Smartstore vs Alokai
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?
Smartstore
Modern open-source .NET commerce platform
VS
Alokai
Frontend platform for headless commerce stores
| Feature | Smartstore | Alokai |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C# | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,508 | ★ 10,937 |
| First released | 2010 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Magento | Shopify Hydrogen, BigCommerce |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Smartstore or Alokai better?
Neither is universally better. Alokai has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Smartstore and Alokai free and open-source?
Yes. Smartstore is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Alokai under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Smartstore and Alokai with Docker?
Smartstore: yes. Alokai: yes.