Where Shopware 5 stores stand today
Official support for Shopware 5 ended on July 31, 2024. Since then, shopware AG has shipped neither security updates nor bug fixes. The store keeps running, but it ages: new vulnerabilities stay open, payment and shipping providers gradually stop maintaining their Shopware 5 plugins, and the last versions officially run on PHP 8.2 at most, which only receives security updates until the end of 2026.
This guide compares the five systems that come up most often for German Shopware 5 stores. I migrate to Shopware 6 and WooCommerce myself. I still describe the other three fairly, because for some stores one of them is the better choice.
A move is necessary, only the destination is open. Compare the systems by store size, inventory management and how much technology you want to look after yourself.
Every move means a new store
Whichever system you choose, the theme, plugins, Shopping Worlds and custom changes from Shopware 5 cannot come along. What moves is the data: products, categories, customers, orders and, at best, the existing URLs. The look and special features are rebuilt in the new system.
That includes Shopware 6, which is completely new software despite the shared name. Its advantage over the other systems is an official migration tool and the familiar way of working in the administration.
When choosing a system, these questions matter most:
Size and catalog
How many products, variants, languages and sales channels does your store have?
B2B
Do you need customer-specific prices, approval workflows or order lists for business customers?
Inventory management
Is an ERP such as JTL-Wawi connected, and which system holds the master data?
Operations
Do you want your own hosting with full control, or a hosted store whose technology the provider looks after?
Budget
What may the move cost, and what may running the store cost per month?
The five alternatives in detail
I describe all five systems by the same points, so you can compare them directly.
Shopware 6
Mid-sized B2C and B2B stores that were basically happy with Shopware 5, including those with connected inventory management, such as JTL-Wawi through the JTL-Connector.
The Community Edition is open source with no license fee. Above EUR 1 million in gross merchandise value, a paid plan is required (Rise from EUR 600 a month). Plus hosting, extensions and maintenance.
Your own hosting on a well-equipped server. Regular updates should be tested on a copy first.
Official Migration Assistant for products, customers including password hashes, orders, media and SEO URLs, which can run again right up to go-live.
Technically more demanding than Shopware 5. Many extensions are monthly rentals. Often more system than very small stores need.
WooCommerce
Smaller stores with a manageable catalog, especially when the company website already runs on WordPress. Website and store become one system.
The plugin itself is free. Costs come from hosting, extensions (often annual licenses) and maintenance. No platform fee, no revenue limit.
Your own hosting, asking less of the server than Shopware 6. Upkeep grows with every plugin, because core, theme and plugins each get their own updates.
No official tool. Products, categories, customers and orders can still be transferred cleanly, and URLs are redirected.
Gets plugin-heavy quickly with large catalogs, many languages or extensive B2B. Shopping Experiences or a Rule Builder are only available through extensions.
Shopify
Merchants who want to deal with as little technology as possible, with a classic B2C catalog and no deep custom changes.
Hosted store from EUR 27 a month (Basic, billed yearly), Grow EUR 79, Advanced EUR 289, Plus from EUR 2,100 a month on a three-year term (EUR 2,250 on a one-year term). Without Shopify Payments an extra transaction fee of 2 to 0.2 percent depending on the plan, plus mostly paid apps.
Shopify handles hosting, security updates and scaling. No server, no core updates, no PHP versions.
Import or migration apps. The URL structure is fixed (/products/, /collections/), so a complete redirect list via CSV is mandatory. Existing customers usually have to reactivate their accounts.
Ongoing fees that grow with your plan, apps and revenue. Platform lock-in. The contract partner in Europe is Shopify International Limited in Ireland, and the parent company is based in Canada.
JTL-Shop
Merchants who already manage products, stock and orders in JTL-Wawi. Store and inventory management come from one vendor.
A free Community Free Edition (up to 500 products) and paid editions. JTL provides current prices and terms directly. Plus hosting, extensions and maintenance.
Self-hosted or run by JTL. Store and Wawi updates have to fit together.
If the Shopware 5 store is already connected to JTL-Wawi, the most important master data is already in the Wawi. The theme, special features and redirects are rebuilt.
Without JTL-Wawi, the main advantage disappears. Fewer extensions and service providers than for Shopware or WooCommerce. Shopware 6 can also be connected to the Wawi.
Magento
Large stores with complex requirements, many stores and languages in one installation, an in-house development team or a dedicated agency, and the budget to match.
Magento Open Source is free, Adobe Commerce is priced on request only. The real cost drivers are hosting and development.
Demanding: according to Adobe, a supported installation includes a search server (OpenSearch), a cache server (Valkey), a message queue (RabbitMQ) and Varnish.
No official tool. A project like any other, just on a technically heavier platform.
Rarely justified for small and mid-sized stores. Good Magento developers are in demand and priced accordingly.
Standard support ended on August 11, 2026.
If you run Magento 2.4.6, you have to upgrade anyway. Adobe Commerce customers still receive extended support for 2.4.6 until August 31, 2027. In 2026, Magento is rarely the right move for a store that got along well with Shopware 5.
Free up to EUR 1 million in gross merchandise value.
Since March 2025, above EUR 1 million in gross merchandise value within 365 days you need a paid plan to keep access to the Shopware Account and Store. I summarize the details in the guide on the Community Edition revenue limit.
