Saleor vs Shopware
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Shopware
Flexible open-source commerce for growing brands
| Feature | Saleor | Shopware |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,369 | ★ 3,430 |
| First released | 2016 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Shopify, commercetools | Shopify, Magento |
What are Saleor and Shopware?
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
Shopware
Shopware is an open-source e-commerce platform from Germany built with Symfony and Vue.js. The community edition offers a modern admin, headless API, and a rich extension ecosystem.
- Modern Vue.js admin
- Headless API capabilities
- Rule-based merchandising
- Strong extension store
Saleor vs Shopware: key differences
Saleor is written in Python, while Shopware is built with PHP. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Saleor versus MIT for Shopware. Shopware is the more established project (first released 2010), while Saleor arrived in 2016. Saleor has the considerably larger community, at 23,369 GitHub stars versus 3,430.
Why pick each one
Choose Saleor if…
- Modern API-driven architecture
- Scalable for large catalogs
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Requires significant infrastructure
Choose Shopware if…
- Polished merchant experience
- Powerful B2B suite available
Watch out for
- Heavy resource needs
- Complex for small shops
Frequently asked questions
Is Saleor or Shopware 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 Saleor and Shopware free and open-source?
Yes. Saleor is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Shopware under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Saleor and Shopware with Docker?
Saleor: yes. Shopware: yes.