At a glance
| Shopify | Medusa | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Hosted SaaS platform | Open-source commerce framework |
| Customization | Apps, themes and settings, within platform rules and API limits | Change the core: checkout, pricing, order logic |
| Cost | Monthly plan, app subscriptions, transaction fees | No license fee. You pay for the build, hosting and support |
| Speed to launch | A store can be live in hours | Longer: you build what your business needs |
| Day-to-day running | Polished admin built for non-technical teams | Admin designed to be shaped around your team |
| Growth | Scales on volume within Shopify's model | New markets, channels and models on one backend |
| Best for | Standard stores and small teams | Brands that have outgrown standard ecommerce |
The real difference: renting vs owning
Shopify owns, hosts and maintains the platform, so you never think about servers. The trade-off is that you work within its tools, rules and limits. Medusa's code is open, so you can change it, host it where you like and shape it around how your business runs.
Customization and control
Most stores can do plenty with Shopify's apps, themes and settings. Deeper changes hit limits: extending checkout means building checkout UI extensions that sit on top of the platform, which are restricted and come at a premium. With Medusa, business logic goes into the core through commerce modules for cart, payment, customer, pricing and more. The question shifts from "can the platform do this?" to "how should we build it?"
Total cost over time
- Shopify: a monthly plan, app subscriptions and per-transaction fees that depend on the plan. Predictable, and many growing brands end up on Shopify Plus.
- Medusa: no monthly license, but you pay for development, hosting and support, so more up front. Medusa Cloud offers managed hosting if you don't want to run infrastructure.
A better question than "which is cheaper?" is "what do the platform's limits cost us?" If your team keeps asking whether the platform can do something, that cost is real.
Speed to launch and day-to-day running
Shopify wins on speed. Hosting, checkout and the admin are ready on day one, and themes can be edited without a developer. Medusa is headless: the admin runs on its own and you build the storefront, or start from Medusa's B2C, B2B or community starters. One Medusa backend can power several storefronts. Its admin is lighter out of the box because it's meant to be shaped around your team, so good UX on custom screens matters.
Growing with the platform
Shopify handles more traffic and orders well. But growth often means new markets, business models, integrations and operations, and that's where owning the core pays off: you extend services you already have instead of working around defaults.
Which should you choose?
Choose Shopify: convenience wins
You want to start selling quickly, your model is standard, and a small team runs the store.
Choose Medusa: control wins
Your checkout, pricing, channels or integrations don't fit a template, and you want a platform you own.
Frequently asked questions
Is Medusa free?
The software is open source with no license fee. You still pay for development, hosting (your own servers or Medusa Cloud) and ongoing support.
Can Medusa replace Shopify Plus?
Yes. You can build the Plus-level features you need, like custom checkout, B2B pricing and multiple storefronts, on Medusa without a monthly platform premium. It is a bigger project up front.
Is Medusa harder for my team to run?
Not when it's built well. The admin covers orders, products and inventory like Shopify's, and custom screens are designed around your team's workflows.
How much does a Medusa build cost?
It depends on scope and integrations. 306 Technologies projects start at $20,000 USD and run in fixed-price phases.
Official Medusa JS Experts