Aimeos vs Shopizer
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 | Shopizer |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 20 · At risk |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,703 | ★ 3,941 |
| First released | 2015 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Magento | Magento, Broadleaf Commerce |
What are Aimeos and Shopizer?
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
Shopizer
Shopizer is an open-source e-commerce platform written in Java that provides a REST API for catalogs, orders, payments, and shipping. It can power both headless storefronts and a bundled reference shop.
- REST-first architecture
- Multi-store support
- Pluggable payment modules
- Headless or bundled UI
Aimeos vs Shopizer: key differences
Aimeos is written in PHP, while Shopizer is built with Java. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for Aimeos versus Apache-2.0 for Shopizer. Aimeos is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Shopizer. Shopizer is the more established project (first released 2010), while Aimeos arrived in 2015. Aimeos has the considerably larger community, at 8,703 GitHub stars versus 3,941.
Why pick each one
Choose Aimeos if…
- Excellent performance at scale
- Flexible deployment
Watch out for
- Documentation can be sparse
- Requires PHP expertise
Choose Shopizer if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Aimeos or Shopizer better?
Neither is universally better. Aimeos has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Aimeos and Shopizer free and open-source?
Yes. Aimeos is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Shopizer under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Aimeos and Shopizer with Docker?
Aimeos: yes. Shopizer: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Aimeos or Shopizer?
Aimeos has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Shopizer. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.