Medusa vs Shopify

Self-host swap-in for Shopify. · Self-host Shopify · Medusa on os-alt

Medusa is one of the open-source self-host replacements for Shopify — license MIT, 20min (Node.js + Postgres + Redis) to stand up, and $10-20 vps for early-stage stores; pricing scales with payment-provider fees, not platform. Compare against Shopify's $39/mo Basic + 2.9% + $0.30/transaction; $399/mo Advanced below.

	Medusaopen-source	Shopifypaid SaaS
Category	Ecommerce platform	Ecommerce platform
License / pricing	`MIT`	$39/mo Basic + 2.9% + $0.30/transaction; $399/mo Advanced
Starting price	$0 self-host	$39/user/mo
GitHub	medusajs/medusa ★ 33.0k · last commit todayalive	closed source
Setup time	20min (Node.js + Postgres + Redis)	SaaS — sign up + bill
Monthly cost	$10-20 VPS for early-stage stores; pricing scales with payment-provider fees, not platform.	from $39/user/mo ($39/mo Basic + 2.9% + $0.30/transaction; $399/mo Advanced)

Switching from Shopify to Medusa

Shopify → Admin → Apps → 'Matrixify' (or 'Easy Migration') exports products, customers, orders to CSV. Medusa has a `medusa-plugin-shopify` plugin that ingests Shopify export JSON / CSV directly into the products / variants / collections schema. Storefront has to be rebuilt — Medusa is headless and ships a Next.js starter.

Good fit for: Devs building custom storefronts who want headless commerce with a JS/TS stack.
Weak at: App ecosystem is much smaller than Shopify; you build / glue features Shopify gives free.

Other open-source self-host alternatives to Shopify

Saleor
BSD-3-Clause30min docker-compose$15-25 VPS — Python + GraphQL + Postgres + Redis.
WooCommerce
GPL-3.020min (WordPress install + plugin)$5-10 VPS for low-volume stores; LiteSpeed or NGINX + PHP-FPM is fine to mid-traffic.

In a terminal? npx os-alt shopify prints Shopify's self-host options — how the CLI works →

FAQ

Is Medusa a free alternative to Shopify?

Yes — Medusa is open source under MIT. Self-host cost: $10-20 VPS for early-stage stores; pricing scales with payment-provider fees, not platform.. Shopify starts at $39/user/mo ($39/mo Basic + 2.9% + $0.30/transaction; $399/mo Advanced).

How long does Medusa take to set up vs Shopify?

Self-hosting Medusa: 20min (Node.js + Postgres + Redis). Shopify is a hosted SaaS — sign up and you're in.

What is Medusa good at, and what is it weak at?

Good fit for: Devs building custom storefronts who want headless commerce with a JS/TS stack.. Weak at: App ecosystem is much smaller than Shopify; you build / glue features Shopify gives free..