ChatGPT answers, unedited

For a single self-hosted open source system that handles both physical and digital products, I’d look at platforms that treat “product type” and fulfillment separately rather than forcing you into two stores.

Here are the strongest options:

My shortlist by scenario

If you want to launch and manage the store yourself

Choose WooCommerce.

It is usually the easiest path:

• physical products → inventory, shipping, variants
• digital products → downloads, protected files
• one cart and checkout
• lots of payment/shipping integrations

The tradeoff is that very large catalogs or complex workflows can require careful optimization and plugin choices.

If you want one commerce backend that can grow with custom needs

Choose Spree Commerce.

It is a better fit if you expect:

• thousands of products
• custom product types
• multiple storefronts
• ERP/warehouse integrations
• mobile apps or custom frontends

Spree specifically documents combining digital and physical products in one catalog and checkout flow. Spree Commerce

If you are building a developer-controlled platform

Consider Saleor, Medusa, or Spree.

These are less “install a shop and configure it” and more “build your commerce platform on top of an engine.”

Features I would verify before committing

For a mixed catalog, make sure the platform supports:

• One cart containing both product types

• e.g., customer buys a T-shirt + ebook together
• Different fulfillment rules

• shipping required for physical items
• download/license delivery for digital items
• Inventory only for physical goods
• No shipping calculation for digital goods
• Tax handling differences
• Digital file security

• expiring links, download limits, license keys
• Subscriptions/memberships if you sell recurring digital products

A practical recommendation:

• Most merchants: WooCommerce
• Serious catalog/customization: Spree Commerce
• Enterprise-style custom build: Saleor or Medusa

If you share your approximate catalog size (e.g., 50 products vs 50,000), whether you need subscriptions/licenses, and your preferred stack (PHP/Ruby/Node/Python), the choice narrows quite a bit.

If your priority is one self-hosted open-source store that handles physical + digital products in the same catalog and checkout, I’d put WooCommerce at the top of the shortlist.

How I’d compare them

Why WooCommerce stands out for your use case: its core product model explicitly supports physical, virtual, and downloadable products. A downloadable product can still require shipping, so you can sell something like physical book + PDF, while purely digital products can bypass shipping. WooCommerce WooCommerce

It also handles mixed orders naturally: a cart can contain physical and digital products, with shipping calculated only for the shippable items. WooCommerce can grant digital access after payment even when the physical portion of the order hasn't shipped yet. WooCommerce

For products with variations, downloads can be attached to individual variations and physical inventory can be managed alongside them. WooCommerce

My practical recommendation

Go with WooCommerce if you want:

• One catalog for physical and digital goods
• Physical + digital products in the same order
• Straightforward inventory/shipping for physical items
• Secure downloadable-file delivery
• A mature self-hosted ecosystem
• The option to add subscriptions, memberships, bundles, licenses, etc. later

woocommerce.com

I'd choose Medusa or Saleor instead if you're specifically building a custom/headless commerce application and have developers who want an API-first architecture. A recent comparison, for example, describes Medusa as TypeScript/REST-oriented and Saleor as Python/GraphQL-oriented, with different customization approaches. Eryx Innovations Lab

Bottom line: for a normal merchant who wants to self-host and sell both physical and digital products without engineering a lot of commerce behavior themselves, WooCommerce is probably the most straightforward fit.

If you tell me roughly how many products/orders you expect and what kinds of digital products you sell (PDFs, software licenses, courses, audio/video, etc.), I can narrow this down between WooCommerce, Medusa, Saleor, and Sylius.

Go with WooCommerce if you want:

If you need one self-hosted open-source ecommerce system that handles a mixed catalog (physical goods + digital downloads/licenses) well, I’d shortlist these:

Open Source Groups OpenSourceProjects.cc## My recommendations by scenario

1. You want to run the store yourself with minimal development

Pick WooCommerce.

It is usually the easiest answer for a mixed catalog:

• physical SKUs with stock tracking
• downloadable files
• memberships/subscriptions
• product variations
• shipping rules
• taxes
• a huge ecosystem of extensions

The downside is that a large WooCommerce stack can become plugin-heavy, so careful extension selection matters. Open Source Groups

2. You expect a serious catalog or custom workflows

Pick Spree Commerce.

It is designed more like a commerce engine than a website plugin. It can handle:

• physical products with inventory/shipping workflows
• digital products such as downloads, licenses, and subscriptions
• custom checkout logic
• API-driven storefronts

This is a better foundation if you have developers and expect unusual business rules. Spree Commerce Spree Commerce

3. You want a Shopify-like backend but your own frontend

Look at Medusa or Saleor.

These are good when you want:

• a custom React/Next.js storefront
• mobile apps
• multiple sales channels
• deeper integrations

They are less ideal if you want to install today and start adding products from an admin panel. OpenSourceProjects.cc Toolradar

A practical ranking for your use case

1. WooCommerce — best overall for a merchant selling both physical and digital products
2. Spree Commerce — best long-term architecture if you have developers
3. PrestaShop — best traditional standalone ecommerce option
4. Medusa — best if you want a custom/headless build
5. Saleor — best for larger engineering teams

A key design question is how your digital products work:

• simple files (PDFs, ZIPs, videos) → WooCommerce is usually enough
• license keys/software activation → Spree, Medusa, or a customized WooCommerce setup may fit better
• subscriptions/memberships → compare those workflows specifically, since they often need extra modules

If you share your approximate catalog size (e.g., 50 vs 50,000 products), tech preference (PHP/WordPress vs Node/Python), and whether digital items are downloads, licenses, or subscriptions, the shortlist can be narrowed considerably.

Yes. If mixed physical + digital catalogs are the core requirement, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Medusa

For a new system, Medusa is probably the best fit if you want one catalog containing both physical and digital goods. Its current product model lets you control shipping/inventory requirements at the product and variant level: physical variants can require shipping, while digital variants can omit shipping. Medusa Documentation Medusa Documentation

The important caveat is that digital fulfillment isn't as turnkey as WooCommerce. Medusa's documentation provides a digital-products implementation using a custom Digital Product Module, file storage, and fulfillment logic. Medusa Documentation Medusa Documentation In other words, it's exceptionally flexible, but you should expect some development work.

If you want the least development: WooCommerce

WooCommerce is arguably the strongest choice if your priority is "install it and start selling." It explicitly supports physical products, digital downloads, services, subscriptions, etc. WooCommerce The WooCommerce Developer Blog

It handles an especially useful hybrid case: a physical product can also have downloadable files. WooCommerce lets you mark products/variants as downloadable while retaining shipping, so something like "physical textbook + digital PDF" works naturally. WooCommerce

Where Saleor fits

Saleor is compelling if you're building a custom/headless storefront and want a strong GraphQL architecture. Its official docs explicitly cover both normal catalog management and digital products, including licenses and other non-physical goods. Saleor Documentation

Bottom line

• WooCommerce → best if you want a conventional store and lots of ready-made functionality.
• Medusa → my choice for a new, self-hosted, mixed physical/digital system where you want architectural flexibility.
• Saleor → best if you have a strong engineering team and want GraphQL/headless from the outset.
• Sylius → worth considering when your catalog/order logic is unusually complex.

If you tell me roughly how many physical SKUs, how many digital SKUs, whether digital products are files/licenses/courses, and whether you need subscriptions, I can narrow this to one and give you a suggested self-hosted architecture.

For a new system, Medusa is probably the best fit if you want one catalog containing both physical and digital goods. Its current product model lets you control shipping/inventory requirements at the product and variant level: physical variants can require shipping, while digital variants can omit shipping. Medusa Documentation Medusa Documentation

The important caveat is that digital fulfillment isn't as turnkey as WooCommerce. Medusa's documentation provides a digital-products implementation using a custom Digital Product Module, file storage, and fulfillment logic. Medusa Documentation Medusa Documentation In other words, it's exceptionally flexible, but you should expect some development work.

If you want the least development: WooCommerce

WooCommerce is arguably the strongest choice if your priority is "install it and start selling." It explicitly supports physical products, digital downloads, services, subscriptions, etc. woocommerce.com developer.woocommerce.com

It handles an especially useful hybrid case: a physical product can also have downloadable files. WooCommerce lets you mark products/variants as downloadable while retaining shipping, so something like "physical textbook + digital PDF" works naturally.

Where Saleor fits

Saleor is compelling if you're building a custom/headless storefront and want a strong GraphQL architecture. Its official docs explicitly cover both normal catalog management and digital products, including licenses and other non-physical goods.

Bottom line

Yes. If one self-hosted open-source system needs to sell physical and digital products in the same catalog—and ideally the same cart, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Spree Commerce

For your specific requirement, Spree is unusually well suited. Its documentation explicitly covers digital downloads, software licenses, subscriptions, and media, while allowing physical and digital products to be purchased in one cart with separate fulfillment workflows. Its Community Edition is self-hostable and open source. Spree Commerce

That means you can have something like:

• Physical: T-shirts, books, equipment
• Digital: PDFs, ebooks, templates
• Software: license keys
• Subscription/media products
• A customer buying a physical item and a download in one checkout
• Shipping fulfillment for the physical item while the digital item is delivered immediately

That's a better match than platforms where "digital products" are primarily an extension/plugin bolted onto a physical-product model.

When I'd choose the others

WooCommerce is probably the safest choice if you want to get running quickly and want a massive extension ecosystem. Its WordPress foundation gives you a conventional admin/storefront and an enormous range of plugins. WP Bundle WP Bundle

Medusa is better if you're building a custom/headless storefront and your team is comfortable with TypeScript/Node.js. It's designed as a modular commerce backend rather than a traditional website builder. WP Bundle

Saleor is attractive for a larger engineering organization needing GraphQL, multi-channel commerce, multiple warehouses, currencies, etc. It's powerful, but I'd consider it heavier than necessary unless you need those capabilities. Saleor Commerce Saleor Commerce

Bottom line

If your priority is specifically:

"One open-source, self-hosted store where physical and digital products are first-class citizens and can coexist in the same order."

