How to hire a Shopify developer in Texas
Freelancer, agency or doing it yourself: which fits your store, what to ask before you sign, the red flags, how to check a developer’s work, and the Texas sales tax setup your store needs.
By Alex Abushanab, founder of Apex Software Engineering · · Shopify and Texas Comptroller pages checked on
Whether you are in Austin, San Antonio, Houston or Dallas, hiring a Shopify developer comes down to the same few things: the right kind of help for the size of the job, a price in writing, and a store that stays in your name. Most of the problems owners run into later, such as a developer who disappears with the logins or a bill that keeps growing, can be settled before anyone starts work.
The short answer
- Small, defined job: a freelancer, or a theme you set up yourself.
- A whole store, custom features or ongoing work: a small studio or an agency.
- Before you hire: get a fixed price and the scope in writing, and confirm the store, domain and code are yours.
- Access: the store sits on your Shopify account. The developer works through a collaborator or staff account you can remove.
- Checking them: live stores they built, the Shopify Partner relationship, and reviews you can trace to real businesses.
- In Texas: if you need a sales tax permit, add it in Shopify’s tax settings before the store takes orders.
- Cost: a fixed quote. At Apex, new websites start at $3,000, with a $100/month care plan after launch.
1. The kinds of help, and when each fits
“Shopify developer”, “Shopify expert” and “Shopify agency” are used loosely, and none of them is a licence. What differs is how many people work on your store and what they do after launch.
| Option | Fits when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself with a theme | A small catalog, a free or paid theme that already looks right, and time to learn the Shopify admin | Shipping, taxes, payments and the domain still need setting up correctly, and the hours are yours |
| A freelancer | A defined job with a clear end: a theme change, a bug fix, a product import | One person holds all the knowledge. Ask who covers when they are busy or away. |
| A small studio | A whole store or custom features, from people who also look after it after launch | A small team still has limits, so ask what else is on their schedule |
| An agency | Large builds that need designers, developers and marketers working together | Who actually does the work, and whether there is a minimum project size or a retainer |
Any of these can be a Shopify Partner, a member of Shopify’s Partner Program. Every partner starts on the Registered tier, and Shopify moves partners up to Select, Plus, Premier and Platinum based on performance. A higher tier tells you a partner has done more work on Shopify. It does not tell you whether they suit a small store, so check their work either way.
2. What to ask before you hire
Who owns the store, the domain and the code?
The answer should be “you”, in every case. The Shopify store should be on your own account, with the plan billed to your card. The domain should be registered to you. Any theme changes and custom code should be yours to keep, including the source of any app built only for your store. Get this in writing, and ask what you receive if you stop working together.
Who holds the admin accounts?
Your developer does not need your password. Shopify Partners request a collaborator account: you give them a request code, accept or reject the request, choose what they can see, and can remove their access from your Shopify admin at any time. Collaborators do not count towards your store’s user limit. The same goes for everything around the store: Google Analytics, Search Console, Merchant Center, the domain registrar and your email should all be in your name, with the developer added as a user.
Fixed price or hourly?
An hourly rate is only half a price: the other half is how many hours it takes. A fixed price for a written scope tells you the total before you agree. Ask what is included, how many rounds of changes, and how a change you ask for halfway through gets priced.
What happens after launch?
A store needs work after it goes live: new products, app updates, a broken checkout step, a new sale. Ask whether the developer handles that, what it costs, how quickly they answer, and whether there is a contract you cannot leave.
Which apps will I pay for?
Each app sets its own price. Most app charges are added to your Shopify bill, and recurring plans are charged every 30 days. Some third-party apps bill you outside Shopify, and those have to be cancelled with the app’s developer. Ask for a list of every app the build uses and its monthly price, before work starts. The Shopify cost guide covers the plan, fees and apps in full.
3. Red flags
- The store is opened in their name and they offer to “hand it over later”.
- They ask for your owner login instead of sending a collaborator request.
- No written scope. A price without a list of what it covers is a starting bid.
- An open-ended hourly estimate with no cap or check-ins.
- The domain is registered to them, or they will not say where it is registered.
- A long list of paid apps for things Shopify or the theme already does, with no monthly total.
- No live stores to show you, only screenshots or design mockups.
- A long contract for upkeep that you cannot cancel month to month.
- Promises of rankings or sales figures. Nobody controls Google.
4. How to check a developer
Live stores they built
Ask for the addresses of live stores, and what the developer did on each: the whole build, a theme change, or one feature. Then use them as a customer would. Open them on your phone, search for a product, add it to the cart and go as far as the checkout. Look at how products are titled and photographed, because that is the work you are paying for.
