The Top 15 Best Free Shopify Themes for Your Online Store
The way your digital store looks matters. When building your brand, design is of utmost importance. If you’re on a budget and looking for the best free Shopify themes for your eCommerce business, this article is for you.
Although we often hear “don’t judge a book by its cover”, when it comes to websites we tend to do exactly that. On average, it takes about 0.05 seconds for users to decide whether they like a site or not. Their judgment is swift and ruthless.
With free Shopify themes, you can apply a stylish design to your store and add an intuitive functionality your customers will appreciate.
To make selecting themes easier, we have put together a list of the top free Shopify themes, briefly introducing you to their features and functionality.
Armed with this knowledge, you can bring profit to your business by picking a theme that suits your entrepreneurial needs and vision the best.
How Many Free Themes Does Shopify Have?
Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms – it gets you up and running quickly. It is perfect for those who do business online. What’s more, it offers ten free themes, allowing you to make your store look professional without any investment.
Even though these Shopify themes provide a variety of choices in terms of design, you can find additional themes on websites like TemplateMonster or Envato.
With Printify’s print-on-demand service, you can easily enter the world of Shopify dropshipping and start selling your products with just a few clicks. After you’ve set everything up and the sales start rolling in, we do the rest – printing, inventory, and shipping.
In addition, don’t forget that there are plenty of Shopify alternatives that offer free themes, too – BigCommerce is one of them. Take a look at our BigCommerce vs Shopify comparison to see what themes they offer.
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How to Choose a Shopify Theme?
The task of picking the right theme for your online store is not as daunting as it may seem. Sure, you might feel overwhelmed by the sea of options, but there’s no need to fret – we’re here to help.
The list we’ve prepared will guide you through the jungle of Shopify themes and allow you to find the right one for your online store. First, you should decide what to sell on Shopify and pick the theme according to your business’ needs.
With that said, let’s look at some of the things you should consider when choosing your theme.
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Your individual business needs. The key to success lies in understanding your target audience and the market. You should choose a theme that best suits the products you’re selling. You can find themes that are specifically designed for a large number of products, while others are optimized for one-page stores for quick ordering.
Take a look at the best Shopify store examples to see how their themes fit their product collections. - Theme’s features and functionalities. Take your time and pick a theme that has the features you need, such as predictive search, pickup availability, product filtering, etc.
- Your direct competition. Your competitors can teach you a thing or two – by analyzing their stores, you can gain valuable insights and do better than them.
- Visual appearance. As in life, so in eCommerce – first impressions matter. Think about your audience and choose a theme that will appeal to them. It may include a hero video, image animations, product image zoom, etc.
- Design responsiveness. Today, more consumers increasingly prefer to shop from mobile devices. Always check whether the theme looks good on a smartphone, tablet, and iPad.
- Theme’s loading speed. Although Shopify itself is a notoriously fast platform, you can always check the speed by using tools like GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights.
- Store navigation. Ideally, the navigation should be intuitive, so that the visitors don’t become frustrated and leave the site.
Always keep in mind that even though some Shopify themes offer more features than others, focus only on what you need. All unnecessary functions will only clutter and slow down your store.
Quick Tip:
On Shopify, there’s also a wide variety of free Shopify apps that can enhance your store’s functionality.
To further increase your store’s functionality – and consequently profit – try Shopify SEO and Shopify email marketing apps.
The Best Free Shopify Themes for Your Print-On-Demand Business
1. Dawn
Dawn is the fastest Shopify theme. It is flexible, intuitive, and mobile-friendly. It has been designed to help you express your brand and sell more – it is suitable for all stores, regardless of inventory size.
Great for: Shopify clothing stores and those selling health and beauty as well as home and garden products.
Let’s take a look at some of its features.
- An adaptable layout. You can easily customize product, collection, blog, and other pages.
- Mobile-first theme. Displays well on smartphones, tablets, and desktops.
- Visual storytelling. Specifically designed for visual brand storytelling.
- Ultra-light weight. Built for performance, fast by default.
- Various other features. Product videos, lookbook, blog, product filtering, and more.
Pros: A theme that’s free, responsive, and easy to use.
