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E-commerce & Retail · head to head

Medusa vs PrestaShop

Medusa logo

Medusa

E-commerce & Retail

Open source Shopify alternative

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PrestaShop logo

PrestaShop

E-commerce & Retail

Open-source ecommerce platform for online merchants

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Medusa the managed cloud meters four separate resources: edge requests, emails, compute hours and database storage; PrestaShop prestaShop's Classic core is free and open source, but the Hosted managed edition and most marketplace modules (payment, shipping, SEO addons) are priced individually with no published rate card, only listed per-module in the Addons marketplace.
  • They diverge on capability: Medusa covers Open source, PrestaShop covers Product catalog management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Medusa and PrestaShop actually diverge.

Attributes where Medusa and PrestaShop differ
AttributeMedusaPrestaShop
Pricing modelfreemiumopen-source
Founded20202007

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 Medusa

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

Only in PrestaShop

  • Product catalog management
  • Payment gateway integration
  • Shipping module
  • Customer management
  • SEO tools
  • Analytics
  • Mobile-responsive design

Both cover

  • Order management

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 PrestaShop
  • Running a self hosted or managed commerce API with a custom storefrontnot PrestaShop

PrestaShop

No use cases recorded yet. See the PrestaShop review.

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

PrestaShop

  • PrestaShop's Classic core is free and open source, but the Hosted managed edition and most marketplace modules (payment, shipping, SEO addons) are priced individually with no published rate card, only listed per-module in the Addons marketplace.

Pricing, plan by plan

Medusa

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

PrestaShop

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Core ecommerce features
    • Community support
    • Modules marketplace
  • Enterprise Edition$3999/year
    • All Community features
    • Premium support
    • 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 PrestaShop if

  • You need product catalog management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want payment gateway integration.
PrestaShop review

Questions people ask

Is Medusa or PrestaShop better?
Neither clearly leads. Medusa starts at Free and PrestaShop at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Medusa or PrestaShop?
Medusa starts at Free and PrestaShop at Free.
Does Medusa or PrestaShop run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Medusa for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 PrestaShop is typically brought in for.
What can Medusa do that PrestaShop cannot?
Medusa covers Open source, Modular architecture, Multi-region support, Plugin system. PrestaShop covers Product catalog management, Payment gateway integration, Shipping module, Customer management. Both handle Order management.
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