A paid plan is usually the calmer option
If your store on the Shopware Community Edition generates more than €1 million in gross merchandise value a year, Shopware’s terms and conditions require a paid plan to keep using the Shopware Account and the Store. Without a plan, your store keeps running, but you lose access to the Store and can no longer install or update extensions from there.
For most stores of this size, the smallest paid plan, Rise, is the cheaper option. Switching systems usually costs more than several years of license fees and only pays off if the store no longer fits for other reasons as well.
What Shopware changed
On March 24, 2025, Shopware updated its terms and conditions and introduced a Fair Usage Policy for the Community Edition. The software itself stays open source under the MIT license, and the source code stays freely available. What changed is access to two services that almost every store uses.
Shopware Account
Where you manage your extensions, licenses and invoices and reach Shopware’s support.
Shopware Store
Where you get plugins, apps and themes, paid and free, and their updates.
The Community Edition is sufficient for the account as long as the GMV of the stores linked to the account does not exceed €1 million over the preceding 365 days. Above that, using it is “permitted only as an exception without a Shopware Account.”
If you want to keep the account and the Store, you then need one of the paid plans: Rise, Evolve or Beyond. According to Shopware, about 95 percent of Community Edition users are below the limit. The terms state that only the German version is legally binding; the quote is from the English version Shopware publishes alongside it, as of October 2026.
How GMV is calculated
GMV stands for gross merchandise value. Despite the name, it is calculated net. Section 2.15 of the terms sets out four principles.
| Item | Effect on GMV |
|---|---|
| Taxes | not taken into account, calculated with net values |
| Shipping costs | included |
| Discounts | reduce GMV |
| Returns | do not reduce GMV |
Two points surprise many merchants: returns are not deducted, and shipping costs are included. A fashion store with a high return rate therefore reaches the limit sooner than the revenue it keeps would suggest. If your net sales are just under €1 million, do the math again.
POS systems, marketplaces, other channels
The terms don’t explicitly say whether such sales in the same installation count. Shopware’s announcement refers to GMV from the Shopware online store, while the terms refer to the GMV of the stores linked to the account. If your case depends on it, clarify it with Shopware in writing.
Shopware knows your GMV
Automatic reporting applies to every store connected to a Shopware Account. Since April 14, 2026, it is built into Shopware 6.7.8 and later and replaces the former “Shopware GMV Reporting” extension and the form for the yearly report. Only the aggregated figure is transmitted, no individual orders and no personal data.
Everyone owes information on request: under section 9.6 of the terms, Community Edition users must give Shopware information about their GMV, even without a Shopware Account. According to Shopware’s documentation, as of version 6.7.13.0 the reporting service can no longer be manually deactivated or uninstalled, provided the technical requirements are met.
What you lose without a paid plan, and what stays
According to Shopware, access is not cut off automatically on a fixed date. Affected merchants are contacted personally, and existing extension rentals continue in the meantime. If no solution is reached within a reasonable timeframe, Shopware reserves the right to revoke access and cancel the rentals.
Stays
- The Shopware software and its source code under the MIT license
- The running store with all core features
- Extensions bought outright stay active
- Rented extensions until the end of the current contract period
Lost or ends
- Access to the Shopware Account
- Installing new extensions from the Store
- Updates for extensions from the Store
- Rented extensions after their term ends
Rented extensions
In the Store, the terms now only provide for renting or free downloads; extensions bought outright come from earlier purchases. When a rental ends, section 55.3 of the terms requires the extension to be uninstalled and deleted. If you keep using it, the terms provide for damages equal to the previous rent plus a surcharge of the same amount.
Every rented plugin needs a replacement
If you stay above the limit without a plan, you have to replace every rented extension when its term ends: with a license directly from the vendor, custom development, or doing without the feature.
The three options compared
Hosting, maintenance and further development cost money with all three options. The table therefore only shows what changes with the decision.
| Paid plan (Rise) | Community Edition without account | Switching systems | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running license costs | from €600 per month or €7,200 a year net, depending on GMV | none | depends on the system; Shopify Plus starts at €2,250 per month on a one-year term |
| One-time costs | none | replacements for rented Store extensions | rebuilding the theme, extensions and integrations, data migration, redirects |
| Extensions | Store with updates as before | no Store updates, only sources outside the Store | choose and set up again |
| Vendor support | direct support from Shopware | none | depends on the system |
| Contract risk | low | obligations under the terms apply | low, as long as old contracts are cleanly terminated |
| Effort in the store | low | permanently higher | a project lasting weeks to months |
Prices from the Shopware and Shopify pricing pages as of October 2026, all excluding VAT.
Book a paid plan
Rise is the smallest paid plan. According to Shopware, it starts at €600 per month plus VAT, and the first 30 days are free. Evolve starts at €2,400 per month and is aimed mainly at stores with B2B processes; Beyond is priced individually.
€600 is a starting price. According to Shopware, plan prices depend on GMV and other individual factors, and there is no public price scale. Shopware itself calls the list prices reference points and has announced transition discounts for merchants moving up from the Community Edition. Get a specific offer before you run the numbers.
The AI features come with the Shopware Intelligence+ add-on. According to the pricing page, it costs €29 per month for the Community Edition and €19 on the paid plans. It hardly matters for the decision about the revenue limit.
