--- title: "Best open-source ecommerce platforms (2026), compared" description: "Compare Medusa, Saleor, Vendure, WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, Sylius and Spree by license, stack, API, GitHub stars, managed hosting and best fit." url: https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/open-source-ecommerce-platforms last_updated: 2026-10-29T06:55:50Z topic: "migrations-and-platforms" type: "concept" applies_to: "Medusa v2.x" related: - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/medusa-vs-saleor.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/medusa-vs-vendure.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/composable-commerce.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/woocommerce-migration.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/build-vs-buy/shopify-vs-custom-store.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/build-vs-buy/what-is-headless-commerce.md" sources: - "https://medusajs.com/pricing.md" - "https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/introduction/architecture" - "https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/deployment" - "https://github.com/medusajs/medusa/blob/develop/ENTERPRISE-LICENSE.md" - "https://github.com/medusajs/medusa" - "https://github.com/saleor/saleor" - "https://saleor.io/pricing" - "https://github.com/vendurehq/vendure" - "https://vendure.io/pricing" - "https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce" - "https://woocommerce.com/posts/woocommerce-hosting/" - "https://developer.woocommerce.com/docs/apis/store-api/" - "https://github.com/magento/magento2" - "https://business.adobe.com/products/commerce/magento/open-source.html" - "https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/commerce-on-cloud/user-guide/overview" - "https://developer.adobe.com/commerce/webapi/graphql/usage/" - "https://github.com/PrestaShop/PrestaShop" - "https://prestashop.com/prestashop-offers/hosted/" - "https://devdocs.prestashop-project.org/9/admin-api/" - "https://github.com/Sylius/Sylius" - "https://sylius.com/" - "https://github.com/spree/spree" --- # Best open-source ecommerce platforms (2026), compared > The leading open-source ecommerce platforms in 2026 are Medusa, Saleor, Vendure, WooCommerce, Magento Open Source, PrestaShop, Sylius and Spree. Medusa fits TypeScript teams building custom commerce logic over REST APIs. Saleor and Vendure fit GraphQL-first teams. WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop and Sylius fit PHP teams, and Spree fits Ruby on Rails teams. ## Open-source ecommerce platforms compared side by side The table below compares eight open-source ecommerce platforms on license, stack, API style, GitHub stars, managed hosting and fit. Licenses and star counts come from each project's GitHub repository as of October 28, 2026. Hosting and "best for" notes come from each project's own site. | Platform | License | Stack | API style | GitHub stars | Managed hosting | Best for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Medusa | MIT (RBAC and SSO are Enterprise Edition) | TypeScript, Node.js, PostgreSQL | Headless: REST Store API and Admin API | 36,981 | Medusa Cloud | TypeScript teams building custom commerce logic | | Saleor | BSD-3-Clause | Python, Django, PostgreSQL | Headless: GraphQL only | 23,486 | Saleor Cloud | Teams that want a GraphQL-first API and extensions in any language | | Spree | BSD-3-Clause | Ruby on Rails | Headless: REST API with TypeScript SDKs | 15,786 | None from the project; self-host with official Docker images | Ruby on Rails teams, marketplaces and B2B | | Magento Open Source | OSL-3.0 | PHP | Built-in storefront plus REST and GraphQL APIs | 12,213 | None for Open Source; paid Adobe Commerce has Adobe-managed cloud options | PHP teams with large catalogs and a possible move to Adobe Commerce | | WooCommerce | GPL-2.0 | PHP, WordPress plugin | Built-in WordPress storefront plus REST API and Store API | 10,570 | WordPress.com Commerce plan or any WordPress host | Content-led stores already running on WordPress | | PrestaShop | OSL-3.0 core, AFL-3.0 modules | PHP | Built-in storefront plus Webservice API and Admin API | 9,237 | PrestaShop Hosted offer | Small and mid-size merchants who want a classic all-in-one store | | Sylius | MIT | PHP, Symfony, API Platform | Headless: REST API | 8,563 | None listed; self-host on a VPS, Docker or Kubernetes | Symfony teams building custom B2C or B2B stores | | Vendure | GPLv3 or Vendure Commercial License | TypeScript, Node.js, NestJS | Headless: GraphQL Shop API and Admin API | 8,548 | None yet; Vendure Cloud beta for paid plans not open yet (GA planned Q1 2027) | TypeScript teams that want GraphQL, especially complex B2B | ## How to read the license, stars and hosting columns License type affects what you can do with your changes. MIT and BSD-3-Clause are permissive licenses: you can modify and ship the code without publishing your changes. GPL and OSL are copyleft licenses that attach share-alike conditions in some distribution cases, which is why Vendure also sells a commercial license as an alternative to GPLv3. Medusa's repository is MIT except for its RBAC and SSO code, which is licensed under the [Medusa Enterprise Edition