Cons: You are mostly dependent on pre-conditioned elements – changes of font or background color are not widely available.
Dawn is a modern theme with a quick setup. You can use drag-and-drop sections to create custom pages throughout your store without any technical knowledge.
2. Debut
Debut is a beautiful theme designed to showcase your brand and products. It is perfect for those who want to start selling right away. It is a classy theme that looks polished and clean, without requiring much customization.
Great for: Clothing and accessories.
Let’s take a look at some of its features.
- Mobile-friendly. This theme looks good on both smartphones and desktops.
- Pickup availability. Engage your customers and show where items are available for pickup.
- Slideshow. Easily showcase multiple product or brand images.
- Product recommendations. Increase discoverability – showcase products on product pages.
- Other features. Predictive search, product filtering, home page video, and more.
Pros: If you’re new to Shopify, this theme has everything you need to get started. It is neat and beginner-friendly.
Cons: It’s a bit rigid towards customization. It is best suited for small catalog stores.
Debut is a simple yet elegant theme that flows smoothly and will present your online store in its best light. In addition, invest a little in Shopify marketing, and you have a winning combination that attracts customers.
3. Minimal
If you’re looking for the best free Shopify themes that are easy to set up, this is definitely among them. Minimal eliminates distractions so that your customers can focus on what matters most – your awesome products.
Great for: Clothing and accessories, art and entertainment, home and garden.
Let’s take a look at some of its features.
- Three different styles. Vintage, Fashion, and Modern.
- Product filter. Allows your customers to filter products by price, rating, and more.
- Home-page slideshow. Showcase your products at the top of the home page.
- Product image zoom. Allows you to get a closer look at the image.
- Product recommendations. Easily showcase products on product pages.
Pros: A clutter-free experience for stores with small catalogs, user-friendly.
Cons: Some say that it is too basic, others say that images get cut off in the mobile version.
An excellent pick for those who want their customers to focus solely on their products.
Quick Tip:
When uploading images, it’s vital to choose the right Shopify image size to avoid any distortions. All successful Shopify stores feature professional images that showcase their products in the best possible light.
4. Simple
One of the best free Shopify themes with a name that characterizes it pretty well. It is clean, beautiful, and yes, you guessed it, simple.
Great for: Clothing and accessories. Online stores with more than five products.
Let’s take a look at some of its features.
- Sidebar navigation. Easily display your products and collections.
- Image animations. Product images animate into the page, creating a transition effect.
- Product image zoom. Give your customers a closer look at your product images.
- Product recommendations. Allows you to showcase your products.
Pros: A clean theme with large menus and a fast load time.
Cons: Some users aren’t happy with how the theme displays on mobile. However, it only has two negative reviews.
Avoid clutter and let your merchandise do the talking. Simple allows your customers to appreciate the finer details of your products.
5. Supply
This is the perfect theme for entrepreneurs with large inventories and several collections. It is easy to navigate and jumps from one category to another seamlessly.
Great for: Clothing and accessories, electronics, homeware. Online stores with large catalogs.
Let’s take a look at some of its features.
- Full responsive integration. Works well on desktop, smartphones, and tablets.
- Collections on home page. Easily display multiple featured collections.
- Collection filtering. This feature allows your customers to filter collection pages by price, brand, and other customizable options.
- Slideshow. You can showcase multiple products or brand images.
- Different styles. Supply is available in two styles – Blue and Light.
Pros: Supply is easy to customize and allows you to showcase and filter large inventories.
Cons: Several reviewers have complained that Supply is slow to load since the last update, and that the theme doesn’t function properly on older browsers.
If you have a lot of products to sell and you’re on a budget, Supply is a good choice.
6. Brooklyn
The Brooklyn theme is ideal for those who sell apparel and accessories. One of the best free Shopify themes, it’s eye-catching and easy to navigate.
Great for: Apparel, accessories, and Shopify t-shirt stores.
Take a look at some of its features.
- Dynamic product grid. The layout of products changes automatically based on how many are displayed.
- Header slideshow. Showcase multiple product images at the top of your home page.
- Home page video. Tell your story by featuring a video.
