Migrate from Shopify Plus to Shopware: what the move involves
A move from Shopify Plus to Shopware usually starts with a renewal date, a licensing decision, or a requirement to run the store in your own infrastructure. The short answer is that the move is three pieces of work running in parallel with a live store: a data transfer, a rebuild of the apps and theme behavior you rely on as Shopware plugins and extensions, and a rebuild of checkout logic and payment setup. The live store stays in service until the new one is verified, so the project carries both build effort and operational risk for the whole period. Most teams that take this on combine an in-house platform team, who own the infrastructure, identity and release process, with an implementation partner who carries the Shopware build. Your own team will be needed to sign off on product data, tax and shipping rules, and customer-facing behavior.
Start by inventorying what the store does, not what it looks like. List every installed Shopify app, every custom Liquid template and script, every Shopify Function, and every checkout customization, then record which ones have a Shopware equivalent, which need a custom plugin, and which you will drop. Confirm early whether your store depends on Shopify features that Shopware does not replicate out of the box, and confirm the Shopware edition and plan you need before you commit to scope. Shopware's pricing page describes plan pricing as based on gross merchandise value and other individual factors, so ask for the plan in writing against your own figures. Shopify Plus merchants above the 1 million euro threshold in the Community Edition need a paid plan, and that recurring cost belongs in the business case alongside hosting.
Plan the cutover around the data you cannot regenerate. Shopify's product CSV does not include images, so keep the Shopify store live until the new store has imported images from their public URLs, and confirm that those URLs stay reachable during the transfer. Customer exports are capped in size, so check your customer file against that limit and decide how you will handle any larger set. Ask the implementation partner to write down the order of work, the test plan, the rollback path and who approves the switch of domains and payment processing. For a fixed-scope engagement, the written scope should name each of these items so that the effort and the risk are visible before work begins.
Which Shopify Plus capabilities map to Shopware 6, and which need rework
This table maps each main Shopify Plus capability to its closest Shopware 6 equivalent and labels it clean, needs rework or gap. Use it to scope where your store can move with little change and where you will rebuild or buy extensions, then confirm each item against your own app list.
| Capability | Shopware 6 position | Status | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Products and catalog | Product management is included in the Community Edition. Variants, images and categories are imported through CSV or the Admin API. | Clean | Confirm variant depth and image handling with a test import of your largest products. |
| Customers and accounts | Customer records move by CSV or API. Passwords generally do not transfer, so plan customer re-verification or reset emails. | Needs rework | Check how your customer export handles tags and metafields, and plan the password reset flow. |
| Themes and storefront | Shopify themes do not port directly. Shopware uses its own storefront templates and the Community Edition includes a visual page builder. | Needs rework | Estimate the theme rebuild from your current Liquid templates and custom sections. |
| Shopify apps | Each Shopify app needs a Shopware plugin, a custom build or removal. Coverage varies by app category. | Needs rework | Confirm plugin coverage for every installed Shopify app in your own stack before committing to a plan. |
| B2B catalogs, quotes and approvals | B2B quotes and approvals sit on the paid Evolve plan. The Community Edition does not include them. | Gap | Ask Shopware to confirm which B2B features Evolve covers for your account model and pricing tiers. |
| Checkout and payments | Shopware Payments is included in the Community Edition with community support only. Custom checkout logic must be rebuilt. | Needs rework | Confirm payment provider connectors, fraud tooling and any Shopify Functions logic you need to replace. |
| Multi-market selling | Shopware supports multiple sales channels and market-specific configuration. Currencies, languages and domains need manual setup per market. | Needs rework | Map each Shopify Markets setting to a Shopware sales channel and test pricing in each market. |
| Hosting and uptime | Shopware runs as SaaS, managed PaaS or self-hosted. Self-hosting makes you responsible for uptime, patching and PCI scope. | Needs rework | Decide the hosting model early and ask for the support tier that matches your response needs. |
What exports carry over from Shopify Plus and what must be rebuilt
Shopify's export paths move catalog and customer records, but images, apps, integrations and automations do not move as working parts. Each card below marks one item that must be exported, re-imported or rebuilt on Shopware 6, and what to confirm before cutover.
