GrandNode vs Vendure
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 | Vendure |
|---|---|---|
| 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# | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,329 | ★ 8,468 |
| First released | 2017 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Magento | Shopify, commercetools |
What are GrandNode and Vendure?
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
Vendure
Vendure is an open-source, headless commerce framework written in TypeScript on top of NestJS and GraphQL. It is designed to be highly extensible for building custom B2B and B2C storefronts.
- GraphQL-based headless API
- Plugin-driven extensibility
- Admin UI included
- Multi-vendor marketplace support
GrandNode vs Vendure: key differences
GrandNode is written in C#, while Vendure is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for GrandNode versus MIT for Vendure. Vendure is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for GrandNode. GrandNode is the more established project (first released 2017), while Vendure arrived in 2019. Vendure has the considerably larger community, at 8,468 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 Vendure if…
- Strong TypeScript developer experience
- Well-documented plugin system
Watch out for
- Requires building your own storefront
- Less out-of-the-box than hosted SaaS
Frequently asked questions
Is GrandNode or Vendure better?
Vendure is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider GrandNode if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are GrandNode and Vendure free and open-source?
Yes. GrandNode is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Vendure under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GrandNode and Vendure with Docker?
GrandNode: yes. Vendure: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, GrandNode or Vendure?
Vendure has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for GrandNode. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.