Side by side
Commerce Layer vs Unchained Engine
Both stand on headless ecommerce platforms. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+2
Commerce Layer combines checkout, order management, promotions, and point-of-sale tools through an API-first platform. The Developer plan has a monthly live-order allowance, while Enterprise orders are custom quoted.
Visit Commerce Layer
Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb
Unchained Engine offers a free, self-hosted foundation with a broad set of commerce modules and a GraphQL development stack. Account for hosting costs and open-source obligations when planning a deployment.
Visit Unchained EngineThe facts
| Commerce Layer | Unchained Engine | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Not published |
| Runs on | Android, API, iPhone, Self-hosted, Web | API, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | commercelayer.io | unchained.shop |
| On headless ecommerce platforms | #6 of 28 | #10 of 28 |
Commerce Layer: what it does well
- Checkout supports multiple markets and currencies.
- Order management unifies inventory across locations.
- Promotions support visual editing or a JSON-based DSL.
- Developer plan includes 100 free live orders monthly.
- Advertises 24/7 support.
What to know first
- No trial period is offered.
- No on-premise version is available.
- Developer plan allows 100 free live orders monthly.
Unchained Engine: what it does well
- Free under EUPL, with no licensing or per-transaction fees.
- One backend can serve web, mobile, IoT, and social commerce.
- Includes product, order, payment, delivery, and warehousing modules.
- Docker-ready for Docker or Kubernetes environments.
- Payment tokenization keeps card data off platform servers.
What to know first
- Users pay for hosting infrastructure.
- Distributed modifications must use compatible open-source terms.
- Self-hosting requires users to manage deployment.
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