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The Solidus Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Solidus 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

Solidus

The Insider’s Guide

Extensible open-source ecommerce platform with optional managed cloud

Solidus, as pictured on solidus.io

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

Made by Nebulab and the open-source community · 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 Solidus’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Solidus’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

Solidus is an open-source ecommerce platform for brands with custom requirements. The free DIY Edition runs on your own infrastructure, while Solidus Cloud adds managed upgrades, infrastructure and support. Features include a native subscription engine, a custom promotion system, multi-store, multi-language and multi-currency support, and REST and GraphQL APIs.

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

The free DIY Edition leaves hosting and upgrades to you, and the paid Cloud plans have no listed price.
From our report card of Solidus
  1. 1

    Best for Ruby developers building a custom store

    Solidus is an extensible open-source commerce platform with native subscriptions, custom promotions and multi-store support.

  2. 2

    There is a free plan

    The DIY Edition is free and includes the whole platform, but you provide and maintain the infrastructure.

  3. 3

    It runs on Web

    Web.

  4. 4

    Native subscriptions

    A built-in subscription engine for models such as curated boxes.

  5. 5

    Custom promotions

    A promotion system where merchants can implement their own promotion logic.

  6. 6

    Multi-store and international

    Multi-store, multi-language and multi-currency support, plus global taxation and logistics.

  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 Solidus 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.

Solidus at a glance

Pricing
Free plan
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
None stated
Runs on
Web
Made by
Nebulab and the open-source community
Category
Online Store Builders
Our grade
2.2 GPA, fair

The report card

Best for Ruby developers building a custom store

Solidus is an extensible open-source commerce platform with native subscriptions, custom promotions and multi-store support. The free DIY Edition leaves hosting and upgrades to you, and the paid Cloud plans have no listed price.

ToolGPA report cardSolidusGraded Nov 13, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyCThe DIY Edition is free only if you host it. Starter and Enterprise Cloud prices aren't published, so it sits in the middle.
Free plan and trialBThe DIY Edition holds the whole platform, with no caps, but you provide the infrastructure.
FeaturesBSubscriptions, promotions, multi-store, multi-currency, returns and exchanges, and REST and GraphQL APIs. Nothing in the listing is missing from the core job.
Ease of useDNo rating on record. It's a developer framework you run and upgrade yourself.
Platforms and integrationsCWeb only, with APIs and an extensible admin. No apps and no integration list.
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 Solidus is for

  • Fits if you have Ruby developers and want a custom store
  • Works for brands that need subscriptions or complex promotions

Who it is not for

  • Skip it if nobody can host and upgrade the code, since DIY leaves that to you
  • Pricey if you want Cloud: both plans are quoted by sales
  • Watch out: the vendor says DIY and Cloud have the same features, so Cloud only removes the infrastructure work
  • Tight if you need support, as business-hours help starts at Starter Cloud

Good to know

Good for

  • Brands with complex customization needs and a development team
  • Subscription and marketplace-style businesses
  • Teams that want to start free and move to a managed cloud later

Worth knowing

  • Solidus Cloud prices are not published; both paid plans go through a sales conversation.
  • The DIY Edition leaves hosting, maintenance and upgrades to you.
  • The vendor says the DIY Edition and Solidus Cloud have the same features; Cloud only removes the infrastructure work.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

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

3

plans to choose from

Solidus has a free plan.

The DIY Edition is free only if you host it.
From our grade for value for money

  • DIY Edition

    $0

    The full Solidus platform on your own infrastructure; you handle upgrades and hosting.

  • Starter Cloud

    Custom

    Managed upgrades and infrastructure, standard monitoring, business-hours support (weekdays 9am to 5pm EST) and 10 hours a month of a solutions architect. Sold through sales.

  • Enterprise Cloud

    Custom

    Expedited upgrades, tailored or bring-your-own infrastructure, 24/7 support, active incident response and 20 hours a month of a solutions architect. Sold through sales.

The free plan

The DIY Edition is free and includes the whole platform, but you provide and maintain the infrastructure.

Read from solidus.io 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

Extensible open-source ecommerce platform with optional managed cloud. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, public API, online store.

Subscriptions, promotions, multi-store, multi-currency, returns and exchanges, and REST and GraphQL APIs.
From our grade for features
Native subscriptions
A built-in subscription engine for models such as curated boxes.
Custom promotions
A promotion system where merchants can implement their own promotion logic.
Multi-store and international
Multi-store, multi-language and multi-currency support, plus global taxation and logistics.
Extensible admin and APIs
An admin dashboard that can be extended or rewritten, with RESTful and GraphQL APIs.
Returns and exchanges
Partial returns and exchanges, product pricing segmentation, and bundles or personalized products.

Where it runs

  • Web

What it works with

Its own pages name no integrations.

Solidus is made by Nebulab and the open-source community.

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

Solidus'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 features (B, above 60 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. Solidus’s own letter is outlined.

  • CValue for moneyAbove 15 of 80
  • BFree plan and trialAbove 55 of 80
  • BFeaturesAbove 60 of 80
  • DEase of useAbove 0 of 80
  • CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 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 Solidus 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.

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

What you could not

  • Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
  • An API that other software can build on.
  • The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

What this rests on. Solidus’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

Spree Commerce, Medusa, Saleor, Sylius and OpenCart

The 5 tools Solidus 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

11

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 Solidus free?

Solidus has a free plan. The DIY Edition is free and includes the whole platform, but you provide and maintain the infrastructure.

How much does Solidus cost?

Solidus lists 3 plans. DIY Edition: $0.

What platforms does Solidus work on?

Solidus is available on Web.

Does Solidus have an Android app?

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

Does Solidus have an iPhone app?

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

Is Solidus open source?

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

Does Solidus have an API?

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

Who makes Solidus?

Solidus is made by Nebulab and the open-source community.

What are the alternatives to Solidus?

The closest alternatives to Solidus in our directory are Spree Commerce, Medusa, Saleor, Sylius and OpenCart.

How does Solidus compare with other online store builders?

Solidus'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 Solidus?

To replace Solidus 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 Solidus’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 Solidus'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 Nebulab and the open-source community. Prices change, so check solidus.io 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, "Solidus: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/solidus

Know someone choosing between online store builders?

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

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See our other guides

The best-graded online store builders after Solidus, 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 Solidus’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. Solidus is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Nebulab and the open-source community. Prices and plans change: check solidus.io before you buy.