Softwr

E-Commerce · head to head

Shopify vs Shopware

Shopify logo

Shopify

E-Commerce

The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business

From
$24/month
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: Shopify using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus; 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 15 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Shopify and Shopware actually diverge.

Attributes where Shopify and Shopware differ
AttributeShopifyShopware
Starting price$24/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
Founded2006Unknown

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

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Shopify

  • Hosted ecommerce platform
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Order tracking
  • Marketing automation
  • Apps and integrations
  • Multi-channel selling
  • SSL certificate

Only in Shopware

Nothing recorded that Shopify does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Shopify

  • Running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilmentnot Shopware
  • Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot Shopware

Shopware

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

Where each one falls short

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

Shopify

  • Using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • That fee makes the cheapest plan the most expensive place to use an outside processor, which is the opposite of how plans usually work
  • Card rates also improve with the plan, from 2.9% on Basic to 2.7% on Advanced
  • Amex is charged at a higher rate than other cards on every plan below Plus
  • Plus starts at $2,300 a month
  • The advertised lower monthly prices require paying a year up front

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

Shopify

$24/month
  • Basic$24/month
    • For solo entrepreneurs
    • $32/month on monthly billing
    • 2.9% + AED1.00 transaction fee (standard cards)
  • Grow$69/month
    • For small teams
    • $92/month on monthly billing
    • 2.8% + AED1.00 transaction fee (standard cards)
  • Advanced$299/month
    • For global reach
    • $399/month on monthly billing
    • 2.7% + AED1.00 transaction fee (standard cards)
  • Plus$2300/month
    • For complex businesses
    • most competitive transaction rates

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 Shopify if

  • You need hosted ecommerce platform.
  • You also want payment processing.
Shopify review

Choose Shopware if

  • You want to start without paying.
Shopware review

Questions people ask

Is Shopify or Shopware better?
Neither clearly leads. Shopify starts at $24/month and Shopware at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Shopify or Shopware?
Shopware has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $24/month for Shopify and Free for Shopware.
Does Shopify 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. Shopify starts at $24/month.
What is Shopify best used for?
Shopify is most often used for running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilment, selling across online, in person and social channels from one catalogue. Of those, running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilment and selling across online, in person and social channels from one catalogue are not what Shopware is typically brought in for.
What can Shopify do that Shopware cannot?
Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Payment processing, Inventory management, Order tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Shopify: How much does Shopify cost?

Shopify's Basic tier is $24/month (or $32/month monthly), Grow is $69/month (or $92/month monthly), Advanced is $299/month (or $399/month monthly), and Plus starts at $2,300/month. Annual subscriptions include 25% discount versus monthly billing.

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
Shopify: Does Shopify offer a free trial?

Yes, Shopify offers 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months without requiring a credit card.

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
Shopify: What payment processing fees does Shopify charge?

Transaction rates vary by plan: Basic charges 2.9% + AED1.00 (standard cards), Grow charges 2.8% + AED1.00, Advanced charges 2.7% + AED1.00, and Plus offers the most competitive rates. American Express charges 0.1% higher across all plans.

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
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