How much does a truly custom-built Shopify store cost in France?

A hand-coded Shopify store costs, as a benchmark, from €3,000 excl. VAT, for a new build or a redesign. The exact price is set after a discovery call. It mainly depends on the number of page templates, the volume of products to migrate, and how much business logic gets coded into the theme. At the same rate, a dressed-up theme has a parent theme in its code and a stack of paid apps for basic features. Price alone guarantees nothing, so ask to see the source code, or ask exactly which starting theme was used, before you sign, whatever figure is printed at the bottom of the page.

Why avoid Shopify apps if they get the job done?

Apps do the job, but they also create dependencies: a Shopify update can break the integration overnight, support is handled by a third-party vendor, and each app adds its own line to the monthly bill, at a price its developer can change at any time. For the basic features of a store (filters, reviews, upsell, loyalty program), coding the logic once into the theme is more stable over time and adds no recurring cost. Apps remain useful for one-off or highly specific needs.

Can a customized Shopify theme count as custom-built?

In the strict sense, no. A theme bought on the Shopify Theme Store, even heavily customized (colors, fonts, a few sections changed), keeps an architecture designed to cover thousands of different stores. Custom-built means code written directly for the brand: no identifiable parent theme, sections built for its catalog and its checkout flow, and no app for features that could be coded once and for all. A customized theme remains a fair option on a tight budget, provided the agency says so clearly in the quote. The problem appears only when this customization work is billed at the price of development from scratch, without the brand knowing what base it was built on. Ask the agency to name the theme it used. An agency that openly says it customized a theme has nothing to hide.

How long does it take to deliver a custom-built Shopify store?

At Sonho, allow 4 to 6 weeks, for a Shopify redesign as for a full build with catalog, written content and connected tools. A timeline fixed in advance forces the scope to be set from the start. Ask what is included in this timeline and what is left out. A timeline with no written scope can stretch as far as the amendments added over the course of the project. A custom-built project fixes scope, price and timeline together, at the first estimate, and does not revise them once the quote is signed. This timeline also assumes the brand delivers its content and products on time: a catalog delivered late pushes back the launch, however serious the agency is.

Custom-built Shopify store: the 5 signs a quote is not really one

Three Shopify quotes all say “custom-built”, but only one theme is coded for your brand. Run this 5-sign test on any proposal you receive.

The short answer

A custom-built Shopify store is coded directly for the brand, with no identifiable parent theme and no stack of paid apps covering basic features. Five signs give away a “custom” quote that is not one: a recognizable theme behind the design, features replaced by app names, no mention of loading speed, no fixed timeline or price, and ongoing dependence on the agency after launch. At Sonho, a custom-built store is delivered in 4 to 6 weeks.

Why does “custom-built Shopify store” no longer mean anything on a quote?

You are comparing three quotes from Shopify agencies. All three promise “custom-built”. All three show a polished portfolio. Their prices have nothing in common. The third even proposes a monthly subscription with no clearly defined exit price. Agencies use the word for a bought theme and for a site coded line by line alike, so on its own it guarantees nothing.

Five signs are enough to tell whether a quote sells development written for your brand or a theme dressed up at the price of custom development. You can run it on any proposal you receive, including the one we would put together at Sonho.

Sign 1: you recognize the theme behind the design

The first signal is visible to the naked eye. Open the Shopify Theme Store and compare the best-selling themes (Dawn, Impulse, Refresh) with the sites in the portfolio of the agency you are evaluating. If you recognize the block structure, the header layout or the product grid, you are looking at a dressed-up theme.

A theme is nothing to be ashamed of as a starting point on a small budget. The problem starts when it is sold at the price of development written from scratch. Ask which theme serves as the base, which version, and what gets changed inside it. A store coded directly in the theme has no identifiable parent theme, because its sections are written for the brand.

Sign 2: the quote replaces features with app names

Look next at the technical part of the quote. Does it replace features with app names? “Customer reviews”, “advanced search”, “loyalty program”, “post-purchase upsell”: each of these lines can point either to an application billed monthly or to logic coded once and for all into the theme. A serious proposal says which one it is, in plain terms.

Every app added is one more dependency: a Shopify update can break the integration, support is handled by a third party, and each app adds its own line to the monthly bill, at the price its developer sets. The full logic is in our guide on running a Shopify store without a stack of paid apps.

Customer reviews: either an app billed monthly, or a module coded into the theme and free once delivered.
Search and collection filters: often a third-party app, even though Shopify lets you code these filters natively into the theme.
Post-purchase upsell: simple logic that can be coded directly into the checkout flow.
Loyalty program: worth coding only once order volume justifies it; before that, it costs money every month for little use.

Sign 3: nobody mentions loading speed

A theme loaded with apps carries real weight: every third-party script runs on page load, and display time stretches out. The figure to check is called LCP, for Largest Contentful Paint: the time it takes the main element of the page to appear on screen. If the quote never mentions this figure, speed will be dealt with after the fact.

