Shopware to Shopify migration Move your store without losing your product structure.
We pull products, properties, customers and orders through the Shopware Admin API, rebuild the plugins handling special features, and redirect every old URL to its new address. Your Shopware store stays live until launch day.
What does a Shopware to Shopify migration involve?
It means pulling data through Shopware's Admin API (OAuth2, via a dedicated integration created in Settings > System > Integrations, with a 10-minute token) and writing it into Shopify, with automated verification at the end. Shopware is self-hosted and open-source, so the exact setup — plugins installed, version — varies more between stores than with SaaS platforms. SEO URLs are generated from configurable Twig templates rather than one fixed pattern, so we check your store's actual SEO settings before mapping redirects. Shopware doesn't appear on Shopify's own list of officially supported migration sources, so the process runs entirely through the Shopware API, not a first-party Shopify app. It's quoted after a store review, usually takes 2–6 weeks, and your Shopware store stays live until cutover.
What we move from Shopware, and how
Shopware 6 runs two separate REST APIs — Admin API for data, Store API for storefront/headless — with no official GraphQL.
| What we move | How, technically |
|---|---|
| Products | Via the Admin API (OAuth2 client credentials), with price, stock, description and media. |
| Variants | Shopware distinguishes "properties" (global attributes like colour, inherited by every variant) from configurator-based variants (actual SKUs). We map real variants onto Shopify's options, capped at 3 types. |
| Images | Pulled via the Admin API and re-uploaded to Shopify, which re-hosts them on its own CDN. |
| Specs | Properties not used for variant differentiation become Shopify metafields. |
| Categories | Become Shopify collections; multi-level structure rebuilt through the navigation menu. |
| Customers | Pulled via the Admin API. Passwords can't be moved — see below. |
| Order history | Pulled via the Admin API, recreated as history, without touching current stock. |
| Pages | Exported via Shopware's native Import/Export (Settings > Automation), with CSV profiles for CMS content; re-hosted images and updated links. |
| Reviews | No officially documented native export for reviews out of Shopware; pulled case by case, depending on what's installed. |
| Coupons | Discount rules get recreated as Shopify discounts; complex conditions get simplified. |
| Redirects | SEO URLs come from configurable Twig templates (Settings > Shop > SEO), not one fixed pattern — we inspect the actual template per store before mapping. |
| Google/Meta feeds | Reconnected with a Shopify feed app, with a custom identifier if you want to keep ad history. |
What can't move anywhere, and how we work around it
Three things have no direct technical path.
Customer passwords
Shopware 6 uses bcrypt natively for customer passwords. Older Shopware 4 installs used MD5 or bcrypt. Either way, no platform — including Shopify — can reverse the hash. Customers sign in password-free, with a one-time code emailed at first login.
Old order dates
Shopify's API doesn't allow backdating an imported order's date. Old orders show up chronologically as "new" in the customer's account. We tag them invisibly so your new theme can treat them separately.
Installed plugins
Each Shopware plugin is built for its own architecture and doesn't "move." We identify the real function and rebuild it with an equivalent Shopify app or theme code.
The gotchas we check as standard
These are exactly where a generic migration gets it wrong.
- Self-hosted means setup varies. Shopware is open-source (MIT licence); installed plugins and version affect what's extractable far more than on a uniform SaaS platform.
- Properties aren't variants. Properties (colour, size tags used for filtering) are inherited by every variant and can't differ between them — real differentiation comes from the configurator, which is what we map onto Shopify options.
- SEO URLs are configurable, not fixed. Generated from Twig templates per store — we check the actual template before assuming a URL pattern for redirects.
- No official GraphQL. Only REST (Admin API with 10-minute OAuth2 tokens), so extraction scripts need frequent token refresh on large catalogs.
- Shopware isn't on Shopify's supported migration list at all. Neither the official Store Migration app nor Shopify's help documentation lists it as a source — the process depends entirely on the Shopware API or third-party tools.
What it costs, and what moves the price
The price is quoted after we see your store.
- How many products and variants you have.
- How your store is hosted (self-managed vs. Shopware's cloud) and which plugins are installed.
- How your SEO URL templates are configured.
- How many integrations need testing before launch.
As a reference, a new Shopify store build starts from €950 + VAT.
When migration isn't worth it
If your Shopware store runs well, you have a developer maintaining it, and the real cost of self-hosting doesn't exceed a hosted platform plus a few apps, you don't have a technical reason to migrate. It makes sense once hosting, security patches and plugin maintenance cost more than a Shopify subscription — not because Shopware is "wrong" for German or EU merchants, which it genuinely serves well.
Questions about Shopware migration.
Can't find your answer? Message us on WhatsApp at +40 785 735 820.
How much does a Shopware to Shopify migration cost?
It's quoted after we review your store, because the price depends on how many products and variants you have, how your SEO URL templates are configured, and how many custom plugins need replacing. As a reference, a new Shopify store build starts from €950 + VAT.
Does Shopify have an official app for migrating from Shopware?
No. Shopware doesn't appear on Shopify's official migration app or in Shopify's help documentation for supported source platforms. Migration from Shopware depends entirely on a dedicated tool or a third-party provider, not a first-party Shopify app.
Will I lose my Google rankings after migration?
The risk drops a lot when it's done properly. Shopware's SEO URLs are generated from configurable Twig templates, not a single fixed pattern, so we inspect your store's actual SEO settings before mapping redirects, rather than assuming a generic structure.
What's the difference between Shopware properties and variants?
Properties (like colour or size used for filtering) are global attributes inherited by every variant and can't differ between them. Actual variants come from configurator options. We map real product differentiation from the configurator, not from properties, onto Shopify's option system.
What transfers and what doesn't?
Products with variants and images transfer, along with categories, customers and order history, pulled via the Shopware Admin API. Passwords don't transfer — Shopware uses bcrypt natively, and no platform can reverse that hash. Installed plugins get rebuilt as Shopify apps or theme code.
How long does a Shopware migration take?
Usually two to six weeks, depending on the number of products, how your store is self-hosted, and how many custom plugins need rebuilding. Your Shopware store stays live until launch day.
First step
Send us your store's address.
We look at how many products you have, how your store is hosted and what your current URLs look like, then tell you what can move, what needs rebuilding and what it costs.