I'd rank them:

1. Spree Commerce → best direct fit
2. WooCommerce → easiest/maturest overall
3. Medusa → best modern developer/headless option
4. Saleor → best for sophisticated/large-scale architecture
5. Magento Open Source → only if your catalog/business rules are extremely complex

If you tell me roughly how many SKUs you have, whether you need subscriptions/license keys, and whether you want a ready-made storefront or headless, I can narrow this to one platform and outline the self-hosted stack I'd use.

If mixed physical + digital products in one catalog is the priority, I’d put WooCommerce at the top of the list.

Best fit: WooCommerce

WooCommerce handles the combination unusually well:

• Physical products: inventory, SKUs, variations, shipping, taxes, etc.
• Digital products: downloadable files with download limits and expiration.
• Hybrid products: a physical item can include a digital download—for example, a printed book + PDF, or hardware + software. WooCommerce WooCommerce
• Mixed carts: customers can buy physical and digital items in the same order, with shipping applying only where appropriate. WooCommerce
• Variable products: individual variations can independently be physical, virtual, or downloadable. WooCommerce
• Download security: WooCommerce supports protected download delivery, download limits, expiration, and controlled download directories. WooCommerce WooCommerce
• Bundles: physical, virtual, and downloadable products can be combined into bundles. WooCommerce

How I'd rank the main options

The big advantage of WooCommerce isn't just that it can sell digital products; its product model naturally lets you mix physical, virtual, and downloadable behavior. WooCommerce WooCommerce

My recommendation: if you want to self-host, have a conventional storefront, and don't want to build a commerce platform yourself, choose WooCommerce + WordPress. If you're a development team building a highly customized/headless system, I'd investigate Medusa or Saleor instead. A recent 2026 comparison similarly puts WooCommerce ahead on ecosystem breadth while positioning Medusa as the developer-oriented headless option and Saleor as a GraphQL-first platform. ossalt.com

If you tell me roughly how many products/orders you expect and what kinds of digital products you sell (downloads, licenses, courses, subscriptions, etc.), I can narrow this to the best 2–3 and compare their architecture, licensing, hosting, and maintenance burden.

Yes. If you want one self-hosted, open-source system that treats physical and digital products as part of the same catalog, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation: WooCommerce

woocommerce.com is probably the closest match to what you're describing.

It supports virtual/downloadable products alongside ordinary shippable products, so you can have something like:

• Physical: T-shirts, books, hardware
• Digital: PDFs, ebooks, software downloads
• Mixed: a physical book + accompanying digital download
• Services/subscriptions via extensions

Its biggest advantage is the enormous WordPress/WooCommerce extension ecosystem, which makes payments, shipping, taxes, digital downloads, subscriptions, memberships, licensing, etc. much easier to assemble than with a pure headless platform. WP Bundle Toolradar

When I'd choose Medusa instead

medusajs.com is my pick if you're building a custom storefront and don't mind development work.

It's TypeScript/Node-based, modular, and designed as a headless commerce backend. That makes it attractive if you want one catalog feeding a website, mobile app, marketplaces, or other sales channels. The tradeoff is that you'll generally build more of the digital-product workflow yourself compared with WooCommerce. Eryx Innovations Lab Open Source Projects

Saleor

saleor.io is worth considering if your catalog/business is more sophisticated—multiple channels, warehouses, currencies, permissions, etc. Its GraphQL architecture and extensibility are particularly strong, but self-hosting is more operationally demanding. Saleor Commerce Saleor Commerce

Bottom line: If your priority is "I sell both kinds of products and want one system that just handles it" → WooCommerce. If your priority is "I want a developer-built, API-first commerce platform that I can mold into anything" → Medusa.

If you tell me roughly how many physical products, how many digital products, whether digital products need licensing/DRM, and whether you need subscriptions, I can narrow it down to 1–2 systems.

If you need one self-hosted open-source ecommerce system that handles a mixed catalog (physical goods + digital downloads/licenses/subscriptions), these are the strongest options:

Open Source Groups Open Source Projects## My shortlist for your use case

1. Best overall: WooCommerce

If you want to run the business rather than build the platform, WooCommerce is usually the safest choice.

Good at:

• Physical products with inventory, shipping, taxes
• Digital downloads
• Mixed carts (customer buys a shirt + ebook in one order)
• Product variations (size/color/version)
• Large plugin ecosystem

The downside is that advanced setups can become a collection of plugins, so careful hosting and maintenance matter. Open Source Groups

2. Best "one backend for everything": Spree Commerce

Spree is worth looking at if you have developer support and want a cleaner architecture.

It supports:

• Physical and digital products
• Separate fulfillment workflows (shipping vs. download delivery)
• Licenses, downloads, subscriptions
• API-driven storefronts
• Custom checkout/business logic

Spree Commerce### 3. Best for a custom/headless future: Saleor or Medusa

Choose these if you expect:

• Mobile apps
• Multiple storefronts
• Custom customer experiences
• Marketplace/B2B features
• A frontend built with React/Next.js/etc.

Saleor is GraphQL-first and built for API-driven commerce, while Medusa is a modular developer-focused commerce engine. Open Source Projects OSSAlt

What I would avoid for your situation

• Very lightweight carts (unless your catalog is simple): they often handle physical inventory well but treat digital products as an afterthought.
• Enterprise platforms like Magento Open Source unless you have a technical team; they can be powerful but bring significant operational complexity. Open Source Groups

My recommendation by scenario

• Solo seller / small team: WooCommerce
• 10k+ SKUs, custom workflows, developer available: Spree
• Building a SaaS-like commerce platform: Saleor or Medusa
• Need a traditional store with minimal coding: WooCommerce or PrestaShop

A few details would change the recommendation:

1. How many products/SKUs do you expect?
2. Are your digital products just files (PDFs, videos, downloads), or do they need licenses/subscriptions?
3. Do you need marketplaces, memberships, or B2B pricing?

Yes. If you want one self-hosted open-source backend for a catalog containing both shippable goods and downloadable/digital goods, I’d shortlist Medusa, Vendure, and Saleor.

My ranking

1. medusajs.com — my first choice

Medusa is particularly attractive if you're comfortable with TypeScript/Node.js. Its current architecture explicitly supports products that are physical, digital, or don't require shipping/inventory. Its product module can handle normal products and variants, while its digital-product recipe provides file storage and digital fulfillment. Medusa Docs Medusa Docs

A mixed cart could therefore look like:

• T-shirt → inventory + physical shipping
• Printed book → inventory + physical shipping
• eBook → downloadable fulfillment
• Software license → digital fulfillment
• Course → digital/service fulfillment

The important part is that you don't need separate stores or separate catalogs.

I'd choose Medusa if: you want maximum control over the application and you're building a modern custom storefront.

2. vendure.io — arguably the best fit for your exact requirement

Vendure has particularly good primitives for distinguishing digital and physical variants. Its official documentation actually walks through a mixed digital/physical catalog, including different shipping eligibility and fulfillment behavior. Vendure

Its Product → ProductVariant model is also well suited to products where individual variants have different inventory/fulfillment characteristics. Vendure Vendure

That makes Vendure compelling if, for example, you have:

"Photography course — digital download"
"Photography course + printed workbook — physical + digital"

and want those to coexist cleanly in the same commerce system.

I'd choose Vendure if: mixed fulfillment is central to your business and you want a very extensible TypeScript/GraphQL backend.

3. saleor.io

Saleor is another excellent option. Its documentation has a dedicated Digital Products recipe alongside its normal catalog, checkout, payment, shipping, and product functionality. Saleor Documentation

It's particularly attractive if you like Python/Django + GraphQL and expect sophisticated multi-channel, international, or enterprise requirements.

What I'd pick

For a new business, I'd narrow it to:

Medusa → best general-purpose choice
Vendure → best if mixed fulfillment is especially important
Saleor → best if you're a Python/GraphQL-oriented team

One important distinction: these are headless commerce engines, rather than turnkey "install it and get a finished storefront" systems. You'll generally build or customize the storefront yourself. Medusa, Vendure, and Saleor all give you the backend/catalog/checkout machinery to do that. Vendure Medusa Docs saleor.io

If you tell me (1) your tech stack, (2) roughly how many products/SKUs, and (3) whether digital products are downloads, licenses, courses, subscriptions, or a mix, I can give you a much more specific recommendation between Medusa vs Vendure vs Saleor.

Yes. For a mixed physical + digital catalog, I’d put Medusa at the top of the shortlist.

My ranking

Medusa is particularly well suited because its current product model explicitly supports physical products, digital products, and products that require neither shipping nor inventory. You can configure shipping and inventory requirements independently for products/variants. Medusa Docs Its core is MIT-licensed and self-hostable. GitHub

docs.medusajs.com

Why I'd choose Medusa

For example, you could have one catalog containing:

• Physical: T-shirts, books, equipment
• Digital: PDFs, software downloads, courses
• Mixed: a physical book + downloadable bonus
• Non-shipping: memberships, services, bookings

The important distinction is that you don't need to run a separate "digital store" alongside your physical store. Medusa's commerce model lets you represent different fulfillment/inventory requirements within the same system. Medusa Docs

Saleor is the other one I'd seriously consider. It's a very capable open-source, self-hostable, headless platform with a rich catalog model, multi-channel support, shipping, payments, and extensibility through apps/webhooks. GitHub Saleor Commerce I'd favor it over Medusa if you have a large catalog, multiple storefronts/markets, or a team comfortable with Python + GraphQL.

saleor.io

WooCommerce is the pragmatic choice if you want a traditional admin/store experience rather than assembling a headless system. Its ecosystem is vastly larger, but you may end up relying on several plugins for sophisticated digital fulfillment and mixed-product workflows. WP Bundle

Bottom line

If your requirement is specifically "one open-source, self-hosted system for physical + digital products", I'd start with:

1. Medusa — best overall for a new custom build
2. Saleor — best for sophisticated/large-scale commerce
3. WooCommerce — best if ease of administration and plugins matter most
4. Sylius — best if you're building a heavily customized Symfony/PHP application

If you tell me roughly how many products you have, whether digital products are downloadable files/software/courses, and whether you need subscriptions, I can narrow this down to one and explain the architecture I'd use.

