Softwr

E-Commerce · head to head

commercetools vs Shopware

commercetools logo

commercetools

E-Commerce

The Digital Commerce AI Company

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shopware logo

Shopware

E-Commerce

Explore the open-source commerce platform, backed by our global community

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Shopware has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: commercetools no published pricing: customers cannot see costs, tier details, or feature breakdowns before contacting sales; Shopware rise tier starts at 600 euro per month and Evolve at 2,400 euro per month, both excluding VAT, so pricing is published in euros only and not converted for other regions
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which commercetools and Shopware actually diverge.

Attributes where commercetools and Shopware differ
AttributecommercetoolsShopware
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteopen-source
Free tierNoYes

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

commercetools

  • Composable commerce platforms for enterprise retailersnot Shopware
  • B2C and B2B commerce API infrastructurenot Shopware
  • Multi-region commerce operationsnot Shopware

Shopware

  • Managing unlimited sales channels across online, POS, marketplacesnot commercetools
  • Setting customer-specific pricing for B2B customersnot commercetools
  • Automating complex workflows with Flow Builder without codingnot commercetools
  • Segmenting customers automatically with behavioral tagsnot commercetools
  • Managing multi-language, multi-currency, multi-tax for global expansionnot commercetools

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

commercetools

  • No published pricing: customers cannot see costs, tier details, or feature breakdowns before contacting sales
  • Order-based pricing opacity: described as 'transparent' but actual fee structure per order is undisclosed
  • Free trial time-gate: 60-day trial does not reveal production pricing for ongoing operations
  • Marketplace distribution unclear: availability on Google Cloud and AWS Marketplaces implies pricing varies by channel without transparency

Shopware

  • Rise tier starts at 600 euro per month and Evolve at 2,400 euro per month, both excluding VAT, so pricing is published in euros only and not converted for other regions
  • Beyond, the top tier with digital sales rooms, multi-inventory and customer-specific pricing, is custom priced and requires contacting sales
  • The Shopware Intelligence+ AI add-on is billed separately at 29 euro per month on Community Edition or 19 euro per month on paid tiers, on top of the plan price

Pricing, plan by plan

commercetools

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the commercetools review.

Shopware

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • free open-source platform
    • global developer community access
    • Shopware Intelligence+ add-on at 29/month
  • Rise$600/month
    • subscription model
    • Shopware Intelligence+ add-on at 19/month
  • Evolve$2400/month
    • subscription model
    • Shopware Intelligence+ add-on at 19/month
  • Beyond$null/custom
    • custom pricing
    • contact sales required

Which should you pick?

Choose commercetools if

Nothing in the data separates commercetools from Shopware on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

commercetools review

Choose Shopware if

  • You want to start without paying.
Shopware review

Questions people ask

Is commercetools or Shopware better?
Neither clearly leads. commercetools starts at On request and Shopware at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, commercetools or Shopware?
Shopware has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for commercetools and Free for Shopware.
Does commercetools or Shopware run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Shopware for free?
Yes. Shopware has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. commercetools starts at On request.
What is commercetools best used for?
commercetools is most often used for composable commerce platforms for enterprise retailers, b2c and b2b commerce api infrastructure, multi-region commerce operations. Of those, composable commerce platforms for enterprise retailers and b2c and b2b commerce api infrastructure are not what Shopware is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

commercetools: Does commercetools publish pricing online?

No. Pricing is not published on their website. Customers must contact sales, start a free 60-day trial, or purchase through Google Cloud or AWS Marketplaces to discuss pricing.

Source
Shopware: How much does Shopware cost?

Shopware offers Community Edition free (open-source), Rise at 600/month, Evolve at 2,400/month (all in EUR), and Beyond at custom pricing requiring sales contact.

Source
commercetools: What is the pricing model for commercetools?

commercetools uses order-based pricing (not Gross Merchandise Value dependent) described as 'transparent and growth-friendly' with 'no hidden fees or penalties for scaling,' but exact per-order costs are disclosed only through sales consultation.

Source
Shopware: What is the difference between Shopware Community and Rise editions?

Shopware Community Edition is a free open-source platform with global developer community access. Rise is a subscription tier starting at 600/month (EUR) with included features and support.

Source
commercetools: Does commercetools offer a free trial?

Yes. A 60-day free trial includes full access to production-ready infrastructure, APIs, tools, and preloaded sample B2C/B2B data, with the option to move MVP to production without setup costs.

Source
Shopware: What add-on services does Shopware offer?

Shopware offers Shopware Intelligence+ at 29/month (Community Edition) or 19/month (Rise, Evolve, and Beyond tiers). Shopware Nexus is in a free introductory phase through September 1, 2026.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on commercetools

More on Shopware

Keep looking

Other head to heads