Top 10 Open-Source Ecommerce Frameworks to Build Websites in 2024

Over the past few years, the expectations of shoppers have totally shifted, with 73% of customers claiming customer experience informs their buying decisions. One thing that keeps customers coming back for more and drives sales down the line - is a functional website.

Interested in opening your own online store? The good news is that you don't need to begin at square one. Using the right tools provided by an open-source ecommerce platform, you are able to create an out-of-sight online shop in no time.

These frameworks are much more reasonably priced and give you enormous flexibility in the molding of your site according to your personal vision. A shocking 90% of startups fail because of poor user experiences, so having a great framework within which to place your time is important. Whether you are looking to be an aspiring entrepreneur or simply look at options, there is a framework that is perfect for your needs.

In our article, we’re going to share with you the top 10 best open-source ecommerce frameworks dominating in 2024. We’ll equip you with the knowledge to make an informed choice that aligns with your business goals and best prepares you for the challenges and open source ecommerce benefits that lie ahead.

SpreeCommerce: A robust Ruby on Rails framework

SpreeCommerce is an open-source ecommerce platform based on Ruby on Rails for building flexible and scalable online stores. It allows one to choose a modular architecture that can be customized or extended with respect to special business requirements.

Leading benefits of SpreeCommerce

SEO-friendly: SpreeCommerce is built to offer best practices in search engine optimization, with which a business can build its online exposure;
Developer-friendly: Based on Ruby on Rails, to many developers, it will feel right at home and can speed up development cycles;
Strong API:Spree can be integrated into other systems within companies, enabling an API-driven ecommerce experience that can be adjusted to enhance user engagement;
Headless architecture: SpreeCommerce follows the headless approach, which enables a business to decouple the frontend from the backend and gives the flexibility to create unique customer experiences across all touchpoints by having powerful backend capabilities.

Proper business types to use SpreeCommerce

These include small to medium-sized enterprises, which find Spree perfect for startup. Equally worthy of mention are customizable ecommerce solutions, which apply to those businesses that require specific features and integrations, keeping in mind the flexibility of the Spree platform.

Finally, B2C and B2B ecommerce frameworks can manage complex product catalogs and transactions quite well with the use of Spree.

Successful sites built with SpreeCommerce

Violet Grey:A Hollywood-chic marketplace with a highly curated selection of beauty products, California, U.S.;
Mason Cycles:A premium bike brand for endurance riders, UK;
MacOnline:An Apple equipment and accessories store from Chile.

Solidus: The flexible fork of SpreeCommerce

Solidus is a complete developer-friendly ecommerce solution built with Ruby on Rails. It is a fork of Spree. Built as a Rails engine, Solidus provides extreme flexibility: you start with a high-quality core and a fully functional backend, but you can customize every single part of the platform using the built-in configuration hooks or through extensions, or Ruby and Rails' built-in overriding mechanisms.

Leading benefits of Solidus

Tailored flexibility: With a modular architecture, Solidus is able to provide the development of a customized online store in which most of the features will be smoothed out during the process but still allows for deep customization whenever required;
Optimized performance: Using cutting-edge technologies, Solidus maximizes site speed and responsiveness to ensure a seamless shopping experience that keeps your customers coming back for more;
Constant integrations & updates: Solidus has an extensive API to connect with any external service out of the box, and its commitment to regular updates will keep your platform secure and up-to-date with the latest features for competitiveness.

Proper business types to use Solidus

These include the SMEs, since Solidus helps in balancing affordability and flexibility for ecommerce solutions. For the startups, the scalability of Solidus will attract them by providing room for the growth of their new ventures. In business-to-business companies, Solidus will accommodate various complex pricing models and custom workflows for business customers. Also, it is fit for marketplace settings since multi-vendor functionality can easily be configured in place.

Successful sites built with Solidus

The Good Trade:A lifestyle website and online shop focused on sustainable and ethical products;
Maisonette:Another successful ecommerce website built with Solidus, specializing in a curated selection of children’s goods.

Magento Open Source: Feature-rich and scalable

Magento is way beyond the concept of an e-commerce framework. It’s an incredibly powerful community-supported ecommerce platform, for the creation of really custom-tailored and highly performing online shops, thus becoming especially appealing for those who want to be outstanding among the competition.

Leading benefits of Magento

Design flexibility: You can create unique UIs that will represent your brand better;
Integration with new technologies: Seamless integration with the latest analytics and marketing tools;
Performance: Engineered to process massive volumes of data with high traffic and can function all the time without issues;
Market adaptability: Can quickly adapt to changes in market situations and consumers' demand.

Proper business types to use Magento

Magento Open Source is well-suited for innovative startups aiming to transform industries, artisan brands targeting niche markets, subscription services, and businesses selling digital products.

