Shopware vs Sylius

Shopware and Sylius are both open source commerce platforms from EU companies, built for B2B and B2C stores that outgrow a hosted shop builder. Shopware, from Germany, ships a free Community Edition and paid plans with hosting options and a visual page builder. Sylius, from Poland, is a headless Symfony framework that expects developers to build the store around it.

Editor Sebastiaan Smits

Published Last reviewed How we review

Choose Shopware if

you want a platform with a page builder, published plan prices, a choice of PaaS, SaaS or self-hosting, and a large partner network behind it.

Read the Shopware review

Choose Sylius if

you have Symfony developers, want a headless API-first framework you shape yourself, and prefer to add commercial modules one at a time.

Read the Sylius review

Shopware and Sylius side by side

 ShopwareSylius
Company Shopware Sylius
Headquarters Schöppingen, Germany Łódź, Poland
Jurisdiction EU (Germany) EU (Poland)
Pricing Open source + paid editions Open source + Sylius Plus
Entry-level list price (vendor site, checked 13 November 2026) Community Edition €0; Rise from €600 a month; Evolve from €2,400 a month, all excl. VAT (Shopware pricing page, euro view). Sylius Community Edition is open source; Sylius Plus is sold by module and its pricing page was not found, so see website or ask for a demo.
Free tier or trial Demo on request Demo on request
Source code Closed source Closed source
Usually replaces Shopify Plus, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce Adobe Commerce, Shopify Plus
Position in our Ecommerce Platforms guide #1 of 19 #6 of 19

Both are listed in our European Ecommerce Platforms guide. The table is built from the same directory data as those entries, except the list price, which is quoted from each vendor's own pricing page (see Sources below); how we check it is described in the editorial process.

Where Shopware and Sylius differ

Across the five points below, Shopware has the edge on 3 points, Sylius on 1 point and one is a tie. A count like that is a summary, not a verdict: the point that matters to you may be the one the other product wins.

Published pricing

Shopware's pricing page lists Community Edition at €0, Rise from €600 a month and Evolve from €2,400 a month, all excl. VAT, with the first 30 days of Rise free. Sylius publishes no prices for Sylius Plus; its Plus page offers a demo and subscription by module. Shopware lets you budget before talking to sales, which Sylius does not.

Edge: Shopware

Free edition and licensing

Both give away a core edition. Shopware's Community Edition includes a visual page builder, product and order management and community support, with no platform licence fee. Sylius Community Edition is the open source version, and its site calls Sylius an open source headless platform. Each locks advanced B2B and marketplace features behind a paid tier.

No clear winner on this point.

Architecture and developer fit

Sylius describes itself as a framework built on Symfony with an API built using API Platform, and its site says it runs on a standard VPS. That suits in-house or agency teams who want to write the storefront themselves. Shopware also supports headless, but its pages lead with ready-made tools, which suit teams with less custom code.

Edge: Sylius

Built-in business features

Shopware's paid plans add AI-assisted content, returns management, and at Evolve B2B quotes, purchasing approvals and advanced search. Sylius covers similar ground as separate Plus modules: B2B Suite, Marketplace Suite, Returns Management (RMA), Multi-source Inventory, Loyalty and RBAC. Shopware bundles more per tier, while Sylius lets you buy only the modules you need.

Edge: Shopware

Hosting choices

Shopware states you can choose PaaS, SaaS or self-hosted, and lists a partner finder for hosting partners. Sylius runs on your own infrastructure or a VPS, and its site does not describe a managed hosting product of its own. If you do not want to operate servers, Shopware has the clearer answer.

Edge: Shopware

When neither Shopware nor Sylius fits

If neither fits, PrestaShop, Saleor and OXID eSales are also in the ecommerce platforms category, with different mixes of hosting and licensing.

Shopware vs Sylius: questions

Both have a free community edition. Shopware publishes paid prices from €600 a month excl. VAT for Rise, while Sylius Plus has no public price, so the total cost depends on a quote and on development hours.

Shopware's legal notice names shopware AG, Schöppingen, Germany, registered at Amtsgericht Coesfeld. Sylius's terms name Sylius sp. z o.o. in Białe Błota, Poland, and its site lists a Poznań office.

Sylius describes itself as an open source headless eCommerce platform with a REST API built on API Platform, and works with PWA, SPA or native app front ends.

Shopware's pricing page lists Shopware Payments in the Community Edition, with a footnote. Check the footnote terms for your market before relying on it.

Sources

Facts, prices and plan details on this page were checked on the vendors' own websites on . Prices and plans change; the vendor's current page is authoritative.

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