by Mel Dominguez April 02, 2020
One of the most common questions we get asked when clients come to us for a project quote is: How do I know if the solution I need is a theme, an app, or a development?
This is an excellent question, and although every project is unique, here is a simple table with a few scenarios and their solutions.
Priority | Project Size | Recommended Solution | Examples |
Add new functionality at the lowest cost | Small / Medium | Apps | Need to add a currency converter to the site |
Adding new functionality but we're flexible on the design | Small / Medium | Apps | Enable product customization options for my products |
Adding new functionality but replicating a specific design or layout is a requirement | Small / Medium / Large | Development | Create a product builder with multiple steps and conditional logic with a specific design and workflow that must match our mockups. |
Theme customization and I'm flexible on the design | Small / Medium | Theme | You may want to customize a new theme on your store but you're happy with the theme's options and its limitations |
Theme customization but need my design to match my mockups or samples | Small / Medium / Large | Theme + Development | You may want to customize a new theme on your store and although you like the main layout and features, you will need to further customize one or more pages to add small or medium functionalities, change the layout, or styles in more detail. |
Here is the main idea to keep in mind:
The more specific and intricate your functionalities/designs/layouts/styles are, you will eventually reach a limit on what Themes and Apps can do for you so your best solution is Custom Development altogether. Otherwise, a Theme or an App could be a more convenient solution for you.
All projects are different so you may end up with even a combination of the 3. Contact us if you have questions and we can discuss your project.
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Mel Dominguez
Author
Co-Founder of NinjaNutz, Melissa is passionate about technology and gadgets. She also loves animals and coffee. All of these are part of her daily life. Her job makes her work with Shopify stores 99% of the time and is a Shopify Expert since 2016.