Comparison

Medusa vs Shopify

On the evidence we track, Shopify leads this comparison with a composite score of 83/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Medusa full profile →Shopify full profile →

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Medusa63

★Shopify83

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	Medusa	ShopifyLeader
Vioscale score	63 / 100medium · 68%updating	83 / 100medium · 72%updating
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✓	✓
Modelpricing.model	commercial	freemium
Price levelpricing.price_level	mid	mid
Transparentpricing.transparent	✓	✓
Integrations
Countintegrations.count	2	21,000
Security
Disclosure policysecurity.disclosure_policy	-	✓
Gdprsecurity.gdpr	✓	✓
Pcisecurity.pci	-	✓
Scorecardsecurity.scorecard	5.6	-
Soc2security.soc2	-	✓
Vulnerabilitiessecurity.vulnerabilities	Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40medusajs%2Fmedusa&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0	-
Reliability
Sla pctreliability.sla_pct	99.99	99.9
Status pagereliability.status_page	-	✓
Adoption
Dependent reposadoption.dependent_repos	397	-
Github starsadoption.github_stars	36,018	-
Package downloads weeklyadoption.package_downloads_weekly	143,802	-
Activity
Commits last 30dactivity.commits_last_30d	100	-
Release
Cadence daysrelease.cadence_days	10	-
Historyrelease.history	20 items	-
License
Spdxlicense.spdx	SEE LICENSE IN LICENSE	-
Language
Primarylanguage.primary	TypeScript	-
Market
Availabilitymarket.availability	Available worldwide · Popular in US	Available worldwide · Popular in GB, US, CA · HQ CA

Score

Vioscale score

Medusa63 / 100medium · 68%updating

Shopify83 / 100medium · 72%updating

Pricing

Free tier

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

Model

Medusacommercial

Shopifyfreemium

Price level

Medusamid

Shopifymid

Transparent

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

Integrations

Count

Medusa2

Shopify21,000

Security

Disclosure policy

Medusa–

Shopify✓

Gdpr

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

Pci

Medusa–

Shopify✓

Scorecard

Medusa5.6

Shopify–

Soc2

Medusa–

Shopify✓

Vulnerabilities

MedusaCount: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40medusajs%2Fmedusa&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0

Shopify–

Reliability

Sla pct

Medusa99.99

Shopify99.9

Status page

Medusa–

Shopify✓

Adoption

Dependent repos

Medusa397

Shopify–

Github stars

Medusa36,018

Shopify–

Package downloads weekly

Medusa143,802

Shopify–

Activity

Commits last 30d

Medusa100

Shopify–

Release

Cadence days

Medusa10

Shopify–

History

Medusa20 items

Shopify–

License

Spdx

MedusaSEE LICENSE IN LICENSE

Shopify–

Language

Primary

MedusaTypeScript

Shopify–

Market

Availability

MedusaAvailable worldwide · Popular in US

ShopifyAvailable worldwide · Popular in GB, US, CA · HQ CA

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for e-commerce platforms. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capability comparison for E-commerce Platforms
Capability	Medusa	Shopify
Core
Platform type	Headless / composable	Hosted all-in-one SaaS
Licensing
Open-source	✓	✗
Deployment
Self-hostable	✓	✓
Pricing
Free / open tier	✓	✓
Transaction fees beyond plan	-	-
Payments
Payments model	Built-in + BYO gateway	Built-in payments
Architecture
Headless / API-first storefront	✓	✓
Compliance
PCI-DSS compliance provided	-	✓
Reach
Multi-currency / multi-language	✓	✓
Selling
B2B / wholesale features	✓	✓
POS / omnichannel	✓	✓
Extensibility
App / extension ecosystem size	Modular architecture with Workflows, custom modules, API routes, and UI extensio	21,000+ commerce apps available in Shopify App Store

Core

Platform type

MedusaHeadless / composable

ShopifyHosted all-in-one SaaS

Licensing

Open-source

Medusa✓

Shopify✗

Deployment

Self-hostable

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

Pricing

Free / open tier

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

Transaction fees beyond plan

Medusa-

Shopify-

Payments

Payments model

MedusaBuilt-in + BYO gateway

ShopifyBuilt-in payments

Architecture

Headless / API-first storefront

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

Compliance

PCI-DSS compliance provided

Medusa-

Shopify✓

Reach

Multi-currency / multi-language

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

Selling

B2B / wholesale features

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

POS / omnichannel

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

Extensibility

App / extension ecosystem size

MedusaModular architecture with Workflows, custom modules, API routes, and UI extensio

Shopify21,000+ commerce apps available in Shopify App Store

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Medusa

A modular, extensible commerce platform that enables developers to create custom storefronts, marketplaces, and commerce systems while reusing foundational commerce functionality. Provides comprehensive modules for product management, pricing, inventory, and fulfillment with extensive customization through APIs and workflows.

Independently observed

Shopify

Leader

Shopify is a commerce platform designed for businesses of all sizes to create storefronts, manage inventory, process payments, and sell across multiple channels online and in person. It provides pre-built themes, customizable experiences, and integrations with thousands of apps to support independent sellers through to global enterprises.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Medusa

from $29/moHybridFree tier

Open-source framework free. Cloud hosting from $29/month.

CloudFrom $29/month

as of 2026-08-14verify ↗

Shopify

Leader

from £19/moSubscriptionFree tier3-day trial

Free 3-day trial, then 3 months for £1/month. Plans from £19/month (Basic) to £1,800+/month (Plus, enterprise). Annual and 3-year commitments available.

Basic£19/month (billed yearly)
- World's best checkout
- Online store
- Unlimited products
- In-person selling
- Multiple sales channels
- +1 more
Grow£49/month (billed yearly)
- World's best checkout
- Online store
- Unlimited products
- In-person selling
- Multiple sales channels
- +1 more
Advanced£259/month (billed yearly)
- World's best checkout
- Online store
- Unlimited products
- In-person selling
- Multiple sales channels
- +1 more
PlusContact sales
- Unlimited retail locations
- 20x admin API rate limits
- 300+ hours technical launch support
- Dedicated technical account managers

as of 2026-08-14verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platform and deployment support comparison
Supports	Medusa	Shopify
WebPlatforms	✓	✓
CLIPlatforms	✓	✓
Cloud / SaaSDeployment	✓	✓
Self-hostedDeployment	✓	✓
On-premiseDeployment	✓	✗
HybridDeployment	✗	✓

Platforms

Web

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

CLI

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

Deployment

Cloud / SaaS

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

Self-hosted

Medusa✓

Shopify✓

On-premise

Medusa✓

Shopify✗

Hybrid

Medusa✗

Shopify✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Medusa

2 total

Stripe
Google Analytics

Independently observed

Shopify

Leader

11 total

Adyen
Manhattan
Vercel
Hydrogen
Slack
Salesforce
Xero
QuickBooks
Shop app
Dropshipping apps
Print-on-demand apps

Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.