Yes. If one catalog needs to contain both shippable physical goods and non-shippable digital products, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Medusa

Medusa is particularly well suited if you're building a new system rather than wanting a WordPress site.

Its current product model explicitly supports products that are physical, digital, or don't require shipping/inventory, and its documentation has a dedicated digital-products implementation covering file storage and digital fulfillment. Medusa Documentation Medusa Documentation

That means you can have, for example:

• T-shirts → inventory + shipping
• E-books → downloadable fulfillment, no shipping
• Software licenses → custom digital fulfillment
• Bundles → physical + digital components
• Services → no inventory/shipping

Medusa is also modular and headless, with product, inventory, fulfillment, payment, pricing, promotion, and sales-channel modules. Medusa Documentation Medusa Documentation

docs.medusajs.com

When I'd choose Saleor instead

Saleor is probably the better choice if you're expecting large/complex catalogs, multiple warehouses, currencies, languages, or sales channels. Its documentation explicitly includes a digital-products recipe, while the core platform has strong catalog, channel, warehouse, and multi-currency capabilities. Saleor Documentation GitHub

docs.saleor.io

When WooCommerce wins

WooCommerce is the pragmatic choice if you want the least custom development. It already handles downloadable products alongside ordinary physical products, and its enormous plugin ecosystem makes payment, shipping, tax, memberships, subscriptions, and other integrations easier to find. Current comparisons still put WooCommerce far ahead of the newer platforms in ecosystem breadth. WP Bundle

woocommerce.com

Bottom line: for a greenfield, self-hosted mixed physical/digital store, I'd start with Medusa. If you need enterprise-grade catalog/channel complexity, Saleor. If you want a conventional store that a non-developer can manage easily, WooCommerce.

If you tell me roughly how many SKUs you have, whether digital products are downloads/licenses/subscriptions, and whether you need subscriptions or memberships, I can narrow it to one.

For a store that sells both physical goods and digital products in the same catalog and checkout, I would shortlist these self-hosted open-source platforms:

Open Source Groups Open Source Projects### My recommendation by scenario

• You want to launch and manage the store yourself:

Pick WooCommerce. It is the easiest way to have: - physical SKUs with inventory

• downloadable files
• customer accounts
• coupons
• shipping only for physical items
• instant delivery for digital items

Open Source Groups- You have developers and want a long-lived custom platform:
Pick Spree Commerce, Saleor, or Medusa. These are better if you expect: - mobile apps

• custom checkout flows
• multiple storefronts
• complex pricing rules
• integrations with ERP/warehouse systems

Open Source Projects Spree Commerce- You sell software, licenses, courses, media, or memberships alongside physical goods:
I would lean toward Spree Commerce or WooCommerce. Spree specifically targets mixed fulfillment scenarios where digital delivery and physical shipping happen in the same order. Spree Commerce

What I would avoid

• Running two separate systems (one for digital, one for physical) unless you have a very unusual workflow. It usually creates problems with: - customer accounts
• taxes
• refunds
• analytics
• promotions
• inventory/order history

A good mixed catalog platform should let one order contain:

• a shipped product → warehouse/shipping workflow
• a downloadable product → immediate access/license workflow

If you share your expected scale (e.g., 100 products vs 100k SKUs), tech preference (PHP/Python/Node/Ruby), and whether you need subscriptions or licenses, I can narrow this to one or two choices.

Yes. If you need one self-hosted open-source store that can sell both physical goods and digital/downloadable products, I’d shortlist these:

What I'd choose

If you want to get selling with the least engineering: WooCommerce. Its physical-product model is mature, while downloadable products are a standard commerce use case. The enormous WordPress/WooCommerce extension ecosystem is a major advantage when you eventually need subscriptions, licenses, memberships, shipping integrations, etc. WP Bundle WP Bundle

If you want a modern, highly customizable system and don't mind building the storefront: Medusa is probably my first choice. It's Node/TypeScript, modular, self-hostable, and designed as a commerce backend rather than a monolithic website. ShipGarden

If you're building something more sophisticated—multiple sales channels, B2B, complex pricing/catalog rules—Vendure is particularly interesting. It has a TypeScript/NestJS/GraphQL core and a plugin-oriented architecture. GitHub

One important distinction: Medusa, Vendure, and Saleor are primarily commerce engines, so you'll generally pair them with a separate storefront/CMS. WooCommerce gives you the storefront and CMS experience in the same system. Toolradar

My recommendation for your situation

If by "mixed catalog" you mean something like:

• Physical: shirts, equipment, books
• Digital: PDFs, ebooks, templates, software/downloads
• Potentially both in the same order
• One customer account/cart/checkout
• Self-hosted
• Open source
• No dependence on a SaaS ecommerce platform

I'd rank them:

1. WooCommerce → easiest and most complete
2. Medusa → best if you have developer resources
3. Vendure → best for a more engineered/complex commerce system

If you tell me whether you want a normal web store or a headless/custom frontend, and roughly how many products/orders you expect, I can narrow this to one and lay out the recommended self-hosted stack.

One important distinction: Medusa, Vendure, and Saleor are primarily commerce engines, so you'll generally pair them with a separate storefront/CMS. WooCommerce gives you the storefront and CMS experience in the same system.

My recommendation for your situation

Yes. If by “mixed catalog” you mean physical goods + downloadable products + products that contain both, there are a few good self-hosted open-source choices, but WooCommerce is the strongest fit for most merchants.

My shortlist

1. WooCommerce — my default recommendation

WooCommerce explicitly supports physical products, virtual products, downloadable products, and combinations of them. Importantly, a downloadable product can still be shippable, so you can sell something like a physical book with a digital PDF, or a physical device with downloadable software/manuals. WooCommerce WooCommerce

It also has a huge extension ecosystem, which matters when your catalog eventually needs things like subscriptions, memberships, licensing, bundles, tax handling, shipping rules, or specialized digital delivery.

woocommerce.com

I'd choose it if: you want something you can operate yourself without having to build much of the commerce infrastructure.

2. Medusa — best if you're technical

Medusa is particularly interesting if you want a modern, headless architecture. Its core is open source/MIT, and it provides product, cart, payment, fulfillment, and other commerce modules. GitHub Medusa Documentation

It doesn't treat digital products quite as turnkey as WooCommerce: Medusa's own documentation describes implementing digital products through a digital-product module and custom fulfillment/file handling. Medusa Documentation

I'd choose it if: you're comfortable with TypeScript/Node and want a highly customized storefront or commerce backend.

docs.medusajs.com

3. Saleor — best for sophisticated headless commerce

Saleor is a strong option when you're building a larger, API-driven operation. It has a GraphQL-first architecture and sophisticated catalog, channel, inventory and permissions capabilities. GitHub Saleor Commerce

The downside is complexity: you're essentially assembling a modern commerce stack rather than installing a conventional shop and configuring it.

I'd choose it if: you have developers and expect multiple storefronts, channels, markets, or complicated business logic.

Bottom line

For one store selling both physical and digital products, I'd rank them:

1. WooCommerce — best overall and easiest mixed-catalog experience.
2. Medusa — best modern developer-first option.
3. Saleor — best for a more enterprise/headless architecture.
4. Shopware — worth considering for a larger conventional commerce operation.
5. PrestaShop — solid traditional alternative.

The particularly important distinction is whether you want an ecommerce application or an ecommerce framework. WooCommerce is much closer to the former; Medusa/Saleor are closer to the latter.

If you tell me roughly how many SKUs you have, whether the digital products are files/software/courses, and whether you need subscriptions or memberships, I can narrow this down to the best 1–2 choices for your setup.

It also has a huge extension ecosystem, which matters when your catalog eventually needs things like subscriptions, memberships, licensing, bundles, tax handling, shipping rules, or specialized digital delivery.

woocommerce.com

I'd choose it if: you want something you can operate yourself without having to build much of the commerce infrastructure.

2. Medusa — best if you're technical

Medusa is particularly interesting if you want a modern, headless architecture. Its core is open source/MIT, and it provides product, cart, payment, fulfillment, and other commerce modules. GitHub Medusa Documentation

It doesn't treat digital products quite as turnkey as WooCommerce: Medusa's own documentation describes implementing digital products through a digital-product module and custom fulfillment/file handling. Medusa Documentation

I'd choose it if: you're comfortable with TypeScript/Node and want a highly customized storefront or commerce backend.

docs.medusajs.com

3. Saleor — best for sophisticated headless commerce

Saleor is a strong option when you're building a larger, API-driven operation. It has a GraphQL-first architecture and sophisticated catalog, channel, inventory and permissions capabilities. GitHub saleor.io

The downside is complexity: you're essentially assembling a modern commerce stack rather than installing a conventional shop and configuring it.

I'd choose it if: you have developers and expect multiple storefronts, channels, markets, or complicated business logic.

Bottom line

For one store selling both physical and digital products, I'd rank them:

If you want one self-hosted open-source ecommerce system that treats physical and digital products as first-class citizens, I would shortlist these:

My top picks by scenario

1. You want the strongest "one catalog, one checkout" solution

Spree Commerce is probably the best match. It is designed around a commerce backend where physical items, digital downloads, licenses, and subscriptions can coexist. It also supports separate fulfillment flows, which is the main thing mixed catalogs need. Spree Commerce

Good if you sell:

• physical products with inventory/shipping
• ebooks, software, files, licenses
• memberships/subscriptions
• B2B products later

Tradeoff: it is developer-oriented; you will likely customize rather than install-and-click.

2. You want something closer to Shopify but self-hosted

WooCommerce is usually the easiest operational choice:

• physical products: excellent
• downloadable products: built in
• themes/extensions: enormous ecosystem

Tradeoff: a large store with thousands of SKUs, complex fulfillment rules, or many plugins can become harder to maintain.

