Vendure vs Intershop
Intershop runs its platform on Microsoft Azure, ships at least two major releases a year and lists its packages without prices. This comparison is for teams that want to own the code, choose where it runs and see the price.
The short answer
Choose Vendure when
- A funded ICM upgrade or PWA storefront rebuild is on the table
- You need to run on infrastructure you control, outside Intershop's cloud
- You want code-level control of the commerce logic
- You want a published price rather than packages without prices
What you leave behind on Intershop
- Acceptance testing for every update, twice a year or more
- Hosting on Azure, operated by Intershop
- Packages and add-ons listed without prices
- Custom code in Intershop-specific cartridges and pipelines
What Intershop's release cycle and cloud cost you
Custom code outside Intershop's release cycle
Intershop customisation means Java cartridges on Intershop's extension points, with at least two major releases a year that can include breaking changes and acceptance testing for each update. Vendure plugins are NestJS modules beside the Framework, with strategies, custom fields that propagate into the GraphQL schema, custom entities and typed events. Your business logic is first-class code rather than something to re-validate every release.
Published plan prices instead of unpriced packages
Intershop sells the platform as a SaaS/PaaS subscription in packages with optional add-ons, and its service description lists them without prices. Vendure Framework is free under GPLv3, and the plans are a flat monthly fee up to Scale with Enterprise a flat annual one. The prices are published, with no revenue share and no per-order surcharge, so growing the top line is not a reason for the platform bill to move.
Run it yourself, off Intershop's Azure service
Intershop provides the platform as SaaS/PaaS on Microsoft Azure and runs the applications, infrastructure and operations. Vendure self-hosts in any region, on any cloud or on-premises today. The GPLv3 Framework cannot be revoked, the plugin-licence exception keeps your customisations proprietary, and your data sits in your own SQL database.
How they compare
Six dimensions, the same six on every Vendure comparison page. Intershop's service description lists its packages without prices, so this page describes how the platform is sold rather than what it costs. Every claim about Intershop is sourced at the foot of this page.
| Dimension | Vendure | Intershop |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture and extensibility | VendureTypeScript end to end on NestJS, with GraphQL Shop and Admin APIs. Plugins sit beside the Framework. No forks, no extension cap. | IntershopA Java platform, Intershop Commerce Management, extended through cartridges of Java code, pipelines and ISML templates, with REST APIs. At least two major releases a year can include breaking changes, and acceptance testing is required for each update. |
| Licensing and cost model | VendureFree open-source Vendure Framework under GPLv3. Four flat, cumulative plans from €199 a month on a 12-month term, with Enterprise from €60,000 a year. No GMV, per-order or per-user fees. | IntershopSold as a SaaS/PaaS subscription in packages with optional add-ons. Intershop's service description (August 2023) lists them without prices. |
| B2B depth | VendureCompany accounts and quotes from Starter. Organization hierarchy at Growth. Contract pricing, single-level order approvals, the audit log and the Next.js B2B storefront at Scale. PunchOut (cXML), Configurator and multi-level approvals with timeouts and delegation at Enterprise. | IntershopA packaged B2B model with cost centres, user and cost centre budgets, order approval, requisitions, quotes, order templates, quick order, and OCI and cXML punchout. |
| Hosting and operations | VendureSelf-host on any cloud or on-premises, in any region. Managed Vendure Cloud is planned for Q1 2027, with a base set of Cloud resources in each paid plan. | IntershopProvided by Intershop as SaaS/PaaS on Microsoft Azure. Intershop runs the applications, infrastructure and operations, and customers deploy through its DevOps tooling. |
| Ecosystem and talent | VendureMainstream TypeScript, Node and GraphQL. No proprietary skill silo. | IntershopA partner network of more than 3,500 Intershop experts. The storefront is the Angular-based Intershop PWA, and the platform skills are Intershop-specific rather than transferable. |
| Migration effort | VendureThe catalogue imports through the Admin API; customers and order history move by script. The storefront is rebuilt on the GraphQL API or starts from the Next.js B2B storefront included at Scale. | IntershopScoped per project. The catalogue, customers and orders export as XML, while the cartridges and pipelines are Intershop-specific and get reimplemented. |
Vendure pricing: a free open-source framework, then four flat tiers
Vendure Framework is free under GPLv3. Starter, Growth, Scale and Enterprise add B2B capabilities cumulatively, on a flat fee with no GMV, per-order or per-user charges.
