How to Hire a Shopify App Developer (Costs, Skills, Process)

Do you actually need a Shopify app?

Often not. Before hiring an app developer, check whether an existing App Store app or a theme customization solves the problem. A custom app makes sense when the logic is specific to your business, has to run on the server, or connects systems that no existing app connects.

Our take: if a well-reviewed app does 80% of what you need, start there. Paying for custom code to get the last 20% only makes sense when that 20% is how you make money.

What's the difference between a public app and a custom app?

A public app can be installed on many stores and must be approved for the Shopify App Store. A custom app is built for one merchant: it installs on one store or on several stores in the same Plus organization, and doesn't need App Store approval.

Details that affect your project, from Shopify's developer docs:

• Distribution can't be changed after you pick it, so decide early.
• Custom apps can't charge through Shopify's billing system. That's fine for your own store, but not for a product you plan to sell.
• Admin-created custom apps (the old "create an app in the admin" route) can no longer be created for new apps; existing ones keep working.
• Custom apps with Shopify Functions only work on Shopify Plus stores. On other plans, you can use Functions only through public apps from the App Store.

What are app extensions, Functions and checkout UI extensions?

They're the pieces of an app that run inside Shopify rather than on your server. Most modern apps are a combination of a small backend plus one or more extensions.

• Theme app extensions: app blocks and app embeds that merchants add to an Online Store 2.0 theme in the theme editor, without editing Liquid.
• Shopify Functions: server-side logic that Shopify runs during cart and checkout. Current Function APIs include discounts, delivery customization, payment customization, cart and checkout validation, cart transform, fulfillment constraints and order routing.
• Checkout UI extensions: custom UI in checkout. Extensions on the information, shipping and payment steps are available only to Shopify Plus stores.
• Admin extensions and the app home: screens inside the Shopify admin where staff use the app.

For the checkout side in more depth, see our checkout extensibility guide.

What skills should a Shopify app developer have?

In 2026, a Shopify app developer should know the React Router app template, Polaris, the GraphQL Admin API, Shopify CLI, Functions and extensions, and App Store requirements if the app is public. General React or Node.js experience isn't enough on its own.

• React Router app template. Shopify's scaffold now recommends a React Router template (earlier apps used Remix). Ask what stack they'd start from and why.
• GraphQL Admin API. REST Admin API has been legacy since October 1, 2024, and since April 1, 2025 all new public apps must use GraphQL exclusively. A developer who still reaches for REST is a red flag.
• Polaris and App Bridge. Polaris web components make the app look native in the admin; App Bridge handles embedding. Public apps must use the latest App Bridge and session token authentication.
• Shopify CLI and extension deployment. Extensions are versioned and released with the shopify app deploy command.
• Functions. They run inside Shopify's strict execution limits, so they need a developer who has written and tested them before.
• Webhooks, data and security: handling webhooks reliably, rate limits, and storing only the customer data the app needs.
• App Store review (public apps): billing through the Shopify Billing API or App Pricing, OAuth on install and reinstall, and working without third-party cookies.

How much does it cost to build a Shopify app?

It depends on scope more than on anything else. As typical market ranges, a small extension-only app (one Function or checkout block) can cost a few thousand US dollars, a custom app with its own admin, database and integrations commonly runs into the tens of thousands, and a public App Store product often costs more again.

These are broad ranges seen across freelancers and agencies, not quotes. Rates vary a lot by region and seniority, so treat any number you read online, including these, as a starting point for a conversation.

Costs people forget:

• Hosting. Shopify doesn't host an app's backend. Shopify's docs list providers such as Vercel, Google Cloud Run, Fly.io and Render.
• Maintenance. Shopify releases new API versions every quarter, so apps need regular updates.
• App Store fees (public apps): a one-time $19 registration fee, 0% revenue share on your first $1,000,000 of lifetime gross app revenue and 15% above that, plus a 2.9% processing fee on billing.
• Plan requirements. If your idea depends on a custom app with Functions or checkout extensions on the payment steps, you need Shopify Plus.

How do you hire a Shopify app developer step by step?

1. Write a one-page brief: the problem, who uses the app (shoppers, staff, wholesale buyers), the systems it touches, and what success looks like.
2. Check the App Store first and list why existing apps don't fit. A good developer will ask this anyway.
3. Decide custom vs public and confirm your Shopify plan supports what you need.
4. Shortlist 3 developers or teams from the Shopify Partner Directory, referrals or vetted marketplaces.
5. Ask for a technical proposal: architecture, which extensions and APIs, hosting, data stored, timeline and what's fixed vs estimated.
6. Start with a paid discovery or prototype for anything complex.
7. Agree on ownership: the code repository, hosting account and Partner app should be yours, or transferable to you.
8. Plan maintenance before launch: API version updates, monitoring and a response time for bugs.

What questions should you ask before hiring?

• Which apps or extensions have you built, and can you show one running?
• Would you build this as an app, a theme customization, or use an existing app? Why?
• Which Shopify APIs, Function APIs and extension targets will you use?
• Does this require Shopify Plus?
• Where will it be hosted, who pays for that, and who owns the accounts?
• How will you handle API version updates after launch?
• What customer data will the app store, and how is it protected?

For broader advice on vetting partners, see how to hire a Shopify developer.

How we can help

We build Shopify stores and the custom app features around them, such as checkout extensions, theme app blocks and integrations. For complex custom backends, we work with our engineering partner PrioritySoft, while we handle the Shopify side. See our Shopify development services or tell us what you need on our contact page.