Shopify vs Medusa
Shopify vs Medusa — which one should you pick?
TL;DR Verdict
Medusa wins for developer-led teams who want zero transaction fees and full customization. Shopify is better for non-technical merchants who need a complete, managed solution with a theme store.
Overview
Shopify is one of the leading SaaS solutions in the ecommerce space. Medusa is an open-source alternative that you can self-host for full control and significant cost savings. Here’s how they compare.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Shopify | Medusa |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free (unlimited products) |
| Open Source | No | Yes (MIT) |
| Data Ownership | Shopify servers | Your servers |
| User Limit | Per-seat pricing | Unlimited |
| Self-Hosted | No | Yes (Docker) |
| Managed Option | Yes (primary) | Yes (upready.dev) |
When to Choose Shopify
- You’re not a developer and need a drag-and-drop store builder
- You want thousands of ready-made themes and apps
- You need 24/7 support and zero server management
- You sell primarily through one channel
When to Choose Medusa
- You have developers on your team
- Transaction fees are eating into your margins
- You need a headless architecture for multi-channel
- You want full control over checkout and storefront UX
Migration Path
Yes. Medusa has a Shopify import plugin that migrates products, variants, collections, and images. Customer and order history requires custom migration scripts.
For assisted migration, upready.dev offers a turnkey Shopify → Medusa migration service.
Final Verdict
Medusa wins for developer-led teams who want zero transaction fees and full customization. Shopify is better for non-technical merchants who need a complete, managed solution with a theme store.
Best for: Medusa is best for teams who want ecommerce tools without vendor lock-in