Best Open Source Alternatives to Shopify in 2026
Best Open Source Alternatives to Shopify in 2026
Shopify charges $39-399/month plus 0.5-2% transaction fees on every sale. For a store doing $50K/month in revenue, that's $6K-12K/year in platform fees alone. Open source e-commerce has matured — headless platforms like Medusa and Saleor now power serious stores.
TL;DR
Medusa is the best Shopify alternative for developers — headless, modular, Node.js-based with a plugin ecosystem. Saleor is the GraphQL-powered option for complex catalogs. WooCommerce is the easiest if you're already in the WordPress ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
- Medusa is the modern choice — headless Node.js commerce with a modular architecture and growing plugin ecosystem
- Saleor excels at complex catalogs — multi-channel, multi-warehouse, multi-currency with a powerful GraphQL API
- WooCommerce has the largest ecosystem — 59,000+ plugins, but tied to WordPress and PHP
- Headless architecture gives you freedom — use any frontend (Next.js, Remix, mobile) with your commerce backend
- Zero transaction fees — open source platforms don't take a cut of your revenue
The Comparison
| Feature | Shopify | Medusa | Saleor | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $39-399/mo + fees | Free (OSS) | Free (OSS) | Free (OSS) |
| Transaction fee | 0.5-2% | None | None | None |
| Headless | Yes (Hydrogen) | Yes (native) | Yes (native) | Plugin |
| API | REST + GraphQL | REST + JS SDK | GraphQL | REST |
| Multi-currency | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Plugin |
| Multi-language | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Plugin |
| Multi-warehouse | Shopify Plus | ✅ | ✅ | Plugin |
| Product variants | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Discounts/promos | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Plugin |
| Subscriptions | App | Plugin | Plugin | Plugin |
| Payment gateways | Shopify Pay + 100+ | Stripe, PayPal, + | Stripe, Braintree, + | 100+ |
| Admin dashboard | ✅ (best) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Themes | 100+ | Build your own | Build your own | 10,000+ |
| Plugins/apps | 8,000+ | Growing | Growing | 59,000+ |
1. Medusa
Modern headless commerce for developers.
- GitHub: 26K+ stars
- Stack: Node.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL
- License: MIT
- Deploy: Docker, Railway, DigitalOcean, self-hosted
Medusa is the developer-first commerce platform. It's modular — the core handles orders, products, customers, and carts; everything else (payments, fulfillment, notifications) is a plugin. Build your storefront with any framework.
Standout features:
- Modular architecture (swap any component)
- Admin dashboard with full store management
- Multi-region and multi-currency support
- Draft orders and order editing
- Gift cards and discount codes
- Tax-inclusive pricing
- Return and exchange management
- Plugin system (Stripe, PayPal, Algolia, SendGrid, etc.)
- Next.js and Gatsby starter storefronts
Quick Setup
npx create-medusa-app@latest my-store
cd my-store
npx medusa develop
# Admin: http://localhost:9000/app
# API: http://localhost:9000
Best for: Developer teams building custom storefronts, DTC brands wanting full control, anyone who'd otherwise use Shopify Plus ($2K/month+).
2. Saleor
GraphQL-powered commerce for complex businesses.
- GitHub: 21K+ stars
- Stack: Python (Django), React, PostgreSQL
- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Deploy: Docker, Saleor Cloud
Saleor shines for complex e-commerce — multi-channel selling (web, mobile, marketplace), multi-warehouse inventory, rich product attributes, and a powerful GraphQL API that makes custom storefronts a joy to build.
Standout features:
- GraphQL API (comprehensive, well-documented)
- Multi-channel (sell on web, mobile, POS simultaneously)
- Multi-warehouse with stock allocation
- Rich product attributes and product types
- Webhooks for event-driven architecture
- Apps/plugin framework
- Dashboard with drag-and-drop content management
- Built-in permission system
Best for: Businesses with complex catalogs, multi-channel sellers, teams that prefer GraphQL, fashion/apparel with many variants.
3. WooCommerce
The WordPress e-commerce giant.
- GitHub: 9K+ stars
- Stack: PHP, WordPress, MySQL
- License: GPL-2.0
- Deploy: Any PHP host
WooCommerce powers 28% of all online stores. It's the easiest to set up if you're already on WordPress — install the plugin, add products, choose a theme, and you're selling. The ecosystem is enormous.
Standout features:
- WordPress integration (use any WP theme/plugin)
- 59,000+ extensions
- Runs on $5/month shared hosting
- Gutenberg block editor for product pages
- Largest community and support ecosystem
- Compatible with virtually every payment gateway
Trade-offs:
- Tied to WordPress/PHP stack
- Performance degrades with many plugins
- Not headless by default (plugins available)
- Security depends on WordPress maintenance
Best for: WordPress users, non-technical store owners, small-to-medium stores, businesses wanting the largest plugin ecosystem.
Cost Comparison (Store doing $50K/month)
| Shopify | Medusa | Saleor | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | $79/month | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Transaction fees | $250-1,000/mo | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Hosting | Included | $20-50/mo | $30-60/mo | $10-30/mo |
| Payment processing | 2.6% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe) | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Annual platform cost | $3,948-12,948 | $240-600 | $360-720 | $120-360 |
Decision Guide
Choose Medusa if:
- You have a development team
- You want modular, modern architecture
- Node.js/TypeScript is your stack
- You need multi-region support
Choose Saleor if:
- You have complex product catalogs
- You sell across multiple channels
- You need multi-warehouse inventory
- GraphQL is preferred over REST
Choose WooCommerce if:
- You're already on WordPress
- You don't have a development team
- You need the biggest plugin ecosystem
- Budget hosting is important
Compare open source e-commerce platforms on OSSAlt — features, scalability, and community health side by side.