- Slide-out cart. Shoppers can easily add items to their cart without leaving the page they are on.
- Different styles. Brooklyn is available in two styles – Classic and Playful.
Pros: Users praise its simplicity, speed, and style.
Cons: Some users complain about bad photo resizing – photos don’t automatically display on smaller devices. However, it seems to only affect slideshow images.
If you’re a fashion or print-on-demand retailer, Brooklyn will help your business to stand out.
7. Narrative
A mobile-friendly theme that’s specifically designed for brand and product storytelling. It highlights product features on a single page.
Great for: Stores with either a single or small number of products.
Take a look at some of its features.
- Hero video. Tell a story by featuring a full-screen video at the top of your home page.
- Wide layout. A full-width layout allows you to display high-resolution imagery.
- Vertical slideshow. Display images, products, and information in a vertical slideshow.
- Different styles. Available in Earthy, Warm, Light, and Cold.
- Fixed navigation. Your menu, logo, and cart surface when a customer begins to scroll up.
Pros: Narrative is an immersive theme that’s ideal for showcasing product details with imagery – easily handles high-resolution images.
Cons: Some users complain that there’s a cap on product description length, the layout is difficult to format, and its usability is not the best.
Narrative hints at what it does best – showcasing a product through storytelling.
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8. Venture
A feature-rich theme that’s designed for stores with large inventories. If you have five or more collections, this theme’s for you.
Great for: Stores with a large number of products.
Take a look at some of its features.
- Multi-column menu. Easily feature product images and details in a large drop-down menu.
- Featured product. Promote a product by featuring it on your home page.
- Promotional banners. Use the top of your store’s home page for promotions.
- Product filtering. Allows filtering products by type and sorting by bestsellers and price.
- Slideshow. Showcase your products on your home page.
Pros: Venture is a responsive theme that allows you to promote your products, make announcements, and express your company’s solidarity with a cause.
Cons: Some say that photos get cropped when opened on mobile devices or displayed on small computer screens. Users complain that Venture is not easy to change in terms of computer coding, but for a beginner that shouldn’t be an issue.
Venture has found its place amongst stores that sell sports equipment, but can be used for selling all kinds of products.
9. Boundless
The Boundless theme is a good way to showcase your brand’s high-resolution images. It helps create a memorable impression by highlighting your products.
Great for: Stores with medium to large inventories.
Take a look at some of its features.
- Fading effects. Allows you to feature multiple brand images in a fade-effect slideshow.
- Sticky navigation. As you scroll down, the menu stays fixed at the top of the page.
- Full-width images. Images are shown in a full-width grid layout.
- Single product gallery. Feature high-resolution images in a dedicated product gallery.
- Home page video. Tell your story – add a Youtube or Vimeo video.
Pros: Boundless is a beautiful theme that offers seamless online purchasing. Allows your customers to quickly find what they are looking for.
Cons: Users complain that Boundless lacks customization, especially on the product page. Additionally, there are complaints about mobile responsiveness.
With a minimal user interface, Boundless enables online sellers to tell their stories in pictures.
10. Styler
A theme that’s specifically designed for fashion eCommerce stores. It is elegant, stylish, and allows you to present your products in an attractive way.
Great for: Clothing and accessories. Stores with medium size catalogs.
Take a look at some of its features.
- Responsive design. This theme is highly responsive and looks good on mobile devices.
- Easy-to-edit features. Easily add images, product information, and more.
- Supports multiple languages. Allows displaying your store in multiple languages.
- Drop-down menu. Easily feature your collections or products that are on sale.
Pros: A stylish design that has lots of structural elements.
Cons: Although Styler has been optimized for speed, it’s not as fast as some of the themes we previously reviewed. This theme has very limited functionality unless the premium version is bought.
Styler is a stylish theme that’s good for apparel stores.
11. Thalia
Thalia is a visually appealing theme with a minimalist look that’s recommended for fashion outlets, but works well for a wide variety of other eCommerce business types.
Great for: Clothing and accessories.
Take a look at some of its features.
- Advanced search. Allows your customers to easily find what they are looking for.
- Fully customizable. Use different colors, fonts, and page content.
