nopCommerce vs Shopware (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Shopware grades higher than nopCommerce: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
nopCommerce grades higher on value for money. Shopware grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan 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 nopCommerce if
- Fits if your team works in .NET and wants the source code
- Works for agencies building custom stores from plugins and themes
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a hosted store, as no hosted plan is listed
- Skip it if you can't run servers: install, updates and security are yours
- Watch out: premium support and the Web API plugin are paid, with prices not published
- Watch out: the project's own site blocked our check, so these facts come from its GitHub README
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
| 2.2GPAnopCommerceFair | 2.4GPAShopwareFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe software is free, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. Premium support and the Web API plugin are sold separately, with prices we couldn't read. | 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 | BFree and open source with no sales or product caps. You pay for hosting, and there's no hosted trial. | 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 | CRuns on .NET with a choice of SQL Server, PostgreSQL or MySQL, web farm support, plugins, themes and multi-factor sign-in. The REST API is a separate plugin. | 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. You install, host, update and secure it yourself, which assumes technical skill. | 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, running on Windows, Linux or Mac with Docker. A plugin and theme marketplace and a REST plugin connect other services. | BWeb only, but with an extensions marketplace and integrations such as Nosto and Shopware Payments, and SaaS, PaaS or self-hosted options. |
| Best for | a free .NET store you host yourself | 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: nopCommerce and Shopware. How we grade
Price against what you get
nopCommerce has no paid plan and scores 2.0 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 nopCommerce 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
At a glance
| nopCommerce | Shopware | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | €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 | nopCommerce | Shopware |
| Price read from | github.com | shopware.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
nopCommerce
- There is no hosted plan on the pages read; you arrange hosting, installation, updates and security yourself.
- Premium support and the Web API plugin are separate paid products whose prices were not readable.
- The nopCommerce site and its documentation answered with a bot check, so facts here come from the project's GitHub README.
- The README says the core team gives professional support within 24 hours and has developed the product since 2008.
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
nopCommerce
- Runs where you choose
- Runs on .NET 10 on Windows, Linux or Mac, with Docker support and a choice of Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL or MySQL databases.
- Web farm support
- The README says it works across web farms and Azure, with all methods asynchronous, for stores that need to scale across servers.
- Plugins and themes
- A pluggable architecture and a marketplace for themes, plugins and integrations. Developers can write their own and sell them there.
- Web API plugin
- A REST plugin from the nopCommerce team covers backend and frontend methods, for connecting third-party services or mobile apps. It comes with source code.
- Multi-factor sign-in
- Multi-factor authentication is built in, alongside a store demo with both the customer front end and the admin area to try before installing.
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
nopCommerce
nopCommerce$0
Free, open-source software that you host and run yourself. Premium support, plugins and themes are priced separately.
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, nopCommerce or Shopware?
As of Nov 12, 2026, nopCommerce is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $670.32 a month for Shopware. nopCommerce is free, and Shopware starts at €600 per month, excl. VAT (Rise plan).
Which has a free plan, nopCommerce or Shopware?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both nopCommerce 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.