About Saleor
Saleor Core is an open-source headless commerce platform written in Python. It is API-only and GraphQL-native, so storefronts, dashboards and other clients talk to the backend exclusively through its API, which makes it a building block for composable commerce rather than a monolithic store application.
The project highlights several design choices: technology-agnostic, with no monolithic plugin system or lock-in; GraphQL only rather than a mix of API styles; open source with a single version and no feature fragmentation; cloud native; and native multichannel, with per-channel control over pricing, currencies, stock and products. Extension happens through webhooks and apps instead of modifying core code. Topics also mention product information management and order management.
Saleor is BSD-3-Clause licensed. The wider platform includes a separate dashboard and a storefront, and the README links documentation and community channels. You can self-host the core or use the vendor's cloud offering, and it suits engineering teams building custom shops, marketplaces and multi-country commerce experiences.
Key features
- GraphQL-native, API-only architecture
- Native multichannel pricing and stock control
- Extensible through webhooks and apps
- Product and order management
- Technology-agnostic composable design
- Separate dashboard and storefront projects
Good fit for
- →Headless storefronts with custom front ends
- →Multi-country, multi-currency commerce
- →Composable commerce stacks
- Tags
- headless-commerce
- ecommerce
- graphql
- python
- api
- composable-commerce
- multichannel
- self-hosted
Saleor: questions and answers
- What is Saleor used for?
- Saleor is an API-only, GraphQL-native headless commerce platform written in Python for composable, multichannel online stores. It is a good fit for headless storefronts with custom front ends; multi-country, multi-currency commerce; and composable commerce stacks.
- Is Saleor open source?
- Yes. Saleor is open source under the BSD-3-Clause licence. Its source code is on GitHub at saleor/saleor and is written mainly in Python.
- Is Saleor free?
- Yes. Saleor is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from $1,599 per month.
- Can I self-host Saleor?
- Yes. Saleor can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
- What is Saleor an alternative to?
- Saleor is an open-source alternative to commercetools, BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Shopify. Other open-source alternatives to commercetools include Medusa, Spree Commerce and Vendure.
- Is Saleor actively maintained?
- Yes. The most recent commit to Saleor was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 3.23.37, published on 30 September 2026. The project has 23k stars on GitHub.
Open-source alternatives to Saleor
See all
Medusa
E-commerce
The world's most flexible commerce platform for agents and developers
OSSvs BigCommerce★ 37k
Spree Commerce
E-commerce
Open Source Platform for DTC, B2B Commerce, Marketplaces & Omnichannel. REST APIs, TypeScr
BSD-3-Clausevs BigCommerce★ 16k
Vendure
E-commerce
Open-source headless commerce platform built with TypeScript, NestJS, React, and GraphQL
OSSvs commercetools★ 8.5k
Shopware
E-commerce
Shopware 6 is an open commerce platform based on Symfony Framework and Vue and supported b
MITvs BigCommerce★ 3.4k
Sylius
E-commerce
Headless open-source eCommerce platform on top of PHP/Symfony/API Platform
MITvs commercetools★ 8.5k
Virto Commerce
E-commerce
Virto Commerce B2B Innovation Platform
OSSvs commercetools★ 1.3k
SaaS alternatives to Saleor
See all
commercetools
E-commerce
API-first headless commerce platform for enterprise retailers
SaaS
BigCommerce
E-commerce
Hosted ecommerce platform with built-in B2B features and headless options
SaaS
Salesforce Commerce Cloud
E-commerce
Enterprise B2C and B2B commerce platform from Salesforce
SaaS
Shopify
E-commerce
Hosted ecommerce platform for online stores, point of sale and checkout
SaaS
Adobe Commerce
E-commerce
Ecommerce platform formerly Magento Commerce, with B2B and headless options
SaaS
VTEX
E-commerce
Enterprise commerce platform with marketplace features, popular in Latin America
SaaS

