Shuup vs Sylius
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Shuup | Sylius |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 18 · At risk | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,401 | ★ 8,542 |
| First released | 2016 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Magento | Magento, Shopify Plus |
What are Shuup and Sylius?
Shuup
Shuup is an open-source e-commerce platform built with Python and Django. It supports single and multi-vendor marketplaces with a modular addon system.
- Single and multi-vendor modes
- Django-based architecture
- Addon system
- Theming support
Sylius
Sylius is an open-source e-commerce platform built on the Symfony framework. It targets mid-market and enterprise stores that need a fully customizable, API-first commerce solution.
- Built on Symfony components
- API-first architecture
- Behavior-driven testing baked in
- Highly customizable codebase
Shuup vs Sylius: key differences
Shuup is written in Python, while Sylius is built with PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Shuup versus MIT for Sylius. Shuup is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Sylius. Sylius is the more established project (first released 2011), while Shuup arrived in 2016. Sylius has the considerably larger community, at 8,542 GitHub stars versus 2,401.
Why pick each one
Choose Shuup if…
- Good for marketplace builds
- Pythonic codebase
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Less active development
Choose Sylius if…
- Clean, modern PHP codebase
- Strong testing culture
Watch out for
- Requires Symfony knowledge
- Steeper learning curve
Frequently asked questions
Is Shuup or Sylius better?
Neither is universally better. Sylius has the larger community, while Shuup is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Shuup and Sylius free and open-source?
Yes. Shuup is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Sylius under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Shuup and Sylius with Docker?
Shuup: yes. Sylius: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Shuup or Sylius?
Shuup has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Sylius. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.