TL;DR: A Shopify rebuild covers four very different projects. Theme refresh on existing Shopify: $3–15k, 2–4 weeks. Migration to Shopify from BigCommerce, WooCommerce, or Magento: $5–30k+, 4–10 weeks. Custom Shopify theme built from scratch on Liquid: $8–40k, 6–10 weeks. Hydrogen or Storefront API custom front-end: $15–80k+, 8–14 weeks. Most quotes do not make the difference clear, so founders comparing prices are comparing different products. The line items studios usually pad: discovery, copywriting, photography, app reconfiguration, and post-launch support. Ask the studio to itemize each.
The "Shopify rebuild" question covers four very different projects, and most quotes don't make the difference clear. A theme refresh, a migration from another platform, a Hydrogen rebuild, and a full custom build on Shopify's commerce backend are wildly different in scope, time, and price.
Here is the honest breakdown of each, what drives the number, and where studios usually pad.
The four real Shopify "rebuild" projects
1. Theme refresh. You're on Shopify, you keep the theme platform (Dawn, a $300 paid theme, or your existing custom theme), and the project is design and content updates. Range: $3k–$15k, 2–4 weeks.
2. Migration to Shopify from BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Squarespace Commerce, Magento, or custom. Range: $5k–$30k+ depending on catalog complexity, 4–10 weeks.
3. Custom Shopify theme build from scratch (still on Liquid, still on stock Shopify, but designed and built bespoke). Range: $8k–$40k, 6–10 weeks.
4. Hydrogen / Storefront API custom front-end. A custom Next.js, Hydrogen, or Astro front-end that talks to Shopify's commerce backend via API. Range: $15k–$80k+, 8–14 weeks.
These aren't substitutes for each other. A founder asking "how much for a Shopify rebuild" usually has one of these specifically in mind without knowing the labels.
Theme refresh: $3k–$15k
This is the most common project. You're on Shopify, the brand or layout has shifted, and the site needs to look intentional again. You're not changing platforms, you're changing how the site looks and reads.
What's in:
- New design for the homepage, collection pages, product detail page (PDP), cart, and 2–3 content pages.
- Theme customization (sections, blocks, settings) so the marketing team can edit without devs.
- Mobile and desktop, responsive down to 320px.
- Hero motion, considered typography, real photography direction.
- One pass on the checkout (limited what you can do on stock Shopify; more on Plus).
- Performance pass — images, scripts, reducing app bloat.
- Launch with redirects from any URL changes.
What drives the number up:
- More than 6 page templates.
- Heavy custom interaction.
- Brand identity work bundled in (real brand work is $5–25k separately).
- A bloated app stack that needs auditing and replacement.
Studios pad here by quoting "starting at $5k" without scoping. Insist on a written scope before signing.
Migration to Shopify: $5k–$30k+
Migrating from another platform varies wildly because the work depends on what you're migrating from.
| From | Typical price | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Squarespace Commerce | $5k–$10k | Simple catalog, simple migration |
| BigCommerce | $7k–$15k | Similar data model, app stack often complex |
| WooCommerce | $8k–$25k | Plugin ecosystem to untangle, customer data, subscriptions |
| Magento | $15k–$50k+ | Custom data, multi-store, complex tax/shipping rules |
| Custom-built | $15k–$60k+ | Depends entirely on what was built |
What's always in:
- Catalog migration (products, variants, inventory).
- Customer migration (with deliberate password reset flow).
- Order history (limited — Shopify doesn't import order history with full payment context, just records).
- 301 redirects from old URLs to new.
- New theme (refresh or rebuild — adds to the price).
- App selection and integration.
- Pre-launch test, launch, post-launch tuning.
What drives the number up:
- Subscriptions (Recharge, Bold, etc.) — the data model rarely maps cleanly.
- Loyalty/rewards points migration.
- Reviews from a third-party platform — usually Yotpo or Loox handles this, but exceptions need work.
- Multi-currency / multi-region inventory.
Custom Shopify theme build: $8k–$40k
Designed and developed bespoke, deployed on Shopify's stock theme platform. You stay on Liquid and stay locked in to Shopify's editor.
What's in:
- All the standard pages (home, collection, PDP, cart, account, blog, content) with bespoke design.
- Sectioned theme so the marketing team can rearrange without code changes.
- Custom motion, scroll work, polished typographic system.
- Performance work — most stock themes hit Lighthouse 60s; we ship 90+.
- Comprehensive QA across browsers and devices.
- Documentation and Loom handoff.
What drives the number up:
- Multiple PDP templates (configurable, regular, gift card, subscription).
- Custom collection layouts per category.
- Bundle builders, configurators, customization tools.
- Heavier brand integration (3D, video, immersive moments).
This is the right tier for DTC brands at $1M+ who care about how the site looks and reads. Below $1M, theme refresh is usually the better call.
Hydrogen / Storefront API rebuild: $15k–$80k+
A custom front-end (Hydrogen, Next.js, Astro) talking to Shopify via the Storefront API. You get full design and performance control. You operate the front-end yourself.
What's in:
- Custom Next.js or Hydrogen app.
- All pages designed and built from scratch.
- Storefront API integration for products, cart, checkout handoff.
- Stock Shopify checkout (you can't avoid this without Plus).
- Custom motion, performance budget, design system.
- Vercel or equivalent deployment.
- Full handoff with documentation.
What drives the number up:
- B2B features, account management, custom pricing rules.
- Real-time inventory or pricing logic.
- Multi-region with localized inventory.
- Custom checkout (Shopify Plus required).
- Advanced personalization, A/B testing infrastructure.
This is the right tier for brands at $3M+ where the storefront design is doing real conversion work and Shopify's stock theme system is structurally limiting. Below $3M, it's usually overkill.
Hidden line items most studios skip
These are the ones that show up at week three or post-launch.
- App audit and consolidation. A typical store runs 12–20 apps at $5–50/mo each. The right rebuild includes auditing this and removing what's not earning. Add 4–8 hours.
- Klaviyo, Loop, Yotpo, ShipStation reconfiguration. These third-party tools tie into theme code. A rebuild often breaks them subtly. Add 4–10 hours per integration.
- Post-migration SEO recovery. Site rebuilds and migrations cost search rankings if redirects, schema, and content aren't carefully preserved. Add 4–8 hours of SEO work.
- Email template updates. Shopify and Klaviyo email templates need updates if the brand changes. Add 4–8 hours.
- Inventory app reconnects, payment gateway re-verification, Google Merchant Center feed updates. Each is a half-day of fiddly work.
A quote that doesn't mention these is either including them invisibly (and the studio is going to feel the squeeze at week 3) or excluding them and you'll get billed extra later.
Three questions to decide this week
- Are you migrating platforms, or restyling within Shopify? Restyling is theme refresh territory. Migrating is its own project.
- What's your annual revenue, and is the storefront the bottleneck? Under $1M with growth coming from elsewhere: theme refresh. $1–3M with design plateauing: custom theme. $3M+ with design ceiling hit: Hydrogen or custom.
- How many apps are you running, and are any of them load-bearing? Apps shape the rebuild scope more than founders realize. Audit them first.
If you're considering a Shopify rebuild and want a written scope before deciding which tier you're in, send us your store URL and your monthly app stack. We'll send a tiered proposal back within two days.