Product CSV from the admin
The admin export produces a product CSV, but it does not include product images. Map the columns to Shopware's product import format, then confirm the current Shopware import documentation for variants, options and custom fields before you test a full load. Keep the Shopify store live until the new store has imported images from their public URLs and the image counts match.
Image re-import from public URLs
Because the product CSV carries no images, images must be re-fetched from their public URLs and attached to the matching Shopware products. Test a sample of variants with multiple images, check that every URL still resolves after you decommission nothing, and plan how alt text and image order will be restored. Confirm the media import approach in current Shopware documentation.
Customer CSV and its size limit
Shopify exports customers with their details, tags and supported metafields to a CSV file limited to 15 MB. A large customer base may need to be split into several files. Check how tags and metafield values map to Shopware customer fields and groups, and confirm password handling, since customer passwords are generally not exportable and customers may need a reset path.
Admin API for data the CSVs omit
Some data sits outside the standard CSV exports, including metafield values beyond the supported set, full order history and certain automatic discounts. Plan a scripted extraction through the Shopify Admin API and decide what Shopware receives as data, what is archived as read-only records, and who writes and tests that script. Confirm the exact fields you need before the project is scoped.
ERP and accounting integration rebuild
Shopify apps that push orders, invoices or stock to an ERP do not move with the store. Rebuild each connection against Shopware's API, define which system owns stock and pricing, and test order status round trips with real accounting codes. Document the field mappings so finance can sign off before go-live.
Payment, shipping and tax connectors
Payment gateways, shipping carriers and tax engines are reconnected to Shopware through its plugins or direct integrations, not by copying Shopify settings. Confirm that each provider supports Shopware 6, that webhooks and credentials are reissued, and that tax rules and shipping zones are rebuilt and tested with sample orders. Payment card data should only move through the provider's own tokenization path.
Shopify Flow automations
Flow workflows triggered by orders, customers or inventory stop running when the store moves. Inventory each Flow automation, then rebuild it in Shopware's event and workflow tooling or in an external automation service fed by Shopware webhooks. Test failure handling and alerts, because nothing retries on your behalf once Shopify is off.
Migration sequence from inventory to decommission
This sequence moves a Shopify Plus store to Shopware 6 in five controlled stages, so each step produces evidence that the next step depends on. The Shopify store stays live until the cutover is signed off and the new store has run stably.
Inventory apps, integrations and data
List every Shopify app, custom integration, theme customization, Shopify Function, webhook, payment gateway, shipping rule and external system that reads from or writes to the store. Export products, customers and orders from the admin, and note where the CSV exports stop short, such as product images and metafields that need the Admin API. The output is a field mapping sheet that pairs each Shopify field with its Shopware 6 destination, plus a list of each app and its replacement plugin, custom build or retirement decision.
Build the Shopware staging instance
Install Shopware 6 in your own environment, using the current 6.7 or 6.6 line in the Shopware releases page, and confirm the license terms and plan that apply to your gross merchandise value. Configure the storefront theme, payment and shipping methods, and the B2B features you need, then load the test data. The output is a staging instance with a written record of the Shopware version, installed plugins and the plan tier you have chosen.
Run a pilot import of products and customers
Import a representative subset of products, with variants, categories and customer groups, into the staging instance, and fetch product images from their public URLs as Shopify's guidance describes. Compare record counts, prices, stock levels and customer tags between Shopify and Shopware, and walk through the pilot storefront checkout end to end. The output is a reconciled pilot report that lists every mismatch, its cause and the agreed fix, with a second import run to confirm the fixes.
Parallel run with Shopify live
Keep the Shopify Plus store taking live orders while the full catalog, customer base and open orders are loaded into Shopware and refreshed on a schedule you agree. Test the B2B quoting and approval flows, tax and shipping calculations, and payment transactions in a sandbox that cannot charge real cards. The output is a parallel run log showing order and inventory reconciliation between the two stores and sign-off from finance, operations and the storefront owner.
