Solidus vs WooCommerce
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
WooCommerce
Open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress
| Feature | Solidus | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 93 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,333 | ★ 10,533 |
| First released | 2015 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Magento | Shopify, BigCommerce |
What are Solidus and WooCommerce?
Solidus
Solidus is a free, open-source e-commerce platform built with Ruby on Rails. It is a community-maintained fork of Spree focused on stability, security, and customization for high-volume stores.
- Stable Rails engine architecture
- Strong upgrade path
- Highly customizable
- Active community governance
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a customizable, open-source e-commerce platform built on WordPress. It powers millions of online stores worldwide with support for physical products, digital downloads, subscriptions, and extensive third-party extensions.
- Built on WordPress
- Huge extension ecosystem
- Supports digital and physical goods
- REST API for integrations
Solidus vs WooCommerce: key differences
Solidus is written in Ruby, while WooCommerce is built with PHP. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Solidus versus GPL-3.0 for WooCommerce. WooCommerce is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Solidus. WooCommerce is the more established project (first released 2011), while Solidus arrived in 2015.
Why pick each one
Choose Solidus if…
- Reliable for high-volume stores
- Good security focus
Watch out for
- Rails knowledge required
- No managed hosting option
Choose WooCommerce if…
- Massive plugin and theme library
- Large community and documentation
Watch out for
- Requires WordPress maintenance
- Can get costly with paid extensions
Frequently asked questions
Is Solidus or WooCommerce better?
WooCommerce is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Solidus if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Solidus and WooCommerce free and open-source?
Yes. Solidus is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and WooCommerce under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Solidus and WooCommerce with Docker?
Solidus: yes. WooCommerce: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Solidus or WooCommerce?
WooCommerce has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Solidus. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.