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E-commerce & Retail · head to head

Ecwid vs Medusa

Ecwid logo

Ecwid

E-commerce & Retail

Sell anywhere ecommerce platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Medusa logo

Medusa

E-commerce & Retail

Open source Shopify alternative

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ecwid the $5 a month Starter plan caps the catalogue at 10 products; Medusa the managed cloud meters four separate resources: edge requests, emails, compute hours and database storage
  • They diverge on capability: Ecwid covers Omnichannel selling, Medusa covers Open source.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ecwid and Medusa actually diverge.

Attributes where Ecwid and Medusa differ
AttributeEcwidMedusa
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Founded20092020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-commerce & Retail).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Ecwid

  • Omnichannel selling
  • Product catalog
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Email marketing
  • Analytics
  • Mobile app
  • API access

Only in Medusa

  • Open source
  • Modular architecture
  • Multi-region support
  • Plugin system
  • Admin dashboard
  • Order management
  • Inventory tracking
  • Payment integrations

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Ecwid

  • Adding a store to an existing website or social pagenot Medusa
  • Selling physical goods and digital downloads from one cataloguenot Medusa

Medusa

  • Building a custom ecommerce backend on an open source headless platformnot Ecwid
  • Running a self hosted or managed commerce API with a custom storefrontnot Ecwid

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Ecwid

  • The $5 a month Starter plan caps the catalogue at 10 products
  • Staff accounts start at the Business plan, and are limited to 2 until the Unlimited plan
  • Abandoned cart recovery requires the Business plan at $65 a month
  • In person selling through POS integration is Unlimited only, at $149 a month
  • The Venture plan at $35 a month still caps products at 100

Medusa

  • The managed cloud meters four separate resources: edge requests, emails, compute hours and database storage
  • The Develop plan at $29 a month applies a hard limit of 1,000 emails, so it stops rather than bills
  • Compute hours are capped at 600 on Develop and 800 on Launch
  • Edge request overage is $0.3 per million and storage $0.5 per GB month above the plan allowance
  • Background workers and priority support require the Scale plan at $299 a month

Pricing, plan by plan

Ecwid

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10 products
    • Basic storefront
    • Standard payment methods
  • Unlimited$99.08/month
    • Unlimited products
    • Advanced features
    • Priority support

Medusa

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full source code
    • Self-hosted
    • Community support
  • Cloud$50/month
    • Managed hosting
    • Automatic updates
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Ecwid if

  • You need omnichannel selling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want product catalog.
Ecwid review

Choose Medusa if

  • You need open source.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want modular architecture.
Medusa review

Questions people ask

Is Ecwid or Medusa better?
Neither clearly leads. Ecwid starts at Free and Medusa at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ecwid or Medusa?
Ecwid starts at Free and Medusa at Free.
Does Ecwid or Medusa run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Ecwid for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Ecwid best used for?
Ecwid is most often used for adding a store to an existing website or social page, selling physical goods and digital downloads from one catalogue. Of those, adding a store to an existing website or social page and selling physical goods and digital downloads from one catalogue are not what Medusa is typically brought in for.
What can Ecwid do that Medusa cannot?
Ecwid covers Omnichannel selling, Product catalog, Payment processing, Inventory management. Medusa covers Open source, Modular architecture, Multi-region support, Plugin system.
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