Cut over DNS, redirects and payments
Freeze catalog edits on Shopify, perform the final delta import, switch DNS to the Shopware storefront, and activate production payment and shipping configurations. Deploy the URL redirect map from old Shopify product, collection and page URLs to their Shopware equivalents, and confirm that search engines and marketing links resolve. The output is a signed cutover checklist covering DNS, redirect tests, payment test transactions, webhook and integration checks, and a named rollback owner with the steps to return traffic to Shopify.
Decommission Shopify after a stable period
Monitor order flow, error logs, payment reconciliation and search traffic in Shopware for a stability period you define in advance, then archive a final export of orders, customers and tax records from Shopify. Cancel the Shopify Plus subscription and remove app connections, after confirming that your retention obligations for records are met. The output is an archive index with its storage location and a decommission record that closes the Shopify subscription and access.
When Shopware's free Community Edition stops being an option
Shopware 6 is MIT licensed and can run self-hosted, so the software itself carries no license fee. The catch is in Shopware's pricing terms: shops linked to an account that generate more than 1 million euros in gross merchandise value over the preceding 365 days need a paid plan instead of the free Community Edition. Most Shopify Plus merchants sit above that line, so the threshold should be settled before you budget the move. Measure your own trailing 365-day GMV from the order data you already hold, and include every channel and store linked to the same Shopware account, not only the flagship storefront. Then ask Shopware in writing how the threshold applies to your account structure.
The paid tiers, as listed on Shopware's pricing page, are Rise at 600 euros per month with AI-assisted content and an 8-hour support response, Evolve at 2,400 euros per month with B2B quotes and approvals and a 4-hour response, and Beyond at custom pricing with 1-hour, 24/7 support. Shopware states that plan pricing depends on gross merchandise value and other individual factors, so the listed figures are a starting point, not a quote. Ask which tier your volume maps to, what hosting option the plan assumes (SaaS, managed PaaS or self-hosted), whether the support response times apply to your incident severities, and whether any fee changes when your GMV grows.
Treat the license decision as a line item in your multi-year model. If you move to a paid plan, the recurring cost sits beside your own hosting, hardening, plugin choices and internal or partner staff. If your volume stays under the threshold, the Community Edition's community-only support becomes the risk you must cover yourself, so plan for who will handle security patches and production incidents. Either way, record the GMV calculation and the written answer from Shopware in your project file before the migration scope is signed.
What drives cost and duration in a Shopify Plus to Shopware move
This table lists the factors that move effort in a Shopify Plus to Shopware 6 project, why each one matters, and how to reduce it. No effort figures are supplied for this move, so use the table to scope a fixed-scope written quote, not to estimate timelines.
| Driver | Why it moves effort | How to keep it down |
|---|---|---|
| Catalog size and variant depth | Each product, variant, option and metafield must be mapped and validated in Shopware's data model, and large catalogs multiply import and QA work. | Clean up duplicate SKUs and unused variants before export, and agree which metafields carry over. |
| Number of Shopify apps to replace | Every app that handles reviews, subscriptions, loyalty or search needs a Shopware plugin, a custom build or a deliberate removal decision. | Inventory apps by business function, drop unused ones and check which Shopware plugins match the remaining ones. |
| Custom checkout logic | Shopify Functions and custom checkout scripts must be rebuilt as Shopware checkout behavior, which requires testing across payment and shipping paths. | List every rule in writing with its business owner, and remove rules that no longer apply before rebuilding. |
| B2B requirements | Company accounts, price lists, quotes and approval flows are paid-plan features in Shopware and need careful modeling against your current B2B setup. | Document approval chains and price tiers early, and confirm which features the chosen Shopware plan includes. |
| Number of markets and languages | Each market adds currencies, tax settings, shipping zones, translations and domain configuration. | Launch in the fewest markets first, then add others as separate phases with their own sign-off. |
| Integrations | ERP, warehouse, tax, marketing and accounting connections must be rebuilt against Shopware's APIs and tested end to end. | Maintain an integration list with data flows and owners, and retire connections that duplicate others. |
| Theme rebuild | Shopify themes do not transfer, so templates, components and the storefront must be designed and built for Shopware. | Reuse existing design assets and limit the first release to the templates that drive revenue. |
| SEO redirects | Changed product, category and content URLs need a tested redirect map to protect rankings and existing links. | Export current URLs early, map them to new paths and test redirects before cutover. |
| Hosting and PCI scope | Self-hosting makes you responsible for infrastructure, hardening and, depending on how payments are handled, parts of PCI DSS scope. Confirm your payment setup with your acquirer and assessor. | Choose the payment integration that minimizes card data handling, and agree hosting responsibilities in writing. |
| Ongoing patching and support | Shopware releases, plugin updates and PHP and infrastructure patches recur, and each needs testing and a support route you pay for. | Set a patch cadence, pick a support tier that matches your response needs and budget for regression testing. |
How the move differs by store size and starting point
A single-market store with a modest catalog usually has the smallest migration. The data scope is mostly products, variants, customers and orders, and the Shopify CSV exports cover most of it, though product images are not in the CSV and must be re-imported from their public URLs while the original store stays live. Plugin needs are narrow, so the main work is theme selection and a few extensions for shipping, reviews or tax.
