The feature comparison - Shopware 5 vs Shopware 6
Since the release of Shopware 6, uncertainty has been spreading through the online store world. Should the Shopware 5 store be continued for the time being or should we switch to Shopware 6 as soon as possible? One thing is certain: Shopware 5 is a reliable store system with regular releases and new features until July 2021. With bug fixes until July 2023 and security updates until July 2024, you are also protected and can confidently take your time with the change. So in advance - a panic switch to Shopware 6 is not necessary. We started the comparison of Shopware 5 and Shopware 6 to give you a better overview of the features and to help you with your considerations with sound knowledge. Nevertheless, it can happen that the subject matter is still not easy to grasp: The experts from the certified EXWE Shopware agency will be happy to help you with open questions at any time.
What you can expect
- The basics in the function comparison
- The technical function comparison between Shopware 5 and 6
- The conclusion of the Shopware comparison
Shopware 6 is not an update, but requires a completely new store migration or setup, due to the different structure of the two store systems. After you have installed Shopware 6, it is possible to start the migration to your Shopware 5 with the plugin SwagMigrationAssistant. For this, the plugin SwagMigrarionConnector must be installed in your Shopware 5 store.
Shopware tries to make the change as easy as possible for its users. If you still think about if and when a change makes sense, maybe our feature comparison will help you. Here comes our feature comparison of the two store systems.
1. the basics in the function comparison
| SHOPWARE 5 | SHOPWARE 6 |
|---|---|
| LICENSES | |
| Community, Professional, Professional Plus and Enterprise Version | Community, Starter Edition, Professional and Enterprise Version |
| PRICE | |
| Shopware 5 is currently only available as Professional Version for a one-time fee of 2.495 €. | The Community Edition and the Starter Edition are free of charge. For the Professional Edition you pay 199 € per month or 2.495 € one time. The Enterprise Version costs 2.495 € per month or 39.995 € one time. |
| SERVER (ONPREMIS) or SAAS/CLOUD | |
| Right now Shopware 5 is only available in the Professional Version as server (onpremise) or self-hosted. | The Community Edition is server-based (self-hosted) and the Starter Edition is cloud-based (SaaS). The Professional Version is available in both self-hosted and cloud-based versions. The Enterprise version is only available as server (onpremise) or self-hosted model. |
| PLUGINS | |
| Plugin system - currently over 3500 extensions | At the beginning there were about 200 plugins for Shopware 6, but now there are significantly more. Every week more and more plugins for Shopware 6 are added to the Shopware Store. |
| ADDRESS | |
| Under login / registration the salutation can be defined | Salutations already stored in Shopware, but can be managed, edited and supplemented |
| DOCUMENTS | |
| Receipts / Documents - here invoices, delivery bills, cancellation invoices and credit notes can be created, documents can be customized and PDFs can be made. | Settings > Shop > Documents - In the standard Shopware provides templates for delivery bills, invoices, credit notes and cancellation invoice, these can be edited or deleted. New documents can also be created |
| IMPORT/EXPORT | |
| With the help of the import / export plugin, large amounts of files can be imported via CSV or XML. Import / exports of articles, article images, prices, customers, stock and newsletter recipients. | Content can be easily and quickly entered via imports and transferred to interfaces and evaluation tools via exports. |
| CUSTOMER GROUPS | |
| Customer group function for classification (e.g. net prices for companies, gross prices for end consumers or discounts for customer groups) | Same functions, improved user interface |
| COUNTRIES | |
| Countries can be created, edited and deleted, country ID's must be inserted | Default country can be specified directly in the installer, extended country selection (250 registered countries), many tax rates already stored |
| LOGIN/REGISTRATION | |
| Configuration via login/registration under basic settings | configuration for login/registration process of customers individually possible via settings, more compact |
| units of measurement | |
| Individual sales/measurement units can be defined via price unit management (Settings > Basic settings > Items > Price units) | Individual units of measurement can be created for individual products (Settings > Shop > Units of measurement) |
| NUMBER RATES | |
| When setting up the store, the number range can be specified, this can only consist of the digits 0-9. Article order numbers can be provided with prefixes | Under Settings > Shop number ranges can be created, prefix and suffix can be assigned, there is an advanced mode |
| PRODUCTS | |
| Products & Categories - create products and product images, overview, variants, ratings, properties, etc. | Variants management, products can be sorted by prices in product properties, management of prices revised (no more rounding errors) |
| RULE BUILDER | |
| Own rules can be implemented only by a programmer. | Rule Builder - rules and conditions (e.g. for prices and shipping) can be designed and built in, sales processes can be customized without changing the code |
| SEO | |
| SEO settings under SEO/Router settings (Noindex, Follow Backlinks, error 404 target, rebuild index etc.), there is a SEO Guide | SEO settings under Settings > Shop > SEO, structure for SEO URLs of the product pages and categories definable, different SEO templates |
| SITEMAP | |
| Normal sitemap.xml and sitemap for mobile devices | Shopware generates a standard sitemap that is compressed and stored in the file system. This is structured in several files and can be generated in the background |
