GrandNode vs Sylius
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | GrandNode | Sylius |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 70 · Good | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C# | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,329 | ★ 8,540 |
| First released | 2017 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Magento | Magento, Shopify Plus |
What are GrandNode and Sylius?
GrandNode
GrandNode is an open-source, multi-store e-commerce platform built with ASP.NET Core and MongoDB. It supports B2B and B2C scenarios with a flexible catalog, multi-language and multi-currency, and a plugin architecture.
- ASP.NET Core based
- MongoDB storage
- Multi-store support
- Plugin architecture
Sylius
Sylius is an open-source e-commerce platform built on the Symfony framework. It targets mid-market and enterprise stores that need a fully customizable, API-first commerce solution.
- Built on Symfony components
- API-first architecture
- Behavior-driven testing baked in
- Highly customizable codebase
GrandNode vs Sylius: key differences
GrandNode is written in C#, while Sylius is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for GrandNode versus MIT for Sylius. Sylius is the more established project (first released 2011), while GrandNode arrived in 2017. Sylius has the considerably larger community, at 8,540 GitHub stars versus 1,329.
Why pick each one
Choose GrandNode if…
- Scalable architecture
- B2B and B2C ready
Watch out for
- .NET hosting knowledge needed
- Heavier resource footprint
Choose Sylius if…
- Clean, modern PHP codebase
- Strong testing culture
Watch out for
- Requires Symfony knowledge
- Steeper learning curve
Frequently asked questions
Is GrandNode or Sylius better?
Neither is universally better. Sylius has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are GrandNode and Sylius free and open-source?
Yes. GrandNode is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Sylius under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GrandNode and Sylius with Docker?
GrandNode: yes. Sylius: yes.