By Bogdan Rancea
If you’re looking for the best Shopify themes to transform your ecommerce store’s design, then you’re in the right place. While Shopify’s free templates may have fewer advanced features than their premium alternatives, they still offer a great starting point to ecommerce business owners.
With the right theme, you can enhance the appearance of your store, access unique functionality, and ensure your customers get an excellent experience when browsing through your site’s pages. In fact, many small business owners around the world rely exclusively on free Shopify themes.
To help you make the right choice for your company, our team of design, UI/UX and development experts have reviewed every free Shopify theme available, to pinpoint the best options.
What We Look for in the Best Free Shopify Themes
The best free themes for Shopify should give you all the functionality you need to build an attractive, engaging, and feature-rich online store. We’ve assessed the options below based on everything from mobile responsiveness, to page loading speed, included functionality, and aesthetic appeal, ensuring you choose the best Shopify theme for your needs.
All of the themes we’ve chosen will work with a range of Shopify apps and integrations, ensuring you can scale your Shopify store with numerous add-ons. Plus, they can all easily be customized to suit your brand’s image and identity.
To filter through the options, you can use our handy “tags” section to pinpoint themes relevant to your industry (such as fashion or technology). You can also use the “tags” button to look for specific features, such as “mega menu” options.
To see a theme in action, simply click on the design you like, and you’ll be taken to a page full of excellent examples.
We’ll keep this page up-to-date with new free Shopify themes and design options as they emerge, ensuring you always have access to the latest, budget-friendly templates for your store.
Best Free Shopify Themes at a Glance
| Feature/Theme | Refresh | Sense | Dawn | Ride | Origin | Studio |
| Design Style | Minimalist | Professional | Flexible | User-Friendly | Image-Focused | Creative |
| Customization Options | Moderate | High | High | Moderate | High | High |
| Responsiveness | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Speed Optimization | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SEO-Friendly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable Sections | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable Headers | Limited | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable Footers | Limited | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Support and Documentation | Moderate | High | High | Moderate | High | High |
| Best For | Simplicity | Versatility | Flexibility | Beginners | Showcasing Products | Creative Stores |
| Advanced Features | Limited | High | High | Limited | Moderate | High |
Best Free Shopify Themes for 2024
1. Dawn – Our Pick
The Dawn theme is a modern, minimalist Shopify theme designed to elevate your online store with its clean and elegant aesthetics. Ideal for fashion and apparel brands, lifestyle, and luxury brands, this theme emphasizes visual storytelling and seamless user experience.
Dawn is a popular Shopify theme known for its simplicity and flexibility. It is designed to help you create a visually appealing store with minimal effort.
Key Features
- Flexible Design: Easily adaptable to different store types.
- Speed Optimized: Fast loading times for better user experience.
- Responsive Layout: Mobile-friendly design.
Pros
- Extremely flexible and easy to use.
- Fast and responsive.
- Great for beginners and experienced users alike.
Cons
- Limited advanced customization options.
- Basic design might not stand out.
2. Refresh
Refresh is a clean and minimalist free theme provided by Shopify, designed to provide a fresh look to your online store. It is ideal for stores focusing on simplicity and elegance.
Key Features
- Minimalist Design: Simple and clean layout.
- Customizable Sections: Easily modify sections to fit your brand.
- Responsive Design: Looks great on all devices.
Pros
- Easy to set up and customize.
- Clean and modern aesthetic.
- Optimized for fast loading times.
Cons
- Limited advanced features.
- Basic design might not suit all brands.
3. Sense
Sense is a multipurpose Shopify theme that offers a professional and polished look, making it suitable for a wide range of online stores.
Key Features
- Professional Layout: Sleek and polished design.
- Customizable Headers and Footers: Easily change header and footer styles.
- SEO-Friendly: Optimized for search engines.
Pros
- Highly customizable.
- Professional and clean design.
- Great support and documentation.
Cons
- Can be complex for beginners.
- Limited pre-made templates.
4. Ride
Ride is a new Shopify theme perfect for new and small online stores. It provides a straightforward and user-friendly design that ensures a seamless shopping experience.
Key Features
- User-Friendly: Simple and intuitive interface.
- Customizable Sections: Easily modify sections to match your brand.
- Mobile-Optimized: Responsive design for all devices.
Pros
- Easy to set up and use.
- Clean and simple design.
- Great for small businesses.
Cons
- Limited advanced features.
- Basic design may not suit all stores.
5. Origin
Origin is a visually stunning Shopify theme designed to showcase your products beautifully. It is a responsive Shopify theme perfect for stores with high-quality images and visuals.
Key Features
- Image-Focused Design: Emphasizes product images.
- Customizable Layouts: Easily adjust layouts to fit your needs.
- Responsive Design: Looks great on all devices.
Pros
- Beautiful and visually appealing.
- Great for showcasing products.
- Easy to customize.
Cons
- Requires high-quality images.
- Limited advanced features.
6. Studio
Studio is a creative premium theme ideal for art, photography, and portfolio stores. It provides a stylish and modern design to highlight your creative work.
Key Features
- Creative Layouts: Unique and stylish design.
- Customizable Sections: Easily modify sections to suit your brand.
- Responsive Design: Mobile-friendly layout.
Pros
- Stylish and modern design.
- Great for creative stores.
- Highly customizable.
Cons
- Might be too niche for some stores.
- Requires good quality visuals.
MORE: Best Shopify Clothing Store Examples
FAQs
Debut is often recommended for beginners due to its simplicity and ease of use.
Yes, free Shopify themes offer extensive customization options through the theme editor.
Yes, all free Shopify themes are designed to be responsive and mobile-friendly.
Navigate to Online Store > Themes, click “Explore Free Themes,” choose a new theme, and click “Add to Theme Library.”
Free themes may have fewer advanced features compared to paid themes, but they still offer great customization and functionality.
Conclusion
Choosing the right Shopify theme is essential for creating an attractive and functional online store. The six free Shopify themes discussed in this article—Refresh, Sense, Dawn, Debut, Origin, and Studio—each offer unique features and benefits to help you create a stunning online presence. You can find these themes and more on the Shopify Theme Store.
