Django Shop vs Saleor
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 Shop | Saleor |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 23 · At risk | 97 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, kubernetes, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,317 | ★ 23,369 |
| First released | 2011 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Shopify, WooCommerce | Shopify, commercetools |
What are Django Shop and Saleor?
Django Shop
django SHOP is an open-source e-commerce framework for building online stores on top of Django. It provides a flexible product model, cart, and checkout that developers extend for custom shops.
- Django e-commerce framework
- Flexible product model
- Cart and checkout
- Highly extensible
Saleor
Saleor is a high-performance, GraphQL-first e-commerce platform built with Python and Django. It is designed for headless storefronts and offers a comprehensive dashboard, multichannel support, and a powerful API.
- GraphQL API throughout
- Multichannel commerce
- React-based dashboard
- Strong B2B and B2C support
Django Shop vs Saleor: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Django Shop is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Saleor. Django Shop is the more established project (first released 2011), while Saleor arrived in 2016. Saleor has the considerably larger community, at 23,369 GitHub stars versus 3,317.
Why pick each one
Choose Django Shop if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Choose Saleor if…
- Modern API-driven architecture
- Scalable for large catalogs
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Requires significant infrastructure
Frequently asked questions
Is Django Shop or Saleor better?
Neither is universally better. Saleor has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Django Shop and Saleor free and open-source?
Yes. Django Shop is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Saleor under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Django Shop and Saleor with Docker?
Django Shop: yes. Saleor: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Django Shop or Saleor?
Django Shop has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Saleor. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.