Free & Open-Source Shopify Alternative (2026)

The 4 open-source Shopify alternatives worth evaluating

1. Medusa.js — headless-first, TypeScript-native, MIT license. Best for growing D2C and B2B stores that need real customisation.
2. Saleor — GraphQL-first, Python + React, BSD license. Best for developer-heavy teams that want fine control.
3. WooCommerce — WordPress plugin, GPL license. Best for content-first sites already on WordPress.
4. PrestaShop — mature PHP monolith, OSL license. Best for European stores with existing PrestaShop skills.

Shopify is easy, but it charges a monthly fee and takes a cut of every sale. On growing revenue, those fees add up fast — and you never own the platform. An open-source Shopify alternative flips that. You run the store on your own infrastructure, pay no per-sale platform fee, and keep full control of your data and design.

The honest headline: Medusa.js is the strongest open-source Shopify alternative for teams that have or can hire a developer — it removes platform fees entirely, but it is a developer tool, not a no-code signup. I am Manoj, an open-source implementation consultant at MithTech in Bengaluru. I help brands in India and abroad move to owned commerce, and this guide covers when that move makes sense.

What is the best free open-source Shopify alternative?

The best free open-source Shopify alternative is Medusa.js, a modern, MIT-licensed commerce platform built in TypeScript. Medusa gives you products, carts, orders, payments, and inventory as modular building blocks, with an admin dashboard and APIs you build any storefront on. It charges no licence fee and no platform cut of your sales. WooCommerce is a strong alternative for WordPress users.

Here are the main open-source and self-hosted routes away from Shopify.

Medusa is the most flexible and modern of the open-source options. WooCommerce is simpler if you already run WordPress. Both remove the per-sale platform fee that Shopify charges. You explore Medusa builds on the commerce solutions page.

Skimmable summary: Medusa.js is the strongest free, open-source Shopify alternative — MIT-licensed, self-hosted, with 0% platform fees and full customisation. WooCommerce suits WordPress users. Both remove Shopify's per-sale cut, unlike hosted Shopify.

How much can you save with an open-source Shopify alternative?

You save both the monthly plan and the per-sale platform fee by moving to an open-source Shopify alternative. Shopify charges a monthly subscription plus 0.5–2% of every transaction, and in India it adds a third-party gateway fee because Shopify Payments is unavailable. Medusa.js has no licence fee and no platform cut — you pay only flat hosting and your payment gateway.

The saving grows with revenue. At low volume, Shopify's fee is small and its convenience wins. As sales climb, the per-sale cut becomes real money — on high GMV it can reach thousands of dollars a year before subscription. That is when owned commerce pays for itself. My ERPNext cost guide shows how the same owned-versus-rented logic applies across the stack.

Skimmable summary: Open-source commerce removes both Shopify's monthly plan and its 0.5–2% per-sale fee (plus India's extra gateway cost). Medusa costs flat hosting (~$10–15/month) and your gateway. The saving is small at low volume but grows sharply with revenue.

Is Medusa.js a real, production-ready Shopify alternative?

Yes, Medusa.js is production-ready, but it is a developer platform rather than a no-code product. Medusa v2 is stable, MIT-licensed, and used by real stores handling significant volume. It provides the commerce engine — products, carts, orders, payments, inventory — and an admin dashboard. What it does not provide is a hosted, drag-and-drop storefront. You build the storefront and deploy the backend.

This is the key honesty point. Shopify sells convenience; Medusa sells control. A team with Node.js and TypeScript skills, or an implementation partner, can run Medusa well. A solo founder with no developer will struggle to match Shopify's out-of-box experience. Medusa needs Postgres and Redis and ongoing maintenance. If you want the B2B-specific comparison, see my Medusa.js vs Shopify Plus guide.

Skimmable summary: Medusa.js v2 is production-ready and used by real high-volume stores, but it is a developer platform — you build the storefront and run the backend (Postgres and Redis). It suits teams with developer capacity, not solo founders wanting a no-code launch.

Does an open-source Shopify alternative work for India?

Yes, an open-source Shopify alternative works well for India, and often better than Shopify does. Because Shopify Payments is unavailable in India, Shopify merchants already rely on a third-party gateway like Razorpay and pay Shopify's extra transaction fee on top. Medusa.js integrates directly with Razorpay and Stripe, so you pay only the gateway — with no platform cut and full control of GST invoicing and data residency.

Indian D2C and B2B brands gain the most from ownership. You keep customer and order data on infrastructure you choose, integrate GST-compliant invoicing, and connect the store to ERPNext for inventory and accounting. That unified, owned stack is hard to build cleanly on rented SaaS. The trade-off, as always, is that you need developer capacity or a partner to build and run it.

Skimmable summary: Open-source commerce fits India well — Medusa integrates Razorpay and Stripe directly with no platform cut, unlike Shopify which adds a fee because Shopify Payments is unavailable in India. You control GST invoicing, data residency, and ERPNext integration.

When should you just use Shopify instead?

You should use Shopify when you want to launch fast with no developer, value convenience over ownership, and are comfortable paying platform fees. For a small team, a first-time store, or a business that wants zero infrastructure to manage, Shopify's hosted, no-code experience is genuinely worth its cost. It removes server maintenance, security, and storefront development entirely.

I tell brands the truth: if you are under five people with no developer, Shopify is the pragmatic choice, and open source would slow you down. Move to Medusa when platform fees on your GMV become significant, when you need deep customisation Shopify cannot do, or when data ownership is a hard requirement. Owned commerce rewards scale and control, not speed of first launch.

Skimmable summary: Use Shopify when you want a fast, no-code launch with no developer and accept platform fees for convenience. Move to open-source Medusa when per-sale fees on your revenue grow large, you need deep customisation, or data ownership is a hard requirement.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Shopify?

The best free alternative to Shopify is Medusa.js, an MIT-licensed, self-hosted commerce platform with no licence fee and no per-sale platform cut. WooCommerce is another strong free option if you use WordPress. Both remove Shopify's monthly plan and transaction fee. The trade-off is that you host and maintain them yourself, and Medusa in particular needs a developer to build the storefront.

Is there an open-source version of Shopify?

There is no open-source version of Shopify itself, but there are open-source platforms that do the same job. Medusa.js is the leading modern option — a headless, MIT-licensed commerce engine you self-host. WooCommerce is a mature WordPress-based alternative. These give you the store, cart, checkout, and admin without renting a proprietary platform or paying a per-sale fee.

How do I avoid Shopify transaction fees?

You avoid Shopify transaction fees by moving to a self-hosted platform like Medusa.js that charges no platform fee, or by using Shopify Payments where available to avoid the extra third-party fee. On Medusa you pay only your payment gateway and flat hosting. In India, where Shopify Payments is unavailable, moving to open-source commerce removes both the platform fee and the penalty for using a third-party gateway.

Is Medusa.js better than Shopify?

Medusa.js is better for control, customisation, and cost at scale; Shopify is better for speed, convenience, and no-code simplicity. Medusa removes platform fees and gives you full ownership, but needs developer capacity. Shopify handles everything for you but charges a monthly plan plus a per-sale cut. The better choice depends on whether you value ownership and long-run cost or a fast, hands-off launch.

Can I connect an open-source store to ERPNext?

Yes. Medusa.js and WooCommerce both expose APIs, so you can sync products, inventory, and orders with ERPNext for accounting and stock management. This gives you an owned commerce front end and an owned ERP back end in one connected stack. Indian brands use this to keep GST invoicing, inventory, and order data in systems they control rather than spread across rented SaaS tools.