Shopware review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Open-source commerce platform for B2B and B2C stores
Black Friday: is there a Shopware sale?
Shopware report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for B2B and B2C stores run on open-source Shopware
Shopware is an open-source commerce platform with a free Community Edition and hosted plans from EUR 600 a month. The free edition leaves hosting and developers to you, and the hosted plans cost many times what the typical store builder charges.
Who Shopware is for
- 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
Who Shopware is not for
- 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
Why Shopware gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for moneyRise, 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.
- BFree plan and trialThe 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.
- BFeaturesPage builder, B2B tools, an extensions marketplace, AI content tools, multi-language and SEO. Multi-location inventory sits on the custom Beyond plan.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. Choosing hosting, partners and extensions is part of the work, and self-hosted stores need developers.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, but with an extensions marketplace and integrations such as Nosto and Shopware Payments, and SaaS, PaaS or self-hosted options.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Shopware's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/shopware#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/shopware.svg" alt="Shopware: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Shopware stands among online store builders
Shopware's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 15 of the 26 other online store builders we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on features (B, above 18 of 26) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at about $670.32 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 17 of the 18 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 4 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 27 online store builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. Shopware’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 26, level with 4
- BFree plan and trialAbove 14 of 26, level with 12
- BFeaturesAbove 18 of 26, level with 7
- CEase of useAbove 10 of 26, level with 12
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 5 of 26, level with 21
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 21 online store builders. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Shopware, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Shopware you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $8,043.84 a year. Shopware is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
- It plugs into other products, Nosto and Shopware Payments among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Shopware’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Shopware?
Shopware is an open-source commerce platform for B2B and B2C stores. The free Community Edition has a visual page builder and product and order management, and paid plans add AI content tools, B2B features, support and multi-location inventory. Stores can run on Shopware's SaaS or PaaS hosting, or be self-hosted.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Shopware pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Shopware has a free plan, and paid plans start at €600 per month, excl. VAT (Rise plan).
- Starts at
- €600 per month, excl. VAT (Rise plan)
- Free plan
- Community Edition: no platform license fee, with a visual page builder, product and order management and community support.
- Free trial
- Rise plan: first 30 days free.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Community Edition | €0 | Open-source core with source access. You choose hosting and implementation partners; community support only. |
| Rise | €600per month and up, excl. VAT | Adds AI-assisted content creation, product customization, returns management and direct Shopware support. First 30 days free. |
| Evolve | €2,400per month and up, excl. VAT | Adds B2B quotes and purchasing approvals, advanced product search, customer-group content and phone support. |
| Beyond | Custom | Adds customer-specific pricing, multi-location inventory, Digital Sales Rooms and 24/7 priority support. Sold through sales. |
Read from shopware.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Shopware before you buy.
Works with
- Nosto
- Shopware Payments
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- Shopware vs BigCommerce
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Common questions
Does Shopware have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Shopware is listed for Web.
Does Shopware have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Shopware is listed for Web.
Is Shopware open source?
Yes. Shopware is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Shopware have an API?
Yes. Shopware offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.