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E-Commerce · head to head

Spree Commerce vs Swell Commerce

Spree Commerce logo

Spree Commerce

E-Commerce

Complete open source ecommerce solution

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Swell Commerce logo

Swell Commerce

E-Commerce

Headless ecommerce for modern brands

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Spree Commerce has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Spree Commerce multi-vendor marketplace, B2B commerce and multi-tenant white label modules are Enterprise Edition only and licensed separately from the open source core; Swell Commerce each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • They diverge on capability: Spree Commerce covers Multi-store support, Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Spree Commerce and Swell Commerce actually diverge.

Attributes where Spree Commerce and Swell Commerce differ
AttributeSpree CommerceSwell Commerce
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded20072019

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

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 Spree Commerce

  • Multi-store support
  • Multi-currency
  • Multi-language
  • REST API
  • GraphQL support
  • Mobile-ready
  • SEO optimization
  • Flexible taxonomy

Only in Swell Commerce

  • Headless architecture
  • GraphQL & REST APIs
  • Subscription commerce
  • Multi-currency support
  • Inventory management
  • Custom checkout
  • Webhook integrations
  • Developer-friendly SDK

What people use each for

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

Spree Commerce

  • E-commerce platforms with zero platform fees and no vendor lock-innot Swell Commerce
  • Self-hosted shopping experiences on AWS, GCP, Azure, or on-premise infrastructurenot Swell Commerce
  • Deployments requiring predictable costs that don't scale with revenuenot Swell Commerce

Swell Commerce

  • Running a headless commerce backend with APIs for a custom storefrontnot Spree Commerce
  • Selling subscription products alongside one off purchasesnot Spree Commerce
  • Operating multi currency stores from one commerce backendnot Spree Commerce

Where each one falls short

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

Spree Commerce

  • Multi-vendor marketplace, B2B commerce and multi-tenant white label modules are Enterprise Edition only and licensed separately from the open source core
  • Enterprise Edition pricing is quoted per customer depending on modules and scale, with no published rate
  • Support with guaranteed response times and a success manager comes only with Enterprise Edition
  • The free Community Edition is self hosted, so hosting, upgrades and Ruby on Rails maintenance are the operator's responsibility

Swell Commerce

  • Each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • Starter at $29 a month allows 2 admin users and includes only 100,000 API requests and 1GB of storage per month
  • Additional API requests cost $5 per 100,000 and extra storage $5 per GB
  • Role based permissions and developer support are restricted to the Unlimited plan at $2,250 a month
  • Advanced reports and priced currencies require the Standard plan or higher
  • Published prices are the billed yearly rates, so monthly billing costs more

Pricing, plan by plan

Spree Commerce

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full platform access
    • Community support
    • All core features
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Premium support
    • Custom development
    • SLA guarantees

Swell Commerce

$29/month
  • Starter$29/month
    • Up to $50K annual revenue
    • Basic reports
    • Up to 5 admin users
  • Basic$79/month
    • Up to $250K annual revenue
    • Most popular plan
    • Basic reports
  • Standard$299/month
    • Up to $1M annual revenue
    • Advanced reports
    • Up to 15 admin users
  • Unlimited$2250/month
    • Up to $5M annual revenue
    • Unlimited scalability and granular control
    • Unlimited admin users

Which should you pick?

Choose Spree Commerce if

  • You need multi-store support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want multi-currency.
Spree Commerce review

Choose Swell Commerce if

  • You need headless architecture.
  • You also want graphql & rest apis.
Swell Commerce review

Questions people ask

Is Spree Commerce or Swell Commerce better?
Neither clearly leads. Spree Commerce starts at Free and Swell Commerce at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Spree Commerce or Swell Commerce?
Spree Commerce has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Spree Commerce and $29/month for Swell Commerce.
Does Spree Commerce or Swell Commerce run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Spree Commerce for free?
Yes. Spree Commerce has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Swell Commerce starts at $29/month.
What is Spree Commerce best used for?
Spree Commerce is most often used for e-commerce platforms with zero platform fees and no vendor lock-in, self-hosted shopping experiences on aws, gcp, azure, or on-premise infrastructure, deployments requiring predictable costs that don't scale with revenue. Of those, e-commerce platforms with zero platform fees and no vendor lock-in and self-hosted shopping experiences on aws, gcp, azure, or on-premise infrastructure are not what Swell Commerce is typically brought in for.
What can Spree Commerce do that Swell Commerce cannot?
Spree Commerce covers Multi-store support, Multi-currency, Multi-language, REST API. Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture, GraphQL & REST APIs, Subscription commerce, Multi-currency support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Spree Commerce: Is Spree Commerce free?

Yes, Spree Commerce is free and open source under a BSD 3-Clause license. The core platform has zero platform fees and no GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) cuts or transaction fees, and sandbox access is free without requiring a credit card.

Source
Swell Commerce: How much does Swell Commerce cost?

Swell offers four tiers starting at $29 per month for Starter and going up to $2,250 per month for Unlimited. Annual billing provides a 25% discount compared to monthly billing. All prices are in USD.

Source
Spree Commerce: What is Spree Commerce's pricing model?

Spree Commerce operates as free open-source software. Users self-host on their choice of infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure, or on-premise), so costs are based on the hosting infrastructure selected rather than platform subscription fees. An Enterprise Edition is available with optional dedicated support, but specific pricing is not published.

Source
Swell Commerce: What are Swell's revenue tier overages?

Each plan includes a revenue ceiling based on 12-month trailing sales. Starter allows up to $50K with 2% overage, Basic allows $250K with 1.5% overage, Standard allows $1M with 1% overage, and Unlimited allows $5M with 0.4% overage. Custom plans are available for merchants exceeding $10M annually.

Source
Spree Commerce: Are there transaction fees with Spree Commerce?

No, Spree Commerce charges zero transaction fees. Unlike SaaS e-commerce platforms that take a percentage of sales, Spree offers predictable costs that don't scale with revenue, giving merchants full control over their margins.

Source
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