Reaction Commerce vs Saleor
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Reaction Commerce | Saleor |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 58 · Fair | 97 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, source | docker, kubernetes, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,401 | ★ 23,369 |
| First released | 2013 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Shopify, commercetools | Shopify, commercetools |
What are Reaction Commerce and Saleor?
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
Saleor
Saleor is a high-performance, GraphQL-first e-commerce platform built with Python and Django. It is designed for headless storefronts and offers a comprehensive dashboard, multichannel support, and a powerful API.
- GraphQL API throughout
- Multichannel commerce
- React-based dashboard
- Strong B2B and B2C support
Reaction Commerce vs Saleor: key differences
Reaction Commerce is written in JavaScript, while Saleor is built with Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Reaction Commerce versus BSD-3-Clause for Saleor. Reaction Commerce is the more established project (first released 2013), while Saleor arrived in 2016.
Why pick each one
Choose Reaction Commerce if…
- Cloud-native design
- Highly scalable
Watch out for
- Complex to operate
- Development paused upstream
Choose Saleor if…
- Modern API-driven architecture
- Scalable for large catalogs
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Requires significant infrastructure
Frequently asked questions
Is Reaction Commerce or Saleor better?
Neither is universally better. Saleor has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Reaction Commerce and Saleor free and open-source?
Yes. Reaction Commerce is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Saleor under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Reaction Commerce and Saleor with Docker?
Reaction Commerce: yes. Saleor: yes.