Shopware Costs and Prices 2024: All you need to know about Shopware

Shopware is a strong eCommerce platform “Made in Germany” to create and manage your online shop. Especially in Europe Shopware is popular for its flexibility and scalability. But what’s so special about Shopware? Shopware is tailored to your needs and can be extended as you like with extensions and plugins. So you can customize and expand your shop whenever you need.

In this article you’ll find the prices for Shopware 6 and what the different license models offer.

Factors Influencing Shopware Pricing

When it comes to determining the total cost of using Shopware, there’s no simple one-size-fits-all answer. Your specific needs and business model play a significant role in shaping your overall expenses. Let’s break down the key factors that will influence how much you’ll pay and what you’ll get in return.

Customization Needs

The more unique and specific your e-commerce store needs to be, the more customization will be required—and this is where costs can start to add up.

For example, imagine you’re running a fashion boutique, and you want your website to stand out with a unique theme that matches your brand identity. Custom themes aren’t readily available out-of-the-box in the Shopware marketplace, so you’ll need to hire developers to design and implement a theme from scratch. This custom work can range from simple adjustments (such as changing layout and colors) to more complex requirements (like adding a dynamic virtual fitting room or a custom product recommendation engine).

Moreover, integrating specific tools like your CRM or ERP systems, or building bespoke plugins to add features your competitors don’t have, will also require development work. Each of these needs will push the cost higher, depending on the complexity and how much customization is involved.

Example: If you want to implement a special loyalty rewards program that’s integrated with your physical stores, this could involve building a custom API or plugin, which could easily run into several thousand euros depending on the scope of the project.

Hosting

When it comes to hosting your Shopware store, you have two main options: cloud hosting or self-hosting.

With Shopware’s cloud-based solution, your hosting costs are baked into your monthly subscription. This makes it convenient for businesses that don’t want the hassle of managing servers or dealing with uptime issues. Shopware’s cloud solution handles the heavy lifting, and your costs remain predictable since they’re part of the subscription.

However, if you opt for self-hosting, the story is different. You’ll need to manage your own hosting provider, which can vary greatly in cost depending on your business size and traffic needs. For example, if you’re running a smaller store, basic hosting might suffice and cost around €20-50 per month. But if your business scales up or experiences high traffic spikes (say, during Black Friday), you may need to invest in a more robust hosting solution that could run you hundreds of euros per month. Also, factor in potential costs for maintenance, backups, and security patches.

Add-ons and Extensions

Shopware’s plugin marketplace is both a blessing and a potential budget booster. While Shopware’s core functionality is impressive, many businesses need additional features—whether it’s marketing tools, payment gateways, or advanced search functions. These add-ons can enhance your store but often come with an additional price tag.

For instance, you may want to integrate PayPal or a specific local payment gateway that isn’t included in the basic version of Shopware. Many third-party integrations come with licensing fees or one-time costs, and while some may be as affordable as €50-100, others can be significantly more expensive depending on the provider.

Transaction Volume

If you’re handling a high volume of transactions, you need to ensure that your e-commerce platform can handle the load seamlessly. For large-scale operations, Shopware’s enterprise plans come into play, offering the necessary infrastructure to support thousands of transactions per day.

However, higher transaction volumes come with their own set of pricing challenges. Not only will you likely need to move up to a more advanced (and expensive) Shopware plan, but you may also incur additional costs for increased bandwidth, server resources, and security measures to prevent downtime or data breaches.

Example: A large e-commerce store selling electronics across multiple countries might process thousands of orders per day. The cost for such a business would include both higher-tier Shopware plans and enhanced hosting solutions to ensure the platform remains fast and secure, particularly during peak sales seasons.

Support Services

The level of support you need can also have a significant impact on your Shopware pricing. While smaller businesses or startups may be content with community-driven support or basic documentation, larger businesses often require more dedicated assistance.

If your business needs 24/7 support, custom Service Level Agreements (SLAs), or a dedicated account manager, you’re looking at higher costs. These premium support packages are usually available with Shopware’s mid- to high-tier plans, which offer quicker response times and personalized service for more complex needs.

Example: A business running multiple storefronts across different countries might invest in priority support to ensure any technical issues are resolved quickly, especially if outages could lead to lost revenue during key sales periods.

Value Proposition of Shopware

Shopware isn’t just about the initial cost; it’s about what you get for that investment. The platform offers several value propositions that make it a standout choice for businesses of all sizes.

Flexibility and Customization

Shopware’s open-source architecture allows businesses to build exactly what they need, no matter how specific their requirements are. Whether you’re running a niche clothing store or a large electronics retailer, you have the flexibility to tailor the platform to suit your brand and product range.

For a smaller store, this could mean simply adding custom product pages or integrating social media feeds. For a larger business, it could mean building complex multi-language, multi-currency stores or incorporating advanced AI-driven product recommendation systems.

Scalability

As your business grows, so can your Shopware platform. You might start on a modest Community Edition, but as your transaction volume, product catalog, and customer base expand, Shopware can scale with you. The ability to upgrade seamlessly to higher-tier plans ensures you never outgrow the platform.

