Shopware vs Sylius (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Shopware grades higher than Sylius: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Shopware grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. Sylius grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan.
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
Free plan · from €600/mo
Which one is for you
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
Pick Sylius if
- Fits if you have PHP and Symfony developers
- Works for teams that want a headless API and are fine paying for Plus later
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you have no developers, because there is no hosted store builder
- Skip it if you need marketplace, RFQ, RBAC or returns, as those are paid Plus modules
- Watch out: Plus has no published price, and buyers are pointed to a demo and sales
- Tight if you want to launch fast, since the work is engineering
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAShopwareFair | 2.0GPASyliusFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CThe Community Edition is free but self-hosted, which counts as a C. Sylius Plus has no published price. |
| Free plan and 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. | BThe Community Edition is free to download and run on your own servers. Hosting and development are your cost. |
| Features | BPage builder, B2B tools, an extensions marketplace, AI content tools, multi-language and SEO. Multi-location inventory sits on the custom Beyond plan. | CHeadless REST API, multi-store and a developer framework. The B2B suite, marketplace, RBAC, returns and loyalty are Plus modules. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Choosing hosting, partners and extensions is part of the work, and self-hosted stores need developers. | DNo rating on record. Launching a store takes engineering work, as there is no hosted builder. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but with an extensions marketplace and integrations such as Nosto and Shopware Payments, and SaaS, PaaS or self-hosted options. | CWeb only. Integrations named are Symfony and API Platform. |
| Best for | B2B and B2C stores run on open-source Shopware | a developer-built store on the Symfony framework |
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: Shopware and Sylius. How we grade
Where they differ
- Sylius also covers inventory and quotes and estimates.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostablePublic APIOnline store
At a glance
| Shopware | Sylius | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €600 per month, excl. VAT (Rise plan) | Not published |
| Free plan | Community Edition: no platform license fee, with a visual page builder, product and order management and community support. | The open-source Community Edition is free to download and run on your own servers; hosting and development are your own cost. |
| Free trial | Rise plan: first 30 days free. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Shopware | Sylius |
| Price read from | shopware.com | sylius.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Sylius
- It is a developer framework, so launching a store takes engineering work; there is no hosted store builder.
- The Community Edition lacks marketplace, RFQ, RBAC and returns features, which are paid Plus modules.
- Sylius Plus prices are not published; the site points buyers to a live demo and sales contact.
Key features
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.
Sylius
- Headless REST API
- A REST API built with API Platform lets the framework sit behind the front end or microservices architecture of your choice.
- Symfony developer framework
- Built for Symfony developers, with automated testing practices and a Behavior Driven Development approach baked into projects.
- B2B Suite (Plus)
- Plus adds tailored price lists for customer groups, ordering on behalf of customers, wish lists and a request-for-quotation flow.
- Marketplace Suite (Plus)
- Plus adds vendor onboarding, communication, payment splitting, reports and document handling for multi-vendor stores.
- Advanced multi-store and multi-source stock
- Plus modules run several stores from one admin and ship from more than one warehouse, with ERP-friendly inventory handling.
- Returns, loyalty and subscriptions
- Plus modules cover a returns (RMA) process, loyalty rules, partial shipments, a product configurator and subscription sales.
Plans
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.
Sylius
Community Edition$0
The open-source framework with a REST API, which you host and build on yourself, for example on a VPS, Docker or Kubernetes.
Sylius PlusCustom
Subscription modules on top of the core, such as B2B Suite, Marketplace Suite and RBAC. No price is published; sold through sales.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Shopware or Sylius?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Shopware starts at €600 per month, excl. VAT (Rise plan), and Sylius publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, Shopware or Sylius?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Shopware and Sylius 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.