On March 24, 2025, Shopware’s General Terms & Conditions will be updated, including the introduction of the Fair Usage Policy for the Shopware Account and Shopware Store alongside the Community Edition.
Important notice: Ahead of the official launch, we’re informing you and all our partners first about Shopware’s update to the General Terms & Conditions to ensure you’re well-prepared. We kindly ask you to keep this information confidential until the official launch. Our goal is to personally notify affected customers about the Fair Usage Policy in advance, allowing for a smooth transition before the new T&Cs take effect.
Learn from Stefan and Sebastian Hamann, our Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, why this change matters and the vision behind it.
When we launched the Community Edition in 2010, we knew we were onto something big—but we didn’t expect just how fast it would take off. Overnight, downloads skyrocketed, and with them, a movement was born. Developers, partners, merchants, and enthusiasts came together, building what is now one of the most dynamic ecosystems in digital commerce. Open source became our superpower—and that hasn’t changed.
With Shopware 6, we doubled down. A huge share of our engineering time as well as our research and development investment has gone into reinforcing our open-source core, ensuring flexibility, scalability, and innovation at every level. The result? A community-driven effort that has contributed over one million lines of code, proving that the Shopware Community Edition is not just a foundation, but a fully equipped, high-performance ecommerce platform.
And we’re just getting started.
To scale our investment in the open-source core sustainably, we’re introducing the Fair Usage Policy starting in March 2025.
For most Community Edition users, nothing changes at all. Businesses generating under €1 million GMV per year through their Shopware online store can continue using the Community Edition just as before. This applies to approximately 95% of Community Edition users. However, for businesses exceeding this threshold, a transition to Shopware Rise, Evolve, or Beyond plan will be required to maintain access to their Shopware Account and the Shopware Store.
What’s important to know is that this policy does not alter the Community Edition itself or Shopware’s open-source license. We firmly believe that vendor lock-in does not foster a thriving community, and we will continue to champion openness in ecommerce. The flexibility, transparency, and freedom that have always defined Shopware remain at the core of everything we do.
We also recognize that change requires guidance. That’s why we’ll be working one-on-one with merchants who need to transition, ensuring they get the most value from the features and opportunities within Shopware Rise, Evolve, and Beyond. Our goal is simple: to invest further into Shopware’s open-source future while ensuring fairness and sustainability across the entire ecosystem.
We truly value your partnership, your support, and the role you play in shaping this community. Your involvement drives innovation, fuels progress, and makes a real impact. Together, we’re not just navigating the future of commerce—we’re building it. And we couldn’t do it without you. Thank you!
Yours, Sebastian and Stefan
Co-founders and Co-CEOs — Shopware
To guide you through a successful adoption of the updated terms and conditions, we’ve gathered essential resources to help you navigate and implement the Fair Usage Policy with confidence.
In this video, our Head of Product Marketing, Vanessa Brauch, provides a clear overview of the Fair Usage Policy and shares valuable insights on how you, as a partner, can best prepare for it.
If you have any further questions, please join our live Q&A session on March 11, 2025, at 11:00 CET, where our team will address key questions and insights. Sign up now and submit your questions ahead of the session.
How can businesses using the Community Edition transition to Shopware Rise, Evolve, or Beyond?
Whether you're considering Shopware Rise, Evolve, or Beyond, our sales team is here to offer personalized guidance and help you choose the perfect solution for your needs. Simply reach out via the contact form to get started. Businesses using the Community Edition can also seamlessly upgrade to Shopware Rise through our self-service booking option on the pricing page.
Can merchants continue to extend and customize their online store while using the Community Edition?
Yes, all merchants can continue using, extending, and customizing their online store with the Community Edition (CE). However, businesses using the Community Edition that exceed €1 million GMV per year, generated through their Shopware online store, and choose not to transition to Shopware Rise, Evolve, or Beyond will lose access to the Shopware Account and Shopware Store.
That said, they will retain full access to the Shopware CE source code, giving them complete freedom to customize, extend, and develop their online store independently as needed.
Can partners and agencies continue to provide support for businesses using the Community Edition?
Yes, partners and agencies can continue to develop, customize, and support merchants using Shopware Community Edition (CE). The open-source foundation of Shopware CE remains unchanged, ensuring that developers retain full access to the source code and can keep building custom integrations, plugins, and tailored solutions for merchants.
There are no new restrictions on providing development, hosting, or technical support for businesses operating on the Community Edition (CE). However, merchants exceeding €1 million GMV per year, generated through their Shopware online store, who choose not to transition to Shopware Rise, Evolve, or Beyond will lose access to the Shopware Account and Shopware Store. While they can still customize and extend their CE store, they will no longer be able to install or update extensions from the Shopware Store.
If a merchant wishes to continue using Shopware Store extensions, consider discussing how a Shopware Rise, Evolve, or Beyond plan can provide additional features, continued access to the Shopware Account and Store, and long-term scalability for their business.
How can merchants accurately report their GMV to Shopware?
Under the updated Terms & Conditions, we ask merchants to share their annual GMV with Shopware. The easiest way to do this is by installing the GMV tracking extension inside their admin panel, which makes reporting quick, seamless, and hassle-free.
They can also choose to simply send us their GMV directly once a year by contacting us. We're here to help and answer any questions.
Will merchants be able to continue with their running extension rents?
All affected merchants will be personally contacted to discuss the impact of the Fair Usage Policy, with every effort made to find a tailored solution within a reasonable timeframe that aligns with their unique business needs. During this collaborative process, merchants can continue their existing extension rental agreements without interruption.
There is no automated system in place to restrict access to the Shopware Account or Shopware Store on a fixed date. However, if a suitable solution cannot be reached within a reasonable timeframe, Shopware reserves the right to revoke access to these services.
Does the Fair Usage Policy apply to businesses using the Community Edition with Shopware 5?
Users of the Community Edition with Shopware 5 are not subject to the Fair Usage Policy as long as they continue using Shopware 5. However, once they migrate to Shopware 6 with the Community Edition, the policy will apply to them, just as it does for all other users of the Community Edition.