| INTERNATIONALIZATION | |
| Sub- and language stores for internationalization, multichannel through plugins | Internationalization - sub- and language stores can be created via channel logic, definable tax rates per country. |
| MASTER DATA | |
| Under the general store settings you can store master data | Under settings you can enter your master data, furthermore you can activate the store as family friendly store (meta tag "isFamilyFriendly" will be added) |
| TAXES | |
| Vertical VAT calculation, horizontal method only possible with plugin | Vertical and horizontal tax calculation of VAT |
| SHIPPING | |
| Shipping & payment methods - individual shipping costs, risk management, standard shipping costs can be created | Settings > Shop > Shipping, create shipping method, availability rules, price matrix (by property and rule), sales channel assignable |
| CURRENCY | |
| In the area currencies new currencies can be defined, standard currency may not be deleted, ISO codes must be deposited | Under Settings > Shop currencies can be created, edited and deleted |
| SHOPPING CART | |
| Shopping cart / item details - basic details can be created here | Settings > Shop > Shopping cart, basic functions for the shopping cart or product detail pages can be configured here. Either globally for all sales channels or for a single sales channel |
| PAYMENT TYPES | |
| Payment types can be added, edited, activated and deactivated via Settings > Payment Types. Through various plugins, payment methods such as Paypal, Klarna and Amazon Pay can be integrated | Payment types can be added, edited, activated and deactivated via Settings > Shop > Payment types. Through various plugins, payment methods such as Paypal, Klarna and Amazon Pay can be integrated, easier to use |
| CATALOGS | |
| Catalogs possible through plugin | Catalogs as a central area for managing products, connection with manufacturer, properties, categories and ratings |
| ORDERS | |
| Management of orders - assigns a delivery to each order, separation not possible | Extension of previous store settings - orders and deliveries can be separated |
| CUSTOMERS | |
| Editing your customer base via the customer module | Editing of your customer base via the customer module, customer passwords can be changed from administration |
| CONTENTS | |
| Content & media - store pages, blog, forms, media management | media, experience worlds, themes, CMS extension |
| MARKETING | |
| Marketing & shopping worlds - banners, coupons, newsletters, premium items, product exports, statistics, affiliate program | Marketing tool "Discounts and promotions" now also included in the Community Edition, Newsletter recipients |
2. technical function comparison between Shopware 5 and 6
| SHOPWARE 5 | SHOPWARE 6 |
|---|---|
| SYSTEM | |
| Front-end and back-end are connected in a classic way and form a modular system | Flexible system thanks to API-first approach - frontend and backend can be located on different servers |
| BACKEND | |
| Backend runs on framework ExtJS - is not responsive. Therefore mobile adaptation is not possible | Backend is fully responsive and runs on framework Vue.js of Javascript - therefore mobile customization is possible without any problems |
| FRONTEND | |
| Smarty is used for the template system | Frontend is based on framework Bootstrap and template engine Twig - easier customization of storefront without previous knowledge |
| SALES CHANNELS | |
| Social media platforms and marketplaces can be connected through plugins and extensions | Sales channels can be centrally controlled. API first approach allows social media platforms and marketplaces to be connected |
| MEDIA MANAGEMENT | |
| Simple media management through media manager, can be extended through plugins | Advanced media management, automatic assignment to categories in online store |
| PERFORMANCE | |
| Good performance thanks to MySQL and Elasticsearch | Reduced loading time thanks to technical innovations. Use of systems like Symfony, Vue.js and Bootstrap 4 |
| SHOPPING WORLDS | |
| Shopping worlds - product presentation and landing pages easy to design with page builder. Has limitations on different devices - not responsive. | Experience worlds - pre-designed blocks for content, can be moved by navigator via drag & drop (building block principle) - responisve |
| B2B | |
| Shopware Enterprise Edition, some business features need to be implemented additionally | Enterprise Edition was extended and expanded by B2B Suite |
3. the conclusion of the Shopware comparison
Shopware 6 has now been on the market a little longer, but is still comparatively at the beginning of the road. Nevertheless, the technical innovations and improved basics are convincing. If you don't have a Shopware store yet, it makes sense to start directly with Shopware 6, even if Shopware 5 remains usable for the time being. You can save yourself the time and effort of a move. However, if you already have a Shopware 5 store, you should start thinking about migrating to Shopware 6.
Even if it's not urgent yet, this is a task you'll have to deal with in the future. You should definitely plan time for the move. Even though a move is time-consuming, it's worth it just for the technical advances that Shopware 6 offers compared to Shopware 5. If your business is looking to make the leap from Shopware 5 to Shopware 6 and you need help with the migration or you need help with the Onlineshop creation need, feel free to contact us. We are your strong partner with years of experience in e-commerce.
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Meike
from 19.08.2020
Hello, my name is Meike. I take care of the EXWE back office and am responsible for our social media channels. All of our articles are meant to make your life easier and help you make decisions. Nevertheless, it can happen that something remains unclear, so: If you have questions about this article you can easily reach me at +49 231 93149827.
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