Top 30+ Open Source And Free Ecommerce Platforms

From corporate giants to small mom & pop shops, many ecommerce store owners are turning to free open source ecommerce platforms.

The tools needed to sell online don’t come cheap, especially at the enterprise level. But using open source software (or free ecommerce platforms) can delete at least one monthly fee. Plus you’ll have greater control over your online presence.

Some of today’s most popular carts are open source solutions, including the most widely-downloaded and used platform on the web – WooCommerce. If you decide to go with self-hosted ecommerce, then you will need good WooCommerce hosting, I recommend Nexcess.

If you’ve got the tech skills and time to play with CSS, HTML, and even Ruby on Rails while hanging out in code forums, you’re probably the right candidate for an open source ecommerce platform. And if you don’t have the time but you do have the funds and desire to hire someone who can manipulate almost every aspect of your ecommerce site, you might also be interested in open source ecommerce platforms.

Before you dive into this list, please keep something in mind – we know open source is not for everyone, and only a handful of these platforms meet our standards.  There’s definitely a steep learning curve to if you want to build an online store without hiring web developers.

If you’re looking for an ecommerce website, but not committed to the idea of open source, please check out our post on the top ecommerce platforms. You might be better off with a SaaS platform like Shopify or Wix.

WooCommerce (WordPress)

Proud to power over 37% of online stores, WooCommerce has been downloaded 14,095,679 times. It is by far the most popular open source ecommerce solution available. Built to help users turn any WordPress site into an ecommerce store, this ecommerce solution was created by the equally popular WooThemes. When it comes to content, WooCommerce is the best cms for ecommerce.

Unfortunately, as you start looking at more complex features with WooCommerce, the cost of setting up your ecommerce store can quickly rise. The same is true of support – it comes in the form of a purchased product for this solution. On the flip side, WooCommerce scales beautifully and as a result is a frequent ecommerce platform choice for large enterprises, although it works just as well for small and medium shops.

Who’s Using WooCommerce?

• Mystery Chocolate Box
• Le Marzocco
• Subaru
• Airstream
• New Balance

X Cart Ecommerce Platform

X-Cart is a solid open source platform. This PHP shopping cart offers something you won’t find in most freemium carts. A lifetime license. Built on solid source code with an extensive feature set available for paid plans, X Cart offers hosted and self-install options.

Although the feature list is impressive, upgrading can be expensive – we’re talking $495+. For a store that’s performing well, it’s a decent option and considering the license is a lifetime one, it’s not a bad deal.

You’ll need to manually code and use HTML to get the most out of this ecommerce option, but there’s ample room to customize if you’ve got the time or staff.

They do have great design and development support along with hosting to make things easier for the less technical. Their enterprise edition is also worth a look. Theres also no transaction fees.

Who’s Using X Cart?

• OrthoticShop
• O-cha.com
• La Mer Collections
• Goat Milk Stuff

Ecwid

Ecwid by Lightspeed is an open-source ecommerce platform and widget. It can stand alone or integrate with other platforms.

If you’ve already got a business website, you can use the Ecwid plugin to add an existing website with a few lines of code without needing to rebuild your website.

Ecwid provides paid packages, too, for those who want more services and hosting built-in. There’s a free-forever option, but it is limited to a single-page design with only ten products and doesn’t include the opportunity to sell digital products.

If your business needs advanced ecommerce features, you’ll need something other than Ecwid.

Who’s Using Ecwid?

• Edenhouse Solutions Limited
• ScufGaming
• LeSite

BranchBob

Based in Germany, BranchBob was founded in 2018. It supports merchants in over 150 countries.

BranchBob is a free ecommerce platform that’s hosted for you. It includes product management, inventory management, order management, customer management, and business intelligence features.

When you sign up, you’ll be given a subdomain like teststore123.mybranchbob.com. You’ll need to purchase a domain and link it to your account if you wish to have a more personalized URL for your online store.