- Data scope: Products, variants, customers and recent orders, with images handled as a separate step.
- Plugin choice: A small set of Shopware plugins for shipping, reviews and tax, chosen from the Shopware store.
- Paid plan likelihood: Low, but only if annual gross merchandise value stays under 1 million euros across linked shops.
- Hosting: Self-hosted Shopware carries your own patching and backups, which is simpler at this size.
- Illustrative example: A store with a few hundred products in one currency may need one week of cleanup on CSV columns and redirects.
Before committing, confirm your trailing 365-day gross merchandise value against the threshold on the Shopware pricing page.",
A merchant selling in several countries with multiple languages and currencies has more data to map and more configuration to rebuild. Shopify Markets settings, localized product copy, currency rules and market-specific domains do not transfer as a single export, so they need to be recreated in Shopware's sales channel and language setup. The paid plan question becomes more pressing because cross-border volume tends to grow the gross merchandise value that Shopware counts.
- Data scope: Localized product translations, market-specific prices and customer groups, which need planning before the CSV step.
- Plugin choice: Multi-language and currency extensions, plus tax and shipping rules per country.
- Paid plan likelihood: Moderate to high, since volume across all markets counts toward the threshold.
- Hosting: Confirm how your team will run separate sales channels under one installation.
- Illustrative example: A brand with three language sites and two currencies may need separate price lists per market before go-live.
Ask Shopware how its pricing treats shops linked to one account, and map your market structure against the plan terms.
A B2B merchant needs company accounts, negotiated pricing, quotes and approval workflows, which Shopify Plus often handles through its B2B features and apps. Shopware's B2B features sit in its paid tiers, so the decision here is less about the Community Edition and more about whether the B2B requirements justify a paid plan from the start. Customer contracts, price lists and approval history are high-value data to export carefully.
- Data scope: Company accounts, contacts, price lists, payment terms and open quotes, which may require the Admin API.
- Plugin choice: Evaluate whether Shopware's paid tier covers quotes and approvals before adding custom work.
- Paid plan likelihood: High when quotes and approvals are core to sales, because the B2B features are in the paid plans.
- Integrations: Check how B2B pricing connects to your ERP or CRM.
- Illustrative example: A distributor with approval chains for orders above a set value would test that workflow before cutover.
Confirm in writing which B2B features each paid plan includes before you finalize scope.
A merchant with heavy custom logic in Shopify Functions, checkout extensions and many paid apps has the largest rebuild. Each Function or app has to be mapped to a Shopware plugin, a custom extension, or a process that runs outside the store. This tab carries the most uncertainty because the rebuild cost depends on how much of that logic is custom and how many apps have no direct equivalent.
- Data scope: Metafields and app-generated data may need the Admin API, not only CSV exports.
- Plugin choice: Inventory every app and Function, then mark each as replaced, rebuilt or retired.
- Paid plan likelihood: Depends on volume, but the custom work may justify a paid plan for support.
- Support: Consider response-time commitments in paid plans when the store runs complex checkout logic.
- Illustrative example: A store with a custom discount Function may need a rebuilt rule set and a full test pass before launch.
