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E-commerce & Retail · head to head

Medusa vs Phorest

Medusa logo

Medusa

E-commerce & Retail

Open source Shopify alternative

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Phorest logo

Phorest

Beauty & Salon

Salon software that grows your business

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Medusa has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Medusa the managed cloud meters four separate resources: edge requests, emails, compute hours and database storage; Phorest no price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request
  • They diverge on capability: Medusa covers Open source, Phorest covers Appointment booking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Medusa and Phorest actually diverge.

Attributes where Medusa and Phorest differ
AttributeMedusaPhorest
Starting priceFree$99/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryE-commerce & RetailBeauty & Salon
Founded20202003

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

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 Medusa

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

Only in Phorest

  • Appointment booking
  • Client management
  • Point of sale
  • Marketing automation
  • Reputation management
  • Staff management
  • Business reports
  • Mailchimp

Both cover

  • Inventory tracking

What people use each for

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

Medusa

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

Phorest

  • Salon and spa appointment booking with client recordsnot Medusa
  • Marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businessesnot Medusa

Where each one falls short

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

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

Phorest

  • No price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request
  • There is no free trial at all, which the company states plainly
  • The product is described as suited to 3 or more staff, so a solo operator is outside the intended range
  • The branded booking app requires the Ultimate plan, and two way SMS, memberships, lead management and the ads manager are all Elite only

Pricing, plan by plan

Medusa

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

Phorest

$99/month
  • Grow$99/month
    • Appointment booking
    • Client management
    • POS
  • Elevate$179/month
    • Everything in Grow
    • Advanced marketing
    • Online booking
  • Innovate$299/month
    • Everything in Elevate
    • Multi-location
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Medusa if

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

Choose Phorest if

  • You need appointment booking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want client management.
Phorest review

Questions people ask

Is Medusa or Phorest better?
Neither clearly leads. Medusa starts at Free and Phorest at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Medusa or Phorest?
Medusa has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Medusa and $99/month for Phorest.
Does Medusa or Phorest run on more platforms?
Medusa runs on Web. Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Medusa for free?
Yes. Medusa has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Phorest starts at $99/month.
What is Medusa best used for?
Medusa is most often used for building a custom ecommerce backend on an open source headless platform, running a self hosted or managed commerce api with a custom storefront. Of those, building a custom ecommerce backend on an open source headless platform and running a self hosted or managed commerce api with a custom storefront are not what Phorest is typically brought in for.
What can Medusa do that Phorest cannot?
Medusa covers Open source, Modular architecture, Multi-region support, Plugin system. Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Point of sale, Marketing automation. Both handle Inventory tracking.
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