Shopware plugins - blessing and curse

Shopware plugins are extensions for online stores. They extend both the standard frontend and the backend (admin in Shopware 6) of the store system. In addition, plugins also ensure communication with third-party systems, for example via interfaces. At this point, we want to concentrate on functional extensions. Some other requirements apply to ready-made layouts (themes). Over 3,500 plugins are offered in Shopware’s official plugin store. This is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, a suitable plugin can be found for many requirements. Low prices compared to in-house development are tempting for every e-commerce operator.

Quality of Shopware plugins

On the other hand, not all plugins meet our quality standards. In this case, we usually recommend the development of a new plugin. From our own experience as a plugin manufacturer, we know what is important during development. This is because we develop complex plugins ourselves, for example for connecting Pimcore as the leading system for product data (PIM), media data (DAM) or content (CMS). Our developers attach great importance to plugin development:

Code quality:
- Clean structure of the code with comprehensibility and logical structure.
- Clear structuring of the code into subscribers, models, services, controllers and helper classes with the help of meaningfully named folder structures.
- Implementation based on the code structures of the Shopware core.
Error handling: Comprehensive error reporting in the form of e-mail notifications and extensive log files
Logging: Extensive logging of processes mapped in plugins with the aim of traceability, especially in the event of problems.
Compatibility: An extension should always be compatible with current Shopware and PHP/MySQL versions.
Security:
- Validation of data input and output for security reasons
- Checking the plugins for possible security gaps
Documentation: Both inline in the code and externally in the form of installation instructions, manuals, websites, etc.
Update capability: From our experience, we usually have a clear picture of whether a plugin will survive the next Shopware update or not. With far-reaching consequences for your store. Because in the worst case, the plugin has to be removed. And a business-critical function is no longer available.
Flexibility: Expandability for new requirements from the customer’s perspective

We always apply these points when evaluating Shopware plugins. Although plugins are initially checked by Shopware before uploading, these checks are usually no longer carried out for further updates. Plugin reviews in the Shopware Store are often not helpful. On the one hand, only a few customers rate plugins, and on the other hand, the causes of problems often lie in the individual environment.

Not too many plugins

In general, there is a risk that the extensions will influence each other as the number of plugins increases. These negative consequences occur especially when the store system is updated. And these can only be remedied with time and effort. We therefore recommend limiting the number of plugins in a store system to those that are really necessary. Sometimes less is more.

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Test before you buy!

Plugins can be easily purchased from the Shopware store. We strongly recommend taking advantage of the test phase offered. And to test the desired plugin intensively in the context of your own online store. Test licenses can be easily purchased in the store for this purpose. These are usually free of charge for a test phase of 30 days. It is important to cancel and completely uninstall the plugin in good time after 30 days. Otherwise, the trial can turn into a paid rental version. Never install new plugins in the backend (Plugin Manager) of a live environment first. This is because third-party plugins can affect your own functions and extensions as well as other plugins. If you decide to purchase a plugin, you can buy the license – as with the test version – in the Shopware store. Attention: If you are not convinced by the tested plugin, remove it completely from all environments. Both from test and live environments. Uninstalling it in the backend area in the Plugin Manager is not sufficient. The plugin must be deleted completely. Otherwise this may be billed via your Shopware account.

Rental model for Shopware plugins from 2024

The most common question our customers ask about the use of plugins is: What are the costs of purchasing the plugin?

Shopware completely changed its licensing model to a rental model in 2023. This means that there are no one-off costs for purchases, but only a monthly rental fee. This includes a monthly termination option. For longer-term use, plug-ins can also be rented for 1 year; as a rule, plug-in providers grant discounts and the monthly price is then reduced in contrast to monthly rental. Further information on subscriptions can be found here. If a subscription is not extended, support and updates will no longer be available.

Top 3 Shopware plugin recommendations from scope01

We use these 3 plugins again and again in our projects and can recommend them without reservation:

Store Locator Plugin from Netinventors for the store and retailer search in an online store
SEO Professional from Dreischild. From our point of view, very valuable for the search engine optimization of online stores, especially for Google.
Paypal from Shopware: The classic payment provider with a wide range of payment methods.

Shopware plugins from scope01

We at scope01 also offer a variety of plugins ourselves: On the one hand, these are intended as support for setting up and operating the store. On the other hand, we offer Pimcore plugins that serve as an interface between two systems. Here is an overview of our Shopware plugins:

SEO Redirect: This free plugin for both Shopware versions 5 and 6 is very popular. It allows you to easily manage redirects in the Shopware backend(download in the Shopware Store).
Info bar: Marketing arguments (USP) can be displayed as information in the header of an online store(download in the Shopware Store).
Default Theme Configuration: This plugin allows you to make adjustments to the default layout directly in the Shopware backend. For example, the logo can be changed in the theme and a number of functions can be hidden(download from the Shopware Store).
Cronjob Checker for monitoring all cronjobs in an online store
Adyen payment plugin for integrating the global payment service provider
Pimcore plugins as an interface between PIM, DAM and CMS functionality of Pimcore and Shopware.

Selection of Shopware plugins

We would be happy to advise you on the selection of plugins. Both for a new store and for an individual requirement in your system. Or we can analyze an existing store to determine which plugins are future-proof. Simply get in touch with scope01 in Frankfurt am Main. We look forward to hearing from you.