Shopware vs Thelia
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
Thelia
Open-source e-commerce CMS built with Symfony
| Feature | Shopware | Thelia |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | MIT | LGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,400 | ★ 877 |
| First released | 2010 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Magento | Shopify, PrestaShop |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopware or Thelia better?
Neither is universally better. Shopware has the larger community, while Thelia is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Shopware and Thelia free and open-source?
Yes. Shopware is licensed under MIT and Thelia under LGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Shopware and Thelia with Docker?
Shopware: yes. Thelia: check the project docs for container support.