OpenCart vs Spree 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 | Spree Commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,201 | ★ 15,718 |
| First released | 2009 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Wix Stores | Shopify, BigCommerce |
What are OpenCart and Spree 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
Spree Commerce
Spree Commerce is a complete open-source e-commerce platform built with Ruby on Rails. It supports multi-vendor marketplaces, multi-store, and headless API-driven storefronts.
- Modular Rails engine architecture
- Multi-store and multi-vendor
- Headless storefront API
- Admin dashboard included
OpenCart vs Spree Commerce: key differences
OpenCart is written in PHP, while Spree Commerce is built with Ruby. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for OpenCart versus BSD-3-Clause for Spree Commerce. OpenCart is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Spree Commerce.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenCart if…
- Low resource requirements
- Beginner-friendly setup
Watch out for
- Smaller community than competitors
- Limited advanced features
Choose Spree Commerce if…
- Mature and battle-tested
- Flexible Rails ecosystem
Watch out for
- Ruby expertise needed for customization
- Setup can be involved
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCart or Spree Commerce better?
Neither is universally better. Spree 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 Spree Commerce free and open-source?
Yes. OpenCart is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Spree Commerce under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenCart and Spree Commerce with Docker?
OpenCart: yes. Spree Commerce: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenCart or Spree Commerce?
OpenCart has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Spree Commerce. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.