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The Smartstore Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Smartstore in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPANovember 2026

Smartstore

The Insider’s Guide

Open-source ASP.NET Core commerce platform for B2C and B2B shops

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among online store builders, read from Smartstore’s own pages.

Made by SmartStore AG · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.2GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Smartstore’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Smartstore’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.2

GPA, above 43 of the 80 other online store builders we grade

Smartstore is an e-commerce platform built on ASP.NET Core that you download and run on your own server or cloud. A free open-source Community Edition covers a full shop, and paid Premium and Enterprise editions add search, scaling and B2B features. It comes from a German company and is documented in German and English.

To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Smartstore, taken from its own pages and our grades.

AI tools, Mega Search and exports sit in paid editions that show no price, and its site leads with German.
From our report card of Smartstore
  1. 1

    Best for a self-hosted .NET shop

    Smartstore is an open-source ASP.NET Core shop you host yourself, with unlimited products, multishop and multilanguage.

  2. 2

    There is a free plan

    Community Edition: open source, unlimited products, multishop, multilanguage, responsive Flex theme and SEO features.

  3. 3

    It runs on Web

    Web.

  4. 4

    Open-source core

    The source code is on GitHub, and the free Community Edition has no product limit.

  5. 5

    Multishop and multilanguage

    Run several shops, brands and languages from one installation, with currencies and taxes managed centrally.

  6. 6

    Page Builder

    Pages, menus and shopping experiences are laid out visually with drag and drop, through a Page Builder plugin and a Menu Builder.

  7. 7

    A 2.2 GPA, above 43 of 80

    That is against the other online store builders we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  8. 8

    Keep it

    To replace Smartstore you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

Smartstore at a glance

Pricing
Free plan
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
Free trial offered; the page does not state its length
Runs on
Web
Made by
SmartStore AG
Category
Online Store Builders
Our grade
2.2 GPA, fair

The report card

Best for a self-hosted .NET shop

Smartstore is an open-source ASP.NET Core shop you host yourself, with unlimited products, multishop and multilanguage. AI tools, Mega Search and exports sit in paid editions that show no price, and its site leads with German.

ToolGPA report cardSmartstoreGraded Nov 13, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyCThe Community Edition is free but needs a server, which makes it a C. Paid editions show no price.
Free plan and trialBOpen source with unlimited products, multishop and multilanguage, if you can host it. A trial of the paid editions is offered, with no length stated.
FeaturesCA 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 useDNo store rating on record. You install and host it yourself, so someone must run the server.
Platforms and integrationsBWeb, with seven listed integrations and an API.
Grade point averageFair, out of 4.02.2

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who Smartstore is for

  • Fits if you have a developer and want an open-source shop on .NET
  • Works for German-market sellers who want German-first documentation

Who it is not for

  • 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

Good to know

Good for

  • Teams with .NET skills who want to host their own shop
  • German and European merchants who need local tax and legal settings
  • B2B sellers that need punch-out and cart approval

Worth knowing

  • 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.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

4

plans to choose from

Smartstore has a free plan.

The Community Edition is free but needs a server, which makes it a C.
From our grade for value for money

  • Community Edition

    $0

    Open-source download that you host yourself, with unlimited products, multishop and multilanguage.

  • Premium Edition

    Custom

    Adds AI tools, Mega Search, media manager, CSV/XML export, OpenTrans and BMEcat; no price shown, also offered as a rental.

  • Enterprise B2C Edition

    Custom

    Adds webfarm support, Redis, Lucene-based search, customer-specific prices and 24/7 support. Price on request.

  • Enterprise B2B Edition

    Custom

    Adds direct order, cart approval, budget limits, PunchOut via OCI and cXML, and order management. Price on request.

The free plan

Community Edition: open source, unlimited products, multishop, multilanguage, responsive Flex theme and SEO features.

Trying it first

Free trial offered; the page does not state its length

Read from smartstore.com on Nov 13, 2026.

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

1

Place it runs: Web

Open-source ASP.NET Core commerce platform for B2C and B2B shops. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, public API, AI features, inventory, online store.

Web, with seven listed integrations and an API.
From our grade for platforms and integrations
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.

Where it runs

  • Web

What it works with

  • Microsoft Power BI
  • Azure BLOB Storage
  • Redis
  • OpenTrans
  • BMEcat
  • cXML
  • OCI

Smartstore is made by SmartStore AG.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

43/80

Other online store builders it is graded above

Smartstore's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 43 of the 80 other online store builders we grade, and level with 16.

It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 55 of 80) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 81 online store builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. Smartstore’s own letter is outlined.

  • CValue for moneyAbove 15 of 80
  • BFree plan and trialAbove 55 of 80
  • CFeaturesAbove 5 of 80
  • DEase of useAbove 0 of 80
  • BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 28 of 80

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

To replace Smartstore you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

Smartstore is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.

What you could make

  • Inventory: an app builder makes this well.

What you could not

  • Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
  • It plugs into other products, Microsoft Power BI, Azure BLOB Storage and Redis among them, and has an API.
  • AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.

What this rests on. Smartstore’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Shopware, nopCommerce, PrestaShop, OpenCart and WooCommerce

The 5 tools Smartstore is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

13

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is Smartstore free?

Smartstore has a free plan. Community Edition: open source, unlimited products, multishop, multilanguage, responsive Flex theme and SEO features.

How much does Smartstore cost?

Smartstore lists 4 plans. Community Edition: $0.

What platforms does Smartstore work on?

Smartstore is available on Web.

Does Smartstore have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Smartstore is listed for Web.

Does Smartstore have an iPhone app?

No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Smartstore is listed for Web.

Is Smartstore open source?

Yes. Smartstore is open source, according to its own site.

Does Smartstore have an API?

Yes. Smartstore offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does Smartstore integrate with?

Smartstore's listing names Microsoft Power BI, Azure BLOB Storage, Redis, OpenTrans, BMEcat, cXML and OCI.

Does Smartstore have a free trial?

Yes. Free trial offered; the page does not state its length.

Who makes Smartstore?

Smartstore is made by SmartStore AG.

What are the alternatives to Smartstore?

The closest alternatives to Smartstore in our directory are Shopware, nopCommerce, PrestaShop, OpenCart and WooCommerce.

How does Smartstore compare with other online store builders?

Smartstore's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 43 of the 80 other online store builders we grade, and level with 16.

Could I make my own version of Smartstore?

To replace Smartstore you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Smartstore’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Smartstore's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by SmartStore AG. Prices change, so check smartstore.com before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

7,721

Tools graded, in 95 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 7,721

    tools graded

  • 95

    categories

  • 739

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Smartstore: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/smartstore

Know someone choosing between online store builders?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/smartstore/guide

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See our other guides

The best-graded online store builders after Smartstore, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Smartstore’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Smartstore is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by SmartStore AG. Prices and plans change: check smartstore.com before you buy.