Successful sites built with Magento

Helly Hansen:A Norwegian, high-performance outdoor apparel and equipment company who utilizes Magento Open Source to provide an incredibly rich shopping experience for outdoor enthusiasts;
Olympus:Being one of the leading companies producing photographic equipment, Olympus uses Magento Open Source to develop an online store that should gain the interest of both amateur and professional photography lovers.

Saleor: GraphQL-powered ecommerce framework

Saleor is a GraphQL-powered ecommerce framework that can offer a highly flexible and customizable solution to build modern online stores. It will be in your good books, for sure, if you are one of those developers looking forward to crafting fast, responsive user experiences for your online shoppers.

Leading benefits of Saleor

GraphQL API: Fetching data is very effective and allows for faster and more dynamic user experiences;
Headless commerce: Integration with various front-end frameworks can be easily done, hence allowing for a tailored user interface;
Modular architecture: Components are easily customizable as per the business requirement;
Strong developer community: Active support coupled with a lot of resources for troubleshooting and enhancements.

Proper business types to use Saleor

Saleor would fit many different business types. Startups could use it for scalable solutions with low overhead. Niche retailers have better ways to provide customized shopping experiences to specific audiences. Business-to-business companies take advantage of Saleor's support for complex catalogs and pricing structures. It also works for subscription services to let companies manage recurrent products or services.

Successful sites built with Saleor

LUSH Cosmetics:Well-renowned brand for eco-friendly cosmetics and skincare products, using Saleor to create an enhanced online shop for improved customer service;
Seven Cells:A facilitating platform for health and wellness products that use Saleor to introduce ease and efficiency into the interface that their customers use;
Yonder Media Mobile:One-stop agency for mobile solutions and strategies, relies on Saleor for its online presence and sales of its products.

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Vendure: Marketplace-focused ecommerce solution

Vendure is a scalable ecommerce framework targeted for ecommerce marketplace development. The software enables companies to create and manage online platforms through which many sellers can sell their goods or services, offering great variety for consumers. It also includes content management integration.

Leading benefits of Vendure

Multi-vendor support: This will allow multiple vendors to list their products in a marketplace, thus creating a rich multi-vendor marketplace;
Scalable infrastructure: The solution allows your business to scale up or down and provides more product listings with no reduction in performance;
Integrated payment solution: With different modes of payments integrated into the site, it makes transactions easier, fast, and safe;
Robust analytics: Informs about the performance of sales and customer behavior for better decision-making in business.

Proper business types to use Vendure

Vendure supports e-commerce marketplaces of products aggregated into segments like fashion, electronics, and handicrafts. It further facilitates B2B marketplaces by connecting suppliers with retailers or wholesalers. It further caters to niche marketplaces that would deal in specific product categories such as organic goods or handicrafts, and service marketplaces that sell services like freelancing or home services along with physical products.

Successful sites built with Vendure

Crafted Goods:A vibrant marketplace showcasing handmade items from artisans, promoting local craftsmanship and unique creations;
TechZone:An electronics marketplace that aggregates various technology vendors, providing customers with a comprehensive selection of gadgets and accessories.

Medusa: Modern headless ecommerce framework

Medusa is a powerful, open-source ecommerce backend with an extended set of features that allows developers to create all sorts of e-commerce applications, each for different purposes.

Its growing popularity in the developer community calls for exploring how one can build an e-commerce app with Medusa. Another beautiful thing with Medusa is the accommodation of multiple e-commerce app architectures, such as headless, composable, and semi-modular setups, guaranteeing coverage for all scenarios.

Leading benefits of Medusa

Customizable: Being open-source, changes to the source code are possible in Medusa for tailored solutions;
Completeness of features: It has an extensive set of features that allow developers to create a broad set of e-commerce applications;
Developer-friendly: Strong community and easy-to-access documentation simplify the learning curve and support process;
Integration capabilities: Integrates seamlessly with an array of tools and services, driving a connected ecommerce ecosystem.

Proper business types to use Medusa

Medusa is designed to support a number of business types comfortably. It covers retail ecommerce platform flexibility, by providing online stores with all the functionality needed for full inventory and order management of physical goods. For businesses selling digital goods, such as software, e-books, or courses, Medusa provides a safe delivery mechanism. It also supports B2B, providing functionality for large-order fulfillment and flexible pricing.

Successful sites built with Medusa

Matt Sleeps:An ecommerce platform for sleep products featuring personalized shopping experiences;
Foraged:A marketplace for sustainably sourced food, connecting foragers with consumers;
Visionary technologies:A site showcasing innovative tech products, utilizing Medusa for efficient inventory management.

WooCommerce: Leading WordPress ecommerce plugin

WooCommerce is an immensely customizable ecommerce plugin for WordPress, turning any site into a fully working online store. This makes it a great choice for those already inside the WordPress ecosystem.