3. You want a modern developer platform

Consider:

• Spree for a mature commerce engine
• Saleor or Medusa for API-first builds

These are better if you expect custom apps, mobile storefronts, multiple channels, or unusual checkout logic.

4. You want an emerging all-in-one option

Some newer projects explicitly target mixed catalogs. For example, be-BOP advertises support for physical and digital products, stock, variations, delivery zones, subscriptions, and other commerce workflows. GitHub

What I would avoid for your use case

• Digital-only carts: many lightweight open-source download stores are excellent for files but poor for shipping/inventory.
• Pure CMS shopping plugins if you expect complex operations.
• Marketplace platforms unless you actually need multiple sellers.

A practical recommendation

For most sellers with a mixed catalog:

1. Spree Commerce — best long-term architecture if you can manage a server/developer workflow.
2. WooCommerce — best if you want to launch quickly and manage it yourself.
3. PrestaShop — best if you want a traditional ecommerce admin experience.

A key question: are your digital products mostly simple downloads (PDFs, videos, files), or software/licenses/subscriptions with access control? That changes the best choice quite a bit.

Yes. If your key requirement is one self-hosted, open-source store that handles physical + digital products in the same catalog/cart/order flow, I’d shortlist these:

1. WooCommerce — my default recommendation

WooCommerce explicitly supports physical, virtual, and downloadable products. Importantly for a mixed catalog, a downloadable product can still be shippable, so you can sell something like a physical book + PDF, hardware + software download, etc. WooCommerce The WooCommerce Developer Blog

It also handles download limits/expiration and downloadable variations, which is useful if your digital products have different editions or licenses. WooCommerce

The big advantage is that you get a mature merchant ecosystem rather than having to build commerce functionality yourself.

woocommerce.com

I'd choose WooCommerce if: you want to get the store running relatively quickly and don't mind WordPress.

2. Saleor — best if you want a serious headless platform

Saleor is particularly interesting for a mixed catalog because its current documentation has a dedicated Digital Products recipe alongside its normal product/catalog functionality. It is API-first, GraphQL-native, and designed for composable/headless commerce. Saleor Documentation GitHub

That makes it attractive if you want:

• physical inventory and shipping
• digital products/licenses
• multiple storefronts
• multiple currencies/regions
• sophisticated catalog structures
• a custom React/Next.js frontend
• the option to add other sales channels later

The downside is substantially more technical complexity than WooCommerce.

docs.saleor.io

3. Medusa — excellent, but I'd rank it third for your particular requirement

Medusa is a very good self-hosted headless commerce engine, particularly if you're comfortable with TypeScript/Node. Its product module handles normal products, variants, categories, collections, bundles, etc. Medusa Docs

However, digital products aren't as turnkey as they are in WooCommerce. Medusa's own documentation describes implementing digital products as a custom module/recipe that links digital-product data to its existing product/variant model and implements fulfillment/download functionality. Medusa Docs Medusa Docs

That's actually a strength if you're building a bespoke system—but a disadvantage if your goal is "install it and have physical + digital commerce work."

My ranking

If I were choosing specifically for your requirement:

WooCommerce → Saleor → Medusa

But there's an important distinction:

• Want the least custom development? → WooCommerce
• Want a modern, scalable, API-first commerce backend? → Saleor
• Want to build a highly customized commerce application in TypeScript? → Medusa

I would not choose based merely on whether a platform says it supports "digital products." The critical question is whether physical and digital SKUs can coexist naturally in the same cart, checkout, order, fulfillment, tax, and customer-account system. WooCommerce and Saleor are especially strong fits there. WooCommerce Saleor Documentation

If you tell me roughly what you're selling (e.g. clothing + ebooks, hardware + software licenses, courses + physical goods) and whether you want WordPress or headless/Next.js, I can narrow this to one and give you a recommended self-hosted stack.

I'd choose WooCommerce if: you want to get the store running relatively quickly and don't mind WordPress.

2. Saleor — best if you want a serious headless platform

Saleor is particularly interesting for a mixed catalog because its current documentation has a dedicated Digital Products recipe alongside its normal product/catalog functionality. It is API-first, GraphQL-native, and designed for composable/headless commerce.

Yes. For a single self-hosted catalog containing both physical and digital products, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Medusa

medusajs.com is particularly well suited if you're comfortable with some development.

Its product model explicitly supports products that do or don't require shipping/inventory, so physical and digital variants can coexist in the same commerce system. Medusa Docs Medusa Docs

For digital goods, Medusa provides a documented digital-product approach involving private file storage, download fulfillment, customer entitlements, and email delivery. There is also now a digital-products plugin supporting protected files and software licensing. Medusa Docs Medusa

The important advantage for mixed carts is that physical and digital items don't have to be treated as two separate stores. The digital-product tooling can distinguish digital fulfillment from the physical fulfillment provider within the same order. Medusa

It's also genuinely open source at its core (MIT), although Medusa uses an open-core model with separate enterprise functionality. GitHub

When I'd choose something else

• WooCommerce — choose this if you want the least development work and a conventional admin interface. Its ecosystem makes physical + downloadable products very straightforward.
• Sylius — excellent if you're building a heavily customized commerce application in PHP/Symfony. It's MIT-licensed and intentionally designed as a flexible commerce framework rather than an opinionated store builder. GitHub
• Shopware — worth considering if you're operating a more traditional, larger-scale commerce business and want lots of functionality out of the box.
• Saleor — compelling if GraphQL/headless architecture is a major priority.

If your requirement is specifically "one self-hosted system, one catalog, physical + downloadable products, mixed carts, and room to customize," I'd put Medusa at #1 and WooCommerce at #2.

If you tell me roughly how many physical SKUs, how many digital products, whether digital products are simple files vs. license keys/subscriptions, and what stack you prefer (PHP/Node/etc.), I can narrow it down to one.

For digital goods, Medusa provides a documented digital-product approach involving private file storage, download fulfillment, customer entitlements, and email delivery. There is also now a digital-products plugin supporting protected files and software licensing. docs.medusajs.com medusajs.com

The important advantage for mixed carts is that physical and digital items don't have to be treated as two separate stores. The digital-product tooling can distinguish digital fulfillment from the physical fulfillment provider within the same order.

It's also genuinely open source at its core (MIT), although Medusa uses an open-core model with separate enterprise functionality.

Yes. If your requirement is one self-hosted open-source store that can sell both physical and digital products in the same catalog, I’d shortlist these:

🥇 My pick: WooCommerce

WooCommerce is probably the closest match to what you're describing.

You can have ordinary physical products alongside downloadable products in the same store, with shipping/fulfillment applying to the physical items and download delivery applying to the digital ones. Its huge extension ecosystem also makes things like subscriptions, memberships, license keys, digital downloads, shipping carriers, and payment gateways much easier to add.

The main downside is that it runs inside WordPress, so if you want a highly customized/headless architecture, I'd look at Medusa or Saleor instead. WooCommerce's ecosystem is substantially larger than the newer headless platforms. WPBundle Toolradar

woocommerce.com

🥈 Medusa — if you're building a custom system

Medusa is attractive if you don't want WordPress at all. It's TypeScript/Node-based and designed as a modular commerce backend, so it's particularly good when you want your own React/Next.js storefront and custom fulfillment/payment logic. WPBundle Eryx Innovations Lab

The catch: digital delivery isn't as turnkey as WooCommerce. You may need to implement or integrate the actual file-delivery/license-key workflow.

medusajs.com

🥉 Saleor — for a more sophisticated catalog

Saleor is worth considering if you expect multiple channels, warehouses, currencies, languages, complex product attributes, or a large catalog. Its core is open source, self-hostable, and GraphQL-based, with a rich product model. GitHub

Again, you'd generally build/integrate the digital fulfillment piece rather than getting a WooCommerce-style downloadable-product workflow out of the box.

saleor.io

What I'd choose

• You want to launch and manage the store yourself: WooCommerce
• You have developers and want a custom modern stack: Medusa
• You have a complex/large catalog and strong engineering team: Saleor
• You already live in PHP/Symfony: Sylius

One important distinction: if by digital products you mean PDFs, ebooks, videos, software downloads, license keys, courses, etc., rather than merely products with no shipping, I'd weight the choices differently.

If you tell me what kinds of physical products + digital products you sell and roughly how many SKUs/orders you expect, I can narrow this to the best 1–2 options and compare their digital-delivery, inventory, shipping, payments, subscriptions, and admin capabilities.

The main downside is that it runs inside WordPress, so if you want a highly customized/headless architecture, I'd look at Medusa or Saleor instead. WooCommerce's ecosystem is substantially larger than the newer headless platforms. WPBundle Toolradar

woocommerce.com

🥈 Medusa — if you're building a custom system

Medusa is attractive if you don't want WordPress at all. It's TypeScript/Node-based and designed as a modular commerce backend, so it's particularly good when you want your own React/Next.js storefront and custom fulfillment/payment logic. WPBundle Eryx Innovations Lab

The catch: digital delivery isn't as turnkey as WooCommerce. You may need to implement or integrate the actual file-delivery/license-key workflow.

medusajs.com

🥉 Saleor — for a more sophisticated catalog

Saleor is worth considering if you expect multiple channels, warehouses, currencies, languages, complex product attributes, or a large catalog. Its core is open source, self-hostable, and GraphQL-based, with a rich product model. github.com

Again, you'd generally build/integrate the digital fulfillment piece rather than getting a WooCommerce-style downloadable-product workflow out of the box.