The Partner relationship
Ask whether they are a Shopify Partner and at which tier. The Shopify Partner Directory lists partners you can filter by location, service and price, and Shopify says partners there are tiered on their experience and success on Shopify. The collaborator request is its own check: only partners can send one.
Reviews on Google and Clutch
Read the text, not just the stars. A useful review names the kind of work, says what went wrong and how it was fixed, and comes from a business you can find. A handful of detailed reviews tells you more than many one-line ones. If a developer has few reviews, ask to speak to a past client, or judge them on the live stores alone.
5. Hiring locally in Texas
A developer does not have to be local to build a good store. Being local helps in a few ways: you can meet in person to plan the store, you share a time zone, and they know how Texas sales tax works for a business selling from here.
Texas sales tax in Shopify
The Texas Comptroller says to apply for a sales and use tax permit if you are engaged in business in Texas and sell or lease goods, or sell taxable services, in Texas. According to the Comptroller’s sales tax page, the state rate is 6.25%, and local jurisdictions can add up to 2%, for a combined rate of at most 8.25%. Sellers outside Texas with less than $500,000 in Texas revenue over the preceding 12 months do not need a permit.
Once you have the permit, Shopify’s US tax setup is short: in Settings > Taxes and duties, open United States, click Add new state, choose Texas, enter your sales tax ID and click Collect taxes. Shopify then charges tax at checkout. It does not file or pay the tax for you unless you use Shopify Tax and set up automated filing, so your returns to the Comptroller are still yours to file.
Which of your sales are taxable, and where else you owe tax, are questions for your accountant. A developer’s job is to set the store up to match their answer and to place test orders that show the right tax.
How Apex works
- A fixed price in writing before any work starts, for a written scope. No hourly bills.
- New websites start at $3,000. There is no minimum project size, so a smaller job, such as a theme fix or a product import, is quoted the same way.
- You own everything. The store is on your Shopify account and billed to you. Your domain, analytics and email stay in your name. Apex works through a collaborator account, and you get the code and every login if you leave.
- $100 a month after launch on the Website Care Plan for updates and fixes, month to month. See pricing for everything it covers.
Apex is a Shopify Partner on the Registered tier. Our Clutch profile is new and has no reviews yet, so judge us on the work. Almaza Fine Jewelry is a Shopify store Apex built, with more than 2,000 products on Dawn, one of Shopify’s free themes, and a custom app that re-prices every gold piece from the live gold price. Read the Almaza case study, or visit the live store.
Apex is based in Austin, TX and works with businesses across the US. A store in San Antonio, Houston or Dallas is quoted the same way as one in Austin. Moving from another platform? The Squarespace and Wix to Shopify guide covers it. See what a build includes on the shopify stores page.
Frequently asked questions
Should I hire a Shopify agency or a freelancer?
A freelancer suits a defined job with a clear end: setting up a theme, fixing a bug, importing products. An agency or a small studio suits a whole store, custom features or ongoing work, because more than one person knows your store. Whichever you choose, ask who does the work, who you talk to, and what happens if that person is away.
What is a Shopify Partner?
A member of Shopify’s Partner Program. Every partner starts on the Registered tier, and Shopify moves partners up to the Select, Plus, Premier and Platinum tiers based on performance. Only partners can request a collaborator account on your store, which lets them work on it without you sharing your login.
Who should own my Shopify store?
You. Open the store on your own Shopify account, with the plan billed to your card, and give your developer a collaborator or staff account. You approve a collaborator request yourself, choose its permissions, and can remove it from your Shopify admin at any time.
Do I need to collect Texas sales tax on my Shopify store?
If you are engaged in business in Texas and sell goods or taxable services there, the Texas Comptroller says to apply for a sales and use tax permit. The state rate is 6.25%, and local jurisdictions can add up to 2%, for at most 8.25%. Once you have the permit, add Texas and your sales tax ID in Shopify’s tax settings. Ask a tax professional which sales you owe tax on.
How much does it cost to hire a Shopify developer?
It depends on what the store needs, so ask for a fixed price in writing before any work starts. Apex quotes every Shopify project that way. New websites start at $3,000, there is no minimum project size, and updates after launch are covered by the $100/month Website Care Plan.
Do you work with businesses in San Antonio, Houston and Dallas?
Yes. Apex is a team of 3 based in Austin, TX, founded in 2020, and works with businesses across the US. A store in San Antonio, Houston or Dallas is quoted the same way as one in Austin: a fixed price in writing before work starts.
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