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Software · head to head

Kitomba vs Medusa

Kitomba logo

Kitomba

Software

Salon software from New Zealand

From
79/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Medusa logo

Medusa

Software

Open source Shopify alternative

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Medusa has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Kitomba no plan price is published; pricing depends on package, features and staff count and is only given after a demo and a discovery call with a Kitomba consultant; Medusa the managed cloud meters four separate resources: edge requests, emails, compute hours and database storage
  • They diverge on capability: Kitomba covers Appointment booking, Medusa covers Open source.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kitomba and Medusa actually diverge.

Attributes where Kitomba and Medusa differ
AttributeKitombaMedusa
Starting price79/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20012020

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Kitomba

  • Appointment booking
  • Point of sale
  • Stock management
  • Client management
  • Marketing tools
  • Business analytics
  • Mobile apps
  • Online booking

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.

Kitomba

  • Salon and spa appointment booking with staff rosteringnot Medusa
  • Salon point of sale and stock managementnot Medusa
  • Client marketing and reporting for hair and beauty businessesnot Medusa

Medusa

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

Where each one falls short

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

Kitomba

  • No plan price is published; pricing depends on package, features and staff count and is only given after a demo and a discovery call with a Kitomba consultant
  • Advertised per user pricing is based on 3 staff, so the quoted figure does not apply at other headcounts
  • Xero, Mailchimp, REACH.ai, Salon Pay and Vish integrations all carry separate charges outside the software fee
  • Data migration and live education carry additional charges
  • Kitomba Pay EFTPOS terminal rental is available in Australia only

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

Kitomba

79/month
  • Starter$79/month
    • Appointment booking
    • Client management
    • Basic reporting
  • Business$149/month
    • All Starter features
    • POS system
    • Stock management

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 Kitomba if

  • You need appointment booking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want point of sale.
Kitomba 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 Kitomba or Medusa better?
Neither clearly leads. Kitomba starts at 79/month and Medusa at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kitomba or Medusa?
Medusa has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at 79/month for Kitomba and Free for Medusa.
Does Kitomba or Medusa run on more platforms?
Kitomba runs on Web, Ios, Android. Medusa runs on Web.
Can I use Medusa for free?
Yes. Medusa has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Kitomba starts at 79/month.
What is Kitomba best used for?
Kitomba is most often used for salon and spa appointment booking with staff rostering, salon point of sale and stock management, client marketing and reporting for hair and beauty businesses. Of those, salon and spa appointment booking with staff rostering and salon point of sale and stock management are not what Medusa is typically brought in for.
What can Kitomba do that Medusa cannot?
Kitomba covers Appointment booking, Point of sale, Stock management, Client management. Medusa covers Open source, Modular architecture, Multi-region support, Plugin system.
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