A Comparative Case Study: Open-Source Free Shopware 6 vs. Shopify Independent Store

Recently, I worked on an e-commerce platform migration for a client who had been using WordPress for over 10 years. As their business expanded significantly, WordPress could no longer fully support their online operations. They sought my advice on migrating to Shopify. After analyzing their product lines, business scale, and order volume, I didn't immediately recommend Shopware 6 but conducted a comparative analysis first. Eventually, the client chose Shopware 6 (ownership model) over Shopify (rental model) because adopting Shopware would provide them with a significant cost advantage in their long-term online business operations—just as I always tell my clients and friends: reasonable cost control and optimization are key elements of success.

I did not obtain permission to disclose this client's case study, but I have included some operational figures as a basis for analysis:

The client previously used the WordPress + WooCommerce platform (their order processing capability had reached its limit, leading to technical issues such as performance bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, excessive plugin bloat affecting SEO optimization, etc.). In 2024, they averaged 4,000 orders per month, with an average monthly revenue of CAD 350,000.

Let’s compare the costs of Shopify and Shopware

1. Server Costs

•Shopify Advanced: $399/month (Based on the client's operational data, this is the most suitable Shopify plan. This article does not calculate costs for other Shopify subscription plans.)

•Shopware + Vultr VPS: $50/month

Savings: $349/month

2. Transaction Fees

Shopify Advanced

• Rate: 2.4% + $0.30

• Monthly transaction fees = $350,000 × 2.4% + 4000 × $0.30

= $8,400 + $1,200 = $9,600

Shopware (With the client’s sales volume, they can easily secure a third-party credit card processing rate of 2% + $0.10)

• Monthly transaction fees = $350,000 × 2% + 4000 × $0.10

= $7,000 + $400 = $7,400

Savings: $9,600 - $7,400 = $2,200/month

3. Plugins and Themes

•Shopify (Plugins + Themes): $100-$500/month

•Shopware (Self-developed): $0 (but requires development time. If not opting for free plugins or self-development, an additional one-time design and development cost applies. Based on this model, one-third of the annual savings would cover custom development expenses.)

Savings: $100-$500/month

4. Summary: How Much Can Be Saved Per Month?

Annual Savings

•Monthly savings: $2,679 - $3,079

•Annual savings: $32,148 - $36,948

Conclusion: The client can save over $32,000 per year (They have an in-house IT team, eliminating Shopware development and design costs. Otherwise, the first year would require a one-time payment of approximately $10,000 for template/plugin customization).

Ultimately, the client chose the open-source community edition of Shopware 6, with plugins and templates fully developed according to system architecture standards, regularly updated in sync with Shopware's official releases in Germany.

Additionally, the client is now considering custom AI features, integrating ChatGPT’s API for automated French and Spanish product translations, as well as an AI-powered customer support bot. Shopware 6’s commercial version is already fully AI-integrated, but the subscription fees are quite high. Developing a custom AI plugin is the right choice, thanks to Shopware’s 100% open-source nature and outstanding software architecture.