Reaction Commerce vs Thelia
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 | Thelia |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 58 · Fair | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,401 | ★ 879 |
| First released | 2013 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Shopify, commercetools | Shopify, PrestaShop |
What are Reaction Commerce and Thelia?
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
Thelia
Thelia is a free, open-source e-commerce and content management solution built on Symfony components. It is popular in France and offers a template-based theming system and module marketplace.
- Symfony-based core
- Smarty template engine
- Module marketplace
- Multi-domain support
Reaction Commerce vs Thelia: key differences
Reaction Commerce is written in JavaScript, while Thelia is built with PHP. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Reaction Commerce versus LGPL-3.0 for Thelia. Thelia is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Reaction Commerce. Reaction Commerce has the considerably larger community, at 12,401 GitHub stars versus 879. Reaction Commerce lists first-class Docker deployment; Thelia does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Reaction Commerce if…
- Cloud-native design
- Highly scalable
Watch out for
- Complex to operate
- Development paused upstream
Choose Thelia if…
- Good documentation in French
- Flexible theming
Watch out for
- Limited adoption outside France
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is Reaction Commerce or Thelia better?
Neither is universally better. Reaction Commerce has the larger community, while Thelia is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Reaction Commerce and Thelia free and open-source?
Yes. Reaction Commerce is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Thelia under LGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Reaction Commerce and Thelia with Docker?
Reaction Commerce: yes. Thelia: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Reaction Commerce or Thelia?
Thelia has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Reaction Commerce. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.