Commerce Layer
commercelayer.io
What it is
Commerce Layer is a hosted transactional commerce API for brands making digital experiences shoppable across online and in-store channels. Its checkout supports multiple markets and currencies and can connect with payment gateways and tax calculators. A distributed order management system provides a unified inventory view across locations and automates order steps from reservation through shipping. Teams can configure market-specific promotions with a visual editor or JSON-based DSL. Its point-of-sale system uses the same API as online channels and supports store inventory, endless aisle, and shareable selling links. Commerce Layer lists 400+ API endpoints and real-time webhooks with 100+ trigger events. The homepage states an average API response time below 90 ms and guaranteed uptime of 99.99%. Listed security credentials include SOC 2 Type 2, PCI DSS Level 1 Provider, and ISO 27001 certifications; OAuth 2.0 and resource-level permissions govern API access. Third-party integrations include a documented Zapier app. The Developer plan provides 100 free live orders per month and unlimited test orders; Enterprise orders are custom quoted. There is no trial period, and on-premise deployment is not offered.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- Commerce Layer is a unified, API-first commerce and order-management platform for making websites, apps, chatbots, IoT devices and other channels transact globally.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Product
- Commerce Layer is a transactional commerce API for international brands that makes digital experiences shoppable.Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.commercelayer.io
- Free plan
- YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Integrations
- Documented payment integrations include Adyen, Axerve, Braintree, Checkout.com, Klarna, PayPal and Stripe, with external gateways available for custom providers.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.commercelayer.io
- Security
- The security page states SOC 2 Type 2, PCI DSS Level 1 Provider, and ISO 27001 certifications.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Support
- The homepage advertises 24/7 support; the Developer plan includes community support and Enterprise includes dedicated support.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Access controls
- Commerce Layer uses OAuth 2.0 and resource-level permissions to control API access.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- API and events
- The homepage lists 400+ API endpoints and real-time webhooks with 100+ trigger events.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- API format
- The REST API follows JSON:API 1.0 and supports compound documents, sparse fieldsets, relationships, filtering, sorting and pagination.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.commercelayer.io
- Authentication
- API authorization uses OAuth 2.0 with sales-channel, integration and webapp credential types.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.commercelayer.io
- Checkout
- Its API-first, stateless checkout supports multiple markets and currencies and can connect to payment gateways and tax calculators.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- CLI
- The official CLI installs through npm or Yarn and includes plugins for resources, imports, webhooks, orders, checkout, exports, links, provisioning and metrics.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Company facts
- LinkedIn lists Commerce Layer as privately held, founded in 2017, headquartered in Prato, Italy, with 11–50 employees.Read 14 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Company identity
- Crunchbase lists the legal entity as Commerce Layer, Inc., founded by Filippo Conforti and Massimo Scardellato.Read 14 Oct 2026 · crunchbase.com
- Distributed OMS
- The distributed order-management system provides real-time inventory views, allocation by region or customer segment, and order workflows from reservation through shipping.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Documentation depth
- The developer portal provides onboarding, a 100-plus-endpoint reference, 400-plus CRUD operations, how-to guides, data-model diagrams, OpenAPI schemas, Postman collections, SDKs, CLI documentation and changelog entries.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.commercelayer.io
- Free access terms
- The pricing FAQ says there is no time-limited trial; developer access is permanently free and Enterprise trials can be discussed with sales.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Funding
- TechCrunch reported on May 26, 2021 that Commerce Layer raised a $16 million Series B led by Coatue, with Benchmark and Mango Capital also participating.Read 14 Oct 2026 · techcrunch.com
- Hosting model
- hostedRead 20 Sep 2026 · commercelayer.io
- In-store commerce
- The POS system uses the same API as online channels and supports store inventory, endless aisle, and shareable selling links.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Latest changelog
- The changelog records a dated October 13, 2026 update stream and provides links to upcoming breaking changes and the 2025 archive.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.commercelayer.io
- Licence
- The official JavaScript SDK and CLI repositories are released under the MIT licence.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limit: deployment
- The pricing FAQ explicitly says there is no on-premise version of Commerce Layer.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Limit: POS and order editing
- The TrustRadius reviewer said specific POS functions were still on the roadmap, payment flexibility was limited for a full POS deployment, and editing approved orders was constrained.Read 14 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
- Limit: technical complexity
- Independent SoftwareWorld assessment said the API-first and headless model requires strong developer resources and can create complexity for merchants without technical teams.Read 14 Oct 2026 · softwareworld.co
- Notable news
