Django Oscar vs Solidus
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Django Oscar | Solidus |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Python | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,628 | ★ 5,333 |
| First released | 2011 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Magento | Shopify, Magento |
What are Django Oscar and Solidus?
Django Oscar
Oscar is an open-source e-commerce framework for Django. Rather than a turnkey store, it provides flexible building blocks that can be overridden to model complex commerce domains.
- Highly customizable models
- Class-based override pattern
- Strong catalog and pricing
- Django ecosystem integration
Solidus
Solidus is a free, open-source e-commerce platform built with Ruby on Rails. It is a community-maintained fork of Spree focused on stability, security, and customization for high-volume stores.
- Stable Rails engine architecture
- Strong upgrade path
- Highly customizable
- Active community governance
Django Oscar vs Solidus: key differences
Django Oscar is written in Python, while Solidus is built with Ruby. Django Oscar is the more established project (first released 2011), while Solidus arrived in 2015. Solidus lists first-class Docker deployment; Django Oscar does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Django Oscar if…
- Extremely flexible
- Good for complex domains
Watch out for
- Requires Django expertise
- Not a ready-made store
Choose Solidus if…
- Reliable for high-volume stores
- Good security focus
Watch out for
- Rails knowledge required
- No managed hosting option
Frequently asked questions
Is Django Oscar or Solidus better?
Neither is universally better. Django Oscar has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Django Oscar and Solidus free and open-source?
Yes. Django Oscar is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Solidus under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Django Oscar and Solidus with Docker?
Django Oscar: check the project docs for container support. Solidus: yes.