Sometimes you need help beyond what you can do yourself. Whether it's custom development, professional design, migration assistance, or ongoing management, CartOS partners are experts who specialize in building and growing stores on our platform.
When to hire help
CartOS is designed to be usable without technical expertise, but there are situations where professional help makes sense:
Custom development
- Custom theme development or major modifications
- Building custom bolts or integrations
- Complex business logic or workflows
- API integrations with your other systems (ERP, CRM, etc.)
- Custom checkout or cart functionality
Design
- Brand identity and visual design
- Custom theme design
- Product photography and styling
- Marketing materials and graphics
- User experience optimization
Migration
- Large catalog migrations from other platforms
- Complex data cleanup and transformation
- URL redirect mapping for SEO preservation
- Custom import needs
Strategy and growth
- E-commerce strategy consulting
- Marketing and advertising management
- SEO and content strategy
- Conversion rate optimization
- Analytics setup and interpretation
Ongoing support
- Store management and maintenance
- Regular updates and improvements
- Technical support beyond CartOS's scope
- Training for your team
The CartOS Partner Directory
The CartOS Partner Directory lists vetted professionals and agencies who specialize in CartOS. Partners are reviewed and approved by CartOS, so you know they have real experience with the platform.
Finding partners
Browse the directory by:
- Service type – Development, design, marketing, strategy, migration
- Industry – Some partners specialize in fashion, food, B2B, etc.
- Location – Find local partners or work with anyone globally
- Budget – Partners range from freelancers to large agencies
- Language – Work in your preferred language
Partner profiles
Each partner profile includes:
- Services offered
- Portfolio of past CartOS work
- Pricing structure (hourly, project-based, retainer)
- Client reviews and ratings
- Response time and availability
- Contact information
Partner tiers
Partners are categorized by experience level:
- Certified Partners – Demonstrated CartOS expertise, passed certification
- Expert Partners – Extensive track record, multiple successful projects
- Premier Partners – Top-tier agencies with deep CartOS relationships
Higher tiers generally mean more experience but also higher rates. Match the partner level to your project complexity and budget.
Types of partners
Freelance developers
Individual developers who work independently. Often more affordable and flexible than agencies. Good for specific technical tasks, theme tweaks, or smaller projects.
Typical rates: $50-150/hour
Best for: Defined technical tasks, custom features, theme modifications
Design freelancers
Independent designers for branding, theme design, or visual assets. May specialize in e-commerce or have broader design backgrounds.
Typical rates: $50-200/hour
Best for: Brand identity, custom theme design, marketing graphics
Development agencies
Teams of developers, designers, and project managers. Handle larger projects with multiple components. More structured process, dedicated project management.
Typical rates: $100-250/hour or project-based
Best for: Complete store builds, complex integrations, ongoing development
Full-service agencies
Comprehensive services including development, design, marketing, and strategy. Can handle your entire e-commerce presence. Often work on retainer for ongoing partnership.
Typical rates: $150-400/hour or monthly retainers
Best for: Brands wanting a complete solution and ongoing partnership
Marketing agencies
Specialists in driving traffic and conversions. Handle paid advertising, SEO, email marketing, social media. May or may not do technical work.
Typical rates: Varies widely; often percentage of ad spend or monthly retainer
Best for: Scaling marketing, paid advertising management
Consultants
Strategic advisors who help with planning, optimization, and decision-making. May not do hands-on implementation but guide your approach.
Typical rates: $100-500/hour
Best for: Strategy, roadmapping, complex decision support
How to hire effectively
Define your project
Before contacting partners, clarify what you need:
- What problem are you solving or goal are you achieving?
- What's the scope—specific task or ongoing relationship?
- What's your timeline?
- What's your budget range?
- What does success look like?
The clearer you are, the more accurate quotes you'll get and the better partners can assess fit.
Request proposals
Contact 2-4 partners who seem like good fits. Provide the same project brief to each and request a proposal including:
- Their understanding of your needs
- Proposed approach and timeline
- Cost estimate or pricing structure
- Relevant experience and examples
- Who would work on your project
Evaluate proposals
Compare proposals on:
- Understanding – Do they get what you're trying to accomplish?
