Shopify developer hiring guide 2023: salaries, freelance rates & more

The fact that you reached this page shows you have decided to build an eCommerce store for your business. And Shopify is undeniably a great choice for building your online store – because of its easy user interface, affordable plans, flexibility, and scalability options. 

While it is easy to set up an online store with Shopify and doesn’t need much technical experience, it is always beneficial to hire professional Shopify developers. It will save you time and money more than you can imagine. 

However, that holds true only if you hire the right Shopify partner for your business. If you end up with the wrong partner, the development timeline will be affected and it will also impact your budget. 

Factors That Influence Your Hiring Shopify Developers Decision 

Before you hire expert Shopify developers, there’s a lot to consider. These considerations make the basis for better and successful eCommerce development. 

Skills and experience 

A Shopify developer has to be proficient in HTML5, CSS, Javascript, React, JQuery, Shopify Ajax API, etc. Having expertise in such tools and technologies will enable them to build fast, highly interactive, and profitable eCommerce stores.

At the same time, industry experience is also an added advantage that many businesses look forward to. It helps in overcoming critical challenges that a business often faces.  

Pricing 

It is one of the most important considerations as it would affect your business unit’s financial standing. You would need to hire Shopify developers that suit your budget. At the same time, you don’t want to compromise on the quality of your eStore. 

You will see more about the cost of hiring Shopify developers, freelancers, etc. later in this blog. 

Soft skills 

Soft skills are an important requisite alongside technical skills. It will determine how well they can collaborate with your team and understand your unique business requirements. 

Developers with suitable soft skills will communicate seamlessly with you about the project progress. And you can also reach out to them and share feedback or seek suggestions conveniently. 

Project delivery 

The time taken by a developer or development firm is also an important factor when you decide to hire Shopify developer USA. Ask the concerned people about an estimated delivery time and the measures they take to deliver the project on time. 

Engagement model 

Whether they are flexible with the hiring mode could also be a noteworthy consideration. Suppose, you may need to hire a remote Shopify developer at the moment. But eventually, you may need a team of developers for your project. So, hiring from an agency that is flexible with the hiring model might be advantageous to you. 

Time zone compatibility 

You should also consider the time zone they work in and if or not it will overlap with yours. If not, you can ask the team whether they are flexible to work as per your time zone so there are fewer to no delays in communication. 

What Influences Your Cost of Hiring Shopify Developers? 

If you want to hire Shopify web developers, there are several options for you depending on your needs. 

In-house Shopify developers 

In case you believe to have a permanent requirement for developers, you may consider hiring in-house developers. They will be permanent employees of your organization and will be entitled to all the benefits other employees are entitled to along with the monthly salary. 

As per a report furnished by the Ambition Box, the average annual salary of a Shopify developer in India is about 3.9 LPA. Furthermore, the salaries of such in-house developers range between 1.1 Lakhs to 10.6 Lakhs for developer experience between 1 and 7 years. 

According to talent.com, the average annual salary of a Shopify developer in the United States is around $98,963, which comes to a $47.58/hour rate. Moreover, entry-level developers get around $75,000/ year and senior-level developers can get up to $140,000/ year. 

Below, we have mentioned some of the places in the United States along with the average developer salary calculated annually. 

• Colorado: $88,000
• New York: $102,000
• California: $92,000
• Massachusetts: $101,000
• Texas: $83,000

Cost of outsourcing 

As per Clutch, a renowned review website, the cost of outsourcing and hiring remote Shopify developers might range between $30 and $110/ hour. Generally, companies provide their services at fixed or hourly rates based on your choosing. 

You can hire individual developers or a team of developers based on these rates calculated for the hours of work. A company generally has minimum hours of work set for which they provide their services. 

It is also to note that these rates of hiring remote Shopify developers may vary depending on the region from where you are hiring. In case you hire from western countries, the cost will be higher. 

However, the cost of Shopify expert hire is comparatively lower for countries like India, China, and Ukraine. So, you can see what suits your budget and find developers accordingly. 

Freelance Shopify developers rate 

Shopify developer rates on Upwork are as mentioned below – 

• For beginners, it starts from $15/hour. 
• As for intermediate, the charges start from $33/hour. 
• And for expert-level Shopify developers, it can be up to $95/hour. 

Obviously, the cost of hiring a freelance developer is much less in comparison to the other two options. However, they also have limited expertise and exposure to tools and technology. It may compromise the quality of development to some extent. 

Thus, you should decide to hire Shopify experts while keeping quality development in mind. 

Factors Influencing the Cost of Shopify Development   

Project scope 

The cost of your Shopify development project will depend on its scope. What do you want to build? Do you want to customize your online Shopify store? Or, want to develop one from scratch? Or maybe, you have unique requirements that need extensive Shopify customization? 

The more complex and lengthy your needs are, the longer it will take to complete your project. And understandably, the cost of development will also increase. 

Skills and experience of developers 

Based on skills and experience, the developer rates will vary. Entry-level or junior developers are likely to charge less and senior-level Shopify developers will get more. You need to understand your project scope and hire a team that meets your requirement. 

Hiring location 

As mentioned already, the hiring location is also a deciding factor in the cost of development. You can outsource developers from regions like India for quality eCommerce development at affordable costs. 

Where to find the best Shopify developers? 

Do you know where to find the best developers for your project? Here are some places to look at! 

Online communities 

Shopify forums – It is commonplace for businesses and Shopify developers to discuss the various challenges of Shopify store development, reviews of Shopify apps and themes, Q&A, and more. 

r/Shopify – This subreddit portal is apt for developers and store owners who want to ask questions or seek answers to various Shopify-related topics. 

eCommTalk Shopify channel – This slack channel is another platform for developers and business owners to meet and discuss about various Shopify and eCommerce challenges. 

Face-to-face events 

Shopify Unite – This annual conference is held in Toronto and is attended by developers, partners, and store owners to discuss the future scope of eCommerce with Shopify. 

Shopify Meetups – These meetups are arranged by Shopify and can be either virtual or in-person. It can be via zoom or arranged in any place for developers and merchants to meet and discuss Shopify store design, development, and marketing. 

Shopify Pursuit – It is a multi-day international tour arranged for Shopify developers and partners. They can connect and share their knowledge about the platform and other related tools. 

Social media sites 

LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram are a few platforms where you can search for potential developers and hire them. 

Review sites 

If you want services from a reputed Shopify development company, you might check the review sites like Clutch, Goodfirms, etc. It will give you a list of the best development firms along with ratings, reviews, pros, and cons. 

These are some of the places one can look to find the best developers for their Shopify store development project. Moreover, consider the abovementioned factors and refer to the pricing to make an informed decision. 

Conclusion 

If you want to hire expert Shopify developers for your eCommerce store, you would have to admit that it’s a tedious and complicated job. However, this blog can help you in this venture in more than one way – you will know what factors to consider while deciding, how pricing is affected, and what are the hiring rates of freelancers and outsourcing. You also get to see the best places to find skilled developers. 

Nevertheless, the decision is up to you! So, make an informed one as it could influence your store’s performance.