Since the publication of Shopware 6 uncertainty has spread in the world of online shopping. Should the Shopware 5 shop be continued for the time being or should it be switched to Shopware 6 as soon as possible? What is certain is that Shopware 5 is a reliable shop 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 first of all — a panicked switch to Shopware 6 isn´t necessary.
Shopware 6 is not an update but requires a completely new shop migration due to the different structure of the two shop systems. After you have installed Shopware 6, the SwagMigrationAssistent plugin can be used to start the migration to your Shopware 5. To do this, the SwagMigrarionConnector plug-in must be installed in your Shopware 5 shop.
Shopware tries to make the change as easy as possible for its users. If you are still considering whether and when a change makes sense, our function comparison might help you. We started the comparison of Shopware 5 and Shopware 6 to give you a better overview of the functions and to help you with your considerations with in-depth knowledge. Here comes our function comparison of the two shop systems:
PLUGINS
Shopware 5:
Plugin system — currently over 3500 extensions
Shopware 6:
Almost 200 plugins available and the trend is slowly increasing
ADDRESS
Shopware 5:
The salutation can be defined under Login / Registration
Shopware 6:
Salutations already stored in Shopware, but can be managed, edited and supplemented
DOCUMENTS
Shopware 5:
Receipts / documents — here you can create invoices, delivery notes, cancellation invoices and credit notes, adapt documents and PDFs
Shopware 6:
Settings> Shop> Documents — As a standard, Shopware provides templates for delivery notes, invoices, credit notes and cancellation invoices - these can be edited or deleted. New documents can also be created
IMPORT / EXPORT
Shopware 5:
Large amounts of files can be imported using CSV or XML with the import / export plugin. Import / export of articles, article images, prices, customers, inventory and Nesletter recipients
Shopware 6:
Contents can be entered quickly and easily via imports and transferred to interfaces and evaluation tools via exports
CUSTOMER GROUPS
Shopware 5:
Customer group function for classification (e.g. net prices for companies, gross prices for end consumers or discounts for customer groups)
Shopware 6:
Same functions, improved user interface
COUNTRIES
Shopware 5:
Countries can be created, edited and deleted, country IDs must be inserted
Shopware 6:
Standard country can be directly specified in the installer, extended country selection (250 registered countries), many tax rates already stored
LOGIN / REGISTRATION
Shopware 5:
Configuration via login > registration under basic settings
Shopware 6:
Configuration for the customer’s login > registration process is possible individually via settings, more compact
UNITS
Shopware 5:
Individual sales > measurement units can be defined via management of the price units (Settings> Basic Settings> Item> Price Units)
Shopware 6:
Individual units of measurement can be created for the individual products (Settings> Shop> Units of measurement)
NUMBER RANGE
Shopware 5:
When setting up the shop, the number range can be specified; it can only consist of the digits 0–9. Article order no. Can be given a prefix
Shopware 6:
Number ranges can be created under Settings> Shop, prefixes and suffixes can be assigned, there is an extended mode
PRODUCTS
Shopware 5:
Products & categories — create products and product images, overview, variants, ratings, properties, etc.
Shopware 6:
Variant management, products can be sorted by price for product properties, management of prices revised (no more rounding errors)
RULE BUILDER
Shopware 5:
Own rules can only be implemented by a programmer
Shopware 6:
Rule Builder — rules and conditions (e.g. for prices and shipping) can be designed and implemented, sales processes can be adapted without changing the code
SEO
Shopware 5:
SEO settings under SEO > router settings (noindex, follow backlinks, error 404 target, rebuild index etc.), there is an SEO guide
Shopware 6:
SEO settings under Settings> Shop> SEO, structure for SEO URLS of the product pages and categories can be defined, various SEO templates
PAGE DIRECTORY
Shopware 5:
Normal sitemap.xml and sitemap for mobile devices
Shopware 6:
standard sitemap that is compressed in the file system
INTERNATIONALIZATION
Shopware 5:
Sub- and language shops for internationalization, multichannel through plugins
Shopware 6:
Internationalization — Sub- and language shops can be created using channel logic, tax rates can be defined per country.