- Responsive slideshow. Tell your story by featuring multiple high-resolution images.
- Slide-out cart. Your customers can add items to their cart without leaving the page.
- Advanced collection filters. Filter collection pages by price, brand, and other options.
Pros: Thalia is a simple yet powerful theme that’s well designed and offers a good visual experience.
Cons: Some users have experienced display errors on their mobile devices.
The creators – aTheme – have a strong history of producing great themes. This one has all the necessary elements to give your store an organized and professional look.
12. Apparelix Free
Apparelix Free is a stylish and well-designed theme that’s easy to build without any experience.
Great for: Clothing and accessories.
Take a look at some of its features.
- Fully responsive design. This theme looks good on mobile devices.
- Easily customizable. You can customize fonts, colors, images, and more.
- Sticky navigation. As you scroll down, the menu stays fixed at the top of the page.
- Drag-and-drop sections. Easily add chunks of content, such as a banner, slider, and featured products.
Pros: A theme with a fresh design that’s specifically built for selling clothing.
Cons: Apparelix Free has very limited functionality unless the premium version is bought. The free version doesn’t have additional features like a lookbook, advanced product filtering, does not protect your content from copying, and so on.
This theme is bright, clean, and allows you to highlight all the necessary information about your collections.
13. SuitUP
An eye-catching and visually appealing theme with soft colors tones.
Great for: Clothing and accessories, electronics and gadgets, and more.
Take a look at some of its features.
- Fully responsive design. This theme looks good on mobile devices.
- Category filters. Allows for quick and easy navigation through your collections.
- Wish list. Allows your customers to save their desired products.
- Intuitive navigation. Your customers can easily navigate throughout your store.
Pros: This theme has a clean style and visual effects that allows you to highlight your products.
Cons: SuitUP has very limited functionality unless the premium version is bought.
SuitUP is a theme that’s suitable for all types of eCommerce stores.
14. Doris
A modern, minimal, and powerful theme that looks good on all devices.
Great for: Clothing and accessories.
Take a look at some of its features.
- Responsive design. This theme looks good on mobile devices.
- Lightweight theme. A light theme that still packs everything you need.
- Slideshow. Easily showcase your brand images.
- Drag-and-drop page builder. Effortlessly add, remove or reorder chunks of content.
Pros: A theme with two style versions and lovely animations.
Cons: Sadly, Doris has very limited functionality unless the premium version is bought.
A stylish and mobile-friendly theme that’s specifically designed for fashion stores.
15. Multifly
A unique and intuitive design that’s easy to build without any coding skills.
Great for: Clothing and accessories.
Take a look at some of its features.
- Fully responsive design.Quickly adapts to any gadget with any screen size.
- Lightweight theme. A light theme that still packs everything you need.
- Sticky navigation. As you scroll down, the menu stays fixed at the top of the page.
- Various other features. Contact form, sorting options, search form, and more.
Pros: This theme includes support for promotional banners, Google Fonts, and a blog.
Cons: Multifly has very limited functionality unless the premium version is bought.
A fully editable theme that’s designed for eCommerce businesses in the fashion industry.
To Wrap Up
Just like with brick-and-mortar stores, your digital storefront should invite customers in, showcase your products, and give them a preview of the experience they can expect from your store.
A random theme won’t do – the features of Shopify themes vary. To make a good decision, always keep in mind:
- Your individual business needs and your competitors
- The theme’s features, functionality, visual appearance
- The responsiveness of the design
- Performance, loading speed, and the navigation of the theme
Although choosing the right Shopify theme can be challenging, armed with this article, you should have a pretty good idea of what you should look for. You must remember that not every theme is a good fit for your brand, so choose wisely.
If we had to pick two, we’d choose these.
- Minimal. A popular theme. It offers a clean and clutter-free design that allows your customers to focus solely on your products.
- Simple. One of the best free Shopify themes that’s easy to set up and looks beautiful.
With the right aesthetic and design, you can create an engaging shopping experience that will entice your customers to spend more.
What is your favorite theme, and why? Did we miss a theme that should be on this list? Let us know in the comments below.
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Written by
Leon Walker
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