Alternatives / BigCommerce
Looking for an open source BigCommerce alternative? We compared 9 open source ecommerce platforms and storefronts by license, headless support, self-hosting, and extensibility. They range from ready-made WordPress and Laravel stores to headless APIs and storefront toolkits.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Medusa | Headless commerce in TypeScript (has Enterprise files) | MIT + proprietary Enterprise Edition files |
| Bagisto | Laravel stores and marketplaces | MIT |
| Saleor | GraphQL-first headless commerce | BSD-3-Clause |
| Spree Commerce | B2B and multi-vendor on Rails | BSD-3-Clause + Enterprise Edition |
| WooCommerce | Stores on WordPress | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Alokai | Composable storefronts (frontend only) | BSD-3-Clause (npm packages; no root license file) |
| Your Next Store | Stripe-powered Next.js storefront | MIT |
| Solidus | Customizable Rails stores | BSD-3-Clause |
| Shopware | Feature-rich PHP commerce | MIT |
We looked for open-source tools that overlap with BigCommerce's core: a store with products, carts, checkout, orders, and an API for custom storefronts. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and self-hosting in its repository. BigCommerce is a hosted platform, so we separate full store platforms from headless backends and frontend toolkits, and we flag open-core licenses. See our methodology for the full criteria.
WooCommerce, Bagisto, Shopware, Solidus, and Spree are full store platforms. Medusa and Saleor are headless backends, so you build the storefront yourself. Alokai and Your Next Store are frontend layers, and Alokai needs a separate commerce backend behind it.
Medusa, Saleor, and Spree are closest to BigCommerce's headless, API-first side, offering product, cart, and order APIs plus a dashboard. Shopware and Bagisto are closest to a ready-made store with admin, themes, and extensions, and WooCommerce is the most familiar choice for WordPress sites.
Medusa is MIT, except for proprietary Enterprise Edition files that need a commercial agreement. Spree is BSD-3-Clause, with features such as multi-tenant SaaS in a paid Enterprise Edition. Alokai's npm packages are BSD-3-Clause, but its repository has no root license file and the full platform is paid cloud.
Bagisto, Shopware, and Your Next Store are MIT. Saleor, Solidus, and Spree are BSD-3-Clause, and WooCommerce is GPL-2.0-or-later. Medusa is MIT with proprietary Enterprise Edition materials.
Medusa, Bagisto, Saleor, Spree, WooCommerce, Your Next Store, Solidus, and Shopware were all updated within days of this update. Alokai's last commit was in April 2026 and its last tagged release was in April 2025, so its development is slower.
BigCommerce is a proprietary hosted platform with plan-based pricing, sales thresholds that push you to higher tiers, transaction limits on some plans, and limited control over the backend. Open-source alternatives let you self-host, own your data and code, avoid platform fees, and build custom storefronts, at the cost of running the store, handling security and updates, and assembling payments and hosting yourself.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medusa | Headless commerce | MIT + Enterprise files | Yes | Custom storefronts |
| Bagisto | Store platform (Laravel) | MIT | Yes | Marketplaces and B2B |
| Saleor | Headless commerce | BSD-3-Clause | Yes | GraphQL APIs |
| Spree Commerce | Store platform (Rails) | BSD-3-Clause + Enterprise | Yes | B2B and multi-vendor |
| WooCommerce | WordPress plugin | GPL-2.0-or-later | Yes | WordPress sites |
| Alokai | Storefront framework | BSD-3-Clause (packages) | Yes | Composable frontends |
| Your Next Store | Next.js storefront | MIT | Yes | Stripe-powered stores |
| Solidus | Store platform (Rails) | BSD-3-Clause | Yes | Customizable stores |
| Shopware | Store platform (PHP) | MIT | Yes | Feature-rich stores |
Want a headless commerce backend in TypeScript
Medusa offers modular commerce APIs and a plugin ecosystem, though some Enterprise Edition files are proprietary.
Want a GraphQL-first headless API
Saleor is a BSD-3-Clause Django backend with a GraphQL API, multichannel support, and a Next.js storefront option.
Want a ready-made Laravel store or marketplace
Bagisto is an MIT Laravel platform with multi-vendor, multi-currency, a headless API, and a Flutter mobile app.
Want B2B or multi-vendor commerce on Rails
Spree offers a REST API, TypeScript SDKs, and a Next.js storefront, with some features in a paid Enterprise Edition.
Already run a WordPress site
WooCommerce adds a store to WordPress with a huge plugin ecosystem, though scaling may need optimization.
Want a feature-rich PHP store with extensions
Shopware is MIT-licensed with a headless API, CMS, rule builder, and a large extension marketplace.
Want a Stripe-powered Next.js storefront
Your Next Store is an MIT Next.js template that is tied to the Stripe ecosystem.