Shopware Costs: What Does It Cost to Run Such an Online Shop?

Shopware Costs: What Does It Cost to Run Such an Online Shop?

Shopware, the well-known e-commerce platform, has grown steadily since its inception, offering users a wide range of functionalities and an easy-to-use user interface. The platform is primarily intended for simple sales platforms, start-up businesses, and small to medium-sized organisations. 

It is critical to have a basic understanding of the platform before launching an online store on the platform. It would help if you also researched whether it would be appropriate for your shop and how much it would cost to run an online store using Shopware. Continue reading to learn more and explore the platform’s pricing to run and maintain the shop you ought to start.

Available Editions and Its Pricing

Now let’s take a look at the Shopware prices for all editions. First, consider how much money you’ll need to run e-commerce websites based on various versions and what features you’ll get. Suppose you are looking for a free version to try the platform. In that case, you will have two options, the community edition and the starter edition.

If you are about to take on the paid versions of the platform, then go for the professional or enterprise edition. But, first, let’s review each edition and the associated pricing options since the licensing costs depend on the edition you select. 

Shopware has an easy pricing scheme. Four editions are available:

• Community Edition (Free Version)
• Starter Edition (Free Version)
• Professional Edition (Paid Version)
• Enterprise Edition (Paid Version)

1. Community Edition (Free Version)

It is a free, open-source edition that can be installed locally in your hosting environment using a PC, Mac, or Linux computer, among other devices. It means the edition is self-hosted. So you can set up your shop without any investment only if you are willing to ignore the costs of hosting, plugin development, and development costs. 

• You don’t have to pay for the installation charge. 
• The problem is that you will have to face many potential issues while no manufacturer support is available. 

2. Starter Edition (Free Version)

Just a few clicks are enough to start an online business of your own if you use the starter edition of Shopware. Start-ups and beginners in eCommerce are the primary beneficiaries of this edition. The free version allows you to create a new e-commerce website in the cloud without paying ongoing monthly fees. 

There are no initial setup costs or risks and no minimum contract period. You can take advantage of an all-inclusive, worry-free package and set up a fully functional storefront without needing technical expertise. It is because it complies with GDPR and is secure legally. 

Other features available while using the starter edition include the following:

• The user will get a unique URL for their own. Otherwise, you can also use your existing domain.
• The edition is integrated with marketing and SEO tools by default.
• You can connect the online shop with other sales channels, including social networks and Google shopping.
• The edition offers integration with payment and shipping providers.
• The Shopware marketplace provides many extensions and themes to help you personalise your company.
• The edition presents the user with a seamless and intuitive workflow.
• Starter Edition includes automatic updates and upkeep regarding services and support.

3. Professional Edition (Paid Version)

National and international businesses are the target audience for professional edition, a paid version. It is based on the starter edition mentioned above. The use of additional sales channels, marketplaces, social shopping, and other integrations are all included, as are all the other features discussed in the starter edition. The features also include a central admin interface that enables multishop functionality and supports multiple languages, currencies, and taxes.

• This edition starts at 199 EUR per month. You can also purchase it once for 2,495 EUR. 
• The first year of the Silver Subscription includes buying a licence.
• A 12-month extension is automatically applied. To prevent this from happening, you must cancel it beforehand.

4. Enterprise Edition (Paid Version)

This paid version is an expanded professional edition that includes all its features and many more. This version is best suited for complex business models and large-scale e-commerce projects. The Enterprise Edition offers a personal key account manager, hosting in high-performance clusters, and various multishop and multi-client features in addition to all the advantages of the Professional Edition. 

The best support and services are available with this version. In most cases, customers hear back in less than two hours. Along with developer support, onboarding, and migration support, it offers 24/7 emergency support. You can also schedule a meeting with a customer success manager. However, keep in mind that the Enterprise Edition is only provided as a self-hosted option.

• Monthly rates begin at 2,495 EUR. Or you can purchase it all at once for EUR 39,995. 
• Keep in mind that the cost of a one-time licence does not include a Diamond Subscription. 
• It has a 36-month minimum term and a monthly starting price of 799 EUR.

Shopware is an excellent platform for launching an online store. It can help you create a store that looks great and works well by providing a variety of themes and features. In addition, because the platform has an extensive customer support system and market extensions, you can promote your products and reach out to new customers or shoppers.

But it would be better to take some time to think over the available editions and their pricing to choose the one that suits your goals and requirements. Start with the basics, and once your store is up and running, you can always scale it up and add more features as you require by upgrading your plan, adding new plugins, or using the Shopware API.

Interesting Links:

An introduction to Shopify pricing plans

More information about Shopify

Pictures: Canva

The author: Sascha Thattil works at Software-Developer-India.com which is a part of the YUHIRO Group. YUHIRO is a German-Indian enterprise which provides programmers to IT companies, agencies and IT departments.