OpenCart vs Reaction Commerce
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | OpenCart | Reaction Commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 58 · Fair |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, kubernetes, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,201 | ★ 12,401 |
| First released | 2009 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Wix Stores | Shopify, commercetools |
What are OpenCart and Reaction Commerce?
OpenCart
OpenCart is a free, open-source online store management system built in PHP. It is lightweight and easy to set up, with a marketplace of extensions and themes for small to mid-sized retailers.
- Lightweight and quick to install
- Multi-store from one admin
- Extension marketplace
- Multilingual and multi-currency
Reaction Commerce
Reaction Commerce (Open Commerce) is an API-first, headless commerce platform built with Node.js and GraphQL. It uses a microservices architecture suited to flexible, custom storefront builds.
- GraphQL-first API
- Microservices architecture
- Real-time inventory
- Plugin-based extensibility
OpenCart vs Reaction Commerce: key differences
OpenCart is written in PHP, while Reaction Commerce is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for OpenCart versus Apache-2.0 for Reaction Commerce. OpenCart is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Reaction Commerce. OpenCart is the more established project (first released 2009), while Reaction Commerce arrived in 2013.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenCart if…
- Low resource requirements
- Beginner-friendly setup
Watch out for
- Smaller community than competitors
- Limited advanced features
Choose Reaction Commerce if…
- Cloud-native design
- Highly scalable
Watch out for
- Complex to operate
- Development paused upstream
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCart or Reaction Commerce better?
Neither is universally better. Reaction Commerce has the larger community, while OpenCart is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenCart and Reaction Commerce free and open-source?
Yes. OpenCart is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Reaction Commerce under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenCart and Reaction Commerce with Docker?
OpenCart: yes. Reaction Commerce: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenCart or Reaction Commerce?
OpenCart has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Reaction Commerce. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.