and covers Plus builds, headless, migrations, B2B, and SEO. Clients include Cambridge Satchel and Muc-Off.
Coalition Technologies
Coalition Technologies' Shopify directory listing shows it at the Premier tier, based in Los Angeles, a partner since 2011, with a 4.8 rating from 31 reviews. The listing shows store builds and redesigns from $5,000. Its work is SEO-led.
Ask Phill
Ask Phill is in Amsterdam and calls itself a Shopify Plus Platinum Partner, with a focus on fashion and beauty. It's one of the few agencies that publishes price ranges: theme migrations €20,000 to €60,000, mid-market custom builds €50,000 to €200,000, and Hydrogen headless storefronts from €200,000. It says headless costs three to five times a custom Liquid build.
Velstar
Velstar has offices in Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh, and Miami and calls itself a Platinum Partner. It covers D2C and B2B, with an emphasis on ERP integrations. Clients include Nando's, Castore, and Tangle Teezer.
Anatta
Anatta is based in Austin, Texas, calls itself a Platinum Partner, and says it has done enterprise Shopify work since 2008. It focuses on composable and headless builds, Plus migrations, and ERP and OMS integrations. It publishes some prices: a readiness audit at $2,500 and a redesign or CRO diagnostic at $5,000. Clients include AG1, Vuori, and Rothy's.
Process Creative
Process Creative is in Redfern, Sydney, and says it has been a Shopify partner for 13 years. Its contact form's budget bands start at under $50,000. Clients include Bondi Sands and Shark.
What a Shopify build costs
Most agencies don't publish prices, so the best public benchmarks come from marketplaces and Shopify itself. Storetasker's 2025 rate guide (updated in April 2026) gives these ranges, and Shopify's own agency guide repeats its project ranges:
| Who | Typical rate or project size |
|---|---|
| Freelancer, mid-level | $40 to $75 an hour |
| Freelancer, top | $80 to $120+ an hour |
| Agency, boutique | $90 to $125 an hour |
| Agency, mid-size | $125 to $175 an hour |
| Agency, premium | $200+ an hour |
| Agency project, basic | $5,000 to $10,000 |
| Agency project, mid-tier | $15,000 to $35,000 |
| Agency project, enterprise or headless | $50,000+ |
Shopify's guide also cites a Databox survey of 40+ agencies in which most clients paid under $30,000 a year, and calls that figure directional. It suggests a founder-run store doing around $300,000 a year may get more from a freelancer than an agency.
How to choose
Shopify's agency guide suggests asking whether the agency has worked with brands at your revenue level, who will work on your account, and how offboarding works. It flags guaranteed results, lock-in contracts, and pressure to sign quickly as warning signs.
A few more questions we'd add:
- Ask for two or three stores they built that are similar in size and complexity to yours, and check them on a phone.
- Ask who owns the theme code and app accounts after the project ends.
- Ask how they handle speed. Apps and heavy theme code are common causes of slow stores (see Shopify site speed and conversion).
- Ask what they measure after launch, and how they'll know the new store converts better.
- For a redesign, run an audit before the brief so the agency knows what to fix rather than guessing. HiveSense does this in a few minutes.
FAQ: Shopify development agencies
How much does a Shopify agency cost?
Storetasker's rate guide puts boutique agencies at $90 to $125 an hour and mid-size agencies at $125 to $175, with basic agency projects at $5,000 to $10,000, mid-tier at $15,000 to $35,000, and enterprise or headless work at $50,000 and up.
What is a Shopify Platinum partner?
Platinum is the highest tier in Shopify's partner program, which Shopify describes as suited to global enterprises. Tiers run Registered, Select, Plus, Premier, and Platinum, and partners move up based on performance.
Does "Shopify Plus Partner" still mean anything?
Shopify retired the Plus Partner program in December 2024, so it's now a legacy label. Check an agency's current tier in Shopify's Partner Directory.
Should I hire a freelancer or an agency?
Shopify's guide suggests a founder-run store doing around $300,000 a year may get more from a freelancer. Agencies make more sense when you need design, development, and strategy together, or work at larger scale.
Which Shopify agencies publish their prices?
Of the agencies we reviewed, Ask Phill publishes ranges for migrations, custom builds, and headless storefronts. Anatta publishes prices for audits and diagnostics, Coalition Technologies' directory listing shows builds from $5,000, and Thought Bulb publishes starting prices for its services.
How do I find a Shopify partner?
Use Shopify's Partner Directory, which lets you filter by service, price, location, industry, language, and tier. Contacting a partner there doesn't commit you to hiring them.
Start with what the store needs
The best agency for you is the one that has built stores like yours at your size, and is clear about who does the work and what it costs. Know what you need fixed before the first call. A HiveSense audit gives you a prioritized list to hand to whichever studio you choose.
Sources: Thought Bulb, Swanky, We Make Websites, Electric Eye, Domaine, Fuel Made, Charle, Coalition Technologies on Shopify's directory, Ask Phill, Velstar, Anatta, Process Creative, Shopify Help Center: partner program tiers, Shopify Partner Directory, Shopify Help Center: hiring a partner, Cart Rocket listing, Storetasker: Shopify developer rates, Shopify Blog: ecommerce agencies.
Next Step
Turn these patterns into a real storefront audit.
If you want a faster read on conversion blockers, AOV gaps, checkout friction, and the issues most likely to cost revenue, run a HiveSense audit on your store.