Shopify Theme Licenses Explained

Theme licensing confuses many merchants, so here's the short, practical version. When you buy a premium theme, the license generally covers use on a single store.

The key rules

• One purchase normally equals one store. Using the same paid theme on several unrelated stores needs a license for each.
• Free themes and Shopify's Dawn reference theme are more permissive.
• Always read the specific theme's license terms before reusing it.

Development stores

You can try a premium theme on a Partner development store before launch, but once the store goes live you need a valid license for it. That keeps you compliant and avoids surprises at launch time.

The custom alternative

A fully custom theme built for you sidesteps licensing limits altogether: you own the code and can use it as you wish. We build custom themes, and we also work properly within premium theme licenses when that's the better fit.