When Shopify Plus fits and when self-hosted Shopware fits
If you run a Shopify Plus store and are weighing a renewal, a data residency rule or a concern about who controls hosting, the decision turns on four things: your annual gross merchandise value, how much B2B functionality you need, who will own the hosting, and who will patch the platform when a release ships. Shopify Plus fits when you want operations handled by the vendor. Shopify's hosted model, its app ecosystem and its managed uptime, which Shopify states averages 99.99% on its Shopify Plus page, suit teams without hosting, security operations or PHP and Symfony skills. It also fits when your storefront depends heavily on Shopify apps that have no direct equivalent in another stack.
Self-hosted Shopware fits when you need control over where the platform and data run and have engineering capacity to run it. Shopware 6 is MIT licensed, so the code can be inspected, modified and hosted in your own cloud accounts or data centers. Shopware can run as SaaS, as PaaS on managed infrastructure or self-hosted, so the choice of hosting model is yours to make. Before committing, confirm your annual GMV position against the Shopware pricing page, because stores above 1 million euros in gross merchandise value over the preceding 365 days need a paid plan. Ask whether the plan price is based on GMV and other individual factors, and get that in writing. Whatever you choose, assign a named owner for security patching of the platform, its plugins and the server stack, because that duty moves to you when you self-host.
Which platform suits which merchant situation
This table matches common merchant situations to the platform that usually fits better, based on who carries hosting responsibility, which Shopware edition is needed and what skills the team has. Read each row as a starting point, then confirm the points marked for checking against your own volumes, contracts and environment.
| Merchant situation | Better fit | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting or data residency requirement that the store must meet in a specific region or data center | Shopware, self-hosted | Shopware can be self-hosted, so you choose where the database, media and order data sit. Shopify Plus is a fully hosted platform, so confirm in writing whether its hosting locations meet your residency rules. |
| B2B merchant needing quotes, approvals and negotiated pricing | Shopware Evolve or higher, or Shopify Plus | Shopware's Evolve plan lists B2B quotes and approvals. Confirm that the features you need, such as account hierarchies or approval chains, are included in the plan you price. |
| GMV near or above 1 million euros over 365 days | Shopware paid plan, or Shopify Plus | Shopware's Community Edition is free only below the threshold on its pricing page, so a store above it needs a paid plan. Model Shopware plan fees against Shopify Plus fees using your own GMV, since Shopware states its pricing depends on GMV and other factors. |
| Team without in-house ecommerce engineers | Shopify Plus | Shopify Plus carries hosting, uptime and platform upgrades. Shopware self-hosted requires your team or partner to handle installation, patching, backups and scaling. Shopware's managed PaaS option can reduce this load, so ask what it covers. |
| Team with PHP and Shopware skills and a plan for ongoing operations | Shopware, self-hosted | You control hosting, configuration and plugins and can keep data on your own infrastructure. Plan for recurring work on updates, security patches and plugin compatibility, which Shopify Plus handles for you. |
| Heavy custom checkout logic or custom payment flows | Depends on the team; Shopware if you own the stack | Shopware lets you extend checkout through its plugin system, but changes must be tested against each Shopware release. Shopify Plus limits checkout customization to supported extension points, so confirm which of your rules it can express before deciding. |
| Large app dependency on Shopify apps and themes | Shopify Plus, unless plugins are confirmed | Shopware uses its own plugins and themes, so each Shopify app needs a Shopware equivalent or custom build. Check each app against the Shopware plugin store before committing to a migration. |
What the MIT license and paid plans change for Shopware
Shopware 6 is released under the MIT License, so the software itself carries no license fee when you self-host it. That is the part of the Shopware story that differs most from Shopify Plus, where the platform is a subscription you never install. The catch is the Community Edition threshold: according to Shopware's pricing page, 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. Check your trailing 365-day GMV across every storefront tied to the account before you assume the free tier applies, because a store that sits just under the line today can cross it during a peak season.