BranchBob works with multiple payment gateways, including:

• PayPal
• Stripe
• Paymill
• Amazon Pay
• Credit Card
• Cash on invoice
• Cash on delivery
• Cash on pickup

You will have payment processing fees through each payment processor you choose to use. However, there are no BranchBob transaction fees.

BranchBob is entirely free to use, though some available add-ons may come with a fee. You can find these apps in the App Marketplace. Each app has pricing displayed to decide what functions you need to add to your store.

For instance, the Staff Accounts app allows you to add more staff accounts to your store for €9.99/month. The Coupons app, which will enable you to offer discount codes to customers, is available for €4.99/month.

Many apps, like Google Shopping and Pinterest, are available for free.

BranchBob also supports a variety of shipping methods. Whether you’re shipping domestically or internationally, you can set up shipping to meet your needs.

If you want to check out the platform before setting up a store of your own, there’s a demo available on the website. There doesn’t appear to be a demo of the backend at this time.

Who’s Using BranchBob?

• Ifidori
• Vineyard Streyrer
• Franz Josef
• Blumenmarie

nopCommerce

nopCommerce is an open-source eCommerce platform, developed on ASP.NET technology and powering more than 60,000 live stores. The platform has been downloaded more than 3,000,000 times. Due to its flexible architecture it is easy to develop custom functionality and follow any business requirements. For those who don’t have much technical knowledge, there exists a pre-installed version.

nopCommerce offers powerful sales and marketing tools for both B2B and B2C such as multi-store or multi-vendor out-of-the-box. The platform is absolutely free, hence there is a $250 white-label fee to remove the “Powered by nopCommerce” link from the footer of the site.

Who’s Using nopCommerce?

• Volvo Cars Collection
• Harman / Kardon
• Turkish airlines 

Adobe Commerce

With more than 200,000 users, the Adobe Commerce Community Edition is one of the most popular open-source ecommerce platforms available. Although it isn’t as robust as the Adobe Commerce Enterprise edition, the Adobe Commerce Open source Community Edition is still a strong choice for ecommerce stores that are committed to the idea of a free platform.

Who’s Using Adobe Commerce Community or Adobe CommerceEnterprise?

• Hello!Lucky
• Brewshop (New Zealand)
• Hu2 (UK, ships worldwide)
• Blik
• Bonobos

See: The Ultimate Adobe Commerce vs Shopify Comparison

PrestaShop

PrestaShop boasts that more than 250,000 stores use their ecommerce platform. The forum for PrestaShop has more than 850,000 members and customers include Zippo Lighters and Fashion Stork, among others. The popularity of this open source ecommerce platform extends to more than 200 countries and as a result, PrestaShop has been translated into 65 languages.

PrestaShop is so well liked by developers and users, the platform has racked up awards around the world:

• Packt Publishing’s Best Open Source Business Application (two times)
• 2013 BSOCO Award in the CMS category
• 2013 #1 Open Source Shopping Cart Software by EcommerceBytes Seller’s Choice Awards

Who’s Using PrestaShop?

• Timefy
• Zippo
• Fashion Stork
• Eleven Paris

OpenCart

Well aware that appearances matter, OpenCart offers more than 2,700 themes. The platform is used by 576,862 ecommerce sites, but 4,841 of these are in the top 1 million sites on Alexa.com – not a bad number for a relatively small ecommerce platform.

The OpenCart community is welcoming and very active. Although the platform was created in Hong Kong, the majority of users are in the United States. OpenCart is multicurrency, multilingual, and offers more than 20 payment gateways as well as eight shipping methods.

One feature many OpenCart users enjoy is the turnkey nature of this open source ecommerce platform – there’s no need to mess with code at the start.

Who’s Using OpenCart?

• Cilantro: The Cook’s Shop
• British Red Cross (UK)

osCommerce

The frontend of this open source ecommerce platform’s demo feels a bit like a dated version of Amazon. After 16 years in business, osCommerce should be performing stronger in the market than it is – especially considering the availability of more than 7,000 add-ons and two spinoff projects that have claimed a strong place in the ecommerce platform field.

Maybe os stands for old-school?

