In our agency, we very often receive inquiries about Shopware and whether it makes sense to switch from Shopware to Shopify. Often, customers approach us because major version changes of Shopware are pending that are not compatible with their own budget.
The challenge is usually to maintain the previous functions as far as possible and to continue with Shopify. Can this be solved? Absolutely! Occasionally, some major customization may be necessary with Shopify, but as one customer said to us a short time ago, "I've never heard a 'can't' from you"!
Are you also considering switching from Shopware to Shopify or don't have an online store yet and are wavering between the two systems? Then this post is made for you. In the next sections, we will compare Shopify and Shopware in terms of getting started and maintenance, sales and marketing, hosting and price.
One thing in advance, that the switch from the open source solution Shopware to the all-in-one platform Shopify is absolutely feasible, we have already proven with our reference project Live Fast Die Young. More information on the topic and what we were allowed to implement for the online store can be found on our reference page.
Table of contents
We are happy to support you in migrating your store to Shopify. Contact us.
Entry & Maintenance
| Shopify | Shopware |
|---|---|
| Easy programming without technical experience | German product |
| Quick creation of the store | Individual design both in frontend and backend |
| Large selection of over 2,500 apps | Relatively intuitive design |
| Customizability thanks to Shopify APIs | Technical knowledge required |
| Large selection of design themes, these can be further customized | Customizable templates |
| Supports popular payment providers and covers more with Shopify Payments | Choice of over 1,700 plug-ins |
Shopify
We have made the experience that Shopify is one of the most flexible store systems at all. Programming is easy compared to Shopware, because the Shopify API allows everything. Online merchants can even implement the first steps or smaller projects with Shopify on their own and maintain products and other content. In direct comparison, Shopify can be set up faster - here you don't necessarily have to think in months, but have a functional, responsive store after a few weeks.
Shopify has a large selection of over 2,500 apps, which are a big plus, especially in terms of marketing and sales. The special feature: the apps only access the store via interfaces / APIs, so no plug-in can disable the store. We already had the experience that a Shopware store was broken after installing a plug-in and nobody could shop for hours.
Also, there are high quality design themes for your store, both free and paid. Shopify themes can be customized or even programmed on a professional basis, which is a particularly crucial point for us as a Shopify partner.
Shopify supports popular payment providers and methods, such as:
PayPal
Amazon Payments
Instant bank transfer
Prepayment
Invoice
With the in-house payment method Shopify Payments, credit cards, Apple Pay, etc. can also be offered as a payment method without any hassle.
Shopware
Shopware, unlike Shopify, is a German product and No. 1 in the DACH region, certainly not without reason, because Shopware also has many advantages. Shopware can be very customized, both in the front and back end and is relatively intuitively designed. Nevertheless, technical experience is definitely necessary and building the store without programming knowledge or developers is almost unthinkable, even though Shopware comes up with good documentation and training offers.
Shopware also has a good selection of responsive templates that are customizable with the editor. The Shopware user is offered some standard extensions, as well as the choice of over 1,700 free or paid plug-ins. However, customers often had the feeling of encountering a rather rigid system.
Reading tip: We have summarized all Shopify Plus benefits for you in this blog.
Sales & Marketing
| Shopify | Shopware |
|---|---|
| Designed for sales through various sales channels Hassle-free connection of Instagram and Facebook Communication can take place via social media platforms Sales via Amazon also possible Ready-made Shopify apps for marketing tools Virtual assistant KIT Sufficient possibilities for SEO (search engine optimization) Blog function | Facebook and Instagram can only be integrated via plug-ins Sale via Amazon possible, but only one-sided transfer Many marketing functions and apps, but mainly German vendors Intuitive content maintenance and SEO possible without IT knowledge |
Shopify
Shopify was extended from the beginning for sales on different platforms. This makes it child's play to link Facebook and Instagram with just a few clicks, so that selling products in the Facebook or Instagram store, which ultimately leads to the Shopify store, is possible in just a few minutes. Communication can therefore take place directly via social media platforms, which is a great added value, especially for direct-to-consumer brands. Sales on marketplaces such as Amazon are also feasible with Shopify, so that they can be used to acquire their own customers.
In addition, almost every globally relevant marketing provider in the areas of newsletters, personalization, SMS, push notifications, remarketing, upsell and cross-sell has a ready-made Shopify app. So nothing stands in the way of smooth marketing. Anyone who needs support with online marketing and Facebook ads can get their hands on the KIT virtual assistant.
Shopify is also convincing on the SEO level. The code is properly tagged and the URLs are clean, meta fields can be maintained and images can be alt-tagged. In addition, Shopify has a blog function for content marketing by itself.
