Saleor vs Shuup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Saleor | Shuup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 18 · At risk |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,369 | ★ 2,401 |
| First released | 2016 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Shopify, commercetools | Shopify, Magento |
What are Saleor and Shuup?
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
Shuup
Shuup is an open-source e-commerce platform built with Python and Django. It supports single and multi-vendor marketplaces with a modular addon system.
- Single and multi-vendor modes
- Django-based architecture
- Addon system
- Theming support
Saleor vs Shuup: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Saleor versus AGPL-3.0 for Shuup. Shuup is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Saleor. Saleor has the considerably larger community, at 23,369 GitHub stars versus 2,401.
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 Shuup if…
- Good for marketplace builds
- Pythonic codebase
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Less active development
Frequently asked questions
Is Saleor or Shuup better?
Neither is universally better. Saleor has the larger community, while Shuup is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Saleor and Shuup free and open-source?
Yes. Saleor is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Shuup under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Saleor and Shuup with Docker?
Saleor: yes. Shuup: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Saleor or Shuup?
Shuup has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Saleor. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.