EverShop, Magento Open Source, and Thelia are all free, self-hosted, open-source ecommerce platforms, but they diverge in stack and specialty. EverShop offers…
Best for: Merchants needing strong B2B, click-and-collect, and omnichannel retail features out of the box, especially in French-speaking markets.
At a Glance
EverShop
Magento Open Source
Thelia
Primary category
Ecommerce
Ecommerce
Ecommerce
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Open Source / Freemium
Open Source
open-source
Starting price
Free (self-hosted); managed Cloud plans from $10/month
Free (self-hosted; hosting, development, and extensions cost extra)
Free (self-hosted)
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Not documented
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Yes
Yes
Standout Differences
Thelia's built-in B2B and omnichannel tooling
Thelia ships with B2B storefronts with custom pricing, click-and-collect and drive fulfillment, and order picking with barcode scanning, a more retail-operations-focused feature set than either EverShop or Magento Open Source as documented here.
Thelia
EverShop's modern stack diverges from PHP
EverShop is built on Node.js, TypeScript, and GraphQL, while both Magento Open Source and Thelia come from the PHP world, with Thelia specifically built on the Symfony framework.
EverShop, Magento Open Source, Thelia
Magento's ecosystem scale dwarfs the other two
Magento Open Source's marketplace and global agency network are considerably larger than either EverShop's or Thelia's, reflecting its longer history and Adobe's backing.
Magento Open Source
All three keep the core software free
EverShop, Magento Open Source, and Thelia all offer a free, self-hosted core edition with no software license fee, though hosting, development, and premium modules cost extra for each.
EverShop, Magento Open Source, Thelia
Thelia and Magento share a PHP heritage, EverShop does not
Thelia's Symfony foundation puts it in the same broad PHP ecosystem as Magento Open Source, while EverShop's Node.js and TypeScript stack appeals to a different pool of engineering talent.
Thelia, Magento Open Source, EverShop
Feature-by-Feature
Architecture
Feature
EverShop
Magento Open Source
Thelia
Documented REST or GraphQL API
Available
Not documented
Available
Self-hosted deployment
Available
Available
Available
Module or extension marketplace
Not documented
Available
Available
Commerce Capabilities
Feature
EverShop
Magento Open Source
Thelia
B2B storefronts with custom pricing
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Multi-store or multisite management
Not documented
Available
Available
Omnichannel fulfillment (click and collect)
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Ecosystem and Support
Feature
EverShop
Magento Open Source
Thelia
Managed or cloud hosting option
Limited
Not documented
Not documented
Primary documentation in English
Available
Available
Limited
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
EverShop
Open Source (Self-Hosted) — Free N/A
Personal (Cloud) — $10/month monthly (20% discount annually)
Professional (Cloud) — $20/month monthly (20% discount annually)
Magento Open Source
Magento Open Source — Free (software license) N/A
Adobe Commerce (upgrade path) — From about $22000/year annual
Thelia
Community Edition — Free N/A
Professional Services — Custom (via OpenStudio and partner agencies) custom
Pros & Cons
EverShop
Pros
Free and unlimited for self-hosted deployments with no feature gating
Modern, type-safe JavaScript/TypeScript stack that matches many engineering teams' existing tooling
Modular architecture keeps the core upgradeable without heavy custom-code merge conflicts
Full control over data, infrastructure, and storefront customization
Cons
Requires development resources to install, host, and maintain; not suited to non-technical merchants
Smaller plugin/extension ecosystem and community than more established competitors like Medusa.js or WooCommerce
Managed cloud hosting tiers were still listed as 'not yet available' at time of research, limiting turnkey hosting options
Less enterprise track record and fewer public case studies than legacy commerce platforms
Magento Open Source
Pros
No license fee, giving merchants full source-code access and control at zero software cost.
Deep extensibility and customization through a modular architecture and large extension marketplace.
Large, established global ecosystem of Magento developers and specialized agencies.
Clear upgrade path to Adobe Commerce for merchants that later need enterprise features or managed hosting.
Backed by Adobe, giving the platform long-term corporate stability compared to smaller open-source e-commerce projects.
Cons
Requires merchants to source, secure, and manage their own hosting, unlike managed platforms such as Shopify.
Total cost of ownership, including hosting, development, extensions, and maintenance, can be substantial despite the free license.
Lacks Adobe Commerce's built-in B2B features, AI personalization, and enterprise SLA.
Steeper technical learning curve than hosted platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce.
Requires ongoing developer resources for updates, security patches, and performance optimization.
Thelia
Pros
Free and open source with full source-code ownership
Built on the well-established Symfony PHP framework
Strong B2B and omnichannel feature set out of the box
Around 300 community and commercial modules available
Nearly two decades of active development and maintenance
Cons
Smaller ecosystem and community than PrestaShop or WooCommerce internationally
Requires PHP and Symfony development skills to customize and maintain
Hosting, premium modules and support are separate costs
Documentation and community resources are stronger in French than English
Not a fully managed SaaS, so merchants own infrastructure and updates
Use Cases
Choose EverShop: JavaScript and TypeScript-fluent teams that want a modern, headless-capable commerce engine.
Choose Magento Open Source: Merchants who need the largest global ecosystem of developers, agencies, and extensions and have resources for a larger implementation.
Choose Thelia: Merchants needing strong B2B, click-and-collect, and omnichannel retail features out of the box, especially in French-speaking markets.
EverShop
Custom developer-built storefronts — Engineering teams use EverShop's GraphQL API and modular architecture to build a fully bespoke shopping experience rather than customizing a no-code template.
Agency-built ecommerce projects — Digital agencies self-host EverShop for clients who need a modern, maintainable open source store without recurring SaaS platform fees.
Headless commerce integrations — Teams already running a separate frontend framework connect it to EverShop's GraphQL backend to power product, cart, and checkout functionality headlessly.
Magento Open Source
Custom mid-market e-commerce — Mid-sized merchants with in-house or agency development resources use Magento Open Source to build highly customized storefronts.
Multi-store international retail — Merchants selling across multiple countries and currencies use Magento Open Source's multi-store architecture to manage several storefronts from one installation.
Agency-built e-commerce projects — Development agencies build and maintain client stores on Magento Open Source, leveraging its large extension ecosystem and developer talent pool.
Thelia
Self-Hosted Store Launch — A French SMB launches a fully self-hosted online store without ongoing platform licensing fees.
Wholesale B2B Selling — A wholesale brand uses Thelia's B2B pricing and payment features to serve business customers alongside consumers.
Omnichannel Retail — A retailer implements click-and-collect and in-store order picking through Thelia's fulfillment tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Thelia only usable in French?
No, Thelia is a self-hosted open-source platform that can be deployed anywhere, but its documentation and community resources are stronger in French than in English, which is worth weighing for non-French-speaking teams.
Which of the three offers the strongest B2B feature set out of the box?
Thelia, which includes B2B storefronts with custom pricing, click-and-collect fulfillment, and barcode-based order picking as built-in features.
What language and framework does each platform use?
EverShop is built on Node.js and TypeScript with a GraphQL API. Magento Open Source uses its own modular PHP architecture, and Thelia is built on the Symfony PHP framework.
Are there license fees for any of these platforms?
No, all three offer a free, self-hosted core edition. Costs come from hosting, development, and any paid modules or extensions you add.
Which has the largest extension marketplace?
Magento Open Source, through the Adobe Commerce Marketplace, though Thelia also offers a marketplace of around 300 community and commercial modules.
Do any of these provide managed hosting?
None offers an official first-party managed hosting service for its free self-hosted core in the source data used for this comparison; EverShop's cloud tiers were announced but listed as not yet available.