Unfortunately for osCommerce, only 13,300 stores currently use this platform, despite an active community with more than 285,720 members and more than 1.6 million posts. In major need of an update, osCommerce has a loyal open source developer following but little ability to compete in the modern ecommerce field without some major changes.

Who’s Using osCommerce?

• Ubuntu Shop
• Melbourne Kitchen Renovations (Australia)
• SoundControl4Less
• Parsiaco (Iran)

Joomla

Joomla is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) that can be used for many types of websites – not just ecommerce. It launched in 2000, and the community has more than 200,000 members.

Within the core framework, you can find inventory control systems, custom product catalogs, and more.

The extensions marketplace makes adding more functionality to your Joomla website easy. There are more than 6,000 to choose from, including ecommerce shopping carts, help desks, live chat, directories, and more.

Who’s Using Joomla?

• IKEA
• Holiday Inn
• Lipton Ice Tea

Zen Cart

Originally based on osCommerce’s code, the two parted ways in 2003 when Zen Cart decided to place a heavier focus on templates. Today, this free ecommerce platform provides users with a 390+ page user’s manual and a host of features – not to mention more than 1800 add-ons in 16 different categories. The related community is large, too. There are more than 150,000 members in the Zen Cart community.

Who’s Using Zen Cart?

• US Armorment
• Health Cabin
• The Hobby Shop
• Pipe Divan

MailChamp Open Commerce

MailChimp Open Commerce, formerly known as Reaction Commerce, is a modular commerce stack with API first. It’s built using GraphQL, React, and Node.js.

It’s possible to use the tech stack in place of or in addition to your own. Use only the modules you need so that you can build the solution your business needs.

You can customize your installation with a variety of plugins, either with the ones you build or ones the community members have built.

VirtueMart (Joomla)

Designed for use with Joomla 2.5 and 3 (with a version for Joomla 4 on the way soon!), VirtueMart boasts more than 500 features, stores around the globe, and an engaged and active developer community. The platform boasts 348, 487 users, of which only 995 are in the top 1 million sites. The vast majority of ecommerce websites using VirtueMart are based in the United States or Russia.

The core system of VirtueMart is very small, with only 3-5 developers working actively on it. On the other hand, input from the developer community is openly accepted and there are 316,371 members. This open source PHP ecommerce solution isn’t a newcomer to ecommerce – VirtueMart is a German company that’s been around since 2004. The platform isn’t friendly to the nontech crowd – you’ll need a developer who is well-versed in the Joomla CMS system and PHP software to really be able to use this platform. It’s also easy to spend a small fortune on plug-ins and add-ons for this platform. Watch your wallet.

Who’s Using VirtueMart?

• Produtti Herbalife (Italy)
• DPModa (Bulgaria)
• 3D Puzzle Welt (Europe)
• U Can Fix It (Canada)

Drupal Commerce (Drupal)

One of the most comprehensive open source ecommerce platforms available, Drupal Commerce was built by the Commerce Guys and offers multilingual, multicurrency, global functionality – making it the perfect fit for sits like Open Sesame, an e-learning language course provider.

Drupal readily integrates with numerous third-party applications. It’s currently one of the only ecommerce platforms built on a CMS (Drupal Content Management System), making it innately compatible with a strong content marketing strategy. Like many other open source platforms, it’s the support that will cost you – Commerce Guys offers Drupal Commerce application support is very expensive. That makes sense when you see their client list. Drupal Commerce is popular with large enterprises.

Who’s Using Drupal Commerce?

• Open Sesame
• Lush Cosmetics
• Cartier Jewelers

KonaKart

KonaKart is a Java-based ecommerce platform that uses AJAX technology. The community edition is targeted at small businesses and non-profit organizations. To use this version of the software, you must display “Powered By KonaKart” with a link to their website on the main page of your online store.

The Community Edition is available for download on the official website and includes everything you need – except the MySQL database. There are detailed installation instructions and a full demo available on the site.

In addition to the community version, they offer a paid enterprise version that’s hosted in the cloud. It includes a wider variety of extensions, such as:

• Multi-Store
• Multi-Vendor
• Indexed Search
• Suggested Search
• And more.

