What are Shopify Horizon Themes? Everything you need to know

Shopify just launched a major update to how storefronts are built, and it’s called Horizon Themes.

Unveiled at Shopify’s Summer Editions 2025 event, Horizon is a completely new design foundation that gives merchants more flexibility, better performance, and a mobile-first experience right out of the box. If you're a Shopify merchant or developer, this is one update you’ll want to pay attention to.

In this post, we’ll explain what Horizon Themes are, how they differ from Online Store 2.0, what themes are available, and who should consider making the switch. You’ll also learn how to get started and how to customize Horizon Themes with a Shopify app like Instant.

What are Shopify Horizon Themes?

Horizon Themes are Shopify’s newest theme framework, introduced in 2025. They represent a significant leap forward from the Online Store 2.0 system, focusing on flexibility, performance, and ease of customization.

Unlike OS 2.0, Horizon is designed around the concept of fully block-based design. You can now nest blocks within sections, build custom layouts more intuitively, and fine-tune product cards or other elements with drag-and-drop simplicity.

Beyond design, Horizon also includes built-in performance enhancements, improved accessibility out of the box, and a modern, mobile-first visual language that’s tailored for today’s online shoppers.

Key features of Horizon Themes

Here’s what makes Horizon Themes stand out:

• Faster page speeds: Optimized code and performance improvements help Horizon themes load faster than ever, great for both user experience and SEO.
  
  

• New layout system: Use theme blocks in powerful new ways. Nest blocks inside sections, move product cards around, and customize without touching code.
  
  

• Built-in accessibility: Each Horizon theme is built to meet accessibility best practices, making your store easier to use for more shoppers.
  
  

• Modern design principles: Horizon themes start with beautifully crafted designs that are conversion-optimized from day one.

Horizon Themes vs Online Store 2.0: What’s different?

With Horizon, Shopify has made big improvements to UX on both sides; shoppers get faster, cleaner browsing, while merchants enjoy a smoother customization experience with fewer technical hurdles. If you’re currently using an OS 2.0 theme, you’ll notice Horizon gives you more power and less friction.

What themes are available on Horizon?

Shopify launched Horizon with 10 beautifully designed, free themes, each crafted to suit different product types and brand aesthetics. 

• Fabric

• Horizon

• Savor

• Atelier

• Vessel

• Pitch

• Dwell

• Tinker

• Heritage

• Ritual

While they’re all built on the same high-performance Horizon framework, each theme offers a unique visual personality and layout style.

Each theme has a unique visual style, but they’re all built on the same Horizon foundation: meaning fast performance, accessibility, mobile-first design, and full layout flexibility. 

Here’s a closer look at each one:

1. Fabric

Fabric is designed for flexibility across a wide range of product categories—from clothing and electronics to home decor and garden tools. With its casual aesthetic and bold design elements, Fabric adapts to nearly any brand while keeping a clean, contemporary look that lets your products take center stage.

2. Horizon

The namesake of the new collection, Horizon offers a minimalist foundation with plenty of room to make it your own. Its spacious layouts and flexible structure make it ideal for merchants who want a clean, open aesthetic paired with deep customization options.

3. Savor

Savor was made for brands that want to look as appetizing as their offerings. With clean layouts, vibrant visuals, and room to showcase food, drink, or service-based businesses, Savor adds a polished, inviting tone to any online storefront.

4. Atelier

Atelier brings a high-end, artisan feel to online stores. It’s a perfect fit for arts & crafts, jewelry, and fashion brands that want to highlight quality and craftsmanship. With its sleek design and warm tone, Atelier helps elevate the perception of handcrafted goods.

5. Vessel

Vessel balances simplicity with personality. Its clean product displays and airy layout work especially well for home goods, kitchenware, and apparel. Pops of color and strong media integration make it both approachable and visually dynamic.

6. Pitch

Pitch is made for brands that want to stand out. With strong typography, bright visuals, and bold layouts, it’s a great match for beauty, skincare, fashion, or any brand that leads with visual identity. Pitch is all about making an impact.

7. Dwell

Dwell creates an environment where shoppers feel at home. Its thoughtful details, clean structure, and cozy aesthetic make it ideal for baby & kids, home decor, and outdoor brands. This theme is built to encourage browsing and connection.

8. Tinker

Tinker is a flexible option for brands that thrive on creativity. Great for DIY, craft, or educational products, this theme combines fun design choices with practical layouts to keep customers engaged from homepage to checkout.

9. Heritage

Heritage celebrates tradition and craftsmanship. With tactile visual elements and vivid layouts, it’s ideal for retailers who want to emphasize legacy and product quality—like clothing, garden, and lifestyle brands with a strong story to tell.

10. Ritual

Ritual brings a designer-inspired look to Shopify. Sleek and premium, it’s perfect for high-end fashion, health & beauty, or jewelry brands. This theme helps create an exclusive shopping experience that appeals to modern, design-conscious customers.

You can explore and install Horizon themes directly from the Shopify Theme Store under the Horizon collection.

Should you switch to a Horizon Theme?

If you want a storefront that loads faster, gives you more creative control, and meets accessibility standards automatically, then yes, switching to a Horizon theme is worth considering.

Great for:

• Merchants who want design flexibility without custom code

• Stores focused on performance and mobile-first UX

• Teams without a full-time developer

Before switching:

• Back up your current theme

• Test a Horizon theme in preview mode

• Make sure any third-party apps or custom code are compatible

How to get started with Horizon Themes

Getting started is easy:

1. Go to the Shopify Theme Store and browse the Horizon collection.

2. Choose a theme that fits your brand.

3. Click Add to Theme Library.

4. Customize using the updated theme editor with block nesting and drag-and-drop.

5. Publish when ready, or test it in preview mode first.

Horizon themes are available to all Shopify stores, not just new ones, so you can explore the update no matter your current setup.

How Instant works with Horizon Themes

If you're using a Horizon theme and want even more customization options, Instant makes it easy to take your design further.

You can use your Horizon theme as a solid foundation, then use Instant to build fully custom sections and pages on top of it. Whether you're tweaking the layout, creating a new landing page, or designing a unique product section, Instant gives you full control.

With Instant, you can:

• Build and publish custom Shopify sections directly into your Horizon theme

• Design and launch standalone landing pages that match your theme’s style

• Customize every detail with drag-and-drop, no code required

• Extend your Horizon theme without needing to edit theme files manually

This way, you get the best of both worlds: the speed and structure of Horizon, with the flexibility and creative freedom of Instant.

Final thoughts

Shopify Horizon Themes mark a major step forward in theme design, giving merchants the best of both worlds: flexibility and performance.

Whether you're building a brand-new store or looking to upgrade your existing theme, Horizon offers modern, mobile-first design with powerful customization options that don’t require custom code.

Want to take things further? Combine a Horizon theme with Instant to unlock even more creative control over your Shopify storefront.