Leading benefits of WooCommerce

User-friendly: Easy setup and management-even without much technical expertise;
SEO-friendly: Because it's WordPress-based, it does have feature-rich functionality to ensure good organic drive;
Flexible payment options: To provide more opportunities for customers because of supporting multiple payment gateways;
Ecommerce plugins and modules: Increases functionality with numerous extra tools to serve more specialized needs.

Proper business types to use WooCommerce

WooCommerce makes it, above all, apt for smaller and medium-sized businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs who need to sell physical products, digital downloads, or subscriptions to meet various e-commerce initiatives.

Successful sites built with WooCommerce

Lens Distortions:A music and sound effects online store for cinematic purposes, using WooCommerce customizations to show how high-quality audio represents its impact on the final product without slowing down the website.
Godin Guitars:Their WooCommerce website boasts beautiful guitars they offer and events they sponsor on a stylish black background that draws focus on the product. It’s a great example for stores looking to upgrade their product page to leverage design in increasing conversions.

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PrestaShop: User-friendly ecommerce platform

PrestaShop is a cost-effective ecommerce solution, one of the best options to implement a serious web store without the limitations of the closed system.

Leading benefits of PrestaShop

Highly customizable: Host of themes and modules for functionality;
Multi-store capability: The ability to manage multiple online stores from a single back office.
Awesome Interface: The intuitive dashboard simplifies the product management and order processing.

Proper business types to use PrestaShop

PrestaShop is one of the perfect enterprise ecommerce solutions for those medium to large businesses looking to expand their product offering, as well as to scale internationally with multi-currency and multilingual ecommerce support.

Successful sites built with PrestaShop

Huygens:Huygens is a unique online store selling a wide variety of high-end kitchen appliances and representing the full power of PrestaShop e-commerce;
Magimix:Magimix uses PrestaShop to showcase its top-of-the-range food preparation products in an interactive environment for cooking enthusiasts.

OpenCart: Simple and efficient shopping cart solution

OpenCart is a multilingual ecommerce shopping cart featuring a user-friendly interface and flexibility with a huge amount of extensions to extend e-commerce functionality.

Leading benefits of OpenCart

Open source freedom: Full control over the code, allowing customization to meet unique business needs;
SEO-friendly ecommerce: OpenCart includes various SEO tools to help improve search engine visibility;
Localization support: With built-in support for multiple languages and currencies, OpenCart is well-suited for businesses aiming to sell globally or cater to diverse customer bases.

Proper business types to use OpenCart

OpenCart suits small to medium-sized businesses of various industries, ranging from retail and services to some niche ecommerce stores.

Successful sites built with OpenCart

PetShop 18:An online retailer of pet supplies with the biggest selection, ease of use, and promotional offers;
British Bird Food:A website catering to bird lovers' needs and offering a range of bird feeds and accessories in a very accessible format backed up by expertise.

Sylius: Symfony-based framework, perfect for custom projects

Sylius is a Symfony-based ecommerce framework that provides a robust, flexible foundation for building custom online shops.

Leading benefits of Sylius

Flexibility: Sylius is all about extreme flexibility to let developers create customized solutions, precisely meeting unique business needs;
API-first approach: Sylius offers a powerful API-driven ecommerce approach, making it suitable for headless ecommerce setups and enabling integration with various front-end technologies;
Built-in testing tools: Built-in tools and a recommended approach for testing ensure high-quality code and a reliable shopping experience for end-users.

Proper business types to use Sylius

Sylius is highly suitable for ecommerce ventures with specific online stores, B2B to make buying easier, and marketplaces that enable multiple vendors. It further supports subscription services with easy recurring billing and digital products-software, e-books-effectively delivered.

Successful sites built with Sylius

Tediber:Leading online mattress retailer, Tediber offers custom-made mattresses for sleeping with a top emphasis on customer satisfaction in the form of ease of shopping;
PrintOclock:This innovative printing service platform offers a variety of print products with a high level of personalization and ease of use, enabling customers to remain among the favorites for premium printing solutions.

How can Codica help you with ecommerce development

At Codica, we are committed to crafting ecommerce solutions tailor-made for your particular needs. We combine creative design with strong technology to create user-friendly platforms that drive sales and enhance customer experience.

Along with ongoing support and maintenance, we ensure that your online store will remain competitive, secure, and keep pace with the growth of your business.

Conclusion

The choice of the right open-source e-commerce framework will set the difference for your online store in 2024. Each of the frameworks we've explored has strengths that allow you to find a fit for your vision and goals. You can create a unique shopping experience with the help of these tools that attracts customers and keeps them coming back for more.

If you need guidance in choosing and implementing the right solution, Codica is here to help you right from the start and give a new impetus to your business in the competitive world of e-commerce. Contact us today.