Shopware and Shopify are both excellent platforms for selling online, and both run thousands of successful shops. So the question is not which one is “better”, but which one fits the way your business sells. We build shops on both, and in our experience the right choice comes down to a handful of questions about your products, your customers and who will run the shop day to day.
This guide compares the two honestly: where each one shines, where it gets expensive or limiting, and how to decide.
The short answer
Shopify is usually the better fit if:
- you sell directly to consumers (B2C) with a clear, standard checkout
- you want to launch quickly and keep technical work to a minimum
- you prefer a predictable monthly subscription over running your own hosting
- your team should manage products, orders and discounts without a developer
Shopware is usually the better fit if:
- you sell to businesses (B2B), or to both businesses and consumers
- you need customer-specific prices, complex rules or unusual product configurations
- you sell in several countries, languages and currencies from one system
- your shop must connect deeply with an ERP, warehouse or other business software
- you want full control over your code, data and hosting
Shopware vs Shopify at a glance
| Shopify | Shopware 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| How it runs | Hosted software (SaaS). Shopify handles servers, security and updates. | Open-source core you host yourself, or Shopware’s own cloud. You (or your agency) handle hosting and updates. |
| Cost structure | Monthly plan, plus paid apps, a theme and payment fees. | Hosting, development and maintenance; paid Shopware plans for advanced features. |
| Customization | Themes and apps cover a lot; deep changes to core logic and checkout are limited outside Shopify Plus. | Almost anything can be changed or extended, from the storefront to business rules. |
| B2B | Possible, with the most advanced B2B features reserved for Shopify Plus. | A core strength: customer groups, individual prices, quick order and B2B features in the paid plans. |
| Several markets | Shopify Markets handles countries, currencies and languages. | Several storefronts, languages and currencies in one admin through sales channels. |
| Integrations | Huge app store; custom integrations through APIs. | Strong APIs and a plugin store; common choice for ERP-connected shops in Europe. |
| Time to launch | Fast, especially with an existing theme. | Longer, because more is configured and built for your needs. |
Shopify in practice
Shopify’s biggest advantage is that you never think about servers, security patches or software updates. You pay a monthly subscription and Shopify keeps the platform running. For a team without in-house developers, that peace of mind is worth a lot.
The admin is easy to learn. Adding products, running discounts and handling orders is quick, and the mobile app lets you manage the shop on the go. Modern Shopify themes (Online Store 2.0) are built from sections, so you can rearrange pages without touching code.
Where Shopify gets more complicated:
- Apps add up. Many features come from third-party apps, each with its own monthly fee. A shop with ten apps can cost much more than the base plan suggests, and every app adds scripts that can slow the store down.
- Payment fees. Shopify Payments is the simplest option. If you use another payment provider, Shopify adds its own transaction fee on top in most plans.
- Limits on deep changes. The checkout and some core logic can only be customized within the options Shopify provides, and the most flexible options belong to Shopify Plus.
- Your shop lives on Shopify. You can export your data, but the shop itself only runs on Shopify’s platform.
Shopware in practice
Shopware 6 is a German e-commerce platform with an open-source core (the free Community Edition) and paid plans that add features such as advanced B2B tools. It is especially popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and it is built for shops whose rules don’t fit a standard template.
Its strengths show up as soon as your business gets specific. The Rule Builder lets you define conditions for prices, shipping, payment methods and promotions without custom code. Sales channels let you run several storefronts, for different countries, languages or brands, from one admin. And because you control the code, there is no hard ceiling on what can be built or integrated.
The trade-offs:
- You need hosting and updates. Someone has to run the server, apply updates and keep plugins compatible. That is ongoing work, not a one-time setup.
- Higher upfront investment. A Shopware project usually takes longer to plan and build than a Shopify store with an existing theme.
- A developer is part of the team. Day-to-day product and order management is easy, but bigger changes need someone who knows Shopware.
What does each one really cost?
Comparing monthly fees is misleading. Compare the total cost over two or three years instead:
- Shopify: subscription + paid apps + theme + payment fees + design and development work.
- Shopware: hosting + license (if you need a paid plan) + development + ongoing maintenance and updates.
For a straightforward consumer shop, Shopify is often cheaper over that period. For a shop with B2B pricing, many markets or deep integrations, Shopware often wins, because on Shopify those needs turn into a stack of apps, workarounds or a Plus subscription.
What about WooCommerce?
If your website runs on WordPress and the shop is one part of it, WooCommerce can be the simplest solution: one system for content and products, and no second platform to learn. It works very well for small and medium catalogs. For large catalogs, several markets or serious B2B requirements, we usually recommend Shopware instead.
Switching later is possible, but plan it
You can move from one platform to another later, but it is a real project: products, customers and orders need to be migrated, and every old URL needs a redirect so you don’t lose your Google rankings. If you already expect to grow into B2B or new markets within a few years, it can be cheaper to start on the platform you will need then.
Questions to answer before you decide
- Do you sell to consumers, businesses, or both?
- Do some customers need their own prices, catalogs or payment terms?
- How many countries, languages and currencies do you sell in, now and in three years?
- Which systems must the shop talk to (ERP, warehouse, accounting, marketplaces)?
- Who will run the shop every day, and who will handle technical changes?
- What budget do you have for the launch, and for running the shop afterwards?
If most of your answers are simple, Shopify will probably serve you well. If several of them start with “it depends”, look closely at Shopware.
Still not sure?
We build and maintain shops on both platforms, so we have no reason to push you toward one. Read more about our Shopware development and Shopify development services, or tell us about your shop and we’ll recommend the platform that fits, usually within 24 hours.