Cartridge vs QloApps

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureCartridgeQloApps
CategoryE-commerce PlatformsE-commerce Platforms
LicenseBSD-2-ClauseOSL-3.0
LanguagePythonPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 712★ 14,211
First released20102017
ReplacesShopify, WooCommerceBooking.com, Cloudbeds

Why pick each one

Choose Cartridge if…

  • Simple and minimal
  • Good for content-driven shops
Cartridge details

Choose QloApps if…

  • Purpose-built for hospitality
  • No commission fees
QloApps details

Frequently asked questions

Is Cartridge or QloApps better?

Neither is universally better. QloApps has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Cartridge and QloApps free and open-source?

Yes. Cartridge is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and QloApps under OSL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Cartridge and QloApps with Docker?

Cartridge: check the project docs for container support. QloApps: yes.

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