BASE DATA
Shopware 5:
The master data can be stored under the general shop
Shopware 6:
You can enter your master data under settings, you can also use the shop as a family-friendly Sho interests (meta tag “isFamilyFriendly” is added)
TAXES
Shopware 5:
Vertical VAT calculation, horizontal method only possible with plug-in
Shopware 6:
Vertical and horizontal tax calculation of VAT
SHIPPING
Shopware 5:
Shipping & payment methods — individual shipping costs, risk management, standard shipping costs can be created
Shopware 6:
Settings> Shop> Shipping, create shipping type, availability rules, price matrix (according to property and rule), sales channel assignable
CURRENCY
Shopware 5:
new currencies can be defined, standard currency mustn´t be deleted, ISO codes must be stored
Shopware 6:
Currencies can be created, edited and deleted under Settings> Shop
SHOPPING CART
Shopware 5:
Shopping cart > article details — basic information can be entered here
Shopware 6:
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 METHODS
Shopware 5:
Payment methods can be added, edited, activated and deactivated via Settings> Payment methods. Various plugins can be used to integrate payment methods such as PayPal, Klarna and Amazon Pay
Shopware 6:
Payment methods can be added, edited, activated and deactivated via Settings> Shop> Payment methods. Various plugins can be used to integrate payment methods such as Paypal, Klarna and Amazon Pay, making it easier to use
CATALOGS
Shopware 5:
Catalogs possible through plug-in
Shopware 6:
Catalogs as a central area for managing products, connecting with manufacturers, properties, categories and ratings
ORDERS
Shopware 5:
settings > orders >assigns a delivery to each order, separation not possible
Shopware 6:
Extension of the previous shop settings>orders and deliveries can be separated
CUSTOMERS
Shopware 5:
Processing of your customer base via the customer module
Shopware 6:
Processing of your customer base via the customer module, customer passwords can be changed from the administration
CONTENT
Shopware 5:
Content & media — shop pages, blog, forms, media management
Shopware 6:
Media, worlds of experience, themes, CMS extension
MARKETING
Shopware 5:
Marketing & shopping worlds — banners, vouchers, newsletters, bonus items, product exports, statistics, partner program
Shopware 6:
Marketing tool “discounts and promotions” now also included in the Community Edition, newsletter recipients
SYSTEM
Shopware 5:
The frontend and backend are connected to each other in the classic way and form a modular system
Shopware 6:
Flexible system thanks to the API-first approach — frontend and backend can be on different servers
BACKEND
Shopware 5:
Backend runs on ExtJS framework — not responsive. Therefore mobile customization is not possible
Shopware 6:
The backend is fully responsive and runs under Vue.js framework from Javascript — this means that mobile adjustments are easily possible
FRONT
Shopware 5:
Smarty is used for the template system
Shopware 6:
Frontend is based on Bootstrap framework and Twig template engine — easier adaptation of the storefront without prior knowledge
SALES CHANNELS
Shopware 5:
Social media platforms and marketplaces can be connected using plugins and extensions
Shopware 6:
Sales channels can be controlled centrally. With the API first approach, social media platforms and marketplaces can be connected
MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Shopware 5:
Easy media management by media manager, can be expanded with plugins
Shopware 6:
Extended media management, automatic assignment to categories in the online shop
PERFORMANCE
Shopware 5:
Good performance through MySQL and Elasticsearch
Shopware 6:
Reduced loading time thanks to technical innovations. Using systems like Symfony, Vue.js and Bootstrap 4
SHOPPING WORLDS
Shopware 5:
Shopping worlds — product presentations and landing pages can be easily designed with the pagebuilder. Has restrictions on different devices — not responsive
Shopware 6:
Worlds of experience — pre-designed blocks for content, can be moved using the Navigator by drag & drop (modular principle) — responisve
B2B
Shopware 5:
Shopware Enterprise Edition, some business features must also be implemented
Shopware 6:
Enterprise Edition has been expanded and expanded with B2B Suite
CONCLUSION
Shopware 6 is currently still at the beginning of it´s path but is being further developed from month to month and shines with many innovations. A complete change however, is only possible if the version has been on the market for a longer period and further optimizations have been made. If your company would like to take the leap from Shopware 5 to Shopware 6 or if you need help with the online shop creation, please contact us.