List every installed app and Function before requesting a quote, since that inventory sets the scope.
What usually goes wrong and how to prevent it
Most failed Shopify Plus to Shopware moves fail on data and decisions made before go-live, not on the platform itself. The six risks below cover the data transfer, the licensing decision, and the operating work that moves to your team once the store is live.
Images missing after CSV import
Shopify's product CSV does not carry product images, so a straight CSV import leaves Shopware listings without photos. Shopify advises keeping the original store live until the new store has imported images from their public URLs. Before cutover, export the image URLs, run a test import into a staging Shopware instance, and check a sample of variant images, since variant-to-image links are often the first thing to break.
SEO loss without URL redirects
Product, category and content URLs on a Shopify Plus store rarely match Shopware's URL structure, so search rankings and inbound links break at cutover. Build a complete redirect map from the old URLs to the new Shopware routes before launch, including collection-style paths and any blog or landing pages. Test the redirects on a staging domain and keep the old store live until search engines have had time to recrawl.
Cutting over before the threshold check
The free Shopware Community Edition is not available to shops above the gross merchandise value threshold in Shopware's pricing terms, and Shopware's pricing page says shops above 1 million euros in gross merchandise value over the preceding 365 days need a paid plan. Confirm your trailing 365-day figure, including every linked sales channel, before choosing a edition. Budget the paid plan into the business case rather than discovering it after go-live.
Unmapped customer tags and metafields
Shopify exports customers, tags and supported metafields to a CSV capped at 15 MB, so large customer bases may need to be split and re-joined. Tags and metafields do not map automatically to Shopware customer groups or custom fields. Create a mapping sheet that assigns each tag to a Shopware customer group, tier or custom field before import, and check B2B account fields and tax identifiers on a sample of records.
Checkout and payment gaps at go-live
Shopify Plus checkout, payment providers and tax settings are not carried over, and Shopware needs its own payment plugins, shipping rules and tax configuration before orders can be taken. Confirm with each payment provider that your merchant account can be connected to Shopware, and run test transactions in every currency and country you sell in. Plan the cutover so there is no window where customers cannot pay.
Underestimating patching and hosting
Shopify Plus includes hosting and uptime that Shopify manages, and Shopify states 99.99% uptime on average on its Plus page. Self-hosted Shopware moves hosting, PHP and Shopware patching, backups, and PCI responsibilities to your team or your partner. Agree on who applies Shopware releases, who monitors the store, and who responds to incidents before go-live, and write those duties into the retainer scope.
Shopify Plus to Shopware migration questions buyers ask
How much does a Shopify Plus to Shopware migration cost?
The cost depends on the work that the store needs, not on a single price, and no supplied figure sets a total for your store. The main components are the migration build (data mapping, catalog and customer transfer, theme and app replacement), hosting or a managed platform, Shopware licensing if your sales pass the threshold, and ongoing operations such as patching, testing and support. Shopware's pricing page states that plan pricing is based on gross merchandise value and other individual factors, so ask Shopware for a quote tied to your annual figures. Ask any implementation partner for a fixed-scope written proposal that separates one-time build work from recurring hosting and support. DeployOpen agrees scope, deliverables and timelines in writing before work starts and issues a quote from that scope.
How long does a Shopify Plus to Shopware migration take?
The timeline is set by catalog size, the number of Shopify apps to replace, the number of custom checkout and B2B rules, theme work and the testing window before cutover. No supplied fact gives a duration, so treat any figure you hear as an estimate to be confirmed against your own inventory. Shopify advises keeping the original store live until a new store has imported images from their public URLs, which means your cutover plan has to allow for image import and verification. Stores with complex B2B approvals, multiple markets or heavy integrations usually need more discovery and parallel running. Ask for milestones with dates in the written scope so you can see where time is spent.
Can our in-house team migrate a Shopify Plus store to Shopware?
A capable in-house team can handle a migration, but the work needs experience with Shopware's data model, plugin system and deployment, along with Shopify export knowledge and checkout testing. Three things decide the answer for most stores: whether your engineers have shipped Shopware 6 before, whether someone owns payments and PCI scope, and whether anyone can maintain the platform after launch. Shopware's Community Edition relies on community support only, so internal ownership of fixes becomes your responsibility. If the skills are missing, a fixed-scope engagement can cover part of the work, such as data transfer or hardening, while your team keeps control of the business rules.
