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E-commerce & Retail · head to head

Medusa vs Shopify

Medusa logo

Medusa

E-commerce & Retail

Open source Shopify alternative

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shopify logo

Shopify

Print & Publishing

The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business

From
$29/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; Shopify using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • They diverge on capability: Medusa covers Open source, Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Medusa and Shopify actually diverge.

Attributes where Medusa and Shopify differ
AttributeMedusaShopify
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
CategoryE-commerce & RetailPrint & Publishing
Founded20202006

Identical on both: platforms (Web), 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
  • Inventory tracking
  • Payment integrations

Only in Shopify

  • Hosted ecommerce platform
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Order tracking
  • Marketing automation
  • Apps and integrations
  • Multi-channel selling
  • SSL certificate

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

Shopify

  • Running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilmentnot Medusa
  • Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot 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

Shopify

  • Using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • That fee makes the cheapest plan the most expensive place to use an outside processor, which is the opposite of how plans usually work
  • Card rates also improve with the plan, from 2.9% on Basic to 2.7% on Advanced
  • Amex is charged at a higher rate than other cards on every plan below Plus
  • Plus starts at $2,300 a month
  • The advertised lower monthly prices require paying a year up front

Pricing, plan by plan

Medusa

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

Shopify

$29/month
  • Starter$5/month
    • Buy Button & Sales Channel
    • Abandoned checkout recovery
    • Basic reporting
  • Basic$29/month
    • Online store
    • Up to 2 staff accounts
    • Basic reports
  • Standard$79/month
    • Professional reports
    • Gift cards
    • Up to 15 staff accounts

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 Shopify if

  • You need hosted ecommerce platform.
  • You also want payment processing.
Shopify review

Questions people ask

Is Medusa or Shopify better?
Neither clearly leads. Medusa starts at Free and Shopify at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Medusa or Shopify?
Medusa has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Medusa and $29/month for Shopify.
Does Medusa or Shopify run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Medusa for free?
Yes. Medusa has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Shopify starts at $29/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 Shopify is typically brought in for.
What can Medusa do that Shopify cannot?
Medusa covers Open source, Modular architecture, Multi-region support, Plugin system. Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Payment processing, Inventory management, Order tracking.
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