- Approach – Does their plan make sense?
- Experience – Have they done similar work successfully?
- Communication – Are they responsive and clear?
- Price – Is it within budget and reasonable for the scope?
- Fit – Do you feel comfortable working with them?
The cheapest option isn't always the best. Consider value, not just cost.
Check references
Ask for references from past clients with similar projects. Actually call them. Ask about:
- Was the project delivered on time and budget?
- How was communication throughout?
- Were there surprises or issues? How were they handled?
- Would you hire them again?
Start small if possible
If you're unsure about a partner, start with a smaller project to test the relationship before committing to a large engagement. A theme tweak or minor feature tells you a lot about how they work.
Working with partners
Set clear expectations
Document and agree on:
- Scope of work—what's included and what's not
- Timeline and milestones
- Deliverables—what exactly will you receive?
- Payment terms—when and how you pay
- Communication—how often and through what channels
- Revision process—how changes are handled
Provide access appropriately
Partners may need access to your CartOS admin. Use staff accounts with appropriate permissions rather than sharing your owner login. This lets you control what they can access and revoke access when the project ends.
See Managing Staff Accounts for setting up partner access.
Communicate regularly
Stay engaged throughout the project. Regular check-ins catch issues early. Review work in progress rather than waiting for the final delivery. Ask questions when something's unclear.
Provide timely feedback
When partners deliver work for review, respond promptly. Delays in feedback delay the project. Be specific about what's working and what needs changes.
Document everything
After the project, make sure you have documentation of what was built, how it works, and how to maintain it. This protects you if you need to make changes later or work with a different partner.
Pricing and contracts
Pricing models
Hourly
You pay for time worked. Good for undefined scope or ongoing work. Risk: costs can exceed estimates if scope grows.
Fixed project
Set price for defined deliverables. Good for clear, bounded projects. Risk: scope creep disputes; changes may cost extra.
Retainer
Monthly fee for ongoing access and work. Good for continuous needs. Typically includes a set number of hours or defined services.
Value-based
Pricing based on value delivered rather than time spent. Sometimes used for high-impact projects where ROI is clear.
What to include in contracts
- Detailed scope of work
- Timeline and milestones
- Payment schedule
- Intellectual property ownership (you should own what you pay for)
- Confidentiality terms
- Termination conditions
- How changes/additions are handled
- Warranty or support after delivery
For significant projects, consider having a lawyer review the contract.
Payment best practices
- Never pay 100% upfront for large projects
- Typical structure: 25-50% upfront, remainder on milestones or completion
- Hold final payment until deliverables are verified
- Use payment methods with some protection (credit card, PayPal) for new relationships
Red flags to watch for
Before hiring
- No portfolio or unwilling to share past work
- Can't provide references
- Unrealistically low prices (too good to be true)
- Pressure to commit quickly
- Poor communication during the sales process
- Vague about process, timeline, or costs
- Guarantees that seem unrealistic ("We'll 10x your sales!")
During projects
- Missed deadlines without communication
- Disappearing for long periods
- Significant scope changes framed as "necessary"
- Reluctance to show work in progress
- Blaming you for their delays
- Requesting full payment before work is complete
DIY vs. hiring
Not everything requires a professional. Consider:
DIY when:
- It's within your skill set (or a good learning opportunity)
- The task is straightforward with good documentation
- Time isn't critical
- Budget is very limited
- It's something you'll need to maintain ongoing
Hire when:
- It requires specialized skills you don't have
- Your time is more valuable spent elsewhere
- Quality or speed is critical
- Mistakes would be costly
- You've tried DIY and it's not working
Getting help from CartOS
CartOS support
Our support team can help with platform questions, troubleshooting, and pointing you in the right direction. We don't do custom development, but we can clarify what's possible and what might need a partner.
Partner recommendations
If you describe your needs to our support team, we can sometimes recommend specific partners from our directory who are well-suited to your project.
Implementation services
For enterprise customers, CartOS offers professional services for implementation, migration, and custom development. Contact sales for details.