6 Top Open-Source Ecommerce Platforms (2026)

An open-source ecommerce platform provides the structure you need to develop an ecommerce website while allowing for customization through access to the platform’s source code.

In this guide, you’ll learn how open-source ecommerce platforms work, what distinguishes the best ones available, and how to decide between an open-source platform and a software-based solution like Shopify.

What is open-source ecommerce?

Open-source ecommerce refers to any ecommerce software that provides users full access to its source code. This allows business owners to modify and customize it to meet their needs. Open-source software is typically, but not always, free to download and use.

Open-source is one of two main types of ecommerce platforms, the other being software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecommerce. SaaS is cloud-based software that allows you to access subscription-licensed software online. Shopify, for example, is a SaaS ecommerce platform.

How does open-source ecommerce work?

Here’s how an open-source ecommerce framework works:

Downloading the code

The first step to launching a store with an open-source ecommerce solution is downloading the source code. Open-source platform providers provide direct download links on their websites or on open-source software libraries like GitHub.

Customizing the code

Some open-source platforms, like WooCommerce and OpenCart, come with templates to jumpstart your store building. If you want to make more changes to the template, you have to alter the platform’s source code. 

You might be able to do some coding using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like Claude and ChatGPT. Still, a baseline of coding knowledge can help ensure your coding changes work as intended.

Adding apps and extensions

Open-source ecommerce platforms have apps and integrations that provide additional functionality and customization options. For example, you might add an inventory management application to help you keep track of your product stock, or a shipping extension to help you print shipping labels and track packages.

You can add these extensions through the platform’s app marketplace, a multivendor marketplace, or a third-party developer. 

These extensions sometimes carry monthly subscription costs (like extensions in the WooCommerce Marketplace) or one-time fees (like extensions from Bagisto). They can also be free, as is the case with Medusa’s community-sourced integrations that use the platforms’ application programming interface (API).

Open-source ecommerce vs. SaaS ecommerce

Here are some comparisons between using open-source ecommerce and SaaS platforms.

	Open source	SaaS
Cost	Software is often free, but hosting, extensions, and development support cost extra.	Subscription model with predictable monthly costs that include hosting and a range of features.
Customization	Complete access to source code with unlimited customization, but requires technical know-how.	Customizable within platform limitations through no- or low-code interfaces.
Security	The business owner is responsible for updates, PCI compliance, and security monitoring.	Built-in security features with regular updates and PCI compliance generally included.

Factors to consider when choosing an ecommerce software

• Ease of use and technical skill
• Support and updates
• Customization and flexibility
• Security
• Budget and total cost of ownership

Here are some factors to consider when searching for the best ecommerce platform for your business:

Ease of use and technical skill 

SaaS ecommerce platforms like Shopify are designed to be user-friendly, with drag-and-drop site builders that let you customize product pages, checkout flows, navigation bars, and more without learning how to code. Some even have AI site builders that let you design a unique store in minutes. 

Open-source platforms may give you more control, but you’ll need to code to implement any customizations.

Even if you do have the technical know-how to sell online with an open-source site, upkeep on an open-source platform can get frustrating. This was the experience of Ryan Bartlett, founder of clothing brand True Classic. 

Ryan worked in web development for other companies before choosing SaaS for his own ecommerce site. He often used the open-source WordPress platform in his work for clients.

“I knew what a nightmare it was,” Ryan says in a Shopify Masters interview. “I have had the white screen of death more times than you can count, where you’re in a PHP file and a period is off, and the whole site goes black or white. You’re sitting there and the client’s going, ‘What’s happening?’ and you're like, ‘I don’t know.’” 

Ryan tried WooCommerce, too, but found that sites also broke often. He ultimately opted for a SaaS platform instead of doing the coding himself.

“It was a no-brainer starting out that I wanted to take that off my plate,” says Ryan. “Even though I had some dev experience, I didn’t want to be fixing the site at two in the morning. I just wanted an easy plug-and-play [experience].”

SaaS platforms like Shopify also have AI tools you can use to streamline the processes of creating and maintaining an ecommerce site. Shopify’s AI website builder, for example, lets you create a professional looking site in minutes, and its Sidekick tool can help you configure your site.

Support and updates

SaaS providers like Shopify can provide 24/7 support through phone, live chat, or email to help you resolve any issues or answer questions. Some open-source platforms, like OpenCart and nopCommerce, provide this direct support, but others, such as WooCommerce and Medusa, don’t. In these cases, you’ll need to look to help center documentation, AI assistants, or community forums where users ask and answer questions.

