Why is a Shopware 5 to 6 migration unavoidable now?
Because Shopware 5 has reached end of life. Shopware’s own documentation states there are no more security fixes for Shopware 5 after the end of July 2024, and community forum support for the version has stopped as well.
A shop without security patches does not stop working overnight. Orders keep arriving. The risk grows quietly: every new vulnerability found in Shopware 5, its libraries or its PHP version stays open, and payment providers, hosts and extension vendors gradually stop supporting old setups. Hosting companies eventually retire the PHP versions that old shops depend on, and a forced emergency move is far more expensive than a planned one.
Some merchants buy time with third-party extended security patches for Shopware 5, which do exist on a commercial basis. That can be a sensible bridge while you plan, but it is a bridge, not a destination: new payment methods, legal changes and extensions arrive for Shopware 6 only. If your shop is still on version 5, the practical question is not whether to move but when, and to which platform.
- No official security fixes for Shopware 5 since the end of July 2024
- New extensions and payment integrations target Shopware 6
- Old PHP versions become harder to host safely
- Legal changes, such as new checkout functions, need current software
Is Shopware 6 an upgrade or a new shop?
It is a new shop. Shopware 6 was built on a different architecture, with Symfony, a Vue.js administration and a Twig storefront, so a Shopware 5 to 6 migration is not an update button but a rebuild with a data transfer.
Shopware’s migration documentation is candid about this. It says old templates cannot be reused or migrated, because the basic architecture was completely redesigned, and that Shopware 6 ships its own default template as the starting point for a custom theme. Email templates cannot be reused either, because Shopware 6 uses Twig. Shopping worlds are based on a different technical structure and must be rebuilt as Shopping Experiences.
That sounds daunting, but it has an upside. A migration is the natural moment to drop plugins nobody uses, simplify a theme that grew messy over the years, and clean up categories and product data. Merchants who treat it as a fresh start usually end up with a faster, simpler shop than the one they left.
What does the Shopware Migration Assistant move?
The Migration Assistant moves most of your business data. According to Shopware’s documentation, it covers basic data (categories, customer groups, currencies, sales channels, number ranges), products with properties, options, translations, cross-selling and variant relations, customers and orders with order documents, promotions, product reviews, media and SEO URLs.
It runs inside the new Shopware 6 administration and connects to your Shopware 5 shop either through the Shopware 5 API, using an API key from an administrator account, or directly to the Shopware 5 database when both run on reachable servers. The connection stays in place, so you can run the migration repeatedly and pull in new orders and customers later. Main shops and subshops become separate sales channels in Shopware 6.
Some data needs mapping rather than copying. Payment methods, the standard payment method, salutations and delivery times must exist in Shopware 6 before you start, and the assistant asks you to assign old values to new ones. The docs warn that these mappings cannot be redone after a reset without deleting and recreating the migration, so set them up carefully the first time.
Shopware 5 free-text fields arrive as custom fields named after the connection, which is why Shopware recommends not using hyphens in the connection name.
What the Migration Assistant cannot move in a Shopware 5 to 6 migration
Anything built on Shopware 5’s old structures has to be recreated. Knowing this list before you quote is what separates a realistic Shopware 5 to 6 migration plan from an optimistic one.
Shopware’s documentation lists these gaps: the theme and email templates; shipping costs, which now run on the Rule Builder and must be set up again; payment method configuration beyond the mapping; shopping worlds and shop pages; product streams, which are now Rule Builder–based dynamic product groups; and data from the Shopware 5 B2B Suite, which cannot be transferred at all. Plugin data only moves if the plugin stored it in standard Shopware tables or free-text fields; plugins with their own database tables leave their data behind.
One detail catches people out: some product metadata changes from a long text type to a 255-character field during migration, so longer values are truncated. If your meta descriptions or keywords ran long, export them first and review them after the move.
