Saleor vs Smartstore
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 | Smartstore |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,369 | ★ 1,521 |
| First released | 2016 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Shopify, commercetools | Shopify, Magento |
What are Saleor and Smartstore?
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
Smartstore
Smartstore is a free, open-source e-commerce platform built on ASP.NET Core. It provides a modern responsive storefront, modular plugin system, and a powerful admin for managing stores.
- Modern ASP.NET Core stack
- Modular architecture
- Responsive Bootstrap theme
- Built-in CMS pages
Saleor vs Smartstore: key differences
Saleor is written in Python, while Smartstore is built with C#. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Saleor versus AGPL-3.0 for Smartstore. Smartstore is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Saleor. Smartstore 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 1,521.
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 Smartstore if…
- Polished modern UI
- Good plugin model
Watch out for
- Requires .NET hosting
- Smaller community than competitors
Frequently asked questions
Is Saleor or Smartstore better?
Neither is universally better. Saleor has the larger community, while Smartstore is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Saleor and Smartstore free and open-source?
Yes. Saleor is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Smartstore under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Saleor and Smartstore with Docker?
Saleor: yes. Smartstore: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Saleor or Smartstore?
Smartstore 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.