Comparison

Medusa vs Swell

On the evidence we track, Swell leads this comparison with a composite score of 82/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Medusa full profile →Swell full profile →

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Medusa63

★Swell82

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	Medusa	SwellLeader
Vioscale score	63 / 100medium · 68%	82 / 100medium · 52%
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✓	✓
Modelpricing.model	commercial	commercial
Price levelpricing.price_level	mid	low
Transparentpricing.transparent	✓	✓
Integrations
Countintegrations.count	2	10
Security
Gdprsecurity.gdpr	✓	-
Scorecardsecurity.scorecard	5.6	-
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	100
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	-

Score

Vioscale score

Medusa63 / 100medium · 68%

Swell82 / 100medium · 52%

Pricing

Free tier

Medusa✓

Swell✓

Model

Medusacommercial

Swellcommercial

Price level

Medusamid

Swelllow

Transparent

Medusa✓

Swell✓

Integrations

Count

Medusa2

Swell10

Security

Gdpr

Medusa✓

Swell–

Scorecard

Medusa5.6

Swell–

Vulnerabilities

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

Swell–

Reliability

Sla pct

Medusa99.99

Swell100

Status page

Medusa–

Swell✓

Adoption

Dependent repos

Medusa397

Swell–

Github stars

Medusa36,018

Swell–

Package downloads weekly

Medusa143,802

Swell–

Activity

Commits last 30d

Medusa100

Swell–

Release

Cadence days

Medusa10

Swell–

History

Medusa20 items

Swell–

License

Spdx

MedusaSEE LICENSE IN LICENSE

Swell–

Language

Primary

MedusaTypeScript

Swell–

Market

Availability

MedusaAvailable worldwide · Popular in US

Swell–

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	Swell
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	Apps and integrations ecosystem with Klaviyo, Omnisend, Resend, and payment prov

Core

Platform type

MedusaHeadless / composable

SwellHosted all-in-one SaaS

Licensing

Open-source

Medusa✓

Swell✓

Deployment

Self-hostable

Medusa✓

Swell✓

Pricing

Free / open tier

Medusa✓

Swell-

Transaction fees beyond plan

Medusa-

Swell-

Payments

Payments model

MedusaBuilt-in + BYO gateway

SwellBuilt-in payments

Architecture

Headless / API-first storefront

Medusa✓

Swell✓

Compliance

PCI-DSS compliance provided

Medusa-

Swell✓

Reach

Multi-currency / multi-language

Medusa✓

Swell-

Selling

B2B / wholesale features

Medusa✓

Swell-

POS / omnichannel

Medusa✓

Swell-

Extensibility

App / extension ecosystem size

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

SwellApps and integrations ecosystem with Klaviyo, Omnisend, Resend, and payment prov

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

Swell

Leader

A SaaS ecommerce platform enabling retailers to build storefronts and manage subscriptions, digital products, and physical goods through a visual dashboard and flexible APIs.

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 ↗

Swell

Leader

from $5/moSubscriptionFree tier

From $29/month billed yearly. Free tier and trial available. Usage-based API request and data storage overages.

Starter$29/month billed yearly
- Basic reports
- Email & chat support
Basic$79/month billed yearly
- Basic reports
- Email & chat support
Standard$299/month billed yearly
- Advanced reports
- Priority support
- Role-based permissions
- International price lists
Unlimited$2250/month billed yearly
- Advanced reports
- Priority support
- Developer support
- Role-based permissions
CustomContact sales

as of 2026-08-04verify ↗

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	Swell
WebPlatforms	✓	✓
CLIPlatforms	✓	✓
Cloud / SaaSDeployment	✓	✓
Self-hostedDeployment	✓	✓
On-premiseDeployment	✓	✗

Platforms

Web

Medusa✓

Swell✓

CLI

Medusa✓

Swell✓

Deployment

Cloud / SaaS

Medusa✓

Swell✓

Self-hosted

Medusa✓

Swell✓

On-premise

Medusa✓

Swell✗

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

Swell

Leader

8 total

Klaviyo
ShipStation
PayPal
Braintree
Sezzle
Resend
Omnisend
Shopify

Independently observed

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