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E-commerce & Retail · head to head

Medusa vs Treatwell

Medusa logo

Medusa

E-commerce & Retail

Open source Shopify alternative

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Treatwell logo

Treatwell

Beauty & Salon

Beauty and wellness booking platform

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; Treatwell treatwell charges 35 percent commission on the first booking from a client introduced through its marketplace, and the rate is subject to location
  • They diverge on capability: Medusa covers Open source, Treatwell covers Online booking platform.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Medusa and Treatwell actually diverge.

Attributes where Medusa and Treatwell differ
AttributeMedusaTreatwell
Pricing modelfreemiumtransaction
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryE-commerce & RetailBeauty & Salon
Founded20202008

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Treatwell

  • Online booking platform
  • Business profile
  • Customer reviews
  • Appointment management
  • Payment processing
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics
  • Google

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

Treatwell

  • Listing a salon on the Treatwell consumer booking marketplacenot Medusa
  • Free salon calendar, POS and client records for freelancers and small teamsnot Medusa
  • Taking online prepaid bookings with daily payoutsnot 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

Treatwell

  • Treatwell charges 35 percent commission on the first booking from a client introduced through its marketplace, and the rate is subject to location
  • Online prepayments carry an additional 2.5 percent processing fee plus VAT
  • All commissions and fees are subject to VAT on top of the quoted percentages
  • The commercial model depends on marketplace introductions: there is no commission on direct or social media bookings, so the software is free only where the salon brings its own clients

Pricing, plan by plan

Medusa

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

Treatwell

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Online booking
    • Business profile
    • 25% commission
  • Premium$49/month
    • Everything in Free
    • 15% commission
    • 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 Treatwell if

  • You need online booking platform.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want business profile.
Treatwell review

Questions people ask

Is Medusa or Treatwell better?
Neither clearly leads. Medusa starts at Free and Treatwell at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Medusa or Treatwell?
Medusa starts at Free and Treatwell at Free.
Does Medusa or Treatwell run on more platforms?
Medusa runs on Web. Treatwell runs on Web, Ios, Android.
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 Treatwell is typically brought in for.
What can Medusa do that Treatwell cannot?
Medusa covers Open source, Modular architecture, Multi-region support, Plugin system. Treatwell covers Online booking platform, Business profile, Customer reviews, Appointment management.
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