nopCommerce vs Smartstore (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, nopCommerce and Smartstore share a 2.2 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Smartstore
Open-source ASP.NET Core commerce platform for B2C and B2B shops
Free plan
Which one is for you
Pick nopCommerce if
- Fits if your team works in .NET and wants the source code
- Works for agencies building custom stores from plugins and themes
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a hosted store, as no hosted plan is listed
- Skip it if you can't run servers: install, updates and security are yours
- Watch out: premium support and the Web API plugin are paid, with prices not published
- Watch out: the project's own site blocked our check, so these facts come from its GitHub README
Pick Smartstore if
- Fits if you have a developer and want an open-source shop on .NET
- Works for German-market sellers who want German-first documentation
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you cannot run a server, as the free edition is self-hosted
- Not for you if you need AI tools or search out of the box, as they are paid
- Watch out: paid editions are quoted by sales and show no price
- Watch out: the English site is a translation of a German-first one
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAnopCommerceFair | 2.2GPASmartstoreFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe software is free, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. Premium support and the Web API plugin are sold separately, with prices we couldn't read. | CThe Community Edition is free but needs a server, which makes it a C. Paid editions show no price. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree and open source with no sales or product caps. You pay for hosting, and there's no hosted trial. | BOpen source with unlimited products, multishop and multilanguage, if you can host it. A trial of the paid editions is offered, with no length stated. |
| Features | CRuns on .NET with a choice of SQL Server, PostgreSQL or MySQL, web farm support, plugins, themes and multi-factor sign-in. The REST API is a separate plugin. | CA full shop core, page builder and B2B tools, but AI tools, Mega Search and CSV or XML export are in the paid editions. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. You install, host, update and secure it yourself, which assumes technical skill. | DNo store rating on record. You install and host it yourself, so someone must run the server. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, running on Windows, Linux or Mac with Docker. A plugin and theme marketplace and a REST plugin connect other services. | BWeb, with seven listed integrations and an API. |
| Best for | a free .NET store you host yourself | a self-hosted .NET shop |
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: nopCommerce and Smartstore. How we grade
Where they differ
- Smartstore also covers inventory.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostablePublic APIOnline store
At a glance
| nopCommerce | Smartstore | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | Not published |
| Free plan | None | Community Edition: open source, unlimited products, multishop, multilanguage, responsive Flex theme and SEO features. |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial offered; the page does not state its length |
| Web | ||
| Made by | nopCommerce | SmartStore AG |
| Price read from | github.com | smartstore.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
nopCommerce
- There is no hosted plan on the pages read; you arrange hosting, installation, updates and security yourself.
- Premium support and the Web API plugin are separate paid products whose prices were not readable.
- The nopCommerce site and its documentation answered with a bot check, so facts here come from the project's GitHub README.
- The README says the core team gives professional support within 24 hours and has developed the product since 2008.
Smartstore
- Paid editions show no prices; each one is quoted by sales.
- You install and host it yourself unless you take the rental option, so someone must run the server.
- AI tools, Mega Search and export features sit in the paid editions, not the free one.
- The website and much of its documentation lead with German; the English site is a translation.
Key features
nopCommerce
- Runs where you choose
- Runs on .NET 10 on Windows, Linux or Mac, with Docker support and a choice of Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL or MySQL databases.
- Web farm support
- The README says it works across web farms and Azure, with all methods asynchronous, for stores that need to scale across servers.
- Plugins and themes
- A pluggable architecture and a marketplace for themes, plugins and integrations. Developers can write their own and sell them there.
- Web API plugin
- A REST plugin from the nopCommerce team covers backend and frontend methods, for connecting third-party services or mobile apps. It comes with source code.
- Multi-factor sign-in
- Multi-factor authentication is built in, alongside a store demo with both the customer front end and the admin area to try before installing.
Smartstore
- Open-source core
- The source code is on GitHub, and the free Community Edition has no product limit.
- Multishop and multilanguage
- Run several shops, brands and languages from one installation, with currencies and taxes managed centrally.
- Page Builder
- Pages, menus and shopping experiences are laid out visually with drag and drop, through a Page Builder plugin and a Menu Builder.
- B2B tools
- The Enterprise B2B Edition lists cart approval, budget limits, sales representative support and PunchOut via OCI and cXML.
- Data exchange
- A REST API plus OCI, cXML, BMEcat and OpenTrans connect the shop to other systems; import and export are built in.
- Built-in AI
- AI features for texts, images and translations are listed from the Premium Edition up.
Plans
nopCommerce
nopCommerce$0
Free, open-source software that you host and run yourself. Premium support, plugins and themes are priced separately.
Smartstore
Community Edition$0
Open-source download that you host yourself, with unlimited products, multishop and multilanguage.
Premium EditionCustom
Adds AI tools, Mega Search, media manager, CSV/XML export, OpenTrans and BMEcat; no price shown, also offered as a rental.
Enterprise B2C EditionCustom
Adds webfarm support, Redis, Lucene-based search, customer-specific prices and 24/7 support. Price on request.
Enterprise B2B EditionCustom
Adds direct order, cart approval, budget limits, PunchOut via OCI and cXML, and order management. Price on request.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, nopCommerce or Smartstore?
As of Nov 13, 2026, nopCommerce is free, and Smartstore publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, nopCommerce or Smartstore?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both nopCommerce and Smartstore have a free plan.
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.