What you get for the price
- Shopware Account and Store as before
- Direct support from Shopware, with an eight-hour response time Monday to Friday according to the pricing page
- AI-assisted content creation
- Product personalization
- Returns management
Stay on the Community Edition
The terms explicitly allow using the Community Edition above the limit, just without a Shopware Account. Technically, your store keeps running unchanged. The consequences show up over time.
No Store updates
That includes free extensions from the Store. With payment and shipping plugins, this quickly becomes a problem, because providers change their APIs regularly.
Rented extensions expire
Once the rental ends, the terms require them to be removed. You need a replacement for each one.
Shopware updates get harder
Every larger core update requires matching versions of your extensions. Without Store updates, you either stay on an old version or maintain the extensions yourself.
No support from Shopware
There is none for the Community Edition anyway, but the route through a plan is then closed too.
The contractual side
The reporting and information obligations still apply, and rented extensions must not keep running after their contract ends. I am not a lawyer. If you are considering this route, read Shopware’s current terms in full and get advice if in doubt.
Few extensions, your own team
This route can make sense for stores that use few extensions, can get them outside the Store and have their own development team to maintain them. For most stores, the effort costs more than the license fee saves.
Switch systems
Shopify, WooCommerce and other systems are serious alternatives. I explain which system fits which store in the guide Shopware 5 alternatives. Because of the revenue limit alone, though, a switch rarely pays off, for three reasons.
The migration is a rebuild
The theme, extensions, integrations with inventory management and payment providers, email templates and the redirects for all existing URLs are built from scratch. Agency quotes for this quickly run to five figures.
The new system has running costs too
According to Shopify, Shopify Plus starts at €2,250 per month on a one-year term, and larger stores pay a revenue-based platform fee. WooCommerce has no license fee, but hosting, paid extensions and their upkeep cost money.
A switch brings new risks
Rankings, customer logins, order numbers and integrations have to survive the move intact. The pitfalls are covered in my guide on migrating Shopware 5 to 6; they apply to any change of system.
A switch makes sense when your team struggles with the admin, another system fits your business model better, or a major rebuild is due anyway. Then the license is one item among several in the calculation.
How to proceed
Do the math first, then decide.
- 01
Recalculate your GMV
Use the net values of the past 365 days: shipping is included, discounts are deducted, returns are not. Also check which stores are linked to your account.
- 02
List your extensions
Note for each one whether it comes from the Store or directly from the vendor, and whether it is rented or bought. That determines how expensive option 2 gets.
- 03
Get an offer for Rise
Only with the actual price can you compare honestly, especially since Shopware has announced transition discounts.
- 04
Read the terms
Especially sections 2.15, 4.2, 9 and 55. If anything is unclear, ask Shopware in writing.
- 05
Only then consider a switch
Factor in all the costs and reasons, not just the license.
What stays the same, whatever the plan
A paid plan does not replace maintenance either. Shopware releases a new version every month, extensions get their own updates, and any of them can break the checkout in combination with your theme or integrations. Community Edition or Rise: updates go to a copy of the store first and are checked there up to a test order.
How that works is covered in the guide Shopware 6 updates without downtime, and which test environment fits which store in Staging environments compared. What maintenance costs overall is covered in Website maintenance: costs.
Maintenance and updates, on every edition
I don’t sell Shopware licenses and I am not a Shopware partner. Which plan is right for you is something you decide with Shopware. I take care of the part that stays the same with every edition.
An exact copy
Your store on a dedicated server in Germany, with anonymized customer data.
Tested updates
Every update is tested there up to a test order before it goes live.
Rollback
If something does go wrong, the previous state is restored.
Extensions in view
On the Community Edition above the limit, I also keep track of which extensions need to be replaced.
Learn more on the page about the Doppelgänger for Shopware.
Have my store reviewedQuick answers.
Since when does the revenue limit apply to the Shopware Community Edition?
The limit has been part of Shopware's terms and conditions since March 24, 2025. What counts is the gross merchandise value (GMV) of the stores linked to your Shopware Account over the preceding 365 days. If it exceeds €1 million net, using the account requires a paid plan.
What counts toward GMV?
According to Shopware's terms, it is calculated net, without taxes. Shipping costs are included, discounts reduce the value, returns do not. The terms do not explicitly say whether sales through POS systems or marketplaces count. If you are close to the limit, clarify this directly with Shopware.
Can I keep using the Community Edition above €1 million?
The software, yes. It is licensed under MIT, and the terms explicitly allow using it with a higher GMV, but only without a Shopware Account. That means losing the Store, updates for Store extensions and access to rented extensions once their term ends. This is not legal advice: check the current terms before you decide on this route.
What does Shopware Rise cost?
According to Shopware's pricing page, from €600 per month plus VAT, with a 30-day free trial. Plan prices depend on GMV and other factors, and there is no public price scale. You get a binding offer through your Shopware Account or from Shopware's sales team.
Is switching to Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper?
Rarely. The theme, extensions, integrations and redirects all have to be rebuilt, and the new system has running costs too. A switch pays off when the store no longer fits for other reasons, not because of the license fee alone.
Do I still need maintenance with a paid plan?
Yes. A plan gives you features and support from Shopware, but updates still have to be applied and tested in your store. For self-hosted stores, updates, testing before go-live and a rollback remain your job or your service provider's.