What does our team have to provide during the migration?
You will need to supply several decisions and access points before build work can start. Expect to provide a full export of products, customers and orders, access to your Shopify admin or Admin API, a list of installed apps and their business purpose, and the checkout, tax and shipping rules that must carry over. Your payment provider, domain and DNS owners, and email sender configuration also need to be on the plan. Product and merchandising staff should approve the category structure and content, while finance signs off on order history and reporting needs. Confirm each of these items in the written scope so that delays do not fall on the build schedule.
Is the free Shopware Community Edition allowed at our sales volume?
The free Community Edition is only allowed when your shops stay within the limit that Shopware sets. Shopware's pricing page says shops linked to an account that generate more than 1 million euros in gross merchandise value over the preceding 365 days need a paid plan. Measure gross merchandise value across all shops linked to the same account, not only the flagship store, and track the rolling 365-day window. Shopware's paid plans are Rise, Evolve and Beyond, with support response and feature differences listed on its pricing page. Confirm the threshold calculation and plan terms directly with Shopware before you commit to a platform plan, because the terms may change.
How do product images and customers move from Shopify Plus?
Shopify's product CSV does not include product images, so images must be moved separately. Shopify advises keeping the original store live until a new store has imported images from their public URLs. Customers export to a CSV file limited to 15 MB, including tags and supported metafields, so large customer bases need to be split into several files. Check that each file contains the fields Shopware needs for account creation, addresses and consent, and plan how passwords will be handled, since Shopify exports do not provide them for re-use. Test with a sample set of products and customers before the full import, and verify image URLs, customer counts and address fields after each run.
What does Shopware's MIT license mean for our costs?
Shopware's source code is licensed under the MIT License, which permits use of the code without a license fee for the software itself. The license does not cover your costs, because hosting, implementation, plugins, paid plan fees above the threshold, security patching and support still apply. Check the LICENSE file and any third-party plugin licenses before you build on them, since extensions may carry separate terms. Ask Shopware to confirm in writing which plan applies to your account and what the licensing terms cover in your deployment model, whether SaaS, PaaS or self-hosted.
Who keeps Shopware patched and secure after launch?
After launch, you or your provider own the operating system, PHP and database layers, the Shopware core updates, extensions and the checkout integration when you self-host. Shopware releases are maintained in more than one minor line, so your team must choose a supported line and schedule upgrades and regression testing. Payment-related components affect PCI DSS scope, so confirm with your acquirer and assessor which parts of the stack are in scope. Ask for a written patching and support model that names who responds to incidents and how backups are tested.
How DeployOpen scopes and runs a Shopware migration
DeployOpen plans, implements, integrates, hardens, documents and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own infrastructure, including the Shopware migration described on this page. Engagements are fixed-scope, with scope, deliverables and timelines agreed in writing before work starts.
How we scope
- Inventory the Shopify Plus catalog, customers, orders, apps and theme customizations that the migration must carry over
- Confirm the Shopware edition and plan against your gross merchandise value and projected sales volume
- Agree in writing which B2B, checkout, payment and integration features are in scope, with a quote following from that scope
How we build
- Map Shopify product, variant and customer fields to Shopware data structures and test the CSV and API transfer on sample data
- Rebuild required app functions as Shopware plugins or configured features, and document each replacement decision
- Test checkout, payments, redirects and order flows in a staging environment before any cutover to live traffic
How we hand over
- Deliver runbooks for hosting, backups, upgrades and access control in your own cloud account or data center
- Provide migration records, test results and configuration documentation that your internal teams and auditors can review
- Walk your engineering and operations staff through administration, monitoring and the cutover rollback plan
How we support
- Offer ongoing support, upgrades and continuous security testing as a retainer after handover
- Apply Shopware minor-line updates and plugin updates on a schedule agreed with your team in writing
- Run security testing of the storefront, APIs and integrations on request, and report findings with remediation steps