The paid tiers are priced on GMV and other individual factors, according to the same pricing page, so the list prices are a starting point rather than a fixed quote. The page lists Rise at 600 euros per month, with AI-assisted content and 8-hour support response, and Evolve at 2,400 euros per month, with B2B quotes and approvals and 4-hour response. Beyond is priced on request and includes 1-hour 24/7 support. Ask Shopware for the written feature list of each tier, since the pricing page does not give a full comparison, and confirm which B2B, support and hosting items are included or extra. Shopify Plus pricing is quoted by Shopify, so put your current Shopify contract, app fees and transaction fees next to any Shopware quote rather than comparing list prices from different pages.
The Community Edition still includes a visual page builder, product management and Shopware Payments, but Shopware lists community support only for it, so no contractual response time applies. Plan for that gap if your store depends on fast fixes. Confirm three things before you commit: whether Shopware Payments is available and priced the same way on your chosen tier, which features the paid tiers add beyond support level, and whether the plan covers self-hosted, PaaS or SaaS deployment. Hosting, patching, backups and any implementation partner remain your costs under a self-hosted model, whatever plan you pick.
Capability by capability: Shopify Plus against Shopware 6
This table compares Shopify Plus with self-hosted Shopware 6 across hosting, licensing, support, B2B, checkout, ecosystem and uptime. Where a supplied fact is missing, the cell names what to confirm with the vendor before you decide.
| Capability | Shopify Plus | Shopware 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting model | Fully hosted by Shopify, with no servers for you to run | Runs as SaaS, as PaaS on managed infrastructure or self-hosted in your own environment |
| Licensing | Proprietary hosted subscription with Shopify's terms | Shopware is MIT licensed in the shopware/shopware repository, but paid plans apply above the revenue threshold |
| Editions and pricing basis | Plus subscription priced by Shopify's commercial terms; confirm current fees in the quote | Community Edition for shops below 1 million euros in gross merchandise value over 365 days; Rise at 600 euros per month, Evolve at 2,400 euros per month, Beyond on custom pricing, all per Shopware's pricing page |
| Support response | Confirm response times and channels in your Shopify Plus agreement | Rise lists 8-hour response, Evolve lists 4-hour response, Beyond lists 1-hour 24/7 support |
| B2B quotes and approvals | Confirm which B2B features your Plus plan includes and how they are configured | Evolve lists B2B quotes and approvals; confirm the exact workflow and limits with Shopware |
| Checkout and payments | Hosted checkout managed by Shopify; confirm how far checkout customization is allowed on your plan | Shopware Payments is included in the Community Edition with community support only; confirm which payment providers and checkout changes your plan supports |
| App or plugin ecosystem | Shopify app store; confirm the current app count and which of your apps have Shopware equivalents | Plugins from the Shopware marketplace; confirm plugin coverage for your required integrations and their support terms |
| Uptime commitment | Shopify states 99.99% uptime on average on its Plus page; confirm contractual terms | Uptime depends on the hosting model you choose; in self-hosted setups it is your responsibility, so confirm the SLA with any hosting partner |
Who controls data location, hosting and compliance
Shopify Plus keeps the whole stack in Shopify's hands, while Shopware lets you choose who runs the servers. The cards below cover where data sits, who patches each layer, and which controls and evidence stay your responsibility under each option.
Data location in Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is a fully hosted platform, so the store, order records and customer data live in Shopify's infrastructure rather than yours. Shopify states 99.99% uptime on average, but that figure does not tell you which regions hold your data or how backups are kept. Ask Shopify in writing where primary and backup copies are stored, and whether your contract allows you to specify a region. Confirm these terms before comparing them with a self-hosted option.
Shopware SaaS and PaaS hosting
Shopware can run as SaaS, as PaaS on managed infrastructure, or self-hosted. Under SaaS and PaaS, Shopware or its hosting partner operates the servers, so you depend on their hosting location, patch schedule and incident process. Read the hosting terms for data residency, subprocessors and the support tier that applies to your plan. Shopware's pricing page indicates that plan pricing depends on gross merchandise value and other factors, so confirm which hosting option is included in the price you are quoted.
