Craft Commerce vs Shopware (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Shopware grades higher than Craft Commerce: 2.4 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
Craft Commerce grades higher on value for money. Shopware grades higher on the free plan and 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.
Craft Commerce
Self-hosted store plugin for Craft CMS with multi-store support
Shopware
Open-source commerce platform for B2B and B2C stores
Which one is for you
Pick Craft Commerce if
- Fits if you have a developer building a custom store on Craft CMS
- Works for agencies that run several stores and currencies from one install
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a point-and-click store, as it needs a developer
- Pricey if you count the Craft CMS licence, which is bought separately
- Watch out: updates after the first year cost $299 a year per project
- Tight if you grow, as Pro is capped at 5 stores and 5 inventory locations
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
| 1.8GPACraft CommerceWeak | 2.4GPAShopwareFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$1,199 one-time matches the category's one-time middle of $1,199. The Craft CMS licence is extra, and updates after year one are $299 a year. | 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 | FThe listing shows no free plan and no trial, so you pay before you can try it. | 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 | BProducts and variants, multi-store, inventory locations, payment gateways, custom checkout and plugins. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | 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 | DNo store rating on record. It is built around templates and code, so it needs a developer. | 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, self-hosted, with seven listed integrations and an API. | BWeb only, but with an extensions marketplace and integrations such as Nosto and Shopware Payments, and SaaS, PaaS or self-hosted options. |
| Best for | developer-built stores on Craft CMS | 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: Craft Commerce and Shopware. How we grade
Where they differ
- Shopware is open source, according to its own site.
- Craft Commerce also covers inventory.
At a glance
| Craft Commerce | Shopware | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $1,199 per project (one-time, plus a Craft CMS license) | €600 per month, excl. VAT (Rise plan) |
| Free plan | None | 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 | Pixel & Tonic, Inc. | Shopware |
| Price read from | craftcms.com | shopware.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Craft Commerce
- Pricing excludes the Craft CMS license, which is bought separately.
- Updates after the first year cost $299 a year per project.
- It is built around templates and code, so it needs a developer rather than a point-and-click setup.
- Pro is capped at five stores and five inventory locations; more needs the sales-led Enterprise plan.
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
Craft Commerce
- Products and variants
- The license places no limit on how many products or variants you create, and products use Craft's drafts, versioning and live preview.
- Multi-store
- Commerce 5 manages separate customer-facing stores in one install, each able to use its own base currency for pricing.
- Inventory locations
- Track stock and make adjustments across stores, warehouses or other locations; Pro allows up to five.
- Payment gateways
- First-party gateways cover Stripe, PayPal Checkout and Mollie, and further gateways come from the plugin ecosystem or custom code.
- Custom fields and checkout
- Custom fields shape product and order management, and the checkout flow can be built to your own design.
- Plugin extensions
- Plugins from Verbb add events and ticketing, wishlists and gift vouchers on top of the core store.
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
Craft Commerce
Pro$1,199
per project, includes 1 year of updates
Unlimited products and variants, up to 5 stores and 5 inventory locations, multi-currency and custom checkout. Updates cost $299 a year after year one.
EnterpriseCustom
Everything in Pro, plus SAML SSO and a custom number of stores and inventory locations. Sold by request.
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, Craft Commerce or Shopware?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Craft Commerce starts at $1,199 per project (one-time, plus a Craft CMS license), and Shopware starts at €600 per month, excl. VAT (Rise plan).
Which has a free plan, Craft Commerce or Shopware?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Shopware has a free plan. Craft Commerce does not.
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.