What is the difference between Shopify themes and apps?

Great question! Shopify themes and apps are both essential parts of customizing and enhancing a Shopify store, but they serve very different purposes. Here’s a simple breakdown:

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Themes = How Your Store Looks

• Purpose: Controls the visual design and layout of your store.

• Think of it like: The clothes your store wears — colors, fonts, layout of pages, and overall branding.

• Examples of what themes affect:

  • Homepage layout

  • Product page appearance

  • Navigation menus

  • Mobile responsiveness

• Customizable? Yes! You can tweak them using the Shopify theme editor or by editing the Liquid code if needed.

• Where to find: Shopify Theme Store or third-party marketplaces.

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Apps = What Your Store Can Do

• Purpose: Adds features and functionality that don’t come built-in with your theme or Shopify itself.

• Think of it like: Tools or plugins — giving your store superpowers beyond design.

• Examples of what apps do:

  • Email marketing integrations (e.g., Klaviyo)

  • Reviews and ratings

  • Subscription services

  • Inventory management

  • SEO tools

• Customizable? Many have settings, but not as deeply editable as themes unless you use custom APIs.

• Where to find: Shopify App Store

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Example in Action

Let’s say you’re launching an online candle store:

• You choose a theme that shows off your products beautifully, with big photos and a calming color scheme.

• Then you install an app to let customers leave reviews, another to connect your store to Instagram, and maybe one for abandoned cart emails.

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So in short: