The Open Source Alternative to Shopify Plus & Magento (Adobe)

🩺 Vitals

📦 Version: 3.22.30 (Released 2026-01-29)
🚀 Velocity: Active (Last commit 2026-01-30)
🌟 Community: 22.6k Stars · 5.9k Forks
🐞 Backlog: 240 Open Issues

🏗️ Profile

Official: saleor.io
Source: github.com/saleor/saleor
License: BSD-3-Clause
Deployment:Docker / Kubernetes / Cloud
Data Model: PostgreSQL
Jurisdiction: Poland 🇵🇱, USA 🇺🇸, EU 🇪🇺
Compliance: SOC 2 Type I
Complexity: High (4/5) - Requires Frontend Engineers
Maintenance: Moderate (3/5) - API is stable, Storefront is yours
Enterprise Ready: Excellent (5/5) - Built for Global Scale

1. The Executive Summary

What is it? Saleor is a Headless Commerce platform. Unlike monolithic legacy systems (Magento, PrestaShop) that couple the backend logic with the frontend presentation, Saleor provides a pristine, high-performance GraphQL API that handles the complex logic (Orders, Inventory, Tax). Your team then builds the frontend (Storefront, Mobile App, Kiosk) using modern frameworks like React/Next.js.

The Strategic Verdict:

🔴 For SMBs / Simple Stores: Caution. If you just need a "Theme" and a "Buy Button," Saleor is overkill. You will need a development team to build your storefront. Use a SaaS or a Monolith.
🟢 For Omni-Channel Enterprise: Strong Buy. If you sell on Web, Mobile, POS, and B2B from a single inventory core, Saleor's API-first architecture is superior. It eliminates the "Spaghetti Code" of adapting a monolith to new channels.

2. The "Hidden" Costs (TCO Analysis)

The cost driver shifts from "License Fees" to "Development Velocity."

Cost Component	Proprietary (Shopify Plus)	Saleor (Open Source)
Platform Cost	Starts at $2,500/mo + Trans Fees	$0 (Self-Hosted)
Transaction Fees	0.15% - 0.25% of GMV	0%
Customization	Limited by App Ecosystem	Unlimited (It's just Code)
Hosting	Included (SaaS)	~$500 - $1k/mo (AWS/GCP)
Talent	Shopify Liquid Devs	Python & React Engineers

💡 The CTO Takeaway: Shopify Plus charges you for success (GMV Tax). Saleor charges you for infrastructure. For high-volume, low-margin businesses, Saleor's fixed infrastructure cost beats Shopify's variable revenue tax every time.

3. The "Day 2" Reality Check

🚀 Deployment & Operations

Architecture: It is a 12-Factor App. Container-native. Designed to run on Kubernetes.
Stack: The Core is Python (Django). The Database is PostgreSQL. The API is GraphQL. The Admin Dashboard is a React SPA.
Scalability: Because it is headless, you can cache the frontend (Next.js) globally on the Edge (Vercel/Netlify), resulting in near-instant page loads regardless of backend load.

🛡️ Security & Governance

Compliance: SOC 2 Type I
RBAC: Granular permissions are built-in for multi-user staff management (Merchandisers, Support, Admins).

Saleor