Aimeos vs Shopware (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Aimeos and Shopware share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan, and Aimeos has no paid plan to buy, against about $670.32 a month for Shopware.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Aimeos grades higher on value for money. Shopware grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Shopware
Open-source commerce platform for B2B and B2C stores
Which one is for you
Pick Aimeos if
- Fits if you are a PHP or Laravel developer who wants to extend a store in code
- Works for agencies building shops for clients without per-store license fees
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a hosted store builder, as the core is a developer framework
- Skip it if you will not maintain hosting, updates and security yourself
- Too light for support unless you pay, since enterprise and long-term support have no listed price
- Watch out: it runs only on PHP, as a Laravel package or TYPO3 extension
Pick Shopware if
- Fits if you have developers or an agency and want to own the code for a B2B or B2C store
- Works for sellers who start on the free Community Edition and move to a paid plan later
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want hosted support, because Rise starts at EUR 600 a month
- Skip it if you have no developer or partner, as self-hosted stores pay for hosting and implementation separately
- Watch out: plan prices depend on sales volume, so the listed euro figures are only a starting point
- Watch out: linked shops past EUR 1 million in gross sales over 365 days need a paid plan for the Shopware Account
- Watch out: SaaS and PaaS plans go through sales; instant booking is for self-hosted stores only
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAAimeosFair | 2.4GPAShopwareFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe packages are free but you host and run them, and the ladder treats self-hosted software as ordinary value. | DRise, the first paid plan with support and AI content tools, starts at EUR 600 a month, against $29 in the middle of online-store builders. Evolve, with B2B quotes and approvals, is EUR 2,400. |
| Free plan and trial | BOpen source and free for commercial use with no recurring license fee. You still pay for your own hosting. | BThe Community Edition has no platform licence fee and includes the page builder and order management. You host it yourself, and Rise has a 30-day free trial. |
| Features | BLaravel and TYPO3 packages, headless APIs, B2B and wholesale, marketplaces and multi-tenancy. Nothing in the listing is missing from a store's job, though there is no hosted builder. | BPage builder, B2B tools, an extensions marketplace, AI content tools, multi-language and SEO. Multi-location inventory sits on the custom Beyond plan. |
| Ease of use | DInstalled with Composer and run on your own hosting, with updates and security on you. No store rating is on record. | CNo store rating on record. Choosing hosting, partners and extensions is part of the work, and self-hosted stores need developers. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Laravel, TYPO3, Stripe, PayPal, Mollie, Adyen and Elasticsearch. It runs only on PHP. | BWeb only, but with an extensions marketplace and integrations such as Nosto and Shopware Payments, and SaaS, PaaS or self-hosted options. |
| Best for | PHP and Laravel teams building a store in code | B2B and B2C stores run on open-source Shopware |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Aimeos and Shopware. How we grade
Price against what you get
Aimeos has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Shopware starts at about $670.32 a month and scores 2.7.
Shopware scores higher, and starts $670.32 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other online store builders on the chart, none scores higher than Aimeos for less, and 4 score higher than Shopware for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Aimeos also covers digital downloads.
At a glance
| Aimeos | Shopware | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | €600 per month, excl. VAT (Rise plan) |
| Free plan | The core packages are open source and free for commercial use, with no recurring license fees, according to the vendor. You host and run it yourself. | Community Edition: no platform license fee, with a visual page builder, product and order management and community support. |
| Free trial | None listed | Rise plan: first 30 days free. |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Aimeos GmbH | Shopware |
| Price read from | aimeos.org | shopware.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Aimeos
- It is a developer framework installed with Composer; there is no hosted store builder in the core product.
- You provide and maintain hosting, updates and security yourself.
- Enterprise support and long-term support are sold through Aimeos, and the page names no price for them.
- It runs only on PHP, as a Laravel package or TYPO3 extension.
Shopware
- Plan prices are set by sales volume (GMV) and other factors; the listed euro prices are the starting point.
- Shopware Account and Store access needs a paid plan once linked shops pass €1 million in gross sales over 365 days.
- Self-hosted stores pay for hosting and implementation separately; PaaS pricing depends on infrastructure needs.
- Instant Rise booking in the account is for self-hosted stores only; SaaS and PaaS go through sales.
Key features
Aimeos
- Laravel and TYPO3 packages
- Installs with Composer as a standalone Laravel shop, into an existing Laravel project, as a headless back end, or as a TYPO3 extension.
- Headless APIs
- JSON:API and GraphQL endpoints let a Next.js, Nuxt, Vue, React or PWA front end sit on top.
- B2B and wholesale
- Custom price lists, volume discounts, quote workflows, punchout and ERP integrations and company hierarchies.
- Marketplaces and multi-tenancy
- Multi-vendor portals, regional storefronts and multi-warehouse setups in one installation via a sites extension.
- Product types
- Configurable variants, bundles, digital downloads, event bookings, vouchers and subscriptions with recurring billing.
- Payments and shipping
- Over 100 payment gateways through the Omnipay library, including Stripe, PayPal, Mollie and Adyen, plus configurable shipping and tax rules.
Shopware
- Visual page builder
- Drag-and-drop Shopping Experiences let non-developers build and change store layouts. The page builder is included in the free Community Edition.
- Choice of hosting
- A store can run on Shopware SaaS (hosting and updates included), on Shopware PaaS with more room for custom code, or be self-hosted.
- B2B tools
- Quotes and purchasing approvals arrive with Evolve; customer-specific pricing from external systems and Digital Sales Rooms with Beyond.
- Extensions and Nexus
- Apps and plugins come from the Shopware Store. Nexus connects other systems and runs workflows, with a free monthly execution allowance per shop.
- AI tools
- Rise adds AI-assisted product content and translation. Shopware Intelligence+ includes a Copilot that carries out multi-step tasks in the store.
- Multi-language and SEO
- Storefronts can be offered in several languages, with built-in management of meta tags, canonical URLs, breadcrumbs and structured data.
Plans
Aimeos
Open source$0
Core Aimeos packages for Laravel, TYPO3 or headless use, installed with Composer and hosted by you.
Shopware
Community Edition€0
Open-source core with source access. You choose hosting and implementation partners; community support only.
Rise€600
per month and up, excl. VAT
Adds AI-assisted content creation, product customization, returns management and direct Shopware support. First 30 days free.
Evolve€2,400
per month and up, excl. VAT
Adds B2B quotes and purchasing approvals, advanced product search, customer-group content and phone support.
BeyondCustom
Adds customer-specific pricing, multi-location inventory, Digital Sales Rooms and 24/7 priority support. Sold through sales.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Aimeos or Shopware?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Aimeos is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $670.32 a month for Shopware. Aimeos is free, and Shopware starts at €600 per month, excl. VAT (Rise plan).
Which has a free plan, Aimeos or Shopware?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Aimeos and Shopware have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.