You’ll be responsible for all software updates, bug fixes, and technical troubleshooting. SaaS tools, on the other hand, routinely update their products and key features. For example, every six months Shopify releases Editions, a roundup that collates everything new across the platform. 

The spring 2026 version of Editions, called Everywhere, included more than 150 product updates, including one that lets you use the AI tool Sidekick within apps and another that helps AI agents find your products. 

Customization and flexibility 

If you have a developer on staff, an open-source platform can provide long-term flexibility, since you can build custom features and tweak the code to meet your business’s changing needs. 

However, closed-source SaaS platforms can also pack powerful customization features that work well for both tech novices and seasoned pros. Some SaaS platforms even allow for a headless approach. A headless framework lets you develop the front and back ends separately, which allows you to customize one side of the site without affecting the other. 

Meat subscription box company ButcherBox, for example, built a headless system on Shopify. ButcherBox was able to increase conversion rates without changing the user experience for customers.

SaaS platforms’ pre-built templates also provide room for customization. They can allow businesses to change the layout and aesthetics of their sites by altering fonts, colors, navigation menus, and more. If you want a fully custom site, Shopify’s Partner directory can help you get in touch with web design pros. 

Even if you plan to hire a professional designer down the road, using prebuilt templates can be helpful. 

“You can use a theme set up almost as an interactive prototype,” says Sara Mote, creative director of design firm Mote Agency.

“I’ve seen so many success stories where someone starts with an existing Shopify theme and they get as far as they can out of the box,” says Sara. “And then you have a sense of where you want to go beyond that with a custom build, like where the opportunities are for further storytelling.”

Security

SaaS platforms provide built-in security safeguards and regularly monitor and improve their software to keep up with the latest technologies. Many also come with PCI compliance, which confirms a website securely handles credit card data. These features let you ensure a secure visitor experience without technical knowledge about web security.

Open-source platforms, on the other hand, require users to install updates, maintain PCI compliance, and monitor site security themselves. Sellers can expose themselves to security vulnerabilities if their stores aren’t properly managed. Because source code is publicly accessible, hackers and bad actors can scrutinize it for weaknesses and exploit any known flaws.

In its 2026 Open Source Security Risk Analysis, cybersecurity company Black Duck found 87% of risk-assessed code bases contained vulnerable open-source code and 78% contained high-risk vulnerabilities. 

Budget and total cost of ownership

While often free to download, open-source platforms can carry hidden costs, leading to a higher total cost of ownership (TCO) than SaaS alternatives. For instance, Shopify found it has a 36% better TCO on average compared to WooCommerce. 

SaaS solutions charge a predictable subscription fee that includes hosting, security, and updates. Open-source software might be free, but you’ll incur costs for hosting, development, maintenance, and customization. You can calculate TCO with Shopify’s free TCO calculator.

Apps and plug-ins can also add to the total cost. SaaS platforms like Shopify can come with ecommerce features such as email marketing tools at no additional cost. An open-source platform may require you to subscribe to a paid extension to add this functionality to your store. 

6 open-source ecommerce platforms

• WooCommerce
• OpenCart
• NopCommerce
• Magento Open Source
• Medusa
• Bagisto

These open-source ecommerce platforms were chosen for their popularity and high user ratings on the software marketplace G2 and the developer platform GitHub as of August 2026. This comparison table provides key differences at a glance:

Platform	Programming language	G2 rating	GitHub stars
WooCommerce	PHP	4.4	10,500
OpenCart	PHP	4.3	8,200
NopCommerce	C#	4.5	10,200
Magento Open Source	PHP	4.0	12,100
Medusa	TypeScript	No rating available	35,900
Bagisto	PHP	No rating available	28,000

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is an ecommerce platform built on the WordPress content management system (CMS).

WooCommerce provides essential ecommerce functions like payment processing, email marketing, and analytics through extensions in its marketplace. Some are developed by Woo, WooCommerce’s parent company, and some by third-parties. For example, you’ll need to add an external email marketing extension to attain the advanced functionality available in the built-in Shopify Messaging. 

WordPress users who prefer fewer extensions may consider a WooCommerce alternative like Shopify’s Buy Button, which adds sales functionality to WordPress sites.

