Vendure
Austrian open-source commerce framework with a GraphQL API and priced B2B plans
Quick Overview
| Company | Elevantiq GmbH (trading as Vendure) |
|---|---|
| Category | Headless Commerce Platforms |
| Headquarters | Oberndorf in Tirol, Austria |
| Founded | Not stated |
| EU Presence | Yes - Austria (EU) |
| Data Location | Wherever you host the Framework; the Vendure Cloud region is not stated on the pages checked |
| Open Source | GPL-3.0 |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | Yes, the open-source Framework runs on your own infrastructure |
| Main Features | GraphQL API, TypeScript, plugin model, company accounts, quotes, quick order, contract pricing, order approvals, admin Dashboard |
| Pricing | Framework free (GPLv3); Starter €199/month, Growth €599/month, Scale €2,499/month on the annual term; Enterprise from €60,000/year; excl. VAT |
| Best For | Developer teams building B2B commerce with customer-specific prices and approvals |
| Replaces | Kibo |
Detailed Review
Vendure started in 2018 as an open-source commerce framework and today concentrates on business-to-business selling: company accounts, quotes, quick order from a pasted SKU list, customer-specific price lists and order approvals. Everything is written in TypeScript and exposed through a GraphQL API, so a storefront can be a Next.js app, a mobile client or a marketplace connector.
The contracting party is Elevantiq GmbH, registered at the Innsbruck regional court under FN 506751 y, and its terms of service apply Austrian law with Vienna as the court. The company states that it ended its agency business in 2026 and now works on the product alone.
What the free Framework covers
The Vendure Framework is licensed GPLv3 and the vendor says it stays free, with the paid offering purely additive. It supplies catalogue, orders, customers, payments and a plugin model, which is the layer a developer team would otherwise assemble from separate services.
The vendor advises that merchants with standard orders and card payments will probably not need a paid plan, which makes this an unusually direct statement for a commercial open-source company.
Plans built on B2B features
Starter at €199 per month adds company accounts with tax-ID validation, quotes, quick order and catalogue search for buyers. Growth at €599 adds branches and departments and selling by unit, box or pallet, and Scale at €2,499 adds order approvals, contract prices, an audit log and a ready-made B2B storefront.
Prices are shown excluding VAT, with a discounted annual term billed monthly and a higher no-commitment monthly rate. No fee is charged on revenue, orders or users.
Hosting and enterprise terms
Plan prices are the same whether you self-host or use Vendure Cloud, which is in closed beta with general availability planned for Q1 2027. The Enterprise tier starts at €60,000 per year and lists a DPA and mutual NDA as ready, with service levels on request.
Limitations to Consider
The paid plans are narrow in purpose: they add B2B capabilities, not a hosted storefront for a first shop, and the Starter plan only includes community support. Vendure Cloud is still in closed beta, so a managed route is not generally available yet, and its hosting region is not stated. GPLv3 matters if you plan to distribute modified code. Merchants who want a vendor-run platform with a large integration catalogue may prefer Shopware.
Who Should Use Vendure
In-house or agency developers who want a TypeScript codebase they control, selling to business customers that need their own prices, approvals and company accounts, under an Austrian contract.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free GPLv3 Framework with a documented GraphQL API
- Plan prices published in euros, with no fee on revenue or orders
- B2B features such as quotes, contract pricing and approvals are built in
- Austrian GmbH with FN number and Austrian law in the terms
- Same plan price for self-hosting and the planned cloud
Cons
- Vendure Cloud is a closed beta, general availability planned for Q1 2027
- Starter plan includes community support only
- Aimed at B2B; consumer-shop features are not the pitch
- GPLv3 licence can complicate redistribution of modified code
Alternatives to Vendure
Other European headless commerce platforms worth comparing before you decide:
Saleor
Poland · BSD-licensed GraphQL commerce core from Wroclaw, also sold as a cloud
Crystallize
Norway · Oslo-built GraphQL backend joining product data, content and orders
Sylius
Poland · MIT-licensed Symfony commerce framework with a paid Plus edition
Shopware
Germany · Open-source commerce platform from Schoeppingen with tiered paid plans
See all European headless commerce platforms or compare them directly against Kibo on our alternatives page.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Vendure Framework is open source under GPLv3 and free to self-host. The paid Starter, Growth, Scale and Enterprise plans add B2B capabilities on top, from €199 per month excluding VAT.
No. The pricing page states that no fee is charged on revenue, orders or users, so the plan price is the platform cost, plus any Vendure Cloud usage above the included resources.
Self-hosting lets you choose any location. Vendure Cloud is in closed beta and the pages checked do not name its hosting region, so confirm it with the vendor before relying on it.