Which eCommerce platform is the best for your business? This is a very common question among entrepreneurs or shop owners. At the same time, it might be very confusing when it comes to two platforms together: Shopware & Shopify! You may ask which platform is better— Shopify or Shopware. But you may not get an answer right away. That’s why we will explain Shopware vs Shopify in detail, including their pros and cons.
If we think about eCommerce then there are a lot of different platforms. But today we will talk about two very popular eCommerce platforms in this blog post. We will compare Shopware vs Shopify and also show which one could be the best fit for you.
We believe, after reading this post you can make a decision on which eCommerce platform is the best suit for your need or business (if you have any or planning to establish one).
Shopware vs Shopify
Shopware is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms and was founded in 2004. Shopify is a bit newer (founded in 2006) but has quickly gained popularity in recent years because of its international market.
We also have found more than 60 platforms to make an online store. However, Shopware and Shopify are the two most popular CMS to establish an online shop. That’s why we are going forward to compare the two leading eCommerce platforms, Shopware vs Shopify in this article.
Shopware vs Shopify: Pros and cons explained
Shopware is a platform for eCommerce businesses of any size. It’s customizable, efficient, secure, and affordable. On the other hand, Shopify is also a popular platform with a wider range of features that are suitable for larger businesses. Shopware is more popular in Germany, especially amongst big entrepreneurs. But Shopify is more popular amongst SMEs (Small and medium-sized enterprises).
What is Shopware?
Shopware is a platform that helps businesses to create and manage their online shop. It makes life as an entrepreneur easy to create an online shop. Not only that, Shopware CMS can manage the inventory, and keep track of sales. There are several benefits to using Shopware. It is very user-friendly and in general easy to use. Shopware allows you to create an online shop quickly and easily without having to learn complicated programming languages.
Another big thing about Showare is flexibility. You can customize it to fit your specific needs. If you are from Europe then there is a bunch of programmers who can help you to create an online shop by using Shopware.
If you are looking for a Shopware Agentur in der Nähe then the alphanauten could be the right choice. Our main office is in Unna (NRW) but we are giving our services all over Germany. Just contact us and we are ready to serve you straight away! We have a dedicated Shopware expert team to make the online shop that gives you more sales and more success! Please check some of our great projects done by Shopware.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is another eCommerce platform that allows you to create a customized and professional online shop. It’s popular for its user-friendly interface, scalability, and integrations with major payment processors.
Shopify also offers several features that set it apart from other eCommerce platforms, including a built-in blog engine and shopping cart etc. It is internationally popular and has a wide range of communities as well.
Here are the key pros and cons of each (Shopware & Shopify):
In this section, we will let you know some pros and cons of Shopware & Shopify and also show you a comparison of Shopware vs Shopify. Both software has some similarities, of course.
Shopware Pros:
- Customizable: You can make Shopware look and feel like your own business
- Efficient: Shopware runs quickly and easily, even in small businesses with limited resources
- Secure: Shopware uses the latest security measures to keep your data always safe
- Affordable: Shopware is really affordable, its price is moderate compared to other eCommerce platforms
- Support: Their supports are world-class and you can always reach them at your ease
- Tools & Plugins: In the Shopware store you will find almost every plugin that you need to make your shop more efficient
- Speed & optimization: Shopware is super optimized and supported with cloud servers, which means you can get super speed with it
Shopify Pros:
- Wide Range of Features: Shopify offers a wide range of features that are suitable for larger businesses. Those features include custom domains, custom logos, unlimited products, easy social media integration and more
- Huge Themes: This platform has lots of ready-to-use themes like WordPress
- Easy to Use: Shopify is one of the most user-friendly eCommerce platforms. You can set up your business in minutes, without any prior technical knowledge
- Wide Range of supported countries: Shopify works in over 190 countries and has big international communities as well
- Easy SEO: Easy search engine optimization (SEO) options
- Simplicity: This platform has drag-and-drop type boxes to build and customize the storefront
Every product has some positive and some negative things. There are lots of pros to Shopware and Shopify but there are also some negative things about these two platforms. So let’s have look at some cons or disadvantages of Shopware and Shopify.
Cons of Shopware
Having lots of great features made Shopware a great platform. But as you know, every product has some negative issues. The Shopware platform has some weaknesses too. Sometimes it could be hard to program if you are not a developer to create an online shop. Though there are plenty of Shopware agencies out there to create your shop including us, the alphanauten.