- Theme and email templates: rebuilt
- Shipping costs: recreated with the Rule Builder
- Shopping worlds: rebuilt as Shopping Experiences
- Product streams: recreated as dynamic product groups
- B2B Suite data: not transferable
- Plugin data in custom tables: exported and imported separately, or rebuilt
Plugin audit: replace, rebuild or retire each Shopware 5 plugin
Every Shopware 5 plugin needs a decision before any code is written. In most shops a third can be replaced by a maintained Shopware 6 extension, a third is no longer needed, and the rest need custom work.
Shopware offers a Migration Wizard plugin for Shopware 5 that checks whether your server meets Shopware 6 requirements and shows, plugin by plugin, whether a Shopware 6 version exists. We start there, then go through the list with you: what does each plugin actually do for the business, how often is it used, and is there a Shopware 6 core feature that now covers it? The Rule Builder and Flow Builder replace a surprising amount of old custom logic for surcharges, customer group rules and automated emails.
The result is a table in your quote: plugin name, what it does, decision, and cost. Retiring plugins is the cheapest line in any Shopware 5 to 6 migration and often the most valuable, because every plugin you keep is something to update for years.
Replace
A maintained Shopware 6 Store extension does the job; you buy the licence, we install and configure it.
Rebuild
Custom logic with no Store equivalent is rewritten as a Shopware 6 plugin or app, with tests.
Retire
Unused features, or ones now covered by the Rule Builder, Flow Builder or core, are dropped.
Rebuilding custom plugins as Shopware 6 extensions
Custom plugins cannot be ported line by line, because Shopware 6 has different entities, events and extension points. They are rewritten from the business requirement, which is often shorter than the original code.
For a self-hosted shop we usually write Symfony-based plugins using the Data Abstraction Layer for new entities and subscribers for events. Where you want isolation from core updates, or a cloud-hosted shop, an app that talks to Shopware through the API and webhooks is the better pattern. Each rebuilt plugin gets a short specification you approve, automated tests where logic is non-trivial, and a changelog.
If a plugin stored important data in its own tables, such as custom product configurations, dealer lists or loyalty points, we export that data from Shopware 5 and import it into the new plugin’s entities, then verify counts and samples with you. For deeper functionality, such as dealer portals or ERP synchronisation, the work is priced like custom software, starting at US$900.
Rebuilding the theme and turning shopping worlds into Shopping Experiences
Your Shopware 5 theme cannot come along, so the storefront is rebuilt on Shopware 6’s default theme with your branding. That is the cleanest path, because it keeps future updates painless.
We take screenshots of your key templates, product page, category page, cart, checkout and account, and recreate the look with Twig block overrides and SCSS variables rather than copied templates. Where the old theme had quirks customers relied on, such as a size table tab or a delivery-date badge, we rebuild those deliberately. Where it had clutter, we suggest removing it.
Shopping worlds become Shopping Experiences layouts. The editor is different, so we rebuild your homepage, landing pages and category headers with you, using the chance to make them faster on phones. It is also the moment to test Core Web Vitals on a mid-range Android phone and fix image sizes and third-party scripts before launch.
Keeping SEO rankings through a Shopware 5 to 6 migration
Rankings survive a migration when every old URL either stays the same or redirects with a 301 to its closest new equivalent. Shopware’s documentation says SEO URLs are generally taken over by the Migration Assistant, but also advises checking them before going live, and that check is not optional.
We crawl the Shopware 5 shop before migration to build a complete URL inventory: products, categories, variants, shop pages, blog posts, filter URLs that attract traffic, and media that ranks in image search. We export top landing pages from Google Search Console and analytics so we know which URLs matter most. After the migration, the new shop is crawled on staging and every old URL is checked against the new one; mismatches go into a redirect list.
At cutover the redirects go live, sitemaps are resubmitted, and we watch Search Console daily for crawl errors and 404s in the first weeks. Some temporary movement is normal after any relaunch. Nobody can guarantee rankings through a migration, but a complete redirect map is the difference between a wobble and a collapse. Our relaunch SEO guide covers the process in more depth.
