OpenCart vs thirty bees
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 | thirty bees |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 81 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | OSL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,201 | ★ 767 |
| First released | 2009 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Wix Stores | Shopify |
What are OpenCart and thirty bees?
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
thirty bees
thirty bees is an open-source e-commerce platform forked from PrestaShop with a focus on stability, performance, and merchant-friendly features. It runs traditional online stores and is compatible with many PrestaShop modules.
- PrestaShop module compatibility
- Stability focus
- Multi-store support
- Theme system
OpenCart vs thirty bees: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for OpenCart versus OSL-3.0 for thirty bees. OpenCart is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for thirty bees. OpenCart is the more established project (first released 2009), while thirty bees arrived in 2017. OpenCart has the considerably larger community, at 8,201 GitHub stars versus 767.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenCart if…
- Low resource requirements
- Beginner-friendly setup
Watch out for
- Smaller community than competitors
- Limited advanced features
Choose thirty bees if…
- Released under the OSL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Slower release cadence
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCart or thirty bees better?
OpenCart is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider thirty bees if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are OpenCart and thirty bees free and open-source?
Yes. OpenCart is licensed under GPL-3.0 and thirty bees under OSL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenCart and thirty bees with Docker?
OpenCart: yes. thirty bees: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenCart or thirty bees?
OpenCart has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for thirty bees. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.