Self-hosted Shopware patching
When you self-host Shopware, your team or your implementation partner owns the operating system, web server, PHP runtime, database, Shopware core and every plugin. Shopware's MIT-licensed source and public releases make updates possible, but applying them is your job. Shopware currently maintains two minor lines, 6.7 and 6.6, so decide which line you will follow and document who watches release notes. Check that your patch cadence covers the whole stack, not only the shop software.
PCI scope for payments
Shopify Plus hosts checkout and most of the payment surface, which usually keeps the merchant's own systems out of direct cardholder data handling. A self-hosted Shopware store brings the checkout pages, plugins and servers into your assessment, unless payments are fully redirected to a provider's hosted fields. Map which pages and components touch card data, and confirm with your acquirer and a qualified assessor which self-assessment questionnaire or validation level applies. DeployOpen prepares controls and evidence for these reviews but does not issue the attestation.
Identity and admin access control
Under every Shopware option, administrator accounts, API integrations and plugin credentials become your access control problem. Shopware's admin roles and API access keys need documented owners, least-privilege permissions and regular review, and self-hosted deployments also need access to the server, database and deployment pipeline controlled. On Shopify Plus, staff access and app permissions are managed in the Shopify admin, which narrows what you must build yourself. Record who can change payment settings, export customer data and rotate keys, and test those controls before an assessment.
Compliance evidence and independent assessors
Compliance readiness depends on evidence: configuration records, patch logs, backup restore tests, access reviews and change approvals. DeployOpen prepares systems, controls and evidence for compliance assessments, including self-hosted Shopware environments, but it does not issue audit reports, attestations or certifications. Independent auditors and certification bodies perform those assessments. Ask any implementation partner to agree in writing which evidence they will produce, and confirm with your auditor which artifacts they accept before work begins.
What each platform costs to own over several years
Start by separating what you pay Shopify from what you would pay to run Shopware yourself, and by splitting each side into one-time and recurring costs. On Shopify Plus, the recurring items are the Plus subscription, app subscriptions and any transaction or payment processing fees. Pull these from your current contract and invoices rather than from memory, because app fees and payment rates are often set per contract and change at renewal. Confirm with Shopify exactly which transaction fees apply to your payment provider and whether any volume-based terms are in your agreement. One-time costs on the Shopify side are mainly the export, data cleanup and any rebuild of apps and checkout logic, which you pay for in internal time or partner fees.
On self-hosted Shopware, the first recurring item is the Shopware plan. 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 instead of the free Community Edition. The pricing page lists Rise at 600 euros per month, Evolve at 2,400 euros per month and Beyond at custom pricing, and says plan pricing also depends on gross merchandise value and other individual factors. Ask for the tier, the support response level and whether the plan is priced per year, per month or per usage band. Other recurring costs are hosting, CDN, backups, monitoring, PCI-related work, plugin licences and your own or a partner's patching of Shopware, PHP and the database. One-time costs are the build, theme work, data migration and plugin configuration.
Several drivers move these numbers. Gross merchandise value sets your Shopware tier, so a store that grows past the threshold moves to a paid plan. Plugin count, custom code and the amount of checkout logic you rebuild drive build and maintenance effort. Your hosting model (SaaS, managed PaaS or self-hosted) decides who operates servers and who carries patching, and that choice changes the staffing line more than any other. Before you sign, request a written quote that states the Shopware plan tier and its support response time, the hosting and CDN responsibilities, the scope of security patching for Shopware and its plugins, who handles PCI scope and evidence, the one-time build and migration fees, and any recurring plugin licence costs, with the renewal and price-change terms for each.
What moving from Shopify Plus to Shopware involves
The sequence moves catalog, customer and order data out of a hosted Shopify store, rebuilds the storefront, checkout and integrations on Shopware 6, and ends with a tested cutover that keeps search rankings and customer records intact.