Who’s Using KonaKart?

• Playstation
• Penfolds
• Tallink
• Oordedoo
• Telekom Austria Group

PimCore

PimCore is a digital platform built with PHP. It’s built with multiple modules, so you can pick and choose what you need. Modules include CMS, product information management (PIM), digital asset management (DAM), and ecommerce functions.

The API-driven open source ecommerce platform is a great choice for both B2C and B2B businesses. It’s a headless commerce framework that works with over 500 sales channels, from marketplaces to online shops, social media platforms, and more.

Who’s Using PimCore?

• Pepsi
• Audi
• Ortovox
• Intersport

Spree Commerce

Spree Commerce is a headless open source ecommerce platform built on RoR, so it’s backed with stellar security.

If you’ve got the coding know-how or can afford a developer who does, however, this platform will scale with you. The popular fast-food chain Chipotle uses Spree Commerce, and the platform has been translated into 30 languages.

Whether you’re looking to run one store, multiple stores, start your own multi-vendor marketplace, or work in the B2B space, Spree Commerce could be an effective solution.

If you don’t want to handle the hosting and technical aspects of your website, you can purchase Spree as a Service. It hosts everything in the cloud, with more than 50 third-party integrations.

More than 45,000 stores are using Spree Commerce, and not just because it’s affordable. Feature-loaded and named a top 50 open source project out of more than 3 million, it’s visually appealing, modern, and the developer community is large and active.

Who Uses Spree Commerce?

• Blue Apron
• Nuherbs
• Garmentory

CS-Cart

CS-Cart was developed in 2005 and is part of the Simtech conglomerate. The basic version offers an ecommerce site for one store.

They also offer a Multi-Vendor solution. It’s an ideal choice for people who want to build an ecommerce website that allows multiple vendors. Want to build something like Amazon, Etsy, or AliExpress? Then CS-Cart Multi-Vendor could be the answer.

It has a mobile app, an advanced vendor payout system, easy to configure vendor plans, category commissions, advanced vendor restrictions, and more.

It supports over 70 payment methods, multiple languages, taxes, and currencies. It works with eight shipping methods, supporting the largest carriers across the globe.

CS-Cart is self-hosted, and the open-source framework includes more than 500 ecommerce functionalities, themes, and additional integrations.

It’s worth noting, however, that the platform isn’t entirely free. Multi-Vendor offers a 15-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The Multi-Vendor platform is offered for a one-time cost ranging from $1,450 to $7,500, depending on the plan you choose. The price you pay is based on the features you need.

The platform includes a layout editor, SEO and marketing tools, a CMS, and more, so it should have everything you need.

Plus, if there’s anything else you need as you scale your marketplace business, you can build custom integrations and features. You’ll need a developer to help you, of course, but it is often worth it to skip monthly fees.

You can host vendors that you control from the admin panel, while vendors register much the same way they would on any other marketplace. After you approve the vendors, they can build their storefronts.

Who’s Using CS-Cart Multi-Vendor?

• ShopClues
• BenessereMarket
• HardwareAndTools
• family leisure

Solidus

Solidus is built on Ruby on Rails, like Shopify. RoR allows for flexibility with change management and strong security. It’s an ideal open-source solution for high-volume retail store owners.

Solidus has a wide range of integrations, including TransferWise, PayPal, Stripe, TaxCloud, and more.

There’s an active support community on Stack Overflow and plenty of documentation available to help. Slack users can also join a community there for networking and support.

You can see a full demo of the platform on the official website, so you can be sure it fits your brand before committing to it.

Who’s Using Solidus?

• Garten
• Bevv
• Hiki
• Glossier
• Floyd
• Maisonette

Sylius

Sylius is an open-source headless ecommerce platform designed for mid-market and enterprise brands that need custom solutions. It’s built on the Symfony framework. Though it’s marketed as a solution for the fashion industry, it can work for any industry.

The Community Edition supports over 3,500 merchants. There are more than 55 partners and 350 plugins to extend your store’s functionality. Over 650 developers contribute to the project, which has over 80,000 downloads in the last 30 days.

