Saleor vs Solidus
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 | Solidus |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Python | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,369 | ★ 5,333 |
| First released | 2016 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Shopify, commercetools | Shopify, Magento |
What are Saleor and Solidus?
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
Solidus
Solidus is a free, open-source e-commerce platform built with Ruby on Rails. It is a community-maintained fork of Spree focused on stability, security, and customization for high-volume stores.
- Stable Rails engine architecture
- Strong upgrade path
- Highly customizable
- Active community governance
Saleor vs Solidus: key differences
Saleor is written in Python, while Solidus is built with Ruby. Solidus 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 5,333.
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 Solidus if…
- Reliable for high-volume stores
- Good security focus
Watch out for
- Rails knowledge required
- No managed hosting option
Frequently asked questions
Is Saleor or Solidus 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 Solidus free and open-source?
Yes. Saleor is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Solidus under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Saleor and Solidus with Docker?
Saleor: yes. Solidus: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Saleor or Solidus?
Solidus 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.