Confirm edition and revenue tier first
Before any data work, confirm which Shopware edition fits the store. The Community Edition is free only while linked shops stay under the 1 million euro gross merchandise value threshold over the preceding 365 days, and shops above it need a paid plan. Shopware's pricing page states that plan pricing also depends on gross merchandise value and other individual factors, so ask for a written quote based on your actual figures and your hosting model (SaaS, PaaS or self-hosted). The step is done when you have a signed plan decision and a list of the Shopify apps you depend on.
Export products, customers and orders from Shopify
Use the Shopify admin to export products, customers and orders as CSV files. The product CSV does not include images, so plan a separate image step. Customer exports are limited to 15 MB, so large customer bases need to be split into several files. Metafields, automatic discounts and full order history may need the Admin API rather than the standard exports. The step is done when each export file has been opened, row counts have been compared with the admin, and gaps are logged for follow-up.
Keep the Shopify store live until images transfer
Shopify advises keeping the original store live until the new store has imported product images from their public URLs. Keep the Shopify store running and accepting orders while you build the Shopware catalog, then script or batch the image import. Confirm that each image URL resolves publicly and that variant images map to the right products. The step is done when a sample of products on the Shopware staging site shows every image, and the original store is still the system of record for live orders.
Map themes and apps to Shopware plugins
Make an inventory of the Shopify theme, each installed app and every custom Liquid or Shopify Functions dependency. For each one, decide whether Shopware covers it natively, whether a Shopware plugin or extension exists, or whether custom development is needed. Shopware's Community Edition includes a visual page builder, product management and Shopware Payments with community support only, so paid plans or partner support may be needed for critical functions. Your team or your implementation partner owns this mapping. The step is done when every Shopify app has a documented replacement, a custom build or a deliberate removal decision.
Rebuild checkout and payment setup
Configure Shopware checkout, shipping rules, tax settings and payment providers to match the buying experience merchants rely on today. Confirm which payment providers are supported natively, which need a plugin, and how the new setup changes PCI DSS scope on your side. Shopify's hosted checkout carries much of that scope for you, so involve your acquirer and a qualified assessor early. Plan B2B features such as quotes and approvals if you use them, and confirm they are included in the plan you chose. The step is done when a test order completes end to end with each payment method in a sandbox.
Plan URL redirects and search continuity
Build a complete map from every existing Shopify product, collection and page URL to its Shopware equivalent. Shopify URL patterns usually differ from Shopware's, so the map is what protects search rankings and inbound links. Load the map into the redirect configuration and test a representative sample of old URLs before cutover. The step is done when the redirect map covers all indexed URLs and a crawl of the old site shows no unmapped paths.
Test the full store before cutover
Run functional tests on catalog browsing, search, cart, checkout, tax, shipping, account login, order emails, refunds and any integrations with your ERP or warehouse system. Repeat the customer and order imports to confirm the final data set matches the export counts. Load test the hosting environment at expected peak traffic, and confirm backup and monitoring are working. Record the results and sign-off decisions. The step is done when the test log shows no open critical defects and the business owners have approved go-live.
Cut over DNS and run a hypercare period
On the agreed cutover window, run a final incremental export of orders and customers, import the delta into Shopware, update DNS or the storefront routing, and switch payment provider webhooks to the new endpoints. Watch error logs, payment success rates and redirect hits closely after go-live. Keep the Shopify store available for a period so you can reconcile orders if needed. The step is done when the new store takes live orders, the delta reconciles, and the old store is set to read-only or closed after sign-off.
How operating effort differs by Shopware deployment model
Under SaaS, Shopware operates the hosting environment, so the provider owns servers, network, and the infrastructure layer beneath the shop. Your team still owns the storefront configuration, product data, plugins you enable, and the business processes around orders. Shopware's pricing page lists SaaS as one of three ways to run the platform, but it does not describe the operational boundary in detail, so that boundary is something to confirm in writing.
- Servers: The provider runs and scales the hosting environment. Confirm where data is stored and which regions are available.
- Releases: Ask how Shopware 6.7 and 6.6 patch and feature releases reach your shop, who schedules them, and whether you can delay an update for testing.
- Incidents and backups: Ask for the incident response process, the backup frequency, the restore process and the time to restore, all in writing.