As an API-first solution, you can pick and choose the elements you want to add to your store. It includes:

• POS
• PIM
• CMS
• Progressive Web Apps (PWA)
• Mobile app

For enterprise customers, there’s the Sylius Plus version with dedicated support. Every account gets a customer success manager to help ensure you’re getting the best use of the platform. Sylius Plus includes:

• Advanced multi-store functionality
• Returns management
• Multi-source inventory
• Loyalty system

Who Uses Sylius?

• Interspot
• BestValue
• Relias & Chateaux
• HBX
• Reiss

Saleor

Saleor is a headless ecommerce solution designed for midsize and enterprise solutions. It’s built on the Django framework with Python, JAMstack, Next.js, and GraphQL.

It’s more than an online store – it’s also a PWA, so customers can shop even when they’re offline.

It’s built for global sales, with multi-channel, multicurrency support. Developers can customize the platform to meet their needs.

There’s a very large community of people working to ensure the platform remains fast and effective.

Who Uses Saleor?

• LUSH Cosmetics
• Butterfly
• Pretty Green
• RoomLab
• Patch

Zeuscart

Zeuscart doesn’t hide their developer-centric nature. Land on the home page, and you’ll be greeted with enough acronyms to chase off anyone who isn’t an avid programmer. MySQL. PHP. GPL license. You get the idea.

No matter how much programming knowledge you have, Zeuscart is a decent open source ecommerce solution. Their focus on the UX of their platform makes the platform less intimidating than many other open source options.

Zeuscart was built with Bootstrap and is designed with small and medium businesses in mind. It is feature rich and marketing friendly, boasts a decent community, and offered free support for the first 30 days with paid support from that point on. This could have been an ecommerce platform worth watching. Unfortunately, the website and social media feeds seem to have been abandoned in 2014, although you can still download the ecommerce platform from the Zuescart website.

Who’s Using Zeuscart?

• [queried Zeuscart Support. Waiting for reply.]

CubeCart

This British open source ecommerce solution is popular on both sides of the pond – in fact, they’ve got a decent following in many parts of the globe. CubeCart uses a 100% template-driven responsive skin to look good across devices. Great customer support, social media plugins, unlimited products, administrators, customers, orders…you name it. This cart is setting itself apart as a member of the new generation of ecommerce open source platforms. That said, it’s no Shopify or BigCommerce and you won’t be able to get phone support, although you’ll find live help on the site.

CubeCart scales decently but is not equipped for large enterprises. It integrates with several common applications, such as MailChimp, but can’t compete with OpenCart for the number of third-party integrations available.

Who’s Using CubeCart?

• Harris Organic Wines
• Kula Cards
• Orchid Jacky

Odoo

Odoo is an open-source business suite. Beyond the ecommerce platform, they also offer accounting software and a CRM.

Odoo Ecommerce uses a drag-and-drop website builder to customize your site as necessary. It’s easy to install themes and customize them with HTML and CSS.

You can accept payments from multiple payment gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, SIPS Worldline, Ingenico, Buckaroo, and others.

It also includes a free inventory management system that makes it easy to manage sales and stock. Odoo also features dedicated customer portals, so that customer data remains organized. Each customer can log in to download order information and invoices and check the order status at any time.

Shipping integrations include UPS, FedEx, DHL, and the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Odoo also offers other apps to round out your business needs, including:

• CRM
• Sales
• Project management
• Time Tracking
• Helpdesk
• Accounting and invoicing
• And more.

Who’s Using Oodo?

• XO2
• ikonhouse
• Coffizz
• Union are

Bagisto

Bagisto is an open-source option built on Laravel. Founded in 2010, it is ISO, and NSR certified and one of a few 100% self-bootstrapped companies.

The platform includes a lot of native features without needing to install extensions. But, if you need something that’s not already part of the functionality, you can browse the extension marketplace.

With extensions, you’ll be able to add features such as:

• Multi-vendor marketplace
• Point of Sale (POS)
• B2B ecommerce
• Mobile app

Extensions may come with a premium charge.

