13 Best Free Responsive Shopify Ecommerce Themes
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Shopify is great for retail and small businesses that want to sell online. It’s also one of the easiest programs to learn with little (or no) technical knowledge.
You can setup a new store in minutes and you’ll have dozens of amazing themes to pick from. Many are completely free and they offer more than enough features to get a new shop online fast.
Free Shopify Themes
I’ve listed the top 15 free Shopify themes in this guide to help you launch a brilliant design for your site. And these themes are all fully responsive which means they look great on every device from widescreen monitors to smartphones.
1. Simple
It’s fitting to start this list with Simple, one of the most universal Shopify themes you can use. It has a sleek white design with a clear focus on the products.
The homepage lists products in grid-like columns that puts a spotlight on product photos, which usually sell your product better than any block of text would.
Simple comes with three styles: Light, Beauty, and Toy.
Light has a modern and clean feel. The minimal grid design on white background puts product images in the forefront. Beauty offers a bolder color palette and a header image for a featured product or shop section. Toy is similar layout to Beauty, with a more playful palette and the same easy to navigate sidebar menu for products and collections.
I’d recommend this theme for pretty much any shop owner. Users love that it is fast and easy to customize, with a quick loading time. Minimalism works well in the ecommerce space and for a free theme this one is reliable, user-friendly and comes packed with a lot of features including image animation, product recommendations, and hover to zoom.
2. Supply
Another minimalist theme is Supply which comes with a bit more pizzaz. Built for larger catalogs, it uses a filtering sidebar and a moderate color palette to add contrast between page sections without over-complicating the layout.
Supply also has two styles: the default Blue style is simple with a single color top menu and plenty of white space. It would be ideal for any sort of tech gear. The Light style has a more natural tone that would be suitable for health-related goods, or any high-end product promoting a strong brand image. Both use very similar layouts featuring collections and featured products that help guide visitors through the store.
One thing I like about Supply is the prominent featured area on the homepage. This can use static images or a dynamic slideshow to alternate between content. Visitors might be drawn further into the site if you can place great product photos near the top of the page.
Plus the homepage breaks that standard grid layout with multiple sections based on product categories. Supply users like the ability to clearly organize their catalogs which can boost sales. Some users found this theme slow to load, possibly due to high image volume, but overall Supply is a standout theme for its clean layout and functionality.
3. Skeleton Theme
I place this theme so high on the list because it offers the greatest means of customization out of any theme.
Shopify’s Skeleton theme is a free open source theme available to download on GitHub. It is not listed in their theme directory because the Skeleton theme isn’t meant to be used right away. It’s a bare-bones theme template made by the Shopify devs and released for all web developers.
This works like a “blank slate” where you can customize the grid structure, the color scheme, and all the internal pages. They do have a sample demo but it’s just one of many ways to edit the Skeleton theme.
I do not recommend this to anyone except web developers building on Shopify. If you’re launching a new store and have no idea how to build themes then just ignore this one. However it is a great resource to learn Shopify theming without starting from scratch.
4. Boundless
Imagery sells products and the Boundless theme really does seem to have no bounds. The header uses a fullscreen image with optional space for a branded logo or call to action and it is optimized for high resolution imagery throughout. Visitors can quickly and easily get a sense of your products with the fade effect slideshow feature. The single product gallery feature offers a great opportunity to differentiate your featured product from competitors.
Another feature is the fixed top navigation which keeps your nav links visible at all times. This way mobile visitors don’t need to scroll back up just to browse other categories.
Boundless has two different styles: one labeled black & white and another labeled vibrant. Both are versatile styles that could work for a variety of shops. Vibrant is my favorite because of the color scheme, but I think fashion/clothing retailers could do well using the black & white style.
All image galleries and product pages support HiDPI images. This means your store will look crystal clear on retina devices and especially on very wide monitors.
Some users had issues with controlling product image size, but since Boundless is officially supported by Shopify, the help center is on call to resolve any problems.
Boundless can fit most ecommerce shops and it’s a fantastic theme with a focus on HD photography.
5. Venture
Shopify’s Venture theme is sure to appeal to large catalog stores with products geared toward active, adventurous shoppers.
