Spree vs. Solidus: Which is Right For You in 2023

Ruby on Rails is known for its advantages in eCommerce business management. An eCommerce store looking to scale their online presence will benefit from this full-stack framework. There are still different Ruby on Rails platforms to choose from. Solidus vs Spree – two open-source eCommerce platforms that are very similar – are the common dilemma. 

In addition to Railscarma, we have clients who prefer working with both. Having worked with Spree eCommerce for years, and more recently Solidus, we know the ins and outs of both systems. This article compares the two and explains how each is best suited for your company’s online retail needs. By the end of your reading, you will be able to decide which platform to use to update your store in 2023 based on Solidus vs Spree for eCommerce. 

Ruby on Rails Spree: what is it?

With Spree, you can create an online shop or marketplace using Ruby on Rails. It launched in 2007 and has established an impressive presence in the industry since then. It is a headless eCommerce platform that offers comprehensive software solutions for scaling online stores. The platform is free to download and can be used by businesses. Its free nature makes it more attractive to eCommerce retailers than other SaaS solutions that charge monthly or annual fees just for the framework. 

Spree to Solidus: what is it?

Solidus is a newer branch of the original headless and open-source code Spree, which is the basis for Solidus. In 2015, Spree ceased to support bugs or malfunctions within the platform, leading to a new framework called Solidus being developed. Spree eCommerce will become Solidus by 2023. With Ruby On Rails, developers can stay up to date with the latest eCommerce trends by using the latest version of software available. 

eCommerce comparison: Solidus vs Spree in 2023 

Platform maintenance and support: 

In order to compare Solidus vs Spree, it’s important to keep in mind the reasons why Solidus was forked from Spree eCommerce. There were a couple of reasons for this, including the sudden lack of user support on Spree 2.4. Solidus continues to lead the way when it comes to user support and communication with the platform. Solidus users can access all answered questions in a Slack channel or ask new ones if necessary. Spree, however, has documentation covering every possible issue with their code, but they do not allow real-time support. 

Licensing: 

The BSD license does not impose any restrictions on Spree’s functionality since it is a headless open-source eCommerce framework. The Spree eCommerce software is always the same, so enterprise editions do not exist. There are no licensing fees for Spree when you use Ruby on Rails for eCommerce, no matter how big or small your company is. Similarly, Solidus only requires Spree licenses – which are free – for eCommerce users.

Framework for Ruby on Rails: 

Ruby and Rails are used for both Spree and Solidus in eCommerce. There are multiple stores and applications that use this framework. Using its eCommerce framework, developers don’t need to make as many decisions when using these platforms since it uses convention over configuration (CoC). 

Integrations with payment systems: 

The core features of both open-source eCommerce platforms, such as shopping carts, search engines, and favorites buttons, are similar, but they differ in some ways.

 With Spree, developers can quickly build eCommerce sites by using an array of existing components. As your online store grows, these components may not work correctly if they haven’t been updated in years. Your site will be more appealing to customers with Solidus because of its greater flexibility. 

Marketing and analytics:

There are no analytics trackers built into either of these open-source eCommerce platforms. However, this shouldn’t cause you any concern since it won’t adversely affect your company’s marketing or business growth. Third-party analytics tools, such as Google Analytics and Segment, can be integrated into the backend code of your stores. The integration will enable you to see your store’s traffic, rankings, and other business-relevant analytics once it’s live. 

Adaptability: 

The original intent of Spree was to be a scalability-oriented open-source platform. As your traffic grows, your store will grow along with it. Due to its inheritance of Spree eCommerce’s base code, Solidus has the same inclination towards scalability. As a result of Solidus’ improvements to the code and components, developers will be able to scale their businesses faster than they could with Spree’s outdated code. Scalability becomes easier and more cost-effective when hardware and development costs are reduced. 

What’s the best Ruby on Rails platform for eCommerce in 2023: Solidus or Spree?

As According to this article, Solidus and Spree offer similar features. They are both open-source frameworks that can be used with Ruby On Rails, one of the best platforms for eCommerce websites. While Spree eCommerce is superior to Solidus in 2023, there aren’t many reasons to choose it. The reason for this is that Spree has only received minimal support since 2015 compared to Solidus, which has received a large number of improvements and bug fixes. In the future, Solidus will continue to lead the way while Spree remains a functional platform. 

While Solidus and Shopify both have similarities, Solidus is better suited to scaling your online store and increasing traffic in the future. Compared to Spree, Solidus is the clear winner of the Solidus vs Spree debate because of its price (0 USD) and functionality. If you are currently using Spree and want to update your store for 2023 eCommerce trends, we recommend you build your eCommerce store with Solidus or migrate to this framework. Spree eCommerce is also perfectly fine as long as your store won’t undergo too many upgrades in the near future. 

Are you looking for a migration service for your Spree to Solidus eCommerce store? Get in touch!

As a full-service eCommerce company, Railscarma takes care of every single client’s technical needs. The Solidus framework and Spree eCommerce are two of the Ruby on Rails eCommerce frameworks we specialize in. It is common for these platforms to migrate between each other. Since we have expertise in switching between Spree and Solidus, we understand the migration process well. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can help you scale your eCommerce store!