If you’re interested in seeing what it looks like before you start building your site, there’s a full demo version available on the official website. You can explore it in depth to make sure it’s right for your needs before committing.

You’ll need to invest in your own web hosting to use Bagisto, but with more than 45,000 downloads and a high rating on GitHub, it can be worth it for many merchants.

Who’s Using Bagisto?

• Doodlebone
• Barkev’s
• Urban Beagle
• Shop Panther

Shopware

Shopware, founded in 2000, is an open-source ecommerce platform from a German software developer. It’s built with Symfony powering the backend and Vue.js powering the frontend.

There’s a large developer community with over 4,000 extensions to add more functionality.

Though it’s not as popular in the United States, there are over 100,000 companies using the Shopware platform to run their online stores.

Who Uses Shopware?

• Aston Martin
• Douglas
• Thyssenkrupp
• Philips
• M&Ms

Apache OFBiz

Apache OFBiz is a business application suite. It’s built on a Java-based web framework. It features a variety of core modules developers can use to further create customizations as needed. These modules include:

• Accounting
• Order Management, ecommerce, and CRM
• Warehousing and Inventory
• Manufacturing & MRP

Features include:

• Product and catalog management
• Pricing and promotion management
• Supply chain fulfillment
• Contracts, payments, and billing

If you want to see how it works, you can check out the demo. However, to make this open-source ecommerce platform work for you, you’ll need to hire a developer.

Who’s Using OFBiz?

• United Continental Holdings
• Sonata Software

Spryker

Spryker is a commercial product, but the source code is available to the public. Developers can access the code on GitHub and customize it to meet your online business needs.

Spryker was founded in 2014 and is based in Berlin, Germany. The commercial version is available as a platform as a service (PaaS). It works for multiple business models: B2C, B2B, D2C, and marketplace.

Who’s Using Spryker?

• Mercado Mayco
• Murdoch’s
• Mytheresa

AbanteCart

AbanteCart is a free, open-source shopping cart application built on PHP. Out of the box, it has a variety of enterprise-grade features, so it works for businesses of all sizes. Features include:

• Integrated analytics and reporting
• Automated tax calculations
• Extensions marketplace to add functionality as needed (some extensions cost money)

It’s built with a responsive design so that no matter what device you or your customers use, it works.

If there’s a feature you need but cannot find in the extension marketplace, a developer can build it and integrate it with your installation. It’s possible to upload and sell extensions in the marketplace, too, for an additional stream of revenue.

Who’s Using AbanteCart?

• iSpring Water Systems
• Flags Plus, Inc.
• Vacuum Pumps
• PiShop Inc.

Shopsys Framework

The Shopsys Framework offers a Community Edition and a Commerce Cloud Edition. The Commerce Cloud version is paid because it includes hosting, along with additional premium features, a service level agreement, and more.

Pricing is based on your company’s GMV, though the Community Edition allows for up to 12M €/year limit.

The Community Edition is free to use and open-source so that you can customize it to create the ecommerce store you want.

You can use the Shopsys Framework to develop a variety of solutions, from a basic ecommerce website to large B2B platforms and hybrid solutions.

As your business grows, it’s also possible to integrate it with external systems such as an ERP, PIM, and WMS.

Who Uses Shopsys Framework?

• Scott
• Office Depot
• Demos
• Emos
• PRUSA Research

Vue Storefront

Vue Storefront is a frontend platform for headless commerce. Because it only powers the frontend, you will need a separate solution to power the backend of your online store.

Vue is built with Vue.js and Nuxt.js. It is compatible with these platforms for the backend:

• Spree
• Spryker
• Sylius
• BigCommerce
• Shopify
• Salesforce Ecommerce Cloud
• Commerce Tools
• Scale
• Magento, now Adobe Commerce
• Fabric
• Storefront UI
• Shopware (PWA)

Beyond the ecommerce platform integrations, it also integrates with headless CMS solutions and payment processors, including:

• Storyblok
• Contentstack
• Contentful
• Amplience
• Bloomreach
• LexasCMS
• PayPal
• Stripe
• Mollie
• Klarna
• Google Pay
• Checkout.com
• Braintree
• Apple Pay
• Adyen

Third-party service integrations include:

• Webeyez
• Uniform
• Algolia
• Cloudinary
• Constructor.io

With over 1,000 live implementations, 100+ agency partners, and a community of more than 4,500 members, it is one of the fastest-growing open-source ecommerce platforms on the market today.