- The 2021 funding report said the company planned a developer dashboard, CLI, order-management system, hosted checkout, metrics API and reporting application.Read 14 Oct 2026 · techcrunch.com
- Open-source components
- Commerce Layer publishes SDKs, CLI tools, React components, micro-frontends and dashboard applications as open-source projects, while its hosted commerce API remains a commercial service.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.commercelayer.io
- Order management
- Its distributed OMS provides a unified view of inventory across locations and automates order steps from reservation through shipping.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Payment gateways
- Commerce Layer says it integrates out of the box with commonly used payment providers and also allows manual or external payment services.Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.commercelayer.io
- Performance and availability
- The homepage states an average API response time below 90 ms and a guaranteed uptime of 99.99%.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Performance claims
- The vendor advertises more than 400 API endpoints, average API response time below 90 ms, over 100 webhook events, 99.99% uptime, 60-plus CDN edges and 24/7 support.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- POS
- The POS capability uses the same API as online channels and supports store inventory, endless aisle, shareable associate links, payments, gift cards and promotions.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Praise: flexibility
- The TrustRadius reviewer praised Commerce Layer’s flexibility, true headless MACH architecture, integrated sales and shipment workflows, and extensive API and webhook coverage.Read 14 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
- Praise: usability
- Capterra reviewers repeatedly described the interface as easy to use, simple, explanatory and multipurpose.Read 14 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
- Pricing limit
- The Developer plan includes 100 free live orders per month and unlimited test orders; Enterprise orders are custom quoted.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Promotion engine
- Promotions can be defined with a visual editor or JSON-based rules DSL, including market-specific and complex conditional logic.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Promotions
- The promotion engine supports market-specific rules configured with a visual editor or JSON-based DSL.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Rating on Capterra
- 5.0 out of 5 from 3 reviewsRead 14 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
- Rating on G2
- 0.0 out of 5 from 0 reviewsRead 14 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Rating on GetApp
- 5.0 out of 5 from 3 reviewsRead 14 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Rating on TrustRadius
- 10 out of 10 from 1 reviewRead 14 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
- Sales channels
- omnichannelRead 20 Sep 2026 · commercelayer.io
- SDK
- The official JavaScript SDK is distributed through npm and Yarn and includes token refresh, validation-error handling and resource operations.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Security certifications
- The security page states SOC 2 Type 2, PCI DSS Level 1 Provider and ISO 27001 certifications.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Security controls
- The vendor states AES-256 encryption, MFA, granular access management, continuous monitoring, zero-trust networking, TLS 1.3-plus payment transmission and tokenization.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Self-hosting
- Dashboard applications can be forked, customized and run locally or self-hosted, but the pricing FAQ says Commerce Layer does not offer an on-premise version of its core service.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.commercelayer.io
- Shoppable links
- Links can make SKUs or product selections purchasable through shared URLs and can render as Commerce Layer microstores.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Subscriptions
- The platform supports recurring commerce with subscription management, billing scenarios, payment-method updates and customer lifecycle automation.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Trial and hosting limits
- There is no trial period, though Enterprise trial options can be discussed with sales; Commerce Layer does not offer an on-premise version.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Universal checkout
- Its stateless checkout supports multiple markets and currencies, payment gateways and tax calculators, and can be embedded with one line of code.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Use cases
- The site describes use for headless ecommerce websites, existing websites, mobile apps, omnichannel retail, subscriptions, shoppable links, and connected devices.Read 4 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
- Vulnerability handling
- Commerce Layer says it performs annual penetration tests, quarterly external scans and addresses relevant vulnerabilities within 90 days under severity-based SLAs.Read 14 Oct 2026 · commercelayer.io
Plans and prices
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Checkout supports multiple markets and currencies.
- POS and online channels use the same API.
- Developer plan includes 100 free live orders monthly.
- Offers real-time webhooks with 100+ trigger events.
Limits
- There is no trial period.
- On-premise deployment is not available.
- Enterprise orders are custom quoted.
Who it suits
Commerce Layer suits brands building headless ecommerce, mobile, omnichannel, subscription, shoppable-link, or connected-device experiences. It is for teams looking for hosted API-based commerce rather than on-premise deployment.
Verdict
Commerce Layer brings checkout, order management, promotions, and POS into a hosted API platform. The Developer plan has a stated monthly live-order allowance, while Enterprise orders require a custom quote.
Where Specifiction places it
- Ecommerce platforms#20 of 2809.0
- Headless Ecommerce Platforms#4 of 289.0