commercetools vs Shopgate (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, commercetools grades higher than Shopgate: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
commercetools grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Shopgate grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
commercetools
API-first headless commerce platform for large retailers
Shopgate
Branded shopping app and store-pickup tools for existing online shops
Which one is for you
Pick commercetools if
- Fits if you're an enterprise with engineers replatforming a large multi-market shop
- Works for B2B sellers who need buyer roles, quotes and approval flows
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a store builder, as there is no built-in storefront editor
- Skip it if you want a price before talking to sales, since none is published
- Watch out: premium support, advanced B2B APIs, checkout and extra regions are add-ons
- Skip it if you are a small shop that just wants to sell, as this is built for engineering teams
Pick Shopgate if
- Fits if you have a Shopify store and want your own shopping app
- Works for retailers who want click and reserve in the app
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you need a store platform, as it works on top of one
- Pricey if you are small, as the cheapest plan is €299 a month excluding VAT
- Tight if you are not on Shopify, as Starter is Shopify only
- Watch out: the price rises with the number of monthly app sessions
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAcommercetoolsFair | 1.8GPAShopgateWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published. The pricing page sends buyers to sales and says pricing is order-based, so there is nothing to set against the category's $29 to $49 a month. | D€299 a month excluding VAT is far above the $20 to $59 most shop software starts at, though this is an app layer rather than a store. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 60-day free trial with no credit card that doesn't convert automatically. There is no free plan, and the trial excludes InStore, Frontend and agentic features. | DA free trial is offered; the page does not state its length. |
| Features | CCatalog, cart, order, pricing and promotion APIs, B2C and B2B models and a Merchant Center. There's no storefront theme editor, so a front end has to be built or bought. | CA branded app, push messages, click and reserve, ship-from-store and returns. It does one job on top of a shop you already have. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. Using it means engineers assembling APIs into a storefront, not a merchant clicking through a builder. | CNo store rating on record. You connect it to your shop and set up the app. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb admin and a managed runtime for custom integrations, with MCP servers for AI agents. Not a store builder you can use from a phone or desktop app. | BWeb, iOS and Android, with four listed integrations and developer tools. |
| Best for | enterprise headless commerce APIs | a branded shopping app on top of a shop |
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: commercetools and Shopgate. How we grade
Where they differ
- commercetools also covers online store.
- Shopgate also covers marketing automation, app builder and inventory.
At a glance
| commercetools | Shopgate | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | €299 per month, billed monthly, excl. VAT |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 60-day free trial, no credit card, does not convert automatically. | Free trial offered; the page does not state its length |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | commercetools GmbH | Shopgate GmbH |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | shopgate.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
commercetools
- No prices are published; the pricing page sends buyers to sales and says pricing is order-based rather than based on sales volume.
- There is no built-in storefront theme editor; a team has to build or buy the front end, and Frontend is a separate product.
- Premium Support, advanced B2B APIs, checkout, HIPAA compliance and extra regions are listed as add-ons.
- The 60-day trial covers the core commerce APIs and Merchant Center, but not InStore, Frontend or agentic capabilities.
Shopgate
- It is an app layer on top of an existing shop, not a store platform on its own.
- Prices are in euros, exclude VAT and rise with the number of monthly app sessions.
- The Starter plan is exclusive to Shopify; other platforms need Growth or above.
Key features
commercetools
- Headless commerce APIs
- Each capability, such as catalog, cart and order management, inventory, promotions and pricing, is exposed as its own versioned API that teams assemble into a custom storefront.
- B2C, B2B and hybrid models
- The page lists B2C, B2B, D2C, marketplaces and subscriptions as supported models. Business units, buyer roles, approval flows and quotes are sold as an Advanced B2B APIs add-on.
- Merchant Center
- A business tool for managing catalog and orders, included in the 60-day trial next to the APIs, with preloaded B2C or B2B sample data.
- Connect hosting
- Connect is a managed runtime for deploying custom integrations and back-office applications inside a commercetools environment, with templates to start from.
- AI and agent commerce
- AI Hub and AgenticLift are products for selling through ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot, and the platform exposes MCP servers for agents. The trial excludes agentic capabilities.
- InStore point of sale
- A separate product that gives store staff the same catalog, cart and orders that serve the online shop. It is not part of the free trial.
Shopgate
- Branded shopping app
- Your own app for iOS and Android with a theme, pages and extensions designed in the Shopgate admin.
- Push and segments
- Marketing tools include push messages, customer segments and automations aimed at app users.
- Click and reserve
- Shoppers check store availability, reserve an item online and pick it up in the store.
- Ship-from-store and returns
- Orders can ship from a store's stock, and customers can return online purchases in a store.
- Developer tools
- An SDK, APIs and documentation let developers extend the app.
Plans
commercetools
Pricing could not be confirmed. See commercetools.com.
Shopgate
Starter€299
per month for up to 5,000 app sessions, billed monthly, excl. VAT
Only for Shopify stores. Includes 5,000 app sessions a month; the price rises as sessions are added.
Growth€799
per month for up to 30,000 app sessions, billed monthly, excl. VAT
For Shopify Plus, Shopware and Adobe Commerce stores. Includes 30,000 app sessions a month.
Enterprise€1,499
per month and up, billed monthly, excl. VAT
For large retailers with 100,000+ sessions; the number of app sessions is set individually.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, commercetools or Shopgate?
As of Nov 13, 2026, commercetools has no price we could confirm, and Shopgate starts at €299 per month, billed monthly, excl. VAT.
Which has a free plan, commercetools or Shopgate?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither commercetools nor Shopgate has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do commercetools and Shopgate run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Shopgate lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.