Last updated: November 13, 2026
The top headless Shopify agencies in 2027 are Commerce-UI for award winning Hydrogen storefronts such as the Lady Gaga store and Carhartt WIP North America, FocusReactive for Hydrogen paired with a headless CMS and complex migrations, and CQL for enterprise multi store Hydrogen builds like TOMS. Kamp Grizzly, Tidal Commerce, Ask Phill, Latori, Limely, Swanky and DigitalSuits complete the list.
Hydrogen is Shopify’s React based framework for custom storefronts, hosted on Shopify’s Oxygen edge network. It gives full design freedom and very fast experiences, but it costs more to build and maintain than a theme. We prioritised agencies with named, public Hydrogen builds over those that only list headless as a service.
Top Headless Shopify Hydrogen Agencies In 2027
| Company | Base | Named Hydrogen work | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commerce-UI | Gdansk, Poland | Lady Gaga store, Nour Hammour, Carhartt WIP North America | Design led, award winning storefronts |
| FocusReactive | London, Amsterdam, Warsaw | Caleffi (Magento to Shopify Plus on Hydrogen and Sanity) | Hydrogen plus headless CMS and migrations |
| CQL | Chicago, USA | TOMS multi site Hydrogen with Builder.io | Enterprise multi store builds |
| Kamp Grizzly | Portland, USA | Denim Tears on Hydrogen and Oxygen | Culture and fashion brands |
| Tidal Commerce | Richmond Hill, Canada | Drake Related, DreamCrew | Artist and media commerce |
| Ask Phill | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Patta x Tommy | Fast moving streetwear and DTC |
| Latori | Wuppertal and Stuttgart, Germany | stylecats Hydrogen storefront | DACH brands |
| Limely | Chester, UK | Zone3 | UK mid market brands |
| Swanky | UK, Australia and France | Headless and Hydrogen practice | Plus replatforms with headless options |
| DigitalSuits | Remote team | Innovative Beauty Company | Budget conscious Hydrogen builds |
1. Commerce-UI
Commerce-UI is a design and engineering studio focused on headless Shopify, with some of the best known Hydrogen storefronts to its name: the Lady Gaga store, Nour Hammour and Carhartt WIP North America. Its work has won Shopify and Webby recognition for custom storefronts.
Commerce-UI suits brands where design and storytelling are central and budgets allow a fully custom front end.
2. FocusReactive
FocusReactive is an engineering led headless agency with teams in London, Amsterdam and Warsaw. It pairs Hydrogen with headless CMS platforms such as Sanity and Storyblok, and migrated Caleffi from Magento to Shopify Plus on Hydrogen and Sanity, moving more than 24,000 SKUs and 400,000 orders.
It fits content heavy brands and complex replatforms that need CMS driven merchandising on a headless stack.
3. CQL
CQL is a Chicago based digital commerce agency whose Hydrogen work includes a multi site build for TOMS across four stores using Hydrogen with Builder.io for visual editing.
CQL suits enterprise and multi brand retailers that want a headless architecture marketers can still edit.
4. Kamp Grizzly
Kamp Grizzly is a Portland creative agency whose Denim Tears storefront on Hydrogen and Oxygen was featured by Shopify as a case study.
It fits fashion and culture brands that want a distinctive digital flagship.
5. Tidal Commerce
Tidal Commerce, based near Toronto, built Hydrogen storefronts for Drake Related and the DreamCrew multimedia store, combining commerce with rich media.
It suits artists, media companies and brands that blend content and drops.
6. Ask Phill
Ask Phill is an Amsterdam agency with strong modern stack experience in Hydrogen, Next.js and Sanity. Its Hydrogen work includes Patta x Tommy.
Ask Phill fits fast moving DTC and streetwear brands that want quick iterations on a modern stack.
7. Latori
Latori is a German Shopify agency with offices in Wuppertal and Stuttgart and a headless commerce practice. It built a second storefront for stylecats on Hydrogen.
Latori suits German speaking brands that want a local partner for headless projects.
8. Limely
Limely is a UK agency in Chester with a dedicated Hydrogen service and a Hydrogen build for triathlon brand Zone3.
It fits UK mid market brands moving from a theme to a headless storefront.
9. Swanky
Swanky is a Shopify Platinum partner with offices in the UK, Australia and France and a headless commerce practice that includes Hydrogen and custom React front ends alongside theme builds.
Swanky suits brands replatforming to Shopify Plus that want advice on whether headless is worth it before committing.
10. DigitalSuits
DigitalSuits offers Shopify Hydrogen development as a service, with Innovative Beauty Company among its named Hydrogen projects.
It suits brands that want a Hydrogen build at a lower cost than premium studios.
One Check Worth Making
Ask every agency whether you need headless at all. Hydrogen makes sense when you need custom experiences a theme cannot deliver, very high performance or a content model a theme cannot handle. For many stores, a well built Online Store 2.0 theme delivers most of the benefit at a fraction of the cost and maintenance. The best agencies will tell you when headless is the wrong choice.
Also ask for a named Hydrogen storefront you can visit, who will maintain it after launch, and how marketers will edit content without developers.
How We Evaluated These Agencies
We looked for public, verifiable Hydrogen delivery: storefronts credited to the agency by the agency itself or by Shopify, checked in November 2026. We then weighed the agency’s base, focus and fit for different project sizes. Agencies that only list headless as a service without a named build ranked lower.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shopify Hydrogen?
Hydrogen is Shopify’s React based framework for building custom headless storefronts. It runs on Shopify’s Oxygen hosting and uses the Storefront API to pull products, carts and checkout from Shopify.
How much does a headless Shopify build cost?
Headless Hydrogen builds usually cost significantly more than theme builds, often starting in the tens of thousands of dollars and rising into six figures for enterprise projects, plus higher ongoing maintenance.
Is headless Shopify worth it?
It is worth it when you need custom experiences, complex content models or top tier performance that a theme cannot deliver. Many stores get better value from a well built Online Store 2.0 theme.
Which agencies have built Shopify Hydrogen stores?
Commerce-UI, FocusReactive, CQL, Kamp Grizzly, Tidal Commerce, Ask Phill, Latori and Limely all have named Hydrogen storefronts in their portfolios.
Do I need Shopify Plus to go headless?
Hydrogen and Oxygen are available beyond Shopify Plus, but most headless projects are run by Plus brands because of the budgets and complexity involved.
Conclusion
Commerce-UI, FocusReactive and CQL lead the market for proven Hydrogen work, with Kamp Grizzly, Tidal Commerce and Ask Phill strong for culture led brands. Shortlist agencies with live Hydrogen storefronts you can test, and make sure someone will maintain the build after launch. For theme based builds, see our list of top Shopify development agencies.
