WooCommerce POS vs Magento Open Source
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
WooCommerce POS
Self-hosted point of sale for WooCommerce stores
VS
Magento Open Source
Enterprise-grade open-source commerce platform
| Feature | WooCommerce POS | Magento Open Source |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | OSL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 47 | ★ 12,164 |
| First released | 2014 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Square POS, Shopify POS | Shopify Plus, BigCommerce |
Why pick each one
Choose WooCommerce POS if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Magento Open Source if…
- Powerful for large catalogs
- Robust enterprise features
Frequently asked questions
Is WooCommerce POS or Magento Open Source better?
Neither is universally better. Magento Open Source has the larger community, while WooCommerce POS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are WooCommerce POS and Magento Open Source free and open-source?
Yes. WooCommerce POS is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Magento Open Source under OSL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run WooCommerce POS and Magento Open Source with Docker?
WooCommerce POS: check the project docs for container support. Magento Open Source: yes.