Plans and pricing

WooCommerce is free, but many key ecommerce website features cost extra. For example, the platform offers its own subscription functionality for $279 per year, product bundling for $79 per year, and shipment tracking for $59 per year.

Features

• Over 1,300 extensions, including 150-plus free ones 
• 130 themes, including four free ones
• Uses PHP programming language
• Inventory management via paid extensions
• Shipping with WooCommerce Shipping and integrations with third-party fulfillment partners
• G2 rating: 4.4
• GitHub stars: 10,500

OpenCart

OpenCart is a Hong Kong–based open-source ecommerce platform built with the PHP programming language. The platform follows a “core plus extensions” model, meaning some features require additional downloads. 

OpenCart has a library of more than 20,000 extensions, many of which were contributed by its active developer community. 

Keep in mind community-developed extensions may not be promptly updated when new versions if OpenCart are released. As a result, updating OpenCart could potentially lead to compatibility issues with your extensions. 

However, OpenCart is rare among open-source ecommerce platforms in that it provides customer support (Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Hong Kong Time).

Plans and pricing

OpenCart’s software is free to download and use, but extensions can cost extra. 

Features

• 20,000-plus extensions
• 1,800-plus themes, including 300-plus free ones
• Uses PHP programming language
• Inventory management via extensions
• Shipping via extensions
• G2 rating: 4.3
• GitHub stars stars: 8,200

nopCommerce

NopCommerce is a free open-source ecommerce platform based in Armenia. It appeals to businesses using Microsoft technologies, since it’s built on Microsoft’s ASP.NET framework and uses the C# programming language.

There are two download options: a source code version for web developers and a one-click-install version for users who may not possess the necessary technical expertise. It’s also headless. G2 reviewers have noted that the platform has a user-friendly interface and is all-around relatively easy to use.

Plans and pricing

NopCommerce is free to download and use, but many extensions are paid, including ones for shipping . 

Features

• 1,000-plus extensions, 600-plus of which are free
• 75-plus themes, 30-plus of which are free
• Uses C# programming language
• Headless 
• G2 rating: 4.5
• GitHub stars: 10,200

Magento Open Source

Magento Open Source is a PHP-based open-source ecommerce solution acquired by Adobe in 2018. Adobe has since built its enterprise SaaS product, Adobe Commerce, on the same core codebase. 

The open-source version is available to developers via GitHub, along with a number of extensions. Thousands of compatible extensions can also be found on the Commerce marketplace. Note that multiple G2 users said that Magento Open Source has a steep learning curve.

Plans and pricing

Magento Open Source is free to download, while extensions may be paid.

Features

• 3,500-plus extensions and themes via GitHub and Commerce marketplace
• Uses PHP programming language
• Inventory management via extensions
• Built-in shipping integrations with carriers, including UPS, USPS, DHL, and FedEx
• G2 rating: 4.0
• GitHub stars: 12,100

Medusa

Medusa is an open-source ecommerce platform that bills itself as a platform “for agents and developers” (meaning AI agents). 

Medusa charges a monthly subscription fee, which makes it different from other open-source platforms. Medusa’s development team releases regular updates and vets community-contributed integrations. 

Medusa offers starter kits including business to consumer (B2C), and business to business (B2B), and marketplaces. These help users launch their ecommerce sites faster by providing key features already built in (like return management for B2C sites).

Plans and pricing

Medusa costs $29 per month for the Develop Plan, $99 per month for the Launch Plan, and $299 per month for the Scale Plan. Pricing for enterprise features is available upon request.

Features

• Uses TypeScript programming language
• Inventory management module
• Shipping and fulfillment module
• No G2 rating available
• GitHub stars: 35,900

Bagisto

Bagisto is an open-source ecommerce platform built on Laravel, an open-source web application framework built with the PHP programming language. Bagisto lets you create multivendor marketplaces, mobile apps, and headless commerce sites, and allows you to integrate AI agents into your site.

Bagisto has four themes and almost 200 extensions, some free and some paid. Note that payment gateway extensions for major payment providers like Stripe carry one-time fees. You’ll also need to pay for Bagisto’s POS and shipping extensions. Some paid extensions, like the one for Stripe, come with three months of free support.

Plans and pricing

Bagisto is free to download and use, but some extensions are paid. Bagisto hosting starts at $30 per month.

Features

• 195-plus extensions
• Uses PHP programming language
• Inventory management module
• Shipping and fulfillment extensions
• Headless
• No G2 rating available
• GitHub stars: 28,000