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Debut Theme Store Examples & Performance Data

Analyzing 2,347 live Shopify stores using Debut

Average PageSpeed score: 64/100. Explore real store examples, performance benchmarks, and design inspiration across general and fashion & clothing stores — ranked #2 most popular theme.

Total Stores

2,347

Avg Products

249

64

PageSpeed

1708 tested

Good: 15Needs Work: 1495Poor: 198

Legacy Theme - Migration Recommended

Debut is a legacy 1.0 theme and is no longer supported. We recommend migrating to Dawn or another Online Store 2.0 theme for better performance, security, and access to new Shopify features.

Explore Dawn Theme

Theme Details

Debut was Shopify's default free theme before Dawn. While it served many stores well, it's built on the older Online Store 1.0 architecture and is no longer receiving updates.

Developer

Shopify
Official

Released

January 2016

Price

Free

Platform

OS 1.0
Legacy

Key Features

Simple and clean design
Easy to customize
Good for beginners

Best For

Small stores
Simple product lines

Design Style

Classic

Debut offers a traditional ecommerce layout with a familiar shopping experience. The design is clean but conventional, featuring standard header navigation, sidebar filtering, and straightforward product grids. While functional, it lacks the modern polish and flexible sections of newer themes.

Performance Tips

As a legacy 1.0 theme, Debut lacks modern performance optimizations found in Online Store 2.0 themes. The older architecture means less efficient code loading and limited lazy loading capabilities. Stores on Debut typically score 10-20 points lower than equivalent stores on Dawn.

Should You Choose Debut?

Decision guide based on store type and requirements

Choose Debut if:

  • You're already using Debut and your store is performing well
  • You have a very simple store with minimal customization needs

Consider alternatives if:

  • You're starting a new store (choose Dawn or another 2.0 theme instead)
  • You want modern features like sections everywhere and app blocks
  • Performance and Core Web Vitals scores matter to you
  • You plan to grow your store significantly

Top-Performing Debut Stores

Real stores achieving excellent PageSpeed scores with this theme

Debut vs Alternatives

Compare with similar themes

MetricDebutDawnRefreshSense
Active Stores2,3473,120282166
Avg Performance64/10063/10065/10068/100
Avg Catalog Size249911349453

Catalog Size Performance

How Debut performs by store size

Small (1-100)
Best
2193 stores65/100
Medium (101-500)
532 stores62/100
Large (500+)
262 stores61/100

Debut performs best with small (1-100) catalogs

Common Tech Stack

Popular integrations with Debut

Review Platforms
judge.me (5%)
Yotpo (2%)
TrustPilot (2%)
Buy Now, Pay Later
PayPal (61%)
Zip (Quadpay) (7%)
Klarna (5%)

Migration Trends

Stores switching to/from Debut

No recent migrations detected

Store Growth

Product growth for Debut stores

Growing: 0 (0%)Stable: 2110 (100%)Declining: 0 (0%)

Based on 2110 stores with historical data

Similar Themes

Themes with similar adoption to Debut

Stores using Debut

Sorted by product count

#StoreProductsLink
150,324
219,068
316,447
415,504
514,365
613,686
711,051
810,621
910,470
109,709
118,101
127,494
137,271
146,784
156,756
166,756
176,724
186,635
196,446
206,384
215,816
225,733
235,541
245,356
255,151
264,899
274,759
284,507
294,270
304,048
313,961
323,791
333,679
343,571
353,379
363,221
373,208
383,132
393,110
403,089
412,998
422,931
432,907
442,896
452,895
462,877
472,746
482,609
492,604
502,576

Showing 150 of 2,987 stores

...

Common Questions About Debut Theme

How many stores use Debut theme?

Currently, 2,347 Shopify stores are using the Debut theme, making it the #2 most popular Shopify theme. Debut's popularity is strongest among general and fashion & clothing stores, where it has proven effective for product presentation and conversion. The theme's adoption rate indicates strong merchant satisfaction and ongoing developer support, meaning you can expect continued updates and a wealth of customization resources from the Shopify community.

What is the average performance for Debut?

Based on 1708 tested stores, the average PageSpeed performance score for Debut is 64/100. This moderate score indicates performance varies based on implementation. Our data shows well-optimized Debut stores can achieve scores of 70+, while those with unoptimized images or excessive apps may drop below 40. Focus on image compression, limit apps to essentials, and consider lazy loading for off-screen content.

Which categories use Debut most?

The top categories using Debut are: General, Fashion & Clothing, Food & Drink, Gifts & Hampers, and Arts & Crafts. With 32% of Debut stores in general, the theme is particularly well-suited for this vertical's product presentation needs. Browse our general stores to see how successful merchants in that category implement Debut.

Is Debut good for large catalogs?

Debut works well for medium-sized catalogs, with the average store at 249 products. While the theme can handle larger inventories, stores with 1,000+ products should test collection page performance and consider whether advanced filtering apps might be needed. The theme's sweet spot appears to be 100-500 products based on our data.

Where can I see real Debut examples?

Above this FAQ, you'll find 2,347 live Shopify stores currently using Debut. Each listing shows performance scores, product counts, category, and tech stack. Click any store for detailed analytics including Core Web Vitals breakdowns, category rankings, and what review platforms and payment providers they use. For direct comparison, use our comparison tool to evaluate Debut stores side-by-side, or check our theme detector to analyze any Shopify store's setup.

How does Debut compare to other themes?

Debut's main alternatives include Dawn, Refresh, Sense. See the comparison table above for a direct breakdown of store counts, average performance scores, and typical catalog sizes. The right choice depends on your specific needs - Debut offers flexibility, while alternatives may better suit different use cases like you're starting a new store (choose dawn or another 2.0 theme instead).

About the Debut Theme

The Debut theme is one of the most popular Shopify themes, ranking #2 by adoption. It is particularly popular among general and fashion & clothing stores.

Performance

Based on our analysis of 1708 stores using Debut, the average PageSpeed performance score is 64/100. This moderate score suggests the theme provides a reasonable foundation, though individual store optimization will affect results.

Best For

Debut is well-suited for general, fashion & clothing and food & drink stores. The average store using this theme has 249 products, making it versatile for various store sizes.

Comparing Themes

When choosing a Shopify theme, consider factors like performance scores, design flexibility, and how well it serves your specific category. Use our store comparison tool to see how stores using Debut compare to others, or browse the theme directory to see what's gaining popularity.

Explore More Themes

Browse other popular Shopify themes: Dawn, Impulse, Minimal, Supply, Symmetry, or view the full theme directory.