# Best open source software for e-commerce and retail

> For an online store or retailer, a self-hosted stack starts with MedusaJs for the online store, Odoo for in-store sales and ERPNext for inventory. Each pick was chosen by hand for its job and is shown with GitHub data from October 2026.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Question | What is the best open source software for e-commerce and retail? |
| Picks | 19 |
| Top pick | MedusaJs (36,615 stars) |
| Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-ecommerce |

A self-hosted retail stack avoids per-order platform fees and keeps customer data in your own database. It covers the storefront, in-store point of sale, inventory, support, email and analytics.

## Online store

- [MedusaJs](https://appsgit.com/apps/medusajs) (36,615 stars, MIT, TypeScript, AI features): MedusaJs has 36,615 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,716 commits in the last year; it replaces Shopify.
- [Bagisto](https://appsgit.com/apps/bagisto) (28,212 stars, MIT, PHP): Bagisto has 28,212 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,283 commits in the last year; it replaces Shopify.
- [Saleor](https://appsgit.com/apps/saleor) (23,410 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python, Docker): Saleor has 23,410 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license, ships a Docker image and had 468 commits in the last year; it replaces Shopify.
- [WooCommerce](https://appsgit.com/apps/woocommerce) (10,538 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP): WooCommerce has 10,538 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 3,405 commits in the last year; it replaces Shopify.
- [PrestaShop](https://appsgit.com/apps/prestashop) (9,226 stars, OSL-3.0, PHP): PrestaShop has 9,226 GitHub stars, uses the OSL-3.0 license and had 3,322 commits in the last year; it replaces Shopify.

## Point of sale

- [Odoo](https://appsgit.com/apps/odoo) (54,848 stars, LGPL-3.0, Python, Docker): Odoo has 54,848 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,679 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS.
- [Open Source POS](https://appsgit.com/apps/open-source-pos) (4,420 stars, MIT, PHP, Docker): Open Source POS has 4,420 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 290 commits in the last year; it replaces Square POS and Shopify POS.
- [NexoPOS](https://appsgit.com/apps/nexopos) (1,269 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP): NexoPOS has 1,269 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 401 commits in the last year; it replaces Square POS and Shopify POS.

## Inventory and ERP

- [ERPNext](https://appsgit.com/apps/erpnext) (39,821 stars, GPL-3.0, Python, Docker): ERPNext has 39,821 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,664 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS.
- [Inventree](https://appsgit.com/apps/inventree) (7,671 stars, MIT, Python): Inventree has 7,671 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,172 commits in the last year.
- [Dolibarr](https://appsgit.com/apps/dolibarr) (7,686 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): Dolibarr has 7,686 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,073 commits in the last year; it replaces Square POS and Shopify POS.

## Customer support

- [Chatwoot](https://appsgit.com/apps/chatwoot) (37,569 stars, MIT, Ruby, Docker): Chatwoot has 37,569 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,379 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom.
- [FreeScout](https://appsgit.com/apps/freescout) (4,585 stars, AGPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): FreeScout has 4,585 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 679 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom.
- [Zammad](https://appsgit.com/apps/zammad) (5,981 stars, AGPL-3.0, Ruby): Zammad has 5,981 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,422 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom.

## Email marketing

- [Listmonk](https://appsgit.com/apps/listmonk) (23,701 stars, AGPL-3.0, Go, Docker): Listmonk has 23,701 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 227 commits in the last year; it replaces Mailchimp and Twilio SendGrid.
- [Mautic](https://appsgit.com/apps/mautic) (10,710 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP): Mautic has 10,710 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 5,274 commits in the last year; it replaces Mailchimp and HubSpot.

## Analytics

- [Umami](https://appsgit.com/apps/umami) (39,188 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): Umami has 39,188 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,087 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Analytics.
- [Plausible Analytics](https://appsgit.com/apps/plausible-analytics) (29,323 stars, AGPL-3.0, Elixir): Plausible Analytics has 29,323 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 545 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Analytics.
- [Matomo](https://appsgit.com/apps/matomo) (21,925 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP): Matomo has 21,925 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 954 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Analytics.

## How this list was made

- Apps were picked by hand from the appsgit catalog for each job, then checked against the snapshot: unknown or archived projects and projects with no commit in two years are dropped automatically.
- Inside each section the curated order is kept, most broadly useful first; an app appears only once on the page.
- Stars, license, Docker and activity facts come from the GitHub API as of October 2026.

## FAQ

### Is self-hosted e-commerce cheaper than Shopify?

Often, at scale: the software has no per-order or monthly platform fee. You pay for hosting, a payment processor, and the time to run updates and security patches, which a hosted platform otherwise does for you.

### Which of these is headless?

Medusa describes itself as a headless commerce engine and Saleor as an API-only GraphQL platform, so you build or pick a separate storefront. Bagisto, WooCommerce and PrestaShop include a storefront.

### Is MedusaJs free?

Yes. MedusaJs is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.

### Can I run this stack with Docker?

9 of the 19 apps here publish Docker images, including Saleor, Odoo and Open Source POS, so most of the stack can run side by side with Docker Compose on one server. Size the server for the heaviest app and add off-site backups.

## Related questions

- [What are the best open source AI tools for e-commerce stores?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-ecommerce)
- [What is the best open source software for real estate agencies?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-real-estate)
- [What are the best open source AI tools for real estate agents?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-real-estate)
- [What is the best open source AI CRM?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-crm)
- [What open source software should a startup use?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-startups)
- [What are the best open source AI tools for startups?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-startups)
- [What is the best open source software for a small business?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-small-business)
- [What are the best open source AI tools for a small business?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-small-business)

## See also

- [All e-commerce apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/e-commerce)
- [All ERP & inventory apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/erp-inventory)
- [All point of sale apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/point-of-sale)
- [All team chat apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/team-chat)
- [Open-source alternatives to Shopify](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/shopify)
- [Open-source alternatives to QuickBooks](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/quickbooks)
- [Open-source alternatives to Square POS](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/square-pos)
- [Open-source alternatives to Shopify POS](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/shopify-pos)
- [Open-source alternatives to Lightspeed](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/lightspeed)
- [Open-source alternatives to Toast](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/toast)
- [Odoo vs ERPNext](https://appsgit.com/compare/odoo-vs-erpnext)
- [Open Source POS vs NexoPOS](https://appsgit.com/compare/open-source-pos-vs-nexopos)
- [ERPNext vs Dolibarr](https://appsgit.com/compare/erpnext-vs-dolibarr)
- [Chatwoot vs Zammad](https://appsgit.com/compare/chatwoot-vs-zammad)
- [listmonk vs Mautic](https://appsgit.com/compare/listmonk-vs-mautic)
- [Plausible Analytics vs Umami](https://appsgit.com/compare/plausible-analytics-vs-umami)
- [How to self-host Umami with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/umami)
- [How to self-host Plausible Analytics with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/plausible-analytics)

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-ecommerce
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