Shopware
Shopware is a universe in itself and is designed to be supported by various experts. Of course, there are also connections to Facebook and Co. here, but these are not part of the system, but have to be added via plugins. This results in greater complexity.
The connection to Amazon is also possible with Shopware. Extensions can be used to enable shipping via Amazon FBA and the transfer of Amazon orders to the Shopware store, but the reverse path, as with Shopify, is blocked. Shopware also includes many marketing functions and apps, but German vendors are mainly represented here.
Intuitive content maintenance and SEO options are also available and can be implemented even with little IT knowledge.
Reading tip: You want to migrate from Shopware to Shopify? We show you what you should consider.
Hosting
| Shopify | Shopware |
|---|---|
| No own server necessary | Own hosting and server are necessary |
| Automatic updates | High hardware costs |
| Takes care of hosting, operation and data backup | Some marketing campaigns require system administrators for scaling |
| Cloud-based, therefore almost 100% fail-safe | |
| Scalable |
Shopify
One of the biggest advantages of Shopify over Shopware is that online merchants do not have to worry about hosting, operation or data backup. Updates are also carried out automatically. The magic word is cloud! You don't need your own servers, because Shopify takes care of the hosting for you. Customer data, payment methods, order details, etc. are stored securely and you don't have to worry about the server getting hacked.
Thanks to the cloud and load balancers, your store is also fast and almost 100% fail-safe at all times, no matter how much traffic comes from marketing campaigns. Shopify adapts to this and is scalable.
Shopware
Shopware does not provide the hosting service for the online merchants. An own hosting and server are necessary to run an online store on this system. This involves high hardware costs, and marketing campaigns such as TV appearances, influencer work and the like require experienced system administrators to scale the store.
Price
| Shopify | Shopware |
|---|---|
| Shopify Starter: 5€/month | Free Community Edition |
| Shopify Basic: 36€/month | Professional-Edition: 1295€ one-time basic fee |
| Shopify: 105€/month | Enterprise-Edition: Prices only on request |
| Shopify Advanced: 384€/month | |
| Shopify Plus: individual, but at least about 2.400€/month | |
| Shopify Commerce Components: prices depending on requirements |
Shopify
The Shopify all-in-one solution offers different pricing plans for different sizes of businesses. Small to medium-sized businesses choose the standard plans and large companies usually opt for Shopify Plus. The cheapest plan at Shopify is available with Shopify Starter for €5 per month and is designed for sales on social media platforms. You can get the Shopify Basic plan for as little as 36€ a month and credit card fees of 2.1% (+ 0.30€) when using Shopify Payments. The mid-range plan is priced at 105€ per month and 1.8% credit card fees, and Advanced Shopify is priced at 384€ per month and 1.6% credit card fees. More information on Shopify pricing can be found here.
Customer support, by the way, is a given with Shopify and included for free in every plan in the form of a chat 24/7. Shopify Plus merchants additionally get a personal contact person.
Shopware
Shopware offers the free Community Edition for new customers and small businesses. Additional extensions must be booked for a fee. There are also two other price segments, the Professional Edition and the Enterprise Edition. For the Professional Edition, a one-time basic fee of 1295 € is due. 12 months of manufacturer support is included here. The price for the Enterprise-Edition is only available on request. This version includes 24 months of manufacturer support. Additional support packages are bookable.
Reading tip: We show you 15 successful Shopify Plus examples.
Conclusion
Various comparison sites often propagate that Shopify is only something for startups and small businesses. Stores like Babbel for Business or Harper Collins prove the opposite. The customizability compared to Shopware may only be possible via small workarounds, yet there has never been a case where we had to throw in the towel.
The cloud also offers the biggest advantage over Shopware. Even though Shopware is (still) the number one on the German market, Shopify is more than worth a look - especially if you want to avoid major budget surprises!
Which store system you ultimately choose depends not least on your capacities, resources and individual requirements.
We will be happy to advise you on the possibilities offered by the store system that best suits your situation. Just get in touch with us.
Frequently asked questions about Shopify vs. Shopware
Who is Shopware suitable for?
Shopware is suitable for e-commerce platforms of any kind. However, it should be noted that a certain technical know-how must be available in order to realize a store with Shopware.
Who is Shopify suitable for?
Shopify is suitable for e-commerce platforms of any type. Thanks to the wide range of different plans, there is the right version for everyone. No technical experience is necessary to start a store with Shopify.
What is the best store system?
Of course, this depends on the requirements that the store has to meet. However, Shopify is a system with which both e-commerce beginners and medium-sized businesses can easily manage a store.
Which companies use Shopify?
A common misconception is that Shopify is more suited for small businesses and startups. Our well-known customers like Babbel, Harper Collins, Sennheiser, Live Fast Die Young and many more also use Shopify.
