If you are starting out in ecommerce without a large launch budget, you will almost certainly be browsing templates (called "themes" on most platforms). Templates are a sensible choice when you do not yet need a deeply distinct brand identity and want to start selling quickly without commissioning custom design. This article compares how the three best-known hosted platforms — Shopify, BigCommerce, and Volusion — approach templates, and, more usefully, how to actually choose one well rather than by counting how many exist.
A note on accuracy: an earlier version of this article quoted specific theme counts and prices (e.g. exact numbers of free themes and dollar ranges) and referenced a platform redesign "rolling out within the month." Those figures churn constantly and are long out of date, so we have removed the dated specifics. What does not change is the framework for evaluating a template, which is what actually determines whether your store succeeds — so that is what this guide focuses on.
Selection vs. quality vs. fit
Stores often pick a platform or theme by raw selection ("this one has the most templates"). That is the least useful criterion. You will use exactly one theme; a catalog of a thousand mediocre ones is worth less than a handful of excellent, well-maintained ones. The historical pattern across these platforms has been instructive: the platform that invested earliest and hardest in modern, designer-quality, responsive themes consistently set the bar, while others caught up by overhauling their theme stores. The lesson is durable — evaluate the theme against your needs, not the platform's theme count.
How to actually evaluate a template
- Responsive and fast. The theme must render and perform well on mobile first — that is where most traffic and Google's primary index live. Run a candidate's demo through a page-speed test before you fall for its desktop hero image.
- Built for your catalog shape. A theme designed for a 12-product apparel boutique will break visually and navigationally under a 5,000-SKU parts catalog. Match the theme's information architecture (filtering, mega-menus, faceted search) to how many products you actually sell and how customers find them.
- Conversion-oriented by default. Look for clear product pages, prominent add-to-cart, trust signals, accessible forms, and a clean checkout path — not just an attractive homepage. The homepage rarely makes the sale; the product and cart pages do.
- Customizable without code. A good modern theme exposes color, type, layout, and section controls through the platform's customizer so you can brand it without a developer for routine changes.
- Actively maintained. A theme that is not updated for new platform versions becomes a liability. Check the author's update history and support reputation before committing.
- Accessible. Reasonable color contrast, keyboard navigation, and proper semantics are both an ethical baseline and increasingly a legal and SEO consideration.
When a template is not enough
Templates are an excellent on-ramp, but they have a ceiling. Because many stores use the same popular themes, a template-based store can look generic, and you are constrained to the structure the theme author chose. Signs you have outgrown a template: your brand needs a distinct identity competitors cannot copy by buying the same theme; you need custom functionality (configurators, complex B2B pricing, bespoke checkout logic) the theme cannot support; or you are fighting the theme more than using it. At that point a customized or fully custom build pays for itself in conversion and differentiation. This is not a one-time decision — many successful stores start on a quality template and graduate to custom design once revenue justifies it.
A practical evaluation workflow
Turn the criteria above into a repeatable process so you choose with evidence instead of by screenshot:
- Write your requirements first. Catalog size, must-have functionality, brand attributes, and budget — before you look at a single theme, so the themes are judged against your needs, not the other way around.
- Shortlist on fit, not looks. Eliminate any theme whose information architecture cannot handle your catalog shape, regardless of how attractive its demo is.
- Test the demos like a customer. On a real phone, complete a path from homepage to product to cart. Note every point of friction. Run the demo URL through a page-speed tool.
- Check the author and updates. A theme with no recent updates or poor support is technical debt you are buying on purpose.
- Plan the customization budget. Estimate what it will cost to brand the theme to your standard. A "free" theme that needs heavy custom work is not free; price the finished result, not the starting point.
This workflow consistently produces a better outcome than the instinct most first-time merchants follow — picking the platform with the biggest theme catalog and the prettiest hero image — because it optimizes for the store that converts, not the demo that impresses.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free theme good enough to launch? Often yes, for an early-stage store with a small catalog. A well-built free theme that is responsive and fast beats a flashy paid one that is slow. Upgrade when differentiation or functionality demands it, not before.
Does the number of templates a platform offers matter? Very little. You use one. Theme quality, fit to your catalog, performance, and maintenance matter far more than catalog size.
Will changing themes later hurt my SEO? A theme change alters presentation, not URLs, so it is generally low-risk for SEO — provided you preserve URL structure, metadata, and structured data and do not drop content in the redesign.
Custom or template for a brand-new store? Start with a strong template unless you have a concrete reason and budget for custom. Spend early money on product, traffic, and conversion; invest in custom design once the store has proven demand.
How do I compare two themes objectively? Score each against the same checklist — mobile speed, catalog fit, conversion-path clarity, no-code customizability, maintenance, accessibility — rather than reacting to the demo. The theme that wins on the checklist usually loses the beauty contest, and wins the store more sales.
If you have outgrown what a template can do — or want a template expertly customized so it does not look like everyone else's — our design and development teams build storefronts tailored to your brand and catalog, not to a theme author's defaults. Get in touch for an expert opinion on your store.