When an Intershop upgrade or PWA rebuild is funded
Intershop customers usually reopen the platform question when budget is already approved for an ICM upgrade or a new storefront. If that work is being paid for anyway, the platform underneath belongs in the same decision.
A funded ICM upgrade
where the budget is already approved and every customisation needs acceptance testing either way
A storefront rebuild onto the PWA
where a new frontend is being built anyway, so the platform underneath is open to the same question
A requirement to run on your own infrastructure
where a SaaS/PaaS service on Microsoft Azure, operated by Intershop, is not an option
Customisation tied to the release cycle
with at least two major releases a year that can include breaking changes
A budget that needs a published price
where the packages and add-ons are listed without prices
Migration runs in three phases: catalogue, customer and order import from Intershop's XML export, storefront rebuild, then integration cutover. Cartridges and pipelines are reimplemented rather than ported. We scope the effort against what is actually in production rather than quoting a band.
Moving off Intershop?
The catalogue, customers and orders export as XML, so the data travels. The cartridges and pipelines are Intershop-specific, so the custom code is reimplemented rather than lifted and shifted. Migration guides are being written; the hub has what exists today.
Teams building complex commerce with Vendure
Vendure and Intershop, answered
Yes, where the requirement is code-level control, deployment choice and a published price that follows complexity.
Company accounts, quotes, lists, quick order and store credit from Starter. Organization hierarchy, managed lists, packaging, gift cards and global search at Growth. Contract pricing, order approvals, the audit log, single sign-on, search analytics and the Next.js B2B storefront at Scale. Negotiation, access policy, advanced approvals, audit governance, Configurator and PunchOut over cXML at Enterprise. They are licensed capabilities rather than services you commission.
They are Intershop-specific, so they are reimplemented as Vendure plugins rather than ported. The data travels: the catalogue, customers and orders export from Intershop as XML, the catalogue imports through the Admin API, and customers and order history move by script.
Vendure Framework is free under GPLv3. Four cumulative paid plans sit on top: Starter at €199, Growth at €599 and Scale at €2,499 a month on a 12-month term, with Enterprise from €60,000 a year. Each plan inherits the one below, and there is no GMV charge, per-order surcharge or per-user fee, so growing revenue does not reprice the platform.
Yes. Vendure Framework is a complete open-source commerce framework under GPLv3, written in TypeScript on Node.js with GraphQL Shop and Admin APIs. It is free to run and self-host, and the licence cannot be revoked or discontinued for you. The commercial B2B capabilities are separately licensed plugins layered on top of the Framework. Every paid plan also includes a commercial licence for Vendure Framework for your project, as an alternative to GPLv3.
Yes, on any cloud or on-premises, in any region, with your data in your own SQL database. That is what makes EU-mandated and otherwise regulated deployments possible today. Vendure Cloud, our managed hosting, opens as a closed beta for paid plans, with general availability planned for Q1 2027. Each paid plan will include a base set of Cloud resources, and usage above that is billed on top.
Sources (9) · claims last checked 2026
- Intershop Knowledge Base, Commerce Platform system overview: ICM architecture, cartridges and REST APIs · knowledge.intershop.com
- Intershop Knowledge Base, Continuous Releases: at least two major releases a year with breaking changes, and acceptance testing for each update · knowledge.intershop.com
- Intershop Knowledge Base, XML Import and Export Specifications: catalog, customer and order export · knowledge.intershop.com
- Intershop Commerce Platform Service Description, August 2023: SaaS/PaaS on Microsoft Azure, packages and add-ons listed without prices · intershop.com
- Intershop Knowledge Base, B2B Storefront Functionality: cost centres, budgets, order approval, requisitions, quotes, order templates, quick order, and OCI and cXML punchout · knowledge.intershop.com
- Intershop PWA on GitHub: Angular storefront, MIT licence, delivered as source code · github.com/intershop/intershop-pwa
- Intershop partners: 3,500+ Intershop experts in the global partner network · intershop.com/en/partners
- Vendure developer documentation: plugins, custom fields, custom entities and supported databases · docs.vendure.io
- Vendure pricing and plans · vendure.io/pricing