Besides that, you can feel it is expensive for you if you go for an enterprise plan. Though Shopware has a free community edition. You can download the community edition from here. The free edition has limited features but the Professional and Enterprise Edition offers more features.
Cons of Shopify
Shopify is undoubtedly a popular eCommerce platform but there are some cons that users should be aware of. It is relatively expensive for users starting out. This expense can grow quickly if users want to add additional features or increase their store’s traffic. Additionally, the platform’s monthly fees can be very high for smaller businesses.
Shopify’s design options are sometimes limited compared to other eCommerce platforms. That’s why this can make it difficult for small businesses to find the right design for their store and can lead to inconsistency in appearance across different pages.
Data Protection issues with Shopify: be careful!
There is a serious allegation against Shopify about its data protection strategies. Shopify is using CDN (Content Delivery Networks) companies that are based in the United States. These companies include Cloudflare, Cloudfront etc. As a USA-based company, it is possible that the United States (US) authorities can access the data for many purposes. This is particularly problematic if the CDN companies are based outside of Europe since the IP transmission then poses the risk of illegal transfers to third parties. This applies regardless of whether the personal data is stored on servers in the US or on European servers.
Again, the real problem started when you are trying to get rid of this by uninstalling the CDN from your Shopify shop. The CDN connections are a native part of every Shopify shop, a functional part of the Shopify matrix and cannot be deactivated individually! So? You are totally helpless in this case! The US-based CDN companies are integrated into every Shopify shop. That’s why the alleged data protection violation can be carried out for every Shopify shop. So, you should be very careful and think 100 times before starting with Shopify.
Features of Shopware
As you already know, Shopware is one the best eCommerce platform for small to medium-sized business (SME) owners. It offers a powerful and easy-to-use platform that lets you manage your storefront, orders, inventory, and customers. So, let’s have a look at some of the core features of Shopware.
- Open-source
- Free initial installation
- Manufacturer Support
- Bunch of professional plugins/apps
- Digital Publishing feature
- Drag & drop editor to create pages
- Customer Streams
- Unlimited number of products
- Products export-import option
- Storytelling feature
- Shopware ERP
- Product Streams
- Availability of several language packs
- Shopping worlds presets
Shopware has lots of other features too. This eCommerce CMS also offers merchant account features such as order management, shipping labels, and payment gateway integration. You can check the full features of Shopware here.
Pricing Comparison: Shopify vs Shopware
As always, one of the biggest concerns is the price. Here we are giving you a chart of the price of these two eCommerce CMS so that you can compare their pricing plans and make your buying decision.
| Shopware Plans | Shopware Pricing | Shopify Plans | Shopify Pricing |
| Community Edition | Free | Free Trial | Free for 14 days |
| Professional Plan (monthly) | €199 | Starter | $5 USD/month |
| Professional Plan (one-time fee) | €2,495 | Basic | $29 USD/month |
| Enterprise Plan (monthly) | €2,495 | Shopify | $79 USD/month |
| Enterprise Plan (one-time fee) | €39,995 | Advanced | $299 USD/month |
Shopware 6 download
This version of Shopware is rocking the market now. But sometimes when you are trying to install Shopware 6 can be confusing. That’s why in this section, we will let you know how to download or install Shopware 6 on your PC or Mac.
Here are some quick shortcuts on how to download and install Shopware 6 explained by a Shopware expert in a video:
If you’re looking for a tutorial on how to download and install Shopware 6 then please check this written tutorial. You can check the guide step by step and read it during the tutorial which could be a great option for you. By the way, if you wanna learn how to install Shopware 6 and so on then our Shopware Academy-related post will help you for sure.
Final thoughts about Shopware vs Shopify
As a business owner, you know that having a great eCommerce platform is important. But which one should you choose? In this article, we compared Shopware vs Shopify and outlined the key differences between the two platforms. We also provided some tips on which one might be better for your business.
It can be tough to decide which eCommerce platform to use: Shopware or Shopify. Both platforms have their pros and cons, so it’s important to carefully weigh them before making a decision. Ultimately, the choice comes down to what you’re looking for in an eCommerce platform. If you’re looking for a general-purpose platform that lends itself well to both online and offline sales, then Shopware may be a better option for you.
If you are specifically interested in using Shopify as your only eCommerce platform, then you can choose that. But before selecting one please check their pricing and features.