- Full crawl and URL inventory of the Shopware 5 shop
- Top landing pages exported from Search Console
- SEO URL templates configured in Shopware 6 before migration
- Old-to-new 301 map tested on staging
- Meta titles and descriptions reviewed after truncation
Test runs, delta migration and the cutover weekend
Run the migration several times before the real switch. The first run shows data problems; later runs confirm they are fixed; the final delta run moves the latest orders and customers just before go-live.
Shopware’s migration process is designed to run over a longer period, keeping the Shopware 6 test installation up to date. The documentation also recommends starting with a clean-slate migration before configuring themes and payment methods, because a later system reset could wipe that configuration work. We follow that order: migrate first, check data, then build the storefront on top.
Cutover is planned for your quietest trading window. The steps are: announce a short maintenance window, run the final delta migration, switch the domain to Shopware 6, activate redirects, place test orders with each payment method, and watch the first real orders closely. Shopware’s docs recommend moving the old Shopware 5 shop to a subdirectory rather than deleting it, so you can look things up afterwards. Keep it offline to the public and remove it once you are confident.
How long does a Shopware 5 to 6 migration take?
Most Shopware 5 to 6 migrations with us take four to eight weeks from approved quote to cutover. A small catalogue with few plugins sits near four weeks; many custom plugins, several subshops or ERP interfaces push beyond eight.
A typical plan: week one for the Shopware 6 installation, hosting and the first migration run; weeks two and three for the plugin work and data fixes; weeks three to six for the theme, Shopping Experiences, shipping rules and payment setup; the final one or two weeks for testing, the redirect map, legal checks and cutover. Plugin rebuilds run in parallel with theme work, which is where having three developers helps.
The common delays are on the merchant side: deciding which plugins to keep, obtaining extension licences, getting payment providers to confirm Shopware 6 credentials, and approving German texts. Deciding early saves more time than any amount of developer effort.
How much does a Shopware 5 to 6 migration cost?
With BtechWaleTech, a Shopware 5 to 6 migration starts at US$750. Heavier custom plugin rebuilds are priced as custom software from US$900, and maintenance after two free months starts at US$120/mo.
Across the market, migration quotes differ widely because two shops that look alike from the front can differ enormously behind it. Compare quotes by asking each bidder for the same breakdown: data migration and test runs, plugin decisions with a cost per plugin, theme scope, Shopping Experiences, shipping and payment setup, redirect map and testing, and post-launch support.
Costs you pay directly, outside our quote: Store extension licences, any paid Shopware plan, and hosting. We list recommended extensions with their vendors so you can budget them before approving.
Keeps the bill down
Retiring unused plugins, adopting the default theme, a clean product catalogue and quick decisions on your side.
Pushes it up
Many custom plugins with their own data, several subshops, B2B Suite features to rebuild, ERP interfaces and a pixel-perfect copy of an old theme.
For broader budgets, see website development cost in Germany.
Since Shopware 6 is a rebuild anyway, it is fair to ask whether it is the right destination. For most German merchants already on Shopware, it is; for some, another platform fits better.
Stay with Shopware when you rely on its strengths: flexible rules for prices and shipping, B2B features, many sales channels, deep customisation and self-hosting in Germany. Your team also knows the admin concepts, and the Migration Assistant makes the data move easier than a cross-platform migration.
Consider Shopify when you want a hosted platform with less technical upkeep, your catalogue and rules are fairly standard, and you are happy with apps and subscriptions instead of self-hosted plugins. Consider WooCommerce when your shop is small, content matters as much as commerce, and you already run WordPress. Both need a custom data migration and the same careful redirect work. Our Shopware vs Shopify comparison and the WordPress and WooCommerce page go deeper; we quote either route.
Choosing a Shopware 6 edition after the move
Start from what you actually used on Shopware 5. According to Shopware’s pricing page, the Community Edition is free and open source under the MIT licence, while the paid Rise, Evolve and Beyond plans are priced by gross merchandise value and other individual factors.