Yes. If your main requirement is one self-hosted, open-source catalog that handles both physical and digital products cleanly, I’d put WooCommerce at the top of the list.

woocommerce.com is open source, self-hostable, and explicitly supports physical products, virtual products, downloadable files, subscriptions, and other product types. The WooCommerce Developer Blog WooCommerce

My shortlist

Why I'd choose WooCommerce

The important distinction is that WooCommerce doesn't force you to create separate "physical" and "digital" stores. A product can be physical, virtual, downloadable, variable, grouped, etc. Its product model also supports inventory and shipping attributes alongside downloadable files. WooCommerce The WooCommerce Developer Blog

A particularly useful feature for a mixed catalog is that digital items can become available immediately after payment even when the same order contains physical products. WooCommerce specifically documents this scenario. WooCommerce

For example, you could have:

• Physical: T-shirts, books, equipment
• Digital: PDFs, ebooks, templates, software
• Hybrid: "Printed book + downloadable companion PDF"
• Variable: physical shirt sizes/colors with a digital add-on
• Bundles: physical products combined with downloadable products

It also has controls for download limits, expiration, protected download delivery, and external/cloud file storage. WooCommerce WooCommerce

When I'd pick something else

I'd lean toward Medusa, Saleor, or Sylius if you're a development team and specifically want a headless commerce backend with your own React/Next.js storefront. Those platforms give you more architectural control, but you're taking on considerably more engineering than with WooCommerce. OpenReplay Blog

I'd choose PrestaShop if you want a more conventional dedicated ecommerce application rather than having ecommerce built into WordPress.

Bottom line: for a merchant who wants to self-host one system and simply sell a mixture of physical and digital products, WooCommerce is probably the lowest-risk choice. The fact that digital fulfillment works independently of physical fulfillment is particularly valuable for your use case.

If you tell me roughly how many products you have, whether you need subscriptions/licenses, and whether you want a traditional storefront or headless/API-first setup, I can narrow this to 2–3 systems and compare their inventory, digital delivery, shipping, taxes, payments, and maintenance side-by-side.

Yes. If your requirement is one self-hosted open-source store that treats physical and digital goods as part of the same catalog, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Medusa

Medusa is probably the best fit if you're comfortable with some development. Its product model explicitly supports products with different shipping/inventory requirements, so a physical variant can require shipping while a digital variant doesn't. Medusa Documentation

It also has an official approach for digital products: digital files can be stored, orders fulfilled digitally, and customers given download access. Medusa Documentation Medusa Documentation

The important caveat is that Medusa is more of a commerce framework than a turnkey Shopify clone. Its core is open source/MIT, but you'll generally build or customize the storefront and some digital-product functionality yourself. GitHub GitHub

Saleor is the strongest alternative

If you're building something more sophisticated—multiple storefronts, regions/currencies, complex catalog rules, or a headless architecture—Saleor is excellent. Its documentation specifically includes recipes for digital products alongside its normal catalog, checkout, payment, and shipping functionality. Saleor Documentation

Saleor is API-only/GraphQL-first and supports multi-channel pricing, currencies, stock, and products. GitHub That makes it powerful, but potentially more engineering-heavy than WooCommerce.

When I'd choose WooCommerce

If you want the least custom development, I'd seriously consider WooCommerce. Physical and downloadable products are both established use cases, and its WordPress ecosystem gives you a huge selection of extensions.

The downside is architectural: WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin ecosystem rather than a purpose-built headless commerce platform, so it can become cumbersome if you're building a highly customized application.

Bottom line:

• Medusa → my choice for a new, developer-built mixed physical/digital store.
• Saleor → choose it for sophisticated/headless/multichannel commerce.
• WooCommerce → choose it when ease of setup and extensions matter more than architecture.
• Bagisto → attractive if your stack is already Laravel/PHP.

If you tell me roughly how many products you have, whether digital products are files/licenses/subscriptions, and what stack you're comfortable with (PHP, Node, Python, etc.), I can narrow this to one and give you a self-hosting architecture.

Medusa is probably the best fit if you're comfortable with some development. Its product model explicitly supports products with different shipping/inventory requirements, so a physical variant can require shipping while a digital variant doesn't. Medusa Documentation

It also has an official approach for digital products: digital files can be stored, orders fulfilled digitally, and customers given download access. Medusa Documentation Medusa Documentation

The important caveat is that Medusa is more of a commerce framework than a turnkey Shopify clone. Its core is open source/MIT, but you'll generally build or customize the storefront and some digital-product functionality yourself. github.com github.com

Saleor is the strongest alternative

If you're building something more sophisticated—multiple storefronts, regions/currencies, complex catalog rules, or a headless architecture—Saleor is excellent. Its documentation specifically includes recipes for digital products alongside its normal catalog, checkout, payment, and shipping functionality.

Saleor is API-only/GraphQL-first and supports multi-channel pricing, currencies, stock, and products. That makes it powerful, but potentially more engineering-heavy than WooCommerce.

When I'd choose WooCommerce

If you want the least custom development, I'd seriously consider WooCommerce. Physical and downloadable products are both established use cases, and its WordPress ecosystem gives you a huge selection of extensions.

Yes. If one self-hosted store needs to sell both physical and digital products, my first choice would be woocommerce.com.

Best options

Why I'd pick WooCommerce

WooCommerce treats virtual and downloadable as properties of products rather than forcing you into a separate "digital store." A downloadable product can still be shippable, which is particularly useful for things like a physical book + PDF, hardware + software, or physical merchandise + bonus download. WooCommerce WooCommerce

It also handles:

• Physical inventory and shipping
• Digital downloads with limits/expiration
• Products that are both shippable and downloadable
• Variable products where individual variations can have different downloads
• Mixed carts containing physical and digital items
• Automatic download access after payment
• Protected download delivery
• A very large extension ecosystem

Importantly, WooCommerce specifically supports granting digital access before the physical portion of an order has been fulfilled, so customers don't have to wait for shipping to receive their digital purchase. WooCommerce

developer.woocommerce.com

When I'd choose something else

Medusa is more attractive if you're building a custom React/Next.js storefront and want a headless, developer-first commerce backend. It's Node/TypeScript-oriented and gives you considerably more architectural freedom, but you'll be assembling more of the merchant experience yourself. WPBundle Eryx Innovations Lab

Saleor is worth considering for a larger operation where GraphQL, multiple channels, complex permissions, and a headless architecture are priorities. It's considerably more engineering-oriented than WooCommerce.

Sylius is excellent when the catalog/order logic is unusual and you have developers who want to build a bespoke commerce application. It describes itself as an open-source headless framework for customized B2C/B2B commerce rather than a turnkey store builder. Sylius eCommerce Framework GitHub

My recommendation

If your requirement is essentially:

"I want to run one store myself, have physical and digital products in the same catalog/cart/order system, and not spend my life programming the storefront."

Go with WooCommerce.

If it's:

"I'm building a custom commerce application and the storefront/catalog/order engine should be an API."

I'd shortlist Medusa vs. Saleor.

If you tell me roughly how many products/orders you expect and whether you want a normal storefront or headless/Next.js, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 and compare their digital delivery, inventory, subscriptions, licensing, Docker deployment, and admin UX.

Yes. For a single self-hosted open-source store handling both physical and digital products, my first choice would be Saleor.

Best options

Why Saleor stands out: its documentation explicitly has a digital-products recipe covering licenses, services, and other non-physical goods, while its core catalog handles ordinary products and variants. It also supports shipping configuration separately, which makes a catalog containing downloadable goods alongside shippable products a natural fit. Saleor Documentation

Saleor is also genuinely self-hostable: its current open-source stack can be cloned and run with Docker, with the Dashboard and commerce API included. Saleor Commerce

When I'd pick something else

• Choose WooCommerce if you want the least development work, WordPress built in, and access to an enormous plugin ecosystem. It's particularly attractive if your digital products are conventional downloads and your physical products don't require unusual fulfillment logic. WPBundle
• Choose Medusa if you're building a custom storefront with Next.js/TypeScript and want the commerce backend to be extremely programmable. Its modular Node.js architecture is particularly appealing to developers, though you'll generally build more integrations yourself. WPBundle OpenReplay Blog
• Choose Sylius if you have PHP/Symfony expertise and expect substantial custom business rules. It's more of an ecommerce framework than an out-of-the-box merchant platform. github.com

My recommendation

If your catalog looks something like:

T-shirts + books + downloadable PDFs + software/licenses + online services

I'd shortlist Saleor and WooCommerce first.

If you're a developer building a custom modern storefront, I'd go Saleor. If you want something you can install, configure, and operate without building much commerce infrastructure, I'd go WooCommerce.

If you tell me roughly how many physical products vs. digital products you have, whether digital items need license keys/download limits, and whether you want a built-in storefront or headless, I can narrow this to one platform and explain the architecture I'd use.

If you need one self-hosted open source ecommerce system that handles a mixed catalog (physical goods + digital downloads/licenses/subscriptions), the strongest choices are usually:

Open Source Groups OpenSourceProjects.cc## My shortlist for your use case

1. WooCommerce — easiest all-around choice

Best if you want to run the business yourself rather than build software.

Strengths:

• Native support for physical and downloadable products
• One cart can contain both product types
• Huge ecosystem for payments, taxes, shipping, memberships, subscriptions, and digital delivery
• Easier admin experience for non-developers

Weaknesses:

• Large plugin stacks require maintenance discipline
• Very high-volume catalogs may need optimization

Open Source Groups### 2. Spree Commerce — best if mixed fulfillment matters

Spree is particularly interesting if your catalog has more complex rules, such as:

• physical products needing shipping
• digital products needing instant delivery
• licenses, downloads, or subscriptions
• custom checkout/order workflows

It explicitly supports selling digital products alongside physical products with separate fulfillment flows. Spree Commerce

Choose it if you have a developer or are building a custom commerce stack.

3. Saleor or Medusa — for a custom platform

These are better when your store is really an application:

• custom frontend
• mobile app
• marketplace features
• unusual pricing logic
• integrations with internal systems

They are less ideal if you just want to install, configure, and sell. OpenSourceProjects.cc OSSAlt

What I would pick

• Solo seller / small team: WooCommerce
• Growing business with a developer: Spree Commerce
• Building a custom commerce product: Saleor or Medusa
• Large traditional catalog: PrestaShop or WooCommerce with careful hosting

A key requirement to verify before choosing is not just “supports digital products,” but mixed-cart fulfillment:

• Customer buys a shirt + ebook
• Payment completes once
• Shirt creates a shipping order
• Ebook generates an immediate download/license delivery
• Taxes and refunds handle both correctly

For that specific workflow, I would put WooCommerce and Spree Commerce at the top of the list. Open Source Groups Spree Commerce

If you share your approximate catalog size, traffic level, and whether you need subscriptions/licenses/memberships, the recommendation can be narrowed further.

