SHSelfHostIndex

Shopizer 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.

Not the right match-up?
SH Shopizer Java-based open-source e-commerce and shopping cart software VS SM Smartstore Modern open-source .NET commerce platform
FeatureShopizerSmartstore
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score20 · At risk83 · Excellent
CategoryE-commerce PlatformsE-commerce Platforms
LicenseApache-2.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageJavaC#
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 3,941★ 1,521
First released20102010
ReplacesMagento, Broadleaf CommerceShopify, Magento

What are Shopizer and Smartstore?

Shopizer

Shopizer is an open-source e-commerce platform written in Java that provides a REST API for catalogs, orders, payments, and shipping. It can power both headless storefronts and a bundled reference shop.

  • REST-first architecture
  • Multi-store support
  • Pluggable payment modules
  • Headless or bundled UI

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

Read the full Smartstore guide →

Shopizer vs Smartstore: key differences

Shopizer is written in Java, while Smartstore is built with C#. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Shopizer versus AGPL-3.0 for Smartstore. Shopizer has the considerably larger community, at 3,941 GitHub stars versus 1,521.

Why pick each one

Choose Shopizer if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (3.9k GitHub stars)
  • Written in Java
Shopizer details

Choose Smartstore if…

  • Polished modern UI
  • Good plugin model

Watch out for

  • Requires .NET hosting
  • Smaller community than competitors
Smartstore details

Frequently asked questions

Is Shopizer or Smartstore better?

Neither is universally better. Shopizer has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Shopizer and Smartstore free and open-source?

Yes. Shopizer is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Smartstore under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Shopizer and Smartstore with Docker?

Shopizer: yes. Smartstore: yes.

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