The three styles included with this free theme are:
- Snowboards – blue highlights and large photography make this style fit for any online shop
- Outdoors – more rugged colors like brown and navy green make you think of camping, hiking, and outdoor activities
- Boxing – a variant using bright red highlights and crisp contrast that makes the design jump off the screen
All three styles are incredible and they all have very similar features. The end-to-end slideshow header is the perfect place to present a captivating photo of your product in use, or to prominently feature a particular product. The navigation menus feature large mega-menu dropdowns that accommodate stores with lots of products. This is one of the better themes to use for larger shops with 8+ categories.
Minor animations can be found throughout the layout from the dropdown menus to product pages. These product pages support multiple product photos and are easy to browse.
Venture can work for any shop but I think it works best for clothing & personal accessories.
6. Annabelle
Annabelle is one of the few free Shopify themes not hosted by Shopify. It’s a freebie published by Space Squirrel which creates related Shopify content like apps.
Annabelle is still a great free theme with full support for mobile devices. It’s fully customizable so you can change all the colors, fonts, and the homepage design.
Product pages are well organized and they include the hover-to-zoom feature commonly expected of ecommerce shops. It comes with three individual styles, each appealing to a variety of products.
Style 1 has a neutral color theme with a strong, sleek layout. it would work well for apparel or fashion accessories. Style 2 is good for large catalogs with featured collections, and would be well-suited for vintage shops, printed goods or furniture. Style 3 definitely has a more corporate, expensive feel. The official, secure and clean look of this theme makes it ideal for luxury goods, eyewear, or jewelry.
All styles offer overflow and full width homepage slideshow, a featured products carousel and customizable collection pages to showcase as many or as few products per page as you want.
And while this theme doesn’t cost any money, it does require an e-mail address. This freebie works as a lead magnet for Space Squirrel so it’s not a simple one-click install.
But if you like the design and features, give it a shot. You certainly won’t be disappointed.
7. Narrative
As the name suggests, story is the strength of Shopify’s Narrative Theme. Great for single item or small catalog shops, this theme features a full screen video option ideal for visual storytelling, plus a high resolution wide layout to highlight the finer details of your product(s).
A compelling story is especially valuable to the socially conscious consumer who values transparency and authenticity. Narrative theme gives you the chance to tell your story from the jump.
The free theme includes 4 styles: Earthy, Warm, Light, and Cold. The layouts are mostly the same with differing color schemes diverse enough to suit nearly any kind of ecommerce shop. Fixed navigation and vertical slideshow features give visitors a better browsing experience.
While the Narrative theme is highly adaptable to most any market, I find it to be especially powerful for shops selling products that feel personal, such as ethically sourced or local goods, baby gear, specialized or handmade items.
Note: Shopify staff suggest Narrative and Debut for single or small collection shops. If you’re missing the now unavailable Pop or Jumpstart themes, these are your best alternatives.
8. Brooklyn
Brooklyn is one of the best themes for an online modern apparel store. It includes two style options, Classic and Playful.
In addition to any type of apparel shop, the Classic style is a beautiful fit for beauty products, accessories or exercise gear like yoga mats. Playful, while still modern and clean, skews more to a sweet or cute style, think cooking gear, baked goods, children’s products or crafty shops.
The design relies mostly on great photos so you’ll want to make sure you invest in photography to sell your products. The page header can use a slideshow to pan between photos and products on the site. You can even add your own call-to-action into this header which links further into your site (ie. shop men’s, women’s, children, etc). You can also feature a Youtube or Vimeo video on your homepage.
Product pages use a dynamic grid system which can look a bit wonky. Thankfully you have full control and can update the grid to suit your needs. Slide out cart allows customers to add to their cart without leaving the current page so flow of user experience is not interrupted.
Brooklyn comes with little extras like badges for new products, sold out products, and discounted products for sales.
Overall this theme offers a lot for the amazing price tag of $0 and a long list of raving user reviews. While it does work best for clothing & apparel shops, I’d argue this can work for any product(s) that rely heavily on photos.
9. Minimal
Ironically the Minimal theme actually has more details & features than Simple. This makes Minimal an excellent choice for shop owners who want a minimalist feel without sacrificing details like iconography.
The design is super clean and it supports dropdown menus in the navigation. It also supports a carousel rotator for product photos on the homepage and product filtering to sort items by category or bestselling. Homepage video feature is compatible with Youtube and Vimeo. Both physical and digital products can be represented by this theme. It is also compatible with dropshipping.