For a catalog that mixes physical goods + digital downloads/licenses/subscriptions, you want a platform that supports:

• one cart containing both product types
• separate fulfillment (shipping vs. instant delivery)
• inventory only where needed
• downloadable files, license keys, or memberships
• taxes/shipping rules that don’t break digital items
• self-hosting without stitching together multiple systems

The strongest options are:

Open Source Groups Spree Commerce## My shortlist by business type

1. You want to run the store yourself with minimal engineering

Pick WooCommerce.

It is usually the easiest route for a mixed catalog:

• physical product → stock + shipping
• digital product → downloadable file delivery
• virtual service → no shipping
• subscriptions/memberships → extensions

It has the largest ecosystem, but you need discipline around plugin quality, updates, backups, and performance.

2. You have developers and want a clean long-term architecture

Pick Spree Commerce or Sylius.

Spree Commerce is particularly interesting for your use case because mixed carts are a first-class scenario: digital goods can have their own fulfillment rules while physical items go through shipping workflows. Spree Commerce

Sylius is better if you expect unusual business logic (custom pricing, marketplaces, complex fulfillment, B2B rules). It is API-oriented and designed as a customizable commerce framework rather than a plug-and-play shop. GitHub Sylius eCommerce Framework

3. You want a modern custom storefront

Look at:

• Medusa
• Saleor
• Vendure

These work well when the storefront is a custom web app, mobile app, or multi-channel experience, but they usually require more development work. OpenReplay Blog

What I would choose

• Solo founder / small team: WooCommerce
• Selling software, courses, files, licenses + physical merch: Spree Commerce or WooCommerce
• Growing brand with developers: Sylius or Spree
• Enterprise catalog: Magento Open Source or Sylius

A key question: are your digital products mostly download files (ebooks, PDFs, assets), software/license keys, or subscriptions/courses? That changes the best choice quite a bit.

3. You want a modern custom storefront

Look at:

Yes. For a mixed catalog of physical + digital products, I’d put WooCommerce at the top of the list, especially if you want a complete self-hosted store rather than a commerce backend you have to build around.

My shortlist

1. WooCommerce — my recommendation

WooCommerce handles physical, virtual, downloadable, and hybrid products natively. Importantly, a downloadable product doesn't have to be purely digital: you can have a physical item that also gives the customer a download, and WooCommerce can keep shipping calculations for that product. WooCommerce WooCommerce

It also has a particularly useful workflow for mixed orders: customers can receive access to their digital purchases before the physical portion of the order has shipped. WooCommerce

I'd choose it if you want:

• Physical products with inventory/shipping
• Digital downloads
• Products containing both physical and digital components
• Variations where some variants are physical and others digital
• Coupons, subscriptions, memberships, etc. through extensions
• A conventional admin interface rather than building your own
• A huge ecosystem of payment, shipping, tax and fulfillment integrations

The main downside is that you're also adopting WordPress, so a large store can require more care around plugins, performance and maintenance.

woocommerce.com

2. Medusa — if you're a developer

If by "single system" you mean one commerce backend feeding a custom website/app, I'd seriously consider Medusa.

It's TypeScript/Node.js, headless and modular, so it's considerably more natural for a custom storefront than WooCommerce. The tradeoff is that you're assembling more of the solution yourself; its ecosystem isn't remotely as broad as WooCommerce's. WPBundle OpenReplay Blog

I'd pick Medusa over WooCommerce if you already have a developer comfortable with TypeScript and want a custom React/Next.js storefront.

3. Saleor — for a sophisticated catalog

Saleor is worth considering if you're anticipating things like multiple warehouses, currencies, channels, complex catalog structures or B2B. It's GraphQL-first and designed around headless commerce. WPBundle OSSAlt

It's powerful, but probably overkill for a normal mixed physical/digital shop.

4. Sylius — if you're building a bespoke system

Sylius is excellent if you're a PHP/Symfony team and want the ecommerce engine to bend around your business rather than the other way around. It's explicitly an ecommerce framework, rather than an immediately turnkey store. GitHub

That's a strength for unusual requirements, but it means substantially more development work.

What I'd choose

If your priority is "one self-hosted system that I can actually run my business on": → WooCommerce.

If your priority is "one open-source commerce backend that my developers will build a custom storefront around": → Medusa.

If you're expecting enterprise-level catalog/channel/warehouse complexity: → Saleor.

For your particular requirement—selling physical and digital products together—WooCommerce has an unusually good fit because the physical/digital distinction is already built into its product and order model rather than requiring you to bolt on a digital-delivery system. WooCommerce

If you tell me roughly how many products you have, whether digital products are downloads/software/courses, and whether you need subscriptions, I can narrow this down to 1–2 systems and explain the architecture I'd use.

Yes. If you want one self-hosted, open-source catalog that can contain both physical and digital goods, I’d shortlist these:

🥇 My pick: Medusa

Medusa documentation

Medusa is particularly well suited to your situation because its current product model explicitly accommodates physical items, digital items, and products that don't require shipping or inventory. You can also classify products as physical/digital and configure shipping and inventory requirements independently. docs.medusajs.com

For digital products, Medusa has a documented approach for storing files and delivering download links after purchase, while physical products use its normal inventory, shipping, and fulfillment machinery. docs.medusajs.com

That means you can have a catalog like:

• T-shirt → inventory + shipping
• E-book → downloadable file, no shipping
• Software license → digital fulfillment
• Physical + digital bundle → custom fulfillment
• Print + downloadable PDF → both fulfillment paths

It also has sales channels, so the same catalog can potentially feed your web store, mobile app, B2B channel, etc. docs.medusajs.com

When I'd choose the others

Saleor is my second choice if you're building something larger or more enterprise-oriented. It has native recipes for digital products alongside its physical commerce functionality, plus strong multi-channel and multi-region capabilities. docs.saleor.io The downside is operational complexity: you're taking on a fairly sophisticated headless stack.

WooCommerce is the pragmatic choice if you want a complete store you can administer without building much yourself. Its enormous WordPress ecosystem makes unusual payment, download, subscription, shipping, and marketing requirements easier to solve with existing extensions. docs.medusajs.comdocs.medusajs.comdocs.saleor.iowww.wpbundle.com

Bagisto makes sense if you're already a Laravel/PHP shop; it has a conventional ecommerce architecture and built-in capabilities such as multi-currency and multi-locale support. ossalt.com

Bottom line

If your priority is "one clean system for physical + digital, self-hosted, open source, and customizable", I'd rank them:

1. Medusa → 2. Saleor → 3. WooCommerce → 4. Bagisto → 5. Sylius

I'd especially favor Medusa if you're comfortable with Node/TypeScript and want a modern headless architecture. Its documentation specifically treats physical and digital selling requirements as part of the same commerce model rather than forcing you to bolt a separate digital-store system onto the physical store. docs.medusajs.com

If you tell me your expected catalog size, whether you need subscriptions/licenses, and whether you want a traditional storefront or headless/Next.js, I can narrow this down to the best 1–2 options.

Yes. For a single self-hosted open-source store containing both physical and digital products, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Medusa

Medusa is probably the best fit if you're deliberately looking for a modern, genuinely self-hosted commerce backend. Its product/catalog architecture can handle normal physical products, while its documentation has a specific digital-products implementation: digital products can be associated with the normal product model, stored through a file module, and fulfilled with download links after purchase. docs.medusajs.com

That makes a mixed order such as:

T-shirt + physical book + PDF ebook + downloadable software

a natural architecture rather than having to bolt an entirely separate digital storefront onto your physical store.

The catch is that digital delivery isn't as turnkey as WooCommerce. Medusa's docs describe implementing a Digital Product Module, file storage, and fulfillment logic, so expect some development work. docs.medusajs.com

If you want the least development: WooCommerce

I'd choose WooCommerce if your priority is "I want to run the store, not build the store." Its huge WordPress ecosystem makes physical + downloadable products straightforward, and you get a conventional admin/storefront rather than assembling a headless application. Its ecosystem is dramatically larger than Medusa's. www.wpbundle.com

The tradeoff is WordPress/plugin complexity and ongoing maintenance.

If you're building something substantial: Saleor

Saleor is compelling if you expect multiple channels, currencies, warehouses, sophisticated catalog rules, or a custom frontend. It's API-only/GraphQL and has native multichannel capabilities, with control over product, pricing, currency, and stock per channel. github.com

I'd rank it behind Medusa for your particular requirement because digital goods aren't its standout turnkey feature, whereas Medusa explicitly documents digital-product fulfillment.

Bottom line

• Want easiest: WooCommerce
• Want best modern open-source foundation for a mixed catalog: Medusa
• Want enterprise/headless/multichannel: Saleor
• Want Symfony/PHP and maximum customization: Sylius

One important distinction: if by "digital products" you mean ebooks/PDFs/software downloads, Medusa is a particularly good candidate. If you mean subscriptions, licenses, memberships, courses, or SaaS access, I'd evaluate the platforms differently because entitlement/subscription management becomes more important than simple file delivery.

