OpenCart vs Smartstore
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 | Smartstore |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,201 | ★ 1,521 |
| First released | 2009 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Wix Stores | Shopify, Magento |
What are OpenCart and Smartstore?
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
Smartstore
Smartstore is a free, open-source e-commerce platform built on ASP.NET Core. It provides a modern responsive storefront, modular plugin system, and a powerful admin for managing stores.
- Modern ASP.NET Core stack
- Modular architecture
- Responsive Bootstrap theme
- Built-in CMS pages
OpenCart vs Smartstore: key differences
OpenCart is written in PHP, while Smartstore is built with C#. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for OpenCart versus AGPL-3.0 for Smartstore. OpenCart is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Smartstore. OpenCart has the considerably larger community, at 8,201 GitHub stars versus 1,521.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenCart if…
- Low resource requirements
- Beginner-friendly setup
Watch out for
- Smaller community than competitors
- Limited advanced features
Choose Smartstore if…
- Polished modern UI
- Good plugin model
Watch out for
- Requires .NET hosting
- Smaller community than competitors
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCart or Smartstore better?
OpenCart is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Smartstore if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are OpenCart and Smartstore free and open-source?
Yes. OpenCart is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Smartstore under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenCart and Smartstore with Docker?
OpenCart: yes. Smartstore: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenCart or Smartstore?
OpenCart has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Smartstore. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.