- In-house skills: Store administration, merchandising, and plugin evaluation remain in-house. Deep server or PHP skills are usually not required.
Ask the provider which parts of the stack you can access, export, and audit, and how a move out would work if you leave.
Under PaaS on managed infrastructure, a provider runs the platform on infrastructure it manages, while your team keeps more control over configuration, extensions, and release timing than in SaaS. The split of duties varies by provider, so the contract and runbook should set it out. Shopware's pricing page names PaaS on managed infrastructure as an option but leaves the operational split to the provider agreement.
- Servers: The provider typically operates the underlying servers and platform services. Confirm which layers you can access directly.
- Releases: Your team or the provider applies releases in one of the two maintained minor lines, 6.7 or 6.6. Agree in advance who tests a release, who approves it, and who rolls it back.
- Incidents and backups: Clarify which party monitors, responds, and restores data, and whether you can run restore tests.
- In-house skills: You need someone who can review deployment changes, manage custom plugins, and coordinate with the provider during an incident.
Ask the provider which tasks sit in your responsibility matrix and which sit in theirs, and get that split in the contract.
Self-hosted Shopware runs on infrastructure your organization controls, in your cloud accounts, data center, or private network. Shopware's Community Edition is MIT-licensed according to the LICENSE file in its GitHub repository, but a shop above the revenue threshold needs a paid plan, so self-hosting does not mean avoiding licensing. Your team carries the full operating load.
- Servers: You provision, harden, scale, and monitor the hosting stack, including PHP, database, cache, and file storage.
- Releases: You choose when to apply each release on the 6.7 or 6.6 line, test plugins and custom code first, and keep a rollback path.
- Incidents and backups: You own on-call coverage, incident handling, backup design, and restore testing. Vendor support levels on paid plans are listed on the pricing page and should be matched to your own response needs.
- In-house skills: Expect ongoing needs in Linux, PHP, database administration, security patching, and deployment automation, either in-house or through a partner.
Ask any implementation partner which operating tasks they will take on under a retainer, which they will hand over at go-live, and how they document the runbook.
Questions buyers ask before choosing Shopware or staying on Shopify Plus
Is Shopware free to self-host if we are a Shopify Plus merchant?
Not automatically. Shopware 6 is MIT licensed, so the code itself carries no license fee, but 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 instead of the free Community Edition. Most Plus merchants sit above that line. The Community Edition includes a visual page builder, product management and Shopware Payments, with community support only. The paid tiers add vendor support commitments. The pricing page lists Rise at 600 euros per month with an 8-hour support response, and Evolve at 2,400 euros per month with B2B quotes, approvals and a 4-hour response. Shopware states that plan pricing also depends on gross merchandise value and other factors, so confirm the plan that applies to your figures with Shopware directly.
How much does a self-hosted Shopware move cost?
The total is several separate costs, and only some of them are one-time. Recurring costs include the Shopware plan fee, hosting, databases, CDN, backups, monitoring, payment fees and the staff or partner time that handles patching and upgrades. One-time costs include the build, theme work, data migration, rebuilding Shopify apps as Shopware plugins, checkout and payment setup, and testing. The main drivers are catalog size, the number of integrations, custom checkout logic, the number of markets and languages, and whether B2B features are needed. DeployOpen does not publish prices. A quote follows from a written scope, so ask for the build, migration, hosting, plugin licenses and first-year run costs as separate line items so you can compare them with your Shopify Plus subscription and app spend.
How long does migrating from Shopify Plus to Shopware take?
No fixed duration applies to every store, and the timeline depends mainly on what has to move and how much has to be rebuilt. Catalog size matters because Shopify's product CSV does not include images, so images must be re-imported from public URLs, and the original store should stay live until the new store has them. Customer exports are capped at 15 MB per file, which affects how many files the transfer needs. The number of apps, custom checkout behavior, payment provider setup and legal review of data and terms also extend the schedule. Ask for the timeline as part of the written scope, with milestones for data mapping, build, integration testing, a cutover rehearsal and go-live.
Can our in-house team migrate from Shopify Plus to Shopware alone?
