Working with a Shopify agency
What Shopify development actually costs, how to read a quote, when to hire in-house versus outsource, and how to choose an agency.
Agency pricing is opaque in a way that mostly serves agencies. Day rates vary by a factor of five for work that looks identical on a proposal, and the difference is rarely explained.
These articles set out what the bands actually buy, when hiring in-house beats outsourcing, and which questions separate a capable partner from a confident one. We are an agency, so read them knowing that — which is also why we publish our own rates.
Articles on this topic
Shopify Plus partner, agency or expert: what the label means and how to choose one
Plus partner, Plus agency, Plus expert — three labels that are not the same thing. How to verify the status, what Plus is actually bought for, and the questions that separate experience from a badge.
Shopify retainers: what a monthly support plan should include — and what it costs in the UK
Hours, response times, ownership and reporting: what to get in writing before you sign a Shopify retainer, real monthly prices, and when ad-hoc support is the better deal.
How much does a Shopify store cost in the UK? Real 2026 prices
One-off build costs, monthly running costs and the line items quotes tend to leave out — with our published prices rather than a range from £500 to £50,000.
Shopify development day rates in the UK: what you should actually pay in 2026
What a Shopify developer costs in the UK, why the range is so wide, and how to tell an underpriced quote from a good one.
When should an agency hire a Shopify developer vs. outsource?
The break-even is not where most agency owners think it is. A working model based on utilisation, not headcount cost.
How to choose a Shopify agency: nine questions
Three quotes for the same brief rarely describe the same work. These questions make proposals comparable — scope, handover, revisions and post-launch support.
Winning product research: what works and what does not
A winning product is not a secret list. It is validated demand, workable margin and solved sourcing. The method, step by step.
Frequently asked questions.
What should Shopify development cost per day?
Rates vary widely by delivery model rather than by quality alone. What matters more than the number is what the day includes: whether QA, project management and post-launch support are inside the rate or billed separately.
Should we hire in-house or use an agency?
In-house makes sense when there is enough continuous work to keep someone busy and enough internal knowledge to manage them. Agencies make sense for bounded projects and for specialist work you need occasionally rather than daily.
What should we ask before signing?
Who does the work, what happens after launch, who owns the code, and how change requests are priced. Vague answers to any of those are the signal.