Yes. If by mixed catalog you mean one storefront containing both shippable physical goods and downloadable/digital products, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: WooCommerce

WooCommerce is probably the least painful choice if you want one system rather than a commerce framework you have to assemble. Its mature extension ecosystem means physical fulfillment and downloadable products can coexist in the same catalog and checkout, while WordPress gives you a built-in CMS. Current comparisons continue to put WooCommerce well ahead of the other open-source options on ecosystem breadth. www.wpbundle.com

WooCommerce official site

If you're technical: Medusa

Medusa is more attractive if you're building a custom/headless storefront. Its Node/TypeScript architecture and modular design make custom product and fulfillment logic cleaner than WooCommerce, but you'll generally build more of the surrounding infrastructure yourself. www.wpbundle.com

Medusa official site

If the catalog is complex: Saleor

Saleor is particularly compelling for large catalogs, multiple warehouses/channels, multiple currencies, and API-first architectures. Its core is genuinely open source and self-hostable, but deployment and development are considerably more involved than WooCommerce. github.com

Saleor official site

Sylius

Sylius is excellent when you have developers and want the commerce system to conform to unusual business rules. It's a Symfony-based framework rather than the easiest turnkey merchant solution, so I'd choose it for customization, not simplicity. github.com

Sylius official site

Bottom line:

• Want to run the store yourself with minimal engineering: WooCommerce
• Want a modern custom/headless system: Medusa
• Large/complex catalog and multi-channel: Saleor
• Highly bespoke business logic: Sylius

If you tell me roughly how many physical products, how many digital products, and whether digital items are simple downloads vs. licenses/subscriptions, I can narrow this to one and explain exactly how I'd model the mixed catalog.

For a catalog that mixes physical goods + digital downloads, I’d shortlist these self-hosted open-source platforms:

www.wpbundle.com

My default recommendation: WooCommerce

If your goal is “one system that just handles products”, WooCommerce is usually the strongest choice:

• A product can be physical, virtual, downloadable, or a combination.
• Mature handling for:
  • inventory
  • shipping
  • taxes
  • coupons
  • customer accounts
  • subscriptions (with extensions)
  • digital delivery
• Huge ecosystem for payment gateways and fulfillment integrations. www.wpbundle.com

A typical mixed catalog works like:

• Physical product
  • SKU
  • stock quantity
  • weight/shipping class
  • fulfillment workflow

• Digital product
  • downloadable files
  • access limits
  • expiration rules
  • automatic delivery after payment

• Hybrid product
  • physical item shipped
  • bonus PDF/video/license delivered digitally

When I would choose Medusa instead

Pick Medusa if you are building a custom storefront and have developers comfortable with Node/TypeScript.

Good fit:

• custom React/Next.js storefront
• mobile apps
• unusual checkout logic
• marketplace-style workflows

Its modular architecture is attractive, but you’ll generally build more integrations compared with WooCommerce’s mature plugin ecosystem. www.wpbundle.com

When I would choose Saleor

Saleor makes sense if you expect:

• large catalogs
• multiple warehouses
• multiple sales channels
• international selling
• custom frontends

It is API-first and designed for headless commerce, but self-hosting is more involved than a traditional store platform. github.com

Platforms I’d avoid for your use case

I’d be cautious with older “all-in-one” carts unless you have a specific reason:

• OpenCart/PrestaShop-style systems can work, but digital-product workflows and modern extensibility may require more customization.
• Enterprise systems like Magento/Adobe Commerce can do it, but they are usually heavier than needed unless you have a large operation.

A practical stack choice

Solo founder / small team

WordPress + WooCommerce + a download-management extension + good backups

Developer-led business

Medusa + Next.js + object storage (for files)

Growing commerce operation

Saleor + custom storefront + managed infrastructure

If you tell me roughly:

1. number of products (10s, 100s, 10,000+),
2. whether digital items are files, memberships, courses, or licenses, and
3. whether you need subscriptions,

I can narrow this to one or two choices.

Yes. If mixed physical + digital products in one catalog is the core requirement, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation: WooCommerce if you want one system and minimal engineering

WooCommerce is probably the most straightforward choice if you want physical and downloadable products living alongside each other, with a conventional admin interface.

Its big advantage is the ecosystem: products, inventory, shipping, taxes, payments, subscriptions, memberships, downloads, etc. can all be handled through the WordPress/WooCommerce ecosystem. Current comparisons still put its ecosystem far ahead of the newer headless platforms. www.wpbundle.com

If you want a modern, API-first architecture: Saleor

Saleor is the one I'd investigate most seriously if you're comfortable running Docker/PostgreSQL and building a custom storefront.

Saleor has a rich product model, multiple channels, inventory/warehouse capabilities, promotions, payments, translations, and an extensible GraphQL API. It's explicitly designed as an open-source, headless commerce engine. github.com

The catch is that digital fulfillment may require more integration/customization than WooCommerce. Saleor is excellent as the commerce core, but it's not as much of an out-of-the-box "upload file → customer gets download" solution.

Medusa: great if you're a TypeScript shop

Medusa is attractive if you'd rather build around Node.js/TypeScript. Its modular architecture makes custom fulfillment and product behavior relatively clean. born.mt

I'd choose it when your products/workflows are unusual enough that custom development is a feature, rather than when you simply want the easiest mixed physical/digital store.

The important distinction

If by "digital products" you mean things like:

• ebooks/PDFs
• software downloads
• music/video files
• license keys
• courses
• digital memberships

then I'd evaluate digital fulfillment specifically, rather than just asking whether a platform supports a "digital product" type.

For example, your ideal order could be:

Physical T-shirt + downloadable PDF + software license → one cart → one checkout → one order → physical item goes to shipping fulfillment while digital items are delivered immediately.

For that exact scenario, I'd start with WooCommerce. If you want a headless/custom application, I'd start with Saleor or Medusa instead.

If you tell me what kinds of physical and digital products you sell and roughly how many SKUs/orders you expect, I can narrow it down to 2–3 systems and compare digital delivery, inventory, variants, subscriptions, taxes, shipping, payment gateways, and self-hosting complexity.

Yes. If your catalog genuinely mixes physical goods + downloadable/digital products, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Medusa

Medusa is particularly well suited if you want one catalog and checkout for both types.

Its current product model explicitly supports physical and digital selling requirements. Products can have shipping/inventory requirements independently configured, so a physical variant can require shipping while a digital one doesn't. docs.medusajs.com

The important caveat: digital fulfillment isn't as turnkey as physical fulfillment. Medusa's official digital-product implementation uses a custom Digital Product module, file storage, and fulfillment logic for download delivery. They provide a complete example, but you'll need to implement/adapt that portion rather than simply ticking "digital product" in the admin. docs.medusajs.com

Saleor is the strongest alternative

Saleor is worth choosing if you're building something more sophisticated. Its documentation has a dedicated Digital Products recipe and its modeling system is designed for things like mixed-model catalogs, multiple channels, custom product types, and complex commerce rules. docs.saleor.io

It's also genuinely self-hostable—the project provides Docker-based instructions for running the platform yourself. saleor.io

When I'd choose each

• Medusa → best overall if you're comfortable with development and want maximum flexibility.
• Saleor → best if you're building a serious headless/omnichannel operation with complex catalog rules.
• WooCommerce → best if you want the least development work and a conventional admin interface; its enormous WordPress plugin ecosystem is a major advantage.
• Bagisto → attractive if your stack is already Laravel/PHP.

For your specific requirement, I'd start with Medusa vs. Saleor. The deciding question is whether you want a developer-oriented commerce framework (Medusa) or a more opinionated, enterprise/headless commerce platform (Saleor).

If you tell me roughly how many physical products, how many digital products, and whether digital items are files, licenses, subscriptions, or courses, I can narrow this to one and explain the exact architecture I'd use.

For a single self-hosted open-source ecommerce system that handles both physical and digital products, I’d shortlist these:

My picks by scenario

1. You want one system and the least custom development
→ WooCommerce
A good choice if you already use WordPress or want a merchant-friendly admin. You can have:

• physical products with inventory/shipping
• downloadable files
• subscriptions/memberships
• mixed carts

2. You want a serious commerce engine that treats digital + physical equally
→ Spree Commerce
This is probably the strongest match for your wording. It supports combining digital and physical items in the same checkout, with separate fulfillment logic (shipping vs download/license delivery). spreecommerce.org

3. You are building a custom storefront/app
→ Medusa or Saleor
Better if you want:

• mobile apps
• custom customer experiences
• marketplace-style workflows
• API-first architecture

4. You want a more traditional “install it and run a store” platform
→ PrestaShop or similar mature PHP platforms. blog.openreplay.com

Features I would specifically verify before committing

For a mixed catalog, don’t just check “supports digital products.” Look for:

• ✅ one cart containing physical + digital items
• ✅ separate fulfillment paths
• ✅ automatic download delivery after payment
• ✅ inventory tracking only for physical SKUs
• ✅ tax handling differences between goods and downloads
• ✅ refunds that can partially affect digital vs physical items
• ✅ license keys or expiring downloads if you sell software/content
• ✅ bundles (e.g., “book + digital guide”)

If you expect hundreds/thousands of SKUs and want one long-term platform, I’d lean Spree Commerce. If you want to be selling quickly with minimal engineering, I’d lean WooCommerce. opensourceprojects.ccspreecommerce.org

Yes. If one catalog needs to contain both shippable physical goods and downloadable/licensed digital goods, I’d shortlist these:

My top pick: Spree Commerce

Spree Commerce is unusually well suited to your exact requirement. Its current platform explicitly supports physical products alongside digital downloads, license keys, and subscriptions, with a single catalog, checkout, and order history. It also supports separate fulfillment workflows for physical and digital items. spreecommerce.org

The open-source core is BSD-3-Clause licensed, self-hostable, and has a REST API plus TypeScript SDK. The project also provides an open-source Next.js storefront. github.com

So a customer could, for example, put:

• 1 physical T-shirt
• 1 downloadable PDF
• 1 software license
• 1 subscription

into one cart/order, while the physical item goes through shipping fulfillment and the digital items are delivered electronically.

When I'd choose the others

WooCommerce — best if you want a conventional store that a non-developer can administer. Its huge WordPress/plugin ecosystem makes almost anything possible, but you'll generally assemble the digital-product functionality through extensions rather than getting the same clean commerce-engine approach as Spree.

Saleor — I'd choose this for a larger, highly customized/headless operation. It's GraphQL-only, has a sophisticated catalog/order model, multi-channel support, multi-warehouse capabilities, and a strong API-first architecture. github.com The tradeoff is that you're taking on more engineering responsibility, particularly around digital fulfillment.