Omnichannel Capabilities

Shopware’s omnichannel functionality is a game-changer for businesses that operate both online and offline. For example, a fashion retailer could integrate their online store with their physical stores, enabling customers to pick up items in-store or return online orders to a physical location. This seamless experience can significantly improve customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

While it’s true that some upfront costs with Shopware can be higher than alternative platforms, it’s important to look at the total cost of ownership. The platform’s ability to scale, adapt, and integrate with your existing systems can save you money over time. Businesses that opt for cheaper solutions may find themselves needing costly migrations later as they outgrow their platform.

Innovation and Future-Proofing

Shopware stays ahead of the curve with regular updates and new features, helping businesses remain competitive. As e-commerce continues to evolve, investing in a platform that embraces innovation ensures that your store is future-proof.

Shopware Community Edition: Start for free, but with limitations

The Shopware Community Edition is the free option to start your online shop. Especially for small shops or newbies in e-commerce this is a good start. You get the basic functions without monthly fees. But be aware: ‘Free’ doesn’t mean ‘all-inclusive’. Important functions like custom designs or extensions require additional costs.

Think of the Community Edition like an unfinished house you get for free. The walls are up, the roof is on but you have to do the interior design yourself.

The basic structure like implementing common payment methods or offering different shipping options is already built in. The mobile view is also included so your customers can shop from their smartphones. But hosting and additional plugins are in your hands and can cost.

Shopware License Models and Prices

If you have the budget and need more than the basic functions for your online shop Shopware 6 offers three versions under a licensing model. With the switch to Shopware 6 it’s become impossible to give an exact price because Shopware no longer offers subscription models. The prices now depend on your online shop’s needs.

Shopware Rise

Rise is the perfect choice for small to medium sized online shops looking for a solid base for their business.

Features:

- Visual Page Builder: Design your pages with drag-and-drop, no deep programming knowledge required.

- Flow Builder: Automate your daily business processes and save time. You can set up workflows for orders, customer communication and more.

- Rule Builder: Create custom rules to personalize customer engagement and shopping experiences. Target specific offers or discounts.

- 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Support: Support during business hours and response time within 8 hours.

These features make Rise a good choice for anyone looking for an user-friendly solution without compromises. The Rise version is the only one with a fixed price starting at €600. Additional costs may occur from hosting and plugins.

Although the setup at this level seems easy, it might require technical skills depending on your experience and the time you want to invest in development and setup. As a new or small shop you shouldn’t forget that your platform has to be stable and fast otherwise you’ll lose customers. And although the standard Shopware look is good, a certified agency like datrycs can create a custom, professional design that represents your brand best.

Shopware Evolve

Evolve has all the features of Rise and adds more for growing businesses:

- Advanced Search (Search 2.0): This feature improves search results for your customers with targeted filters and categories. Users can find what they’re looking for faster.

- CMS Rules: These allow you to offer dynamic content based on customer behavior and preferences. For example you can show specific products or offers only to certain customer groups.

- Webhook Integration: This lets you integrate your Shopware setup with other applications to automate certain actions or exchange data.

- 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Support: Faster response time within 4 hours.

These features make Evolve perfect for companies in competitive markets and want to offer personalized shopping experiences.

As Evolve offers more customisation options, the technical requirements on you increase. Marketing and CRM tools can be tricky and time consuming to implement. As you grow, third party tools (e.g. for logistics or payments) become more important. datrycs can make sure all systems work together seamlessly. When your company grows you’ll want to make sure your online shop can grow without issues. A certified agency can make sure your shop can handle more traffic, is stable and flexible for future expansions. So you can focus on your business while your shop scales smoothly.

Shopware Beyond

Beyond is the most advanced version and is for larger companies or those with special requirements, especially in B2B:

- Multi-inventory: Manage multiple warehouse locations. This feature gives you an overview of your entire stock and inventory management.

- Custom Pricing: Offer individual prices for different customer groups, especially useful in B2B.

- Subscriptions and Price Lists: Create flexible subscription models for your customers and manage price lists to offer special offers.

- 24/7 Support: 24/7 support with response time within 1 hour.

The features of Beyond are perfect if your company has special requirements and you need full control and custom solutions for your online shop.

As with the other versions, it’s worth to consider a partner agency if you want to save time and money. As your shop grows it needs regular maintenance, updates and sometimes quick fixes. datrycs can help you with that, so everything runs smoothly and your shop is always up-to-date. With Beyond you can manage multiple shops at the same time, so having an agency for each shop makes it possible to manage multiple brands or even countries in one system.

Conclusion

As your company grows and you serve more customers the demands on your online shop and therefore on your Shopware will increase. Shopware costs are based on several factors tailored to your needs. Initially the basic costs depend on the edition you choose - Evolve or Beyond. Larger shops with high revenue benefit from more powerful solutions for scalability and customisation. The more functions you need the more expensive it gets, as the standard features are often enough for smaller shops, but larger companies need custom solutions and advanced features. Especially with the more expensive versions like Beyond the costs include professional 24/7 support. Companies that need high availability and fast problem solving pay more for premium support to ensure business continuity. And extra services like integration of third party tools, customisations and maintenance can add costs.

In this case a certified Shopware agency like datrycs can be a good investment. We bring the technical expertise to set up and manage your shop and make sure you make the right decisions on customisations, integrations and maintenance to avoid unnecessary tools and costs. So you can focus on your business while we take care of the technical stuff. Contact us for more information.