Softwr

E-Commerce · head to head

Saleor vs Strapi

Saleor logo

Saleor

E-Commerce

Open-source, headless e-commerce platform with a GraphQL API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Strapi logo

Strapi

APIs

Headless CMS with REST and GraphQL APIs

From
$35/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Saleor has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Saleor saleor requires development resources to build a storefront, since it ships as an API-only backend without a front-end store out of the box.; Strapi cloud pricing is per project, not per account, so a second project doubles the bill
  • They diverge on capability: Saleor covers Admin dashboard, Strapi covers REST API.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Saleor and Strapi actually diverge.

Attributes where Saleor and Strapi differ
AttributeSaleorStrapi
Starting priceFree$35/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
Platformsweb, apiNode.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker
CategoryE-CommerceAPIs
Founded20192015

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Saleor

  • Admin dashboard
  • Webhooks and apps
  • Omnichannel order processing
  • Configurator CLI
  • OpenTelemetry tracing
  • OpenID Connect support

Only in Strapi

  • REST API
  • Content management
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • MongoDB
  • AWS
  • Webhooks
  • Node.js support

Both cover

  • GraphQL API

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Saleor

  • Custom headless storefrontsnot Strapi
  • Composable commerce architecturesnot Strapi
  • Omnichannel retail and B2B commercenot Strapi
  • Developer-built e-commerce requiring deep API accessnot Strapi

Strapi

  • Running a self hosted headless CMS with a REST or GraphQL APInot Saleor
  • Giving editors a content admin panel over a custom content modelnot Saleor

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Saleor

  • Saleor requires development resources to build a storefront, since it ships as an API-only backend without a front-end store out of the box.
  • Self-hosting requires managing infrastructure, scaling, and updates, which adds operational overhead compared to fully managed platforms.
  • Saleor Cloud's paid tiers start at $1,599/month, making the managed offering costly for small merchants compared to typical SaaS store builders.
  • The GraphQL-first, code-driven approach has a steeper learning curve for non-technical users than drag-and-drop e-commerce builders.

Strapi

  • Cloud pricing is per project, not per account, so a second project doubles the bill
  • Starter at $35 a month allows 100,000 API requests, and overage is $1.50 per 25,000
  • Extra bandwidth is $30 per 100 GB and extra asset storage $0.60 per GB
  • Backups start at the Pro plan, weekly, and only become daily at Business
  • An uptime SLA is Business only, at $450 a month per project
  • Additional environments cost $60 a month on Pro and $300 a month on Business

Pricing, plan by plan

Saleor

Free
  • Sandboxes (Cloud)Free
    • Free forever tier for prototyping and development
  • Select (Cloud)$1599/month
    • Up to $200,000 GMV monthly
    • 0.8% fee on orders exceeding GMV limit
    • Dedicated Slack channel
  • Volume (Cloud)$3999/month
    • Up to $1,000,000 GMV monthly
    • 0.4% fee on orders exceeding GMV limit
    • Dedicated Slack channel
  • Enterprise (Cloud)$undefined/mo
    • Custom GMV limits
    • Fees negotiable as low as 0.2%
    • Project delivery lead

Strapi

$35/month
  • Starter$35/month
    • 100k API requests
    • 50 GB asset storage
    • 50 GB asset bandwidth
  • Pro$90/month
    • 1M API requests
    • 250 GB asset storage
    • 500 GB asset bandwidth
  • Business$450/month
    • 10M API requests
    • 1000 GB asset storage
    • 1000 GB asset bandwidth

Which should you pick?

Choose Saleor if

  • You need admin dashboard.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want webhooks and apps.
Saleor review

Choose Strapi if

  • You need rest api.
  • You work on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.
  • You also want content management.
Strapi review

Questions people ask

Is Saleor or Strapi better?
Neither clearly leads. Saleor starts at Free and Strapi at $35/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Saleor or Strapi?
Saleor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Saleor and $35/month for Strapi.
Does Saleor or Strapi run on more platforms?
Saleor runs on web, api. Strapi runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.
Can I use Saleor for free?
Yes. Saleor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Strapi starts at $35/month.
What is Saleor best used for?
Saleor is most often used for custom headless storefronts, composable commerce architectures, omnichannel retail and b2b commerce, developer-built e-commerce requiring deep api access. Of those, custom headless storefronts and composable commerce architectures are not what Strapi is typically brought in for.
What can Saleor do that Strapi cannot?
Saleor covers Admin dashboard, Webhooks and apps, Omnichannel order processing, Configurator CLI. Strapi covers REST API, Content management, PostgreSQL, MySQL. Both handle GraphQL API.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Saleor: Is Saleor free to use?

Yes. Saleor is open source under the BSD-3-Clause license and can be self-hosted for free. Saleor Cloud also offers a free Sandboxes tier for prototyping and development.

Source
Strapi: How much do API request overages cost?

Additional API requests beyond the plan limit cost $1.50 per 25000 requests. Extra asset storage costs $0.60 per GB, and additional bandwidth costs $30 per 100 GB.

Source
Saleor: How much does Saleor Cloud cost?

Saleor Cloud paid plans start at $1,599/month for the Select plan (up to $200,000 monthly GMV), with Volume at $3,999/month and custom Enterprise pricing for larger merchants.

Source
Strapi: Is yearly billing available?

Yes, yearly billing saves up to 17% compared to monthly billing on Strapi Cloud plans.

Source
Saleor: Does Saleor provide a storefront out of the box?

No. Saleor is an API-only, headless commerce backend built on GraphQL; storefronts must be built separately using the API and are not bundled with the platform.

Source
Strapi: What is included with the Pro plan?

The Pro plan costs $90 per month per project and includes 1M API requests, 250 GB asset storage, 500 GB bandwidth, multi-environment support, weekly backups, and manual backups.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Saleor

More on Strapi

Keep looking

Other head to heads