Medusa — attractive if your team is already comfortable with TypeScript/Node.js and you want to build your own commerce workflows. Its modular architecture is excellent for customization, but for your particular requirement I'd rank Spree ahead of it because mixed physical/digital commerce is explicitly a first-class Spree feature. born.mt

Bottom line: if your priority is “one open-source, self-hosted store where physical and digital products genuinely coexist as first-class products”, I'd start with Spree. If you tell me your approximate catalog size, whether you need subscriptions/licenses, and whether you want a ready-made storefront or headless, I can narrow it down to 2–3 options.

Yes. If one catalog needs to contain both shippable physical goods and non-shippable digital products, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Medusa

Medusa is particularly well suited to your use case. Its current product model explicitly supports physical and digital items, including products that don't require shipping or inventory management. You can configure shipping and inventory requirements independently, so a physical T-shirt and a downloadable ebook can live in the same catalog and checkout. docs.medusajs.com

It's also MIT-licensed and self-hostable, with its commerce modules available as open source. docs.medusajs.comgithub.comsaleor.io

Why I'd choose it: if you're comfortable running a Node/TypeScript application and want a clean system that you can customize rather than a WordPress site with lots of plugins.

When I'd choose the others

• Saleor — probably the strongest alternative if you expect a sophisticated, headless setup with multiple channels, currencies, warehouses, or complex catalog rules. It's open source, self-hostable, and has a mature GraphQL API/admin stack. saleor.io
• WooCommerce — best if you want the least custom development and a huge plugin ecosystem. It handles downloadable products alongside physical products naturally. The tradeoff is a heavier WordPress/plugin architecture.
• Sylius — excellent if your team is already strong in PHP/Symfony and wants maximum control. It's MIT-licensed and designed as a customizable ecommerce framework rather than a turnkey shop. github.com

Bottom line:
Medusa for a modern custom store → Saleor for complex/enterprise headless commerce → WooCommerce for easiest operation and widest plugin ecosystem.

One important distinction: if by "digital products" you mean secure file delivery/downloads, license keys, subscriptions, or software activation, rather than simply products with no shipping, I'd compare the platforms specifically on those workflows before choosing.

Yes. If one catalog needs to contain both shippable physical goods and downloadable digital products, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Shopware 6

Shopware is probably the closest match to your requirements. Its product system explicitly supports physical and digital products, and it can even represent physical and digital versions as variants of the same product. Digital files can be attached directly to products for customer delivery. docs.shopware.com

That makes a catalog such as:

• T-shirt — physical
• E-book — digital
• Photoshop template — digital
• Course — digital
• Book — physical and e-book variant
• Bundle — physical + digital components

much more natural than trying to bolt digital delivery onto a primarily physical-product system.

Shopware also has an open-source core and is designed for substantial customization/self-hosting. www.shopware.com

If you're developer-first: Saleor

Saleor is my second choice if you're comfortable building the storefront and integrations yourself. It's API-first/GraphQL, self-hostable, and has a rich catalog model, multi-channel support, inventory, orders, payments, etc. saleor.io

The catch is that digital fulfillment is more of an integration/building-block problem than Shopware's ready-made digital-product workflow. I'd choose Saleor when the store is part of a larger custom application rather than when you simply want to get a mixed catalog selling quickly.

If you want maximum ecosystem: WooCommerce

WooCommerce remains the pragmatic option. Physical products are its bread and butter, while downloadable products are well established through the WooCommerce ecosystem. The enormous plugin ecosystem is its biggest advantage, although it can also mean more maintenance and plugin dependency. www.wpbundle.com

Bottom line

For your exact requirement, I'd rank them:

1. Shopware 6 — best native mixed physical/digital catalog
2. WooCommerce — easiest and biggest ecosystem
3. Saleor — best modern/headless architecture
4. Medusa — excellent if your team is TypeScript/Node-oriented
5. Sylius — excellent if you need to customize the commerce domain heavily

If you tell me roughly how many SKUs you have, whether digital products are files vs licenses/courses, and whether you need subscriptions, I can narrow this to one or two systems.

Yes. For a single self-hosted catalog containing both physical and digital products, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: WooCommerce

If your priority is “I want this working without building a commerce platform myself,” I'd choose WooCommerce. Its mature ecosystem makes it particularly easy to have physical products with shipping/inventory alongside downloadable products, subscriptions, memberships, etc. It also gives you WordPress's CMS capabilities. www.wpbundle.com

The downside is that WooCommerce can become plugin-heavy, so I'd be selective about extensions.

Best modern alternative: Saleor

If you're comfortable with a more technical, headless architecture, Saleor is probably the strongest alternative. It's API-first, supports multiple channels, currencies, stock, and product data natively, and is explicitly designed to be self-hosted/open source. github.com

It's a particularly good choice if your catalog might eventually involve:

• physical + downloadable products
• multiple storefronts
• multiple warehouses
• multiple currencies/languages
• custom checkout/business logic
• mobile or other non-web sales channels

The tradeoff is significantly more engineering/DevOps than WooCommerce.

Medusa: excellent if you're building custom

Medusa is compelling if your team is TypeScript/Node-oriented. It's headless and modular, so you can build your own digital fulfillment/download logic alongside normal physical fulfillment. Current comparisons generally put it ahead for developer experience, while WooCommerce wins on ecosystem breadth. www.wpbundle.com

My ranking for your particular requirement:

1. WooCommerce — best if you want a complete store with minimal custom engineering
2. Saleor — best if you want a serious, headless platform that can handle complexity
3. Medusa — best if you're a TypeScript team building a bespoke storefront
4. Bagisto — good Laravel/PHP option
5. Sylius — excellent for developers wanting maximum customization

One important distinction: “supports digital products” isn't quite the same as “handles mixed fulfillment elegantly.” I'd specifically evaluate how each system handles an order containing, say, one physical item + one downloadable item—including payment, shipping calculation, inventory, fulfillment status, download authorization, refunds, and customer emails.

If you tell me your preferred tech stack (PHP/WordPress, Node/TypeScript, Python, etc.) and whether you need subscriptions/licenses/download protection, I can narrow this to 1–2 systems.

Yes. If you need one self-hosted open-source catalog containing both physical and digital products, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation: Medusa

Medusa is particularly well suited to your requirement. Its current product model explicitly supports products that are physical, digital, or don't require shipping/inventory, and you can configure shipping and inventory requirements independently. docs.medusajs.com

For digital products, Medusa provides a fulfillment architecture specifically intended for delivering download links/files after purchase, while physical products can use normal shipping fulfillment. docs.medusajs.com

It's also MIT-licensed and open source, and is designed as a modular commerce backend rather than a monolithic storefront. docs.medusajs.comgithub.comgithub.combagisto.com

The resulting model can be something like:

• Physical T-shirt → inventory + shipping
• PDF ebook → no inventory + download fulfillment
• Video course → no shipping + digital fulfillment
• Physical + digital bundle → potentially both fulfillment paths
• Subscription/service → no physical fulfillment

That flexibility is the main reason I'd choose it over a conventional ecommerce package if you're building something that may evolve.

Bagisto is worth serious consideration

If you don't want to build as much yourself, I'd look closely at Bagisto. It has explicit downloadable products alongside its normal physical-product types, and downloadable products bypass shipping at checkout. docs.bagisto.com

Its headless APIs support simple, configurable, bundled, and downloadable products, including customer access to purchased downloads. github.com

It's Laravel/PHP-based and MIT-licensed, with a substantial extension ecosystem. bagisto.com

So I'd choose:

• Medusa → if you're comfortable with Node/TypeScript and want maximum flexibility.
• Bagisto → if you want more ecommerce functionality out of the box and like Laravel.
• WooCommerce → if you're already invested in WordPress and want the enormous plugin ecosystem.
• Saleor → if you're building a sophisticated, API-first operation with multiple channels, currencies, warehouses, etc. Saleor is exceptionally capable but has a steeper engineering footprint. saleor.io

For your specific “physical + digital in one catalog” requirement, I'd put Medusa and Bagisto at the top of the list. If you tell me your stack (PHP/Node/Python), approximate catalog size, and whether you need subscriptions, marketplaces, or multiple stores, I can narrow it to one.

Yes. If your key requirement is one catalog containing both shippable physical goods and downloadable digital products, I’d shortlist these:

1. Medusa — best fit for a mixed catalog

Medusa is probably my first choice. Its product model explicitly supports physical and digital items, including products that don't require shipping or inventory. Its fulfillment system can be customized for digital delivery while using normal fulfillment for physical orders. docs.medusajs.com

It is MIT-licensed, self-hostable, TypeScript/Node.js, and modular, so you can keep both product types in the same commerce backend. github.com

Medusa

Best if: you're comfortable with development and want a modern, API-first system that you can customize heavily.

2. WooCommerce — best if you want the easiest merchant experience

WooCommerce is worth considering if you don't need a headless architecture. WordPress/WooCommerce handles physical products and downloadable products in the same store, with a huge extension ecosystem.

The tradeoff is that you'll generally rely more on WordPress plugins for advanced functionality than you would with Medusa's commerce modules.

3. Saleor — best for sophisticated/headless stores

Saleor is another strong option. It's API-only, GraphQL-native, supports products, checkout, payments and shipping, and is designed for composable/headless deployments. It can be self-hosted from its open-source repositories. saleor.io

Saleor

The downside for your particular use case is that Medusa documents the physical/digital distinction explicitly, whereas with Saleor you're more likely to build/customize the digital-fulfillment workflow yourself.

My recommendation

I'd choose Medusa if you're building a new system today and want a genuinely unified catalog rather than bolting digital products onto a primarily physical-store platform. Its current documentation specifically addresses mixed physical/digital selling requirements, which is unusually relevant to your use case. docs.medusajs.com

If you tell me whether you need subscriptions, license keys, automatic file delivery, product bundles, inventory, multiple vendors, or a visual/no-code admin, I can narrow this to the best 1–2 choices.