When installing Minimal you can pick one of three styles.
- Vintage – classy yet basic using neutral colors with greys and high-contrast darks
- Fashion – heavier contrast using black & white along with accents of red (customizable)
- Modern – fixed with a large centered logo and light neutrals to create a fresh feeling in the design
Though the three styles are all included with the Minimal theme, they work differently, so choose carefully before building your site because you can’t seamlessly toggle between styles once your content is added.
User reviews for the Minimal theme are overwhelmingly positive, though some experienced problems with image size and spacing on mobile devices. This isn’t a dealbreaker for me because the pros greatly outweigh the cons for the Minimal theme, but it is something to keep an eye on.
Minimal is extremely versatile and easy to use customize. This is the go-to option for any business needing quick website setup, saving time for product development and marketing.
10. AP Office
The folks at Apollo Themes have created their own Shopify freebies with many themes up for grabs. AP Office is one example that comes with a lot of features.
The header includes optional icons to share store policies like shipping, returns, and security. There’s also a prominent search bar right at the top which is always the calling card of a great ecommerce theme.
You can switch between different header styles using static banners, rotating graphics, slideshows, or a combination of all these things. And the footer spans multiple columns if you have a large assortment of links to add into your shop.
Overall the experience just feels more professional and this theme exudes a corporate design. It has many features like a quick view for products, a wishlist for users, and a live editor for site owners who want to make changes right on the page.
If you like the designs of Office Max or Best Buy then you’ll love this theme. It works best with larger inventories and it has the feeling of a big superstore website.
11. AP Milky
One more niche theme is AP Milky designed for the food & beverage crowd. Naturally this is probably a small audience but it can also work well for independent brewers, farmer’s markets, ice cream manufacturers, or multipurpose stores.
AP Milky uses a lot of milk-related graphics and icons in the design. But you have full control to remove these features and replace them with something else.
It can be a small annoyance if you try editing this theme for products outside the food market. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done, but it’ll take more effort.
Still the pages are all well-designed and they function like a true Shopify store with a powerful admin panel. Some may think the design is too crowded to work well. But if you like the overall page layout then it may be worth customizing to suit your needs.
12. AP Bikini
One more free Apollo theme is AP Bikini. As you can expect this theme is made for shops with fashion attire & accessories. Overall the theme is very charming and, as you might expect “summery” in its color scheme and spacious style.
It comes with large dropdown menus and even mega-menus as needed. You can add dynamic widgets to the homepage that cycle through product categories with JavaScript. Distinctive product labels, quick view and multi-item comparison features make for an easy and fun experience for visitors.
AP Bikini comes off as fashionable yet professional. It has built-in marketing features like modal popovers and an email signup form. Plus it leaves plenty of space in the footer to add links for user accounts and company information.
Excellent theme if you’re willing to work through Apollo’s custom features.
13. Debut
Getting back to the main Shopify store we have the Debut theme. The focus here is on strong brand identity and imagery. It is ideal for small collections or even a single item shop (filling the void left by the now unavailable Pop theme.)
Debut offers many custom designs for product pages and homepage elements. The design allows you to feature different products while maintaining a sleek, clean easy to use layout that keep customers exploring your catalog. This theme includes Default and Light styles, both equally adaptable to any market.
Customer testimonials and your shop’s story can be seamlessly incorporated into the design which can increase visitor confidence and strengthen brand identity. Product filtering, recommendations, and predictive search enhances the user experience even more.
You can organize products by grids and include extra features like user reviews right on the homepage. This theme relies heavily on photography and square grid-like page elements.
As a bonus, I think it’s generic enough to support any market including digital products. The footer has a newsletter signup form along with icons for payment methods & social media.
Debut is rather simple but it works great for shop owners who use quality product photography.
Note: Shopify staff suggest Narrative and Debut for single or small collection shops. If you’re missing the now unavailable Pop or Jumpstart themes, these are your best alternatives.
Making The Choice
Since all these themes are completely free you don’t have much to lose by trying different options. If you’re new to Shopify then there’s a lot to learn along the way.
But with practice you’ll come to love the platform since it’s one of the best CMS’ for selling online. And no matter what you’re selling from digital resources to physical products I guarantee there’s a theme here for you.
