Shopware 6 Community Edition vs. Shopware 6 Beyond

1. What is Shopware 6?
2. What are the differences between the Community and Beyond editions?
3. Which edition is best suited to my business?

If you want to open an online store, you may be considering Shopware 6 as your e-commerce platform. However, with three different editions available, it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. This article compares the two options and helps you make an informed decision.

What is Shopware 6?

Shopware 6 is an open-source e-commerce platform that allows companies to create and manage their online stores. It offers a range of features, including customizable shopping worlds, product management, order management and marketing tools. Shopware 6 is designed to be user-friendly and flexible, making it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes.

Source: BuiltWithhttps://trends.builtwith.com/shop/Shopware

Explanation of the scheme: TOP 10K, 100K, 1m - means: TOP of websites by traffic, so among the 100K most popular websites, for example, Shopware-based websites took almost 125 in 2021. Among the TOP 1m in the same year - over 1000. Shopware offers free Community Edition and three paid editions depending on company needs. These are Rise, Evolve and Beyond.

What are the differences between the Community and Beyond editions?

The main difference between the Shopware 6 Community Edition and Beyond is the level of support and features offered. The Community Edition is free and open source, which means that users have access to the source code and can customize it to their needs. However, support is limited to the community forums and documentation. The Beyond Edition, on the other hand, offers advanced features and dedicated support from the Shopware team. It also comes with a price tag, making it more suitable for larger businesses with more complex requirements, such as B2B.Shopware 6 Community Edition includes basic features such as product management, order management and customer management. It also includes a simple storefront and the ability to customize the design and functionality using plugins and themes. The Beyond Edition includes all the features of the Community Edition as well as advanced features such as multi-store management, advanced marketing tools and personalized customer experiences. It also includes dedicated support from the Shopware team and access to exclusive plugins and themes.

Advantages of Shopware Community Edition

• Over 55,000 satisfied customers, the system is precisely adapted to the needs and requirements of the German market
• Clear and easy-to-use backend
• Many responsive templates
• Shopping worlds
• Integrated blog
• Intuitive and clear structure in the front end
• Affiliate and voucher system
• Effective Google ranking
• Multi-shop and multi-language capable
• Product variants, stock levels, availability status and prices can be flexibly and quickly adapted or added.
• Integrated payment methods and shipping methods. You can read more about this in our article.
• Numerous plugins in the Shopware Store that extend the store functionality. You can read more about this in our article "The most popular plugins for Shopware 6 at a glance".

Disadvantages of Shopware Community Edition

• Some important functions are only available in paid plugins
• A special server or web hosting is required
• High prices for support from Shopware AG
• Special technical knowledge is required for the installation of Shopware, even for the Community Edition you should hire an experienced Shopware agency

Costs for Shopware Community Edition

The Shopware Community Edition is open source and free of charge, there are no license fees or other costs for the use of Shopware CE.  If required, additional modules and templates can be installed, which are available in the Shopware Store (both free of charge and for a fee).  Anyone can download and use it without paying license fees. However, you will need to pay for hosting, domain registration and any plugins or themes you wish to use.

Advantages of Shopware Beyond

Shopware Beyond is a very comprehensive edition and includes all the functions of the previous versions Community, Rise and Evolve.  This edition is particularly suitable for large B2B online stores that have a complex business model and place high demands on store software.  The main advantages of Shopware Beyond include

• Maximum customization and expandability
• Storytelling and guided shopping function
• Creation of time-controlled / automated flows
• Target group-specific content with CMS rules and dynamic access
• Multi-inventory control to keep track of stock levels
• Subscriptions
• Products can be delivered at certain intervals
• Returns processing in the customer account
• Order lists to simplify order planning
• Customer-specific prices tailored to specific customer groups
• 24/7 support with immediate response time (within one hour) and personal account manager

Disadvantages of Shopware Beyond

As this is a very comprehensive edition with numerous functions, we cannot find any disadvantages, except ... the price.  This is the most expensive edition of Shopware. License fees are available on request and vary depending on the size and complexity of your business.  Contact Shopware for more information on pricing and license options.

Which edition is best suited to my business?

The decision between Shopware 6 Community Edition and Shopware Beyond ultimately depends on your business needs, company size and budget.  If you have a small business with limited resources and don't need advanced features, the Community Edition may be the best option for you.  However, if you have a larger business with more complex requirements and need advanced features and support, Shopware Beyond may be worth the investment.  Consider your budget, business goals and future growth plans when making your decision.

Our agency has been working with various e-commerce software solutions for years, in particular with Shopware.  We offer our customers various services related to Shopware:

• Creation, further development and support of a Shopware store (both B2C and B2B)
• Creation of a product configurator
• Design
• Development of plugins
• Migration to Shopware from other e-commerce solutions
• CRM & PIM integration

We are happy to advise you on all these issues and offer the best solutions.