It depends on whether your team has run a self-hosted commerce platform in production before. The work includes data mapping, plugin selection or development, theme work, payment integration, deployment, security hardening, backups, monitoring and patching. Many teams keep product data ownership and business rules in-house and bring in an implementation partner for the build and cutover. Check whether you have engineers who can operate the hosting stack, staff who can own the Shopware upgrade cycle, and someone accountable for payment and PCI scope. DeployOpen plans, implements, customizes, integrates, hardens, backs up, upgrades and documents self-hosted platforms inside your own cloud accounts or data centers, under a fixed-scope agreement that is set out in writing before work starts.
What does the migration need from our team?
Four groups of people carry most of the work, and each needs to be named before the project starts:
- A product data owner who can approve the catalog mapping, variants, pricing, tax classes and customer segments.
- Engineering staff who own hosting access, DNS, the deployment pipeline, the Shopware environment and the integrations with your ERP, CRM or fulfillment systems.
- Payments and finance input for the gateway setup, settlement reconciliation, refunds and any changes to PCI scope.
- Legal and privacy input on customer data transfer, cookie and consent settings, terms of sale and retention rules.
Without clear decision owners in each group, review cycles slow down and cutover dates move. Ask the implementation partner to list these roles and the decisions each one signs off in the written scope.
How does Shopware uptime compare with the 99.99% Shopify Plus figure?
Shopify states 99.99% uptime on average for Shopify Plus, which is a hosted service where Shopify runs the platform. Shopware's uptime is not supplied as a single figure in our sources, and it depends on the option you choose. Shopware can run as SaaS, as PaaS on managed infrastructure or self-hosted. Self-hosting moves uptime responsibility to you, including the servers, database, search, caching, CDN, failover, backups and the deployment process. Compare the uptime commitments of each option in writing. For a self-hosted setup, ask your hosting provider for its service level agreement, how it handles failover, and how often restores are tested. Also ask how upgrades are rolled out without taking the store offline.
Which Shopware option fits a Shopify Plus merchant best?
The right option depends on how much control you need over hosting, data location and upgrades, and how much operational work your team can carry. Shopware offers SaaS, PaaS on managed infrastructure and self-hosting. SaaS and PaaS shift infrastructure operations to Shopware or its hosting partners, while self-hosting gives you control over where data sits and which hosting provider you use, but it also makes you responsible for patching, backups, monitoring and incident response. Regulated organizations often need data residency and access control evidence, so confirm those requirements before choosing. A written scope from an implementation partner should state which option is in scope, who runs each layer, and how the choice affects your run costs.
How DeployOpen helps evaluate, implement or migrate
DeployOpen is a Chainscore Labs company that plans, implements, customizes, integrates, hardens, backs up and documents self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks. For a Shopify Plus vs Shopware decision, that means working from your actual revenue position, hosting constraints and B2B requirements before any build begins.
How we scope
- Confirm your gross merchandise value over the preceding 365 days against Shopware's paid plan threshold before choosing an edition.
- Map your Shopify apps, themes and checkout customizations to the Shopware plugins or custom work they would need.
- Agree the written scope, deliverables and timelines in writing before any work starts, as most engagements are fixed-scope.
How we build
- Implement Shopware in your chosen hosting model, whether self-hosted, managed PaaS or within your own cloud accounts.
- Configure payments, B2B quotes and approvals, and product data imports to match the processes your teams run today.
- Test checkout, order flows and integrations against your written acceptance criteria before any cutover is scheduled.
How we hand over
- Document the architecture, hosting setup, plugin inventory, configuration and runbooks so your own team can operate the store.
- Deliver backup and recovery procedures with tested restore steps for the database, media files and configuration.
- Provide the evidence and control documentation your auditors or assessors need, while they issue any formal reports.
How we support
- Offer ongoing support, upgrades and continuous security testing as a retainer after go-live.
- Plan Shopware minor-line upgrades and plugin compatibility checks on a schedule agreed in your scope.
- Ask any support provider to confirm response times, escalation paths and coverage hours in writing before signing.
