SHSelfHostIndex

Shopware vs Alokai Storefront UI

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 Shopware Flexible open-source commerce for growing brands VS AL Alokai Storefront UI Open-source design system for e-commerce frontends
FeatureShopwareAlokai Storefront UI
CategoryE-commerce PlatformsE-commerce Platforms
LicenseMITMIT
LanguagePHPTypeScript
Setup difficultyHardEasy
Min. RAM2,048 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcesource
GitHub stars★ 3,400★ 2,505
First released20102018
ReplacesShopify, MagentoShopify Polaris, commercetools UI Kit

Why pick each one

Choose Shopware if…

  • Polished merchant experience
  • Powerful B2B suite available
Shopware details

Choose Alokai Storefront UI if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
  • Written in TypeScript
Alokai Storefront UI details

Frequently asked questions

Is Shopware or Alokai Storefront UI better?

Neither is universally better. Shopware has the larger community, while Alokai Storefront UI is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Shopware and Alokai Storefront UI free and open-source?

Yes. Shopware is licensed under MIT and Alokai Storefront UI under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Shopware and Alokai Storefront UI with Docker?

Shopware: yes. Alokai Storefront UI: check the project docs for container support.

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