It also includes a PWA so you can provide shopping experiences like native apps do while improving site performance and customization.

Vue Storefront is part of the MACH Alliance. They are a community of software providers and tech vendors championing for the MACH approach:

• Microservices
• API-First
• Cloud-Native
• Headless

Who Uses Vue Storefront

• Love Crafts
• Zadig&Voltaire
• Netatomo
• Gastro Hero
• Tallly Weijl

Broadleaf Commerce

Broadleaf Commerce is built on Java and Spring Framework. It’s a headless commerce platform that uses APIs packaged as modules, so you can pick and choose what you need for your website.

It also offers multi-site ecommerce, so you can easily manage several brands with separate catalogs, customers, carts, and more.

There’s also marketplace ecommerce and support for subscription services.

B2B ecommerce solutions are also available.

The BoradLeaf Community Edition is the free version of the software. The Enterprise version requires a paid license. You must reach out to someone to request pricing information.

Who’s Using Broadleaf Commerce?

• Tuesday Morning
• NordicTrack
• MLB
• O’Reilly Auto Parts

OroCommerce

OroCommerce is a B2B ecommerce platform that’s great for self-service ecommerce websites, customer portals, and wholesale portals.

In addition to the open-source version, OroCommerce offers a cloud-hosted version for those who want to use the software without the hassle of dealing with their own hosting and installation management.

OroCommerce is backed by more than 200,000 community developers, works in over 100 countries, and has more than 40 solution integrators.

If you’re interested in creating a multi-vendor system, Oro also offers OroMarketplace.

Who’s Using OroCommerce?

• Animal Supply Co.
• TruPar
• Aldo
• SaltWorks

The Open Source Ecommerce Platform Graveyard

On our original list, we had many popular platforms that are now defunct. These include:

• JigoShop (WordPress)
• WP Ecommerce (WordPress)
• Ubercart (Drupal)
• SimpleCart.js
• eCommerce
• Tomato Cart
• RokQuickCart (Joomla)
• Shoop

Because many open source projects rely on developers to provide development services for free, it’s always a labor of love. Countless developers pour hours of time into these projects and often get nothing in return.

Maintaining source code is a lot of work, and if there aren’t enough developers contributing to the project, it’s easy for it to fall behind in terms of security and features. This translates to fewer users overall, which makes the project less popular. Eventually, usage and development dwindle, and the platform disappears.

With the surge in software as a service (SaaS) ecommerce platforms, open-source business apps are falling by the wayside. Considering a platform like BranchBob offers free ecommerce platforms with hosting included, there’s less demand for open-source software.

Is Open Source Ecommerce Really Free?

Open source ecommerce solutions offer a wide range of features and complexity. Before choosing one, you need to be honest with yourself about your web developer skills and your budget to pay for support and help. Regardless of price point, however, an open source platform with an active developer community offers the benefit of a global community of people working to improve the software.

At the same time, it’s usually the freemium plans that have a dedicated team of full-time developers and support. If you need help and you aren’t using a freemium open source platform with the option of paid technical help, you might find yourself in trouble if you come across a new bug in the code.

Now that you’ve seen a sample of the web’s top open source ecommerce platforms, take a moment to think about them. Did one wow you? Go check it out. Already using an open source ecommerce solution? Tell us about your experience in the comments. If you have some dev skills, you should give X-Cart a try. And if you aren’t sold on open commerce, check out the list of top ecommerce platforms we mentioned at the start of this article.

No matter what your budget is, you’ll find the perfect solution for your e-commerce site. Just remember to keep looking until you find the right mix of front and backend UX, features, loading speed, and scalability.