Speed concerns more than developers. Core Web Vitals have been a Google ranking factor since 2021, and every extra second of loading time drives buyers away before they even see the product. The most common causes of a slow store are detailed in our guide on a Shopify store that loads too slowly.

Sign 4: neither the timeline nor the price is fixed upfront

The quote starts at one figure, then amendments pile up. Migrating the product pages? “That is extra.” Integrating the review module? “We had not planned for that.” Training on the admin interface? “That is a separate day, billed apart.” This drift often comes from a quote left deliberately vague from the start. We detailed this mechanism in how to avoid a quote that drifts and a project that drags on.

A custom-built project comes with a written scope, a price fixed after a discovery call, and a dated schedule. At Sonho, a Shopify store is delivered in 4 to 6 weeks, for a redesign as for a new build. If the quote fixes neither, one of the three (scope, price or timeline) is negotiable against you as the project moves along.

Sign 5: you stay dependent on the agency after launch

For many brands, dependence begins at launch. Changing a line of text on the homepage: open a ticket. Adding a banner for a promotion: request a quote. Updating a seasonal collection: “we will get back to you by the end of the week.” If every content change has to go through the agency, the custom-built work has moved the problem to after launch.

A hand-coded store gives the brand full autonomy over its content: text, photos, colors, products. Training on the admin interface should be included at delivery. At Sonho, one point of contact follows the project from the first call to launch, a reply comes within one business day for any bug after launch, and larger changes are handled as a flat fee or a ticket.

A custom e-commerce site without a template: what it means in the code

“Custom-built” describes the code. A custom-built Shopify store has no visible parent theme: its sections are written for the brand, inside the theme itself. Business logic (filters, reviews, upsell) is coded directly into the theme, with no third-party app billed monthly.

You see it after delivery too. Sections are configurable from the Shopify admin interface, with no need to touch the code: a founder can change a line of text, an image or a color on their own. Metafields are set up so the catalog stays manageable without a developer. You can check this autonomy before signing: ask to see the editor of a store they have delivered. The three-year comparison between a themed store and code written for the brand is in our guide to Shopify store pricing.

How do you run this test on a quote you already have in hand?

These five signs turn into five questions to ask any agency you meet, including your current one if you are considering a redesign. The test applies just as much to an independent agency as to a large certified Shopify Partner agency: certification attests to a volume of projects and says nothing about these five signs in the quote on the table.

The answers to these five questions tell you more about the quality of a project than any portfolio. If you want us to run this test on your situation (a store to build, a redesign to scope, or a quote you received to take apart), a discovery call is enough to get a first opinion. The details of our Shopify stores and a broader price range for a website are in our dedicated guide.

Which base theme are you working from, or are you starting from scratch? A precise answer (name, version, what gets changed) is a good sign.
Which apps will be needed at launch, and what is their total combined monthly cost?
What mobile LCP are you targeting at delivery, and how do you measure it?
Are the price and scope of this quote final, or should I expect amendments?
Will I be able to edit my content on my own after delivery, without going through you?

Frequently asked questions

How much does a truly custom-built Shopify store cost in France?: A hand-coded Shopify store costs, as a benchmark, from €3,000 excl. VAT, for a new build or a redesign. The exact price is set after a discovery call. It mainly depends on the number of page templates, the volume of products to migrate, and how much business logic gets coded into the theme. At the same rate, a dressed-up theme has a parent theme in its code and a stack of paid apps for basic features. Price alone guarantees nothing, so ask to see the source code, or ask exactly which starting theme was used, before you sign, whatever figure is printed at the bottom of the page.
Why avoid Shopify apps if they get the job done?: Apps do the job, but they also create dependencies: a Shopify update can break the integration overnight, support is handled by a third-party vendor, and each app adds its own line to the monthly bill, at a price its developer can change at any time. For the basic features of a store (filters, reviews, upsell, loyalty program), coding the logic once into the theme is more stable over time and adds no recurring cost. Apps remain useful for one-off or highly specific needs.
Can a customized Shopify theme count as custom-built?: In the strict sense, no. A theme bought on the Shopify Theme Store, even heavily customized (colors, fonts, a few sections changed), keeps an architecture designed to cover thousands of different stores. Custom-built means code written directly for the brand: no identifiable parent theme, sections built for its catalog and its checkout flow, and no app for features that could be coded once and for all. A customized theme remains a fair option on a tight budget, provided the agency says so clearly in the quote. The problem appears only when this customization work is billed at the price of development from scratch, without the brand knowing what base it was built on. Ask the agency to name the theme it used. An agency that openly says it customized a theme has nothing to hide.
How long does it take to deliver a custom-built Shopify store?: At Sonho, allow 4 to 6 weeks, for a Shopify redesign as for a full build with catalog, written content and connected tools. A timeline fixed in advance forces the scope to be set from the start. Ask what is included in this timeline and what is left out. A timeline with no written scope can stretch as far as the amendments added over the course of the project. A custom-built project fixes scope, price and timeline together, at the first estimate, and does not revise them once the quote is signed. This timeline also assumes the brand delivers its content and products on time: a catalog delivered late pushes back the launch, however serious the agency is.