Shopware lists the B2B Components and quote management from Evolve upwards, and features such as multi-inventory, customer-specific pricing and subscriptions in Beyond. If you ran the Shopware 5 B2B Suite, remember its data cannot be migrated, so compare rebuilding the few B2B features you really use on Community Edition against licensing Evolve.
Merchants who had a Shopware 5 Professional licence should check Shopware’s own information on how old editions map to the new plans before committing. We put the edition options side by side in the quote so you choose with numbers, not guesses.
German checkout rules to re-check after migrating
A new storefront means the legally sensitive parts of checkout must be tested again, even if they worked perfectly on Shopware 5. Themes change button labels and page layouts, and that can break compliance without anyone noticing.
Under § 312j (3) BGB, the order situation must make consumers explicitly confirm that they are committing to pay, which is why German shops label the final button “zahlungspflichtig bestellen” or similar. We check that label, the summary before it, and the links to terms, cancellation policy and privacy notice on desktop and phone.
§ 356a BGB now also requires traders selling through online interfaces to give consumers an electronic withdrawal function. If your Shopware 5 shop did not have one, the migration is the time to add it; our withdrawal button page explains the build. Cookie consent, Impressum and accessibility should be reviewed too. This is a build checklist, not legal advice; your lawyer confirms the texts.
Running a Shopware migration with a team in India from Germany
India is three and a half hours ahead of German summer time and four and a half hours ahead in winter, so your morning is our early afternoon. For a migration, that overlap covers the moments that matter: data checks, plugin decisions and cutover planning.
We work from a shared migration tracker: every plugin, every data issue and every redirect question is a line with an owner and a status. You review progress on a staging Shopware 6 shop that updates as we go, and we hold a short weekly video call. Quick questions go on WhatsApp.
The first two weeks: a call where you share admin access to Shopware 5, your plugin list and your top landing pages; an itemised USD quote in about two working days; then, after written approval, week one covers hosting, the Shopware 6 install and the first migration run, and week two covers the plugin audit table and data fixes. Invoices come from India, payable in USD or EUR by Wise or wire per milestone. Any NDA is agreed in writing; otherwise our terms apply. Your accountant advises on booking.
Worked example: a hypothetical tea merchant in Bremen on Shopware 5
This is an invented scenario to illustrate the process, not a client story.
Say a tea importer in Bremen runs a Shopware 5 shop with about 1,800 products, many sold by weight, two subshops for Germany and Austria, and 14 plugins. Three of those plugins are custom: a gift-box builder, a sample-order rule and a DATEV export. The shop ranks well for dozens of tea varieties, and the owners are anxious about losing that traffic.
We would propose a Shopware 5 to 6 migration on Community Edition. The plugin audit would replace six plugins with Store extensions, retire five, rebuild the sample-order rule with the Rule Builder instead of code, and rewrite the gift-box builder and DATEV export as Shopware 6 plugins. The quote would list the migration from US$750, the two rebuilt plugins as separate lines, Shopping Experiences for the homepage and seasonal landing pages, and a redirect map built from a full crawl. Timeline: about seven weeks, with a final delta migration on a Sunday evening.
Shopware 5 to 6 migration checklist
Work through this list with your team. Items one to five belong before the first migration run; the rest belong before and just after cutover.
- Full backup of the Shopware 5 files and database, restore tested
- Plugin list with a replace, rebuild or retire decision for each
- Payment methods, delivery times and salutations created in Shopware 6 for mapping
- Crawl of all Shopware 5 URLs and export of top landing pages
- Long meta descriptions exported before truncation
- Shipping costs rebuilt with the Rule Builder and tested per country
- Test orders with every payment method, refunds and cancellations
- Order button, legal pages, withdrawal function and consent banner checked
- 301 redirects live, sitemap submitted, Search Console watched daily
- Final delta migration run and old shop moved out of public view