Aimeos vs Saleor
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Aimeos | Saleor |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 97 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, kubernetes, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,703 | ★ 23,369 |
| First released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Magento | Shopify, commercetools |
What are Aimeos and Saleor?
Aimeos
Aimeos is an open-source e-commerce package that runs as a Laravel application or extension for TYPO3. It is known for handling very large catalogs and high request volumes efficiently.
- Handles millions of products
- Laravel and TYPO3 integration
- High-performance architecture
- Headless JSON:API
Saleor
Saleor is a high-performance, GraphQL-first e-commerce platform built with Python and Django. It is designed for headless storefronts and offers a comprehensive dashboard, multichannel support, and a powerful API.
- GraphQL API throughout
- Multichannel commerce
- React-based dashboard
- Strong B2B and B2C support
Aimeos vs Saleor: key differences
Aimeos is written in PHP, while Saleor is built with Python. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for Aimeos versus BSD-3-Clause for Saleor. Aimeos is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Saleor. Saleor has the considerably larger community, at 23,369 GitHub stars versus 8,703.
Why pick each one
Choose Aimeos if…
- Excellent performance at scale
- Flexible deployment
Watch out for
- Documentation can be sparse
- Requires PHP expertise
Choose Saleor if…
- Modern API-driven architecture
- Scalable for large catalogs
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Requires significant infrastructure
Frequently asked questions
Is Aimeos or Saleor better?
Neither is universally better. Saleor has the larger community, while Aimeos is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Aimeos and Saleor free and open-source?
Yes. Aimeos is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Saleor under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Aimeos and Saleor with Docker?
Aimeos: yes. Saleor: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Aimeos or Saleor?
Aimeos has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Saleor. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.