Softwr

Software · head to head

WooCommerce vs Medusa

WooCommerce logo

WooCommerce

Software

The flexible, open-source ecommerce platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Medusa logo

Medusa

Software

Open source Shopify alternative

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: WooCommerce the plugin is free but you must supply and pay for WordPress hosting, which WooCommerce itself puts at $25 to $350 per month for most stores; Medusa the managed cloud meters four separate resources: edge requests, emails, compute hours and database storage
  • They diverge on capability: WooCommerce covers Product management, Medusa covers Open source.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which WooCommerce and Medusa actually diverge.

Attributes where WooCommerce and Medusa differ
AttributeWooCommerceMedusa
Founded20112020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), 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 WooCommerce

  • Product management
  • Shopping cart
  • Payment integration
  • Shipping management
  • Tax calculations
  • Customer accounts

Only in Medusa

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

Both cover

  • Order management
  • Inventory tracking

What people use each for

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

WooCommerce

  • Running an online store inside an existing WordPress sitenot Medusa
  • Selling physical, digital or subscription products with full control of the codenot Medusa
  • Building a customised commerce workflow through plugins and hooksnot Medusa

Medusa

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

Where each one falls short

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

WooCommerce

  • The plugin is free but you must supply and pay for WordPress hosting, which WooCommerce itself puts at $25 to $350 per month for most stores
  • Functionality such as subscriptions and bookings comes from paid extensions priced at $29 to $299 per year each, renewed annually
  • Card payments through WooPayments cost roughly 2.50 to 2.90 percent plus 30 cents per transaction
  • Total cost depends on how many extensions a store needs rather than a single published plan price

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

WooCommerce

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core ecommerce features
    • Unlimited products
    • Community support
  • Premium$299/year
    • All Free features
    • Premium support
    • Performance optimization

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 WooCommerce if

  • You need product management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want shopping cart.
WooCommerce 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 WooCommerce or Medusa better?
Neither clearly leads. WooCommerce starts at Free and Medusa at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, WooCommerce or Medusa?
WooCommerce starts at Free and Medusa at Free.
Does WooCommerce or Medusa run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use WooCommerce for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is WooCommerce best used for?
WooCommerce is most often used for running an online store inside an existing wordpress site, selling physical, digital or subscription products with full control of the code, building a customised commerce workflow through plugins and hooks. Of those, running an online store inside an existing wordpress site and selling physical, digital or subscription products with full control of the code are not what Medusa is typically brought in for.
What can WooCommerce do that Medusa cannot?
WooCommerce covers Product management, Shopping cart, Payment integration, Shipping management. Medusa covers Open source, Modular architecture, Multi-region support, Plugin system. Both handle Order management, Inventory tracking.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on WooCommerce

More on Medusa

Keep looking

Other head to heads