Medusa.js vs Shopify: Which is Right for Your Business?
A practical, unbiased comparison for e-commerce businesses choosing their technology stack.
Shopify and Medusa.js both power e-commerce stores — but they're built for fundamentally different businesses. Shopify is a hosted SaaS platform designed for fast setup and mainstream use cases. Medusa.js is an open-source, headless commerce framework designed for businesses that need control, customization, and scalability that SaaS platforms cannot deliver. This comparison breaks down the real differences across cost, flexibility, performance, and long-term scalability — so you can make an informed decision for your specific situation rather than relying on marketing materials from either side.
Why The Special Character?
We Build on Both
We've migrated clients from Shopify to Medusa.js and know the real-world tradeoffs — not theoretical ones. Our recommendation is always based on your actual needs, not our preferred stack.
Full Migration Service Available
If you choose Medusa.js, we handle the complete migration from Shopify — products, customers, orders, and SEO redirects — with zero ranking loss and zero customer disruption.
Objective, Cost-Based Analysis
We'll model your actual platform costs at your current and projected revenue to show you the real TCO of each option — including development costs, hosting, and transaction fees.
Our Expert Take
The decision between Medusa.js and Shopify often comes down to your revenue trajectory and customization needs. Shopify makes sense under $500K annual revenue with standard catalog and checkout needs. Above that threshold — or if you need anything outside Shopify's standard feature set — the math and the product requirements both favor Medusa.js.
What's Included
Architect high converting, headless B2B digital storefronts engineered to drive enterprise revenue.
Learn more about our E-Commerce Development serviceHow We Work Together
From first call to launched product — a clear, collaborative process
Discovery Call
We learn about your goals, constraints, and vision in a focused 30-minute session.
Proposal & Scoping
We deliver a detailed proposal with timeline, cost, and technical approach within 48 hours.
Design & Build
Iterative development with weekly demos. You see progress — no black-box development.
Launch & Support
Go live with confidence. We handle deployment, monitoring, and post-launch support.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Shopify's transaction fees and how do they add up?
What can Medusa.js do that Shopify cannot?
Is Medusa.js harder to set up than Shopify?
What does it cost to build a Medusa.js store vs Shopify?
Can I use Medusa.js with my existing Shopify inventory and customer data?
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Medusa.js | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fees | None when self-hosted; 0% GMV fee on Medusa Cloud | 0.2–2% when not using Shopify Payments (Shopify Payments is not available in India) |
| Code ownership | MIT-licensed core; RBAC and SSO need a commercial licence | Proprietary hosted platform; no source access |
| Checkout customization | Fully custom: you build checkout in your own storefront | “Limited” below Plus; full checkout customization on Plus |
| Headless architecture | Headless by design | Supported via Hydrogen + Storefront API (1 headless storefront below Plus, 25 on Plus) |
| Multi-currency support | Built in: one currency per region, multiple regions | Built in (Markets); charging in local currency needs Shopify Payments or Adyen |
| B2B pricing tiers | Customer groups, price lists and tiered prices in core; official B2B starter for companies and quotes | Native B2B on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus; up to 3 catalogs below Plus |
| Open source | Yes: MIT core (RBAC/SSO excluded) | No (its Hydrogen framework is MIT) |
| APIs | Store and Admin REST APIs plus a JS SDK; every client uses them | GraphQL Admin API and Storefront API |
| Pricing (US) | Free to self-host (hosting extra); Medusa Cloud from $29/mo | $39 / $105 / $399 per month, billed monthly (Basic / Grow / Advanced); Plus from $2,300/mo |
| Pricing (India) | Free to self-host; Medusa Cloud lists no INR prices and does not accept India-issued cards | ₹1,994 