Shopify Debut Theme Review: Features, Pros, and Customization Guide

If you are just getting started with Shopify, choosing the right theme is the first critical step for your online store. In my recent comprehensive review of every free Shopify theme, one standout option that demands a closer look is the Debut theme.

While Shopify is currently transitioning defaults to the Dawn theme (an Online Store 2.0 exclusive), Debut remains one of the most popular and standard themes on the platform. It serves as an excellent base for customization and offers specific features that can elevate a store with a smaller catalog.

Here is a technical breakdown of the Debut theme, its features, and why I rank it as an S-Tier theme.

Overview: The E-commerce Standard

Debut has long been the default starting point for many Shopify sites. It is a robust, standard e-commerce theme that offers a clean aesthetic and functional base. While it currently holds mixed reviews on the theme store (roughly 50% positive out of 88 reviews), much of this sentiment comes from users who haven't fully leveraged its customization capabilities.

For developers and merchants alike, Debut shines when you are willing to customize it to function and look exactly how you want. It is ideal for stores with small catalogs (10–20 products).

Key Features Breakdown

Debut comes equipped with several built-in features designed to enhance user experience (UX) and sales conversion:

Predictive Search: As users type in the search bar (e.g., "arm"), the theme auto-completes suggestions (e.g., "Armchair"), helping customers find products faster.
Pickup Availability: Native support for local pickup options.
Promotional Banner: A built-in top bar for announcements like "Free Shipping."
Product Filtering: On collection pages, users can sort by best selling, alphabetical order, price (high/low), and date.
Product Recommendations: Located at the bottom of product pages, this feature uses product tags to intelligently suggest related items.

The "Testimonials" Limitation

It is important to note a technical limitation regarding the Customer Testimonials section. This feature does not integrate with a review app or a database of customer feedback. Instead, it requires you to hard-code the content.

To display reviews, you must manually type the text and author name into the theme editor (e.g., copying a review left on Facebook). For a dynamic review system, you will still need to install a third-party review app.

The "Killer Feature": Custom Content Sections

The primary reason I rank Debut so highly is its Custom Content section. Compared to other free themes, Debut offers superior flexibility here. This section allows you to build out pages with a grid system that is surprisingly powerful for a free theme.

Within a Custom Content section, you can add various blocks:

Text and Images
Videos
Products or Collections
Menus and Blog Articles
Custom HTML

Grid Layout Control

The real power lies in the width adjustments. You can set the width of individual blocks (e.g., 25%, 33%, 50%) to create complex layouts without touching the stylesheet.

For example, if you add four image blocks and set them all to 25% width, they will align perfectly in a single row. This feature allows merchants without coding knowledge to create bespoke layouts that usually require a page builder app.

Developer Note: The inclusion of a Custom HTML block within these sections means you can inject specific scripts or custom-styled div elements exactly where you need them in the flow of the page, offering a bridge between drag-and-drop simplicity and custom development.

Visual Elements and Media

Debut offers a strong suite of visual sections:

1. Gallery vs. Collection List

Collection List: Standard grid with a semi-transparent black overlay and titles. Responsive and clean.
Gallery: This is a distinct feature where there is no padding between elements. It functions similarly to a collection list but allows for custom images and links to any resource (blogs, products, external links). It’s highly effective for visual-heavy brands.

2. Slideshows and Video

For the homepage, the slideshow section is essential for landing page headers. You can customize slide duration, buttons, and text overlays. Additionally, the theme supports embedded videos on the homepage, which is great for brand storytelling.

3. Logo List

This section is perfect for social proof. You can easily create an "As Featured In" section displaying logos of publications or partners.

Areas for Improvement

Despite its S-Tier status, Debut has a few quirks that developers should be aware of:

No Native Hover Dropdown: The navigation menu does not support hover-to-expand drop-downs by default; users must click to expand. Note: This can be added via custom coding.
Mobile Grid Alignment: On mobile, the grid logic can be frustrating for odd-numbered items. If you have three products, it typically stacks them two on top and one strictly on the left or right, rather than centering the final item. There is no native option to "center last item" or make it full-width.

Final Verdict: S-Tier

If I were ranking Debut solely on its standard features, it might receive an A. However, the Custom Content section pushes it to an S-Tier ranking. The ability to manipulate layout widths and inject custom HTML gives developers and merchants a level of control that is rare in free themes.

While it sits slightly behind the Brooklyn theme in my personal preference due to the lack of native hover drop-downs, Debut remains a robust, flexible foundation for building a professional Shopify store.