license](https://github.com/medusajs/medusa/blob/develop/ENTERPRISE-LICENSE.md). GitHub stars measure developer attention, not production installs. Projects that merchants install from a plugin directory or a hosting panel, such as WooCommerce, can run on far more stores than their star count suggests. Managed hosting differs a lot. Medusa Cloud and Saleor Cloud are generally available, Vendure Cloud has not opened its beta yet, and Spree and Sylius leave hosting to you. WooCommerce, Magento and PrestaShop run on standard PHP hosting. ## Which open-source ecommerce platform fits which team - **Medusa** fits TypeScript teams that need custom business logic in the backend: custom data models, multi-step [workflows](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/fundamentals/workflows), and REST API routes in the same codebase. - **Saleor** fits teams that want a GraphQL-only API and prefer to extend through apps, which are separate services that talk to Saleor through webhooks and the API. - **Vendure** fits TypeScript teams that prefer GraphQL and the NestJS framework, and teams that want B2B features from a paid plan. - **WooCommerce** fits stores where content and WordPress come first and the team is not writing a custom backend. - **Magento Open Source** fits PHP teams with large catalogs who may later need Adobe Commerce. - **PrestaShop** fits merchants who want themes, modules and a hosted plan without building a headless stack. - **Sylius** fits PHP and Symfony teams building custom stores for mid-market and enterprise brands. - **Spree** fits Ruby on Rails teams, and ships a marketplace seller panel and B2B features in its open-source core. ## How Medusa works as an open-source commerce platform Medusa is a TypeScript commerce platform that ships commerce modules (products, carts, orders, payments, pricing, inventory and more), a Store API, an Admin API and the Medusa Admin dashboard. Requests flow from API routes to workflows to modules to a PostgreSQL database, as described in [Medusa's architecture docs](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/introduction/architecture). You add custom [modules](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/fundamentals/modules), workflows, subscribers and admin widgets in the same project. You can self-host Medusa on any Node.js host with PostgreSQL and Redis; the docs recommend at least 2GB of RAM. [Medusa Cloud](https://medusajs.com/pricing.md) plans cost $29 (Develop), $99 (Launch) and $299 (Scale) per month, with a 0% GMV fee on every plan. ## When Medusa is not the right choice - **You want a GraphQL-first API.** Saleor and Vendure both expose GraphQL as their main API. Medusa's APIs are REST. - **Your team writes PHP or Ruby.** Sylius, Magento Open Source and Spree let your team stay in its language. - **You run a WordPress site and have no developer.** WooCommerce on a managed WordPress host is simpler to run. - **You want a classic store with no custom code.** PrestaShop's Hosted offer, or a SaaS platform, gets a small catalog online faster than any headless backend. ## Common questions ### What is the most popular open-source ecommerce platform on GitHub? As of October 28, 2026, Medusa has the most GitHub stars of the eight platforms compared here, with 36,981, followed by Saleor with 23,486. Stars measure developer attention, so WooCommerce runs on far more stores than its 10,570 stars suggest. ### Which open-source ecommerce platforms use GraphQL? Saleor exposes only a GraphQL API, and Vendure exposes GraphQL Shop and Admin APIs. Magento Open Source offers GraphQL alongside REST. Medusa, Sylius and Spree use REST APIs. ### Is Medusa fully open source? Medusa's repository is MIT-licensed except for its RBAC and SSO code, which falls under the Medusa Enterprise Edition license. Commerce modules, the Store and Admin APIs, workflows and the Medusa Admin are MIT. ### What is the best open-source Shopify alternative? It depends on your team's language. Medusa and Vendure suit TypeScript teams, Saleor suits teams that want GraphQL and Python, and WooCommerce suits stores already on WordPress. Merchants without developers may be better served by a hosted plan such as PrestaShop Hosted. ## Documentation - [Medusa's architecture](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/introduction/architecture) - [Modules](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/fundamentals/modules) - [Workflows](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/fundamentals/workflows) - [Medusa deployment overview](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/deployment) ## Related - [Medusa vs Saleor](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/medusa-vs-saleor.md) - [Medusa vs Vendure](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/medusa-vs-vendure.md) - [Composable commerce platforms for mid-market brands](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/composable-commerce.md) - [Switching from WooCommerce to a JavaScript stack](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/woocommerce-migration.md) - [Should I use Shopify or build a custom store?](https://medusajs.com/kb/build-vs-buy/shopify-vs-custom-store.md) - [What does headless commerce actually mean?](https://medusajs.com/kb/build-vs-buy/what-is-headless-commerce.md)