OpenCart vs Vendure
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 | Vendure |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,201 | ★ 8,468 |
| First released | 2009 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Wix Stores | Shopify, commercetools |
What are OpenCart and Vendure?
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
Vendure
Vendure is an open-source, headless commerce framework written in TypeScript on top of NestJS and GraphQL. It is designed to be highly extensible for building custom B2B and B2C storefronts.
- GraphQL-based headless API
- Plugin-driven extensibility
- Admin UI included
- Multi-vendor marketplace support
OpenCart vs Vendure: key differences
OpenCart is written in PHP, while Vendure is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for OpenCart versus MIT for Vendure. OpenCart is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Vendure. OpenCart is the more established project (first released 2009), while Vendure arrived in 2019.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenCart if…
- Low resource requirements
- Beginner-friendly setup
Watch out for
- Smaller community than competitors
- Limited advanced features
Choose Vendure if…
- Strong TypeScript developer experience
- Well-documented plugin system
Watch out for
- Requires building your own storefront
- Less out-of-the-box than hosted SaaS
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCart or Vendure better?
Neither is universally better. Vendure 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 Vendure free and open-source?
Yes. OpenCart is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Vendure under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenCart and Vendure with Docker?
OpenCart: yes. Vendure: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenCart or Vendure?
OpenCart has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Vendure. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.