Saleor vs Vendure
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 | Vendure |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,369 | ★ 8,468 |
| First released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Shopify, commercetools | Shopify, commercetools |
What are Saleor and Vendure?
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
Vendure
Vendure is an open-source, headless commerce framework written in TypeScript on top of NestJS and GraphQL. It is designed to be highly extensible for building custom B2B and B2C storefronts.
- GraphQL-based headless API
- Plugin-driven extensibility
- Admin UI included
- Multi-vendor marketplace support
Saleor vs Vendure: key differences
Saleor is written in Python, while Vendure is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Saleor versus MIT for Vendure. Vendure is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Saleor. Saleor is the more established project (first released 2016), while Vendure arrived in 2019. Saleor has the considerably larger community, at 23,369 GitHub stars versus 8,468.
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 Vendure if…
- Strong TypeScript developer experience
- Well-documented plugin system
Watch out for
- Requires building your own storefront
- Less out-of-the-box than hosted SaaS
Frequently asked questions
Is Saleor or Vendure better?
Neither is universally better. Saleor has the larger community, while Vendure is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Saleor and Vendure free and open-source?
Yes. Saleor is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Vendure under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Saleor and Vendure with Docker?
Saleor: yes. Vendure: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Saleor or Vendure?
Vendure 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.