Shopware 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?
Shopware
Flexible open-source commerce for growing brands
VS
Smartstore
Modern open-source .NET commerce platform
| Feature | Shopware | Smartstore |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,400 | ★ 1,508 |
| First released | 2010 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Magento | Shopify, Magento |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopware or Smartstore better?
Neither is universally better. Shopware 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 Shopware and Smartstore free and open-source?
Yes. Shopware is licensed under MIT and Smartstore under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Shopware and Smartstore with Docker?
Shopware: yes. Smartstore: yes.