The alternatives compared
| Criterion | Shopware 6 | WooCommerce | Shopify | JTL-Shop | Magento |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suits | mid-sized stores, B2C and B2B | smaller stores, WordPress websites | merchants without in-house tech | merchants using JTL-Wawi | large stores with their own team |
| License | Community Edition free, paid plan above EUR 1M gross merchandise value | free | monthly plans from EUR 27, plus transaction fee without Shopify Payments | Free Edition and paid editions | Open Source free, Adobe Commerce on request |
| Hosting | own hosting | own hosting | by the provider | own hosting or at JTL | own hosting, demanding |
| Upkeep | medium to high | low to medium, depending on plugins | low | medium | high |
| Moving from Shopware 5 | official assistant, URLs can be kept | no official tool, redirects needed | import or apps, fixed URL structure | easier if the data is already in the Wawi | no official tool |
| Biggest catch | technically a rebuild | gets plugin-heavy with large catalogs | ongoing fees, platform lock-in | little advantage without the Wawi | expensive to run and develop |
Which alternative fits you?
Mid-sized store, basically happy with Shopware
The Migration Assistant, URLs that can be kept and the familiar way of working speak for it, even though the theme and plugins are rebuilt.
Shopware 6Smaller store, website already runs on WordPress
One system instead of two saves hosting, upkeep and duplicate logins.
WooCommerceSmaller store without WordPress or in-house tech
A sensible choice if you budget for the monthly fees for the long term. Add up the plan, apps and transaction fees over several years.
ShopifyProducts and orders run through JTL-Wawi
Take a serious look at JTL-Shop. If you want to stay with Shopware, you can also connect Shopware 6 to the Wawi.
JTL-Shop or Shopware 6Large store with many countries, its own team and budget
Magento or Adobe Commerce may be worth considering here, as are Shopware’s paid plans.
Magento or Shopware 6Long-term support does not replace the move.
Paid long-term support for Shopware 5, for example from safefive, continues to deliver security fixes. That lets you plan the move calmly. Plugins, payment providers and PHP versions still drop away over time.
What matters in the move
Most problems in a platform switch have little to do with the target system.
- 01
Protect your rankings
Every existing URL of products, categories, CMS pages and images is recorded and either kept or redirected to its new address with a 301. The list is checked automatically before go-live.
- 02
Plan integrations early
Payment providers, shipping, ERP and marketplaces belong at the start of the project, not in the last week.
- 03
Rehearse on a copy
The migration and switchover are run on a staging environment while the old store keeps selling. Real customer data is anonymized for this.
- 04
Schedule go-live in a quiet period
Outside your busiest season, minor follow-up work doesn’t immediately cost revenue.
My comparison of staging environments shows the options. I describe a migration to Shopware 6 in detail in the guide Migrating Shopware 5 to 6, and the path to WooCommerce in the guide From Shopware 5 to WooCommerce.
Migrating to Shopware 6 or WooCommerce without the agency price
I migrate Shopware 5 stores to Shopware 6 and WooCommerce and maintain them afterwards with updates, maintenance and a staging copy for every change. If the assessment shows that one of those systems fits your store better, I will tell you.
Agencies often charge excessive amounts for a move like this. After a free assessment, I give you a fixed price below typical agency rates.
Directly with the developer
No project manager in between.
Fixed price
After the free assessment, not open-ended hourly billing.
Move before redesign
Move safely first, a new design can follow afterwards.
How things continue after the migration
- Shopware 6: maintenance with the Doppelgänger for Shopware, a copy of your store on a dedicated server in Germany where every update is tested before it goes live.
- WooCommerce: maintenance with the Doppelgänger for WordPress, on the same principle for WordPress and WooCommerce.
Quick answers.
Which alternative to Shopware 5 is the best?
There is no single answer. For most mid-sized stores, Shopware 6 is the natural path. Smaller stores with a manageable catalog often do well with WooCommerce, especially if the website already runs on WordPress. If you use JTL-Wawi, look at JTL-Shop, and if you want to look after as little technology as possible, consider Shopify.
Is moving to Shopware 6 easier than moving to another system?
For the data, yes: Shopware provides an official Migration Assistant that transfers products, customers, orders and SEO URLs and can be run again right up to go-live. The theme, plugins and integrations are still rebuilt with Shopware 6. Technically it is a rebuild, not an update.
Can I simply keep running Shopware 5?
The store keeps working, but Shopware has shipped no security updates since July 2024. A third-party provider offers paid long-term support with security fixes. That bridges the time until you move. Plugins, payment providers and PHP versions still drop away over time.
Is Shopware 6 free?
The Community Edition is open source and can be used without a license fee. Since March 2025 a fair-use limit applies: if your stores generate more than EUR 1 million in gross merchandise value within 365 days, you need a paid plan to keep access to the Shopware Account and Store, such as Rise from EUR 600 a month. Hosting, extensions and maintenance cost extra in any case.
Will I lose my Google rankings when I switch systems?
Not necessarily, whichever system you choose. What matters is that every existing URL is recorded and either kept or pointed to its new address with a 301 redirect. Shopify has a fixed URL structure, so a complete redirect list is mandatory there.