commercetools vs Vendure (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, commercetools grades higher than Vendure: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
commercetools grades higher on value for money and platforms. Vendure grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
commercetools
API-first headless commerce platform for large retailers
Vendure
Open-source B2B commerce framework with paid plans
Which one is for you
Pick commercetools if
- Fits if you're an enterprise with engineers replatforming a large multi-market shop
- Works for B2B sellers who need buyer roles, quotes and approval flows
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a store builder, as there is no built-in storefront editor
- Skip it if you want a price before talking to sales, since none is published
- Watch out: premium support, advanced B2B APIs, checkout and extra regions are add-ons
- Skip it if you are a small shop that just wants to sell, as this is built for engineering teams
Pick Vendure if
- Fits if you have TypeScript developers building B2B commerce
- Makes sense if you start on the free framework and add B2B plans later
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want paid plans, as Starter is EUR 199 a month on a 12-month term
- Skip it if you want hosting included, because plans exclude it and Vendure Cloud is a closed beta
- Watch out: prices exclude VAT, and the no-commitment monthly rate is higher than the term price
- Not for you if you have no developers, as it is a code framework
- Watch out: self-serve signup is not available in some countries, including Switzerland and Ukraine
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAcommercetoolsFair | 1.8GPAVendureWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published. The pricing page sends buyers to sales and says pricing is order-based, so there is nothing to set against the category's $29 to $49 a month. | DStarter is EUR 199 a month on a 12-month term, against $29 in the middle of the category. Growth is EUR 599 and Scale EUR 2,499. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 60-day free trial with no credit card that doesn't convert automatically. There is no free plan, and the trial excludes InStore, Frontend and agentic features. | BThe framework is free under GPLv3 to self-host, and Starter and Growth have a 30-day trial with no card. |
| Features | CCatalog, cart, order, pricing and promotion APIs, B2C and B2B models and a Merchant Center. There's no storefront theme editor, so a front end has to be built or bought. | CCompany accounts, quotes, contract pricing, approvals and audit log are on the plans. Hosting is not included, and Vendure Cloud is a closed beta. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. Using it means engineers assembling APIs into a storefront, not a merchant clicking through a builder. | DNo rating on record. It is a framework needing developers and self-hosting. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb admin and a managed runtime for custom integrations, with MCP servers for AI agents. Not a store builder you can use from a phone or desktop app. | CWeb only, with a plugin model and one named integration, Typesense. |
| Best for | enterprise headless commerce APIs | B2B commerce on an open-source TypeScript framework |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: commercetools and Vendure. How we grade
Where they differ
- Vendure is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Vendure also covers quotes and estimates.
At a glance
| commercetools | Vendure | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | €199 per month, 12-month term billed monthly, excl. VAT (Starter) |
| Free plan | None | Vendure Framework: open source under GPLv3, free to self-host, with catalog, orders, customers, payments and a plugin model. |
| Free trial | 60-day free trial, no credit card, does not convert automatically. | 30-day free trial of Starter and Growth, no card required. |
| Web | ||
| Made by | commercetools GmbH | Elevantiq GmbH |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | vendure.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
commercetools
- No prices are published; the pricing page sends buyers to sales and says pricing is order-based rather than based on sales volume.
- There is no built-in storefront theme editor; a team has to build or buy the front end, and Frontend is a separate product.
- Premium Support, advanced B2B APIs, checkout, HIPAA compliance and extra regions are listed as add-ons.
- The 60-day trial covers the core commerce APIs and Merchant Center, but not InStore, Frontend or agentic capabilities.
Vendure
- Plans do not include hosting yet; Vendure Cloud is a closed beta and usage above included resources will be billed separately.
- Prices exclude VAT. A no-commitment monthly rate is higher than the 12-month-term price shown, and its amount was not readable.
- Self-serve signup is not available in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Ukraine or sanctioned countries.
- The prices were read in euros; the page offers a USD view that could not be read.
Key features
commercetools
- Headless commerce APIs
- Each capability, such as catalog, cart and order management, inventory, promotions and pricing, is exposed as its own versioned API that teams assemble into a custom storefront.
- B2C, B2B and hybrid models
- The page lists B2C, B2B, D2C, marketplaces and subscriptions as supported models. Business units, buyer roles, approval flows and quotes are sold as an Advanced B2B APIs add-on.
- Merchant Center
- A business tool for managing catalog and orders, included in the 60-day trial next to the APIs, with preloaded B2C or B2B sample data.
- Connect hosting
- Connect is a managed runtime for deploying custom integrations and back-office applications inside a commercetools environment, with templates to start from.
- AI and agent commerce
- AI Hub and AgenticLift are products for selling through ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot, and the platform exposes MCP servers for agents. The trial excludes agentic capabilities.
- InStore point of sale
- A separate product that gives store staff the same catalog, cart and orders that serve the online shop. It is not part of the free trial.
Vendure
- Company accounts
- One account per customer business with tax ID validation, and on Growth and above an organization hierarchy of branches and departments.
- Quotes and reordering
- Buyers can request quotes, paste SKUs into quick order, reorder, and keep personal or shared shopping lists and shared carts.
- Contract pricing
- Scale adds prices set per customer, with volume breaks, so each company sees its own negotiated price instead of the list price.
- Approvals and audit log
- Orders over a buyer's limit go to an approver before they are placed, and an audit log records changes. Both are on the Scale plan.
- No revenue-based fees
- Each plan is a flat monthly price with no fee on revenue, orders or users, and a commercial licence is included.
- Self-host or Vendure Cloud
- You can run Vendure on any cloud or your own hardware. Vendure Cloud is in closed beta, with general availability planned for Q1 2027.
Plans
commercetools
Pricing could not be confirmed. See commercetools.com.
Vendure
Vendure Framework$0
The open-source GPLv3 framework every plan builds on. You host it yourself and your engineers build the store.
Starter€199
per month, 12-month term billed monthly, excl. VAT
Company accounts with tax ID validation, quotes, quick order and reorder, and catalog search. Community support.
Growth€599
per month, 12-month term billed monthly, excl. VAT
Adds company branches and departments, selling by unit, box or pallet, and shared shopping lists. Direct support from Vendure.
Scale€2,499
per month, 12-month term billed monthly, excl. VAT
Adds order approvals, an audit log, contract prices per customer and a ready-made B2B storefront. Priority support.
Enterprise€60,000
per year and up, on contract, excl. VAT
All 32 capabilities, including PunchOut, quote negotiation and the product configurator, plus custom-built features. Sold through sales.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, commercetools or Vendure?
As of Nov 12, 2026, commercetools has no price we could confirm, and Vendure starts at €199 per month, 12-month term billed monthly, excl. VAT (Starter).
Which has a free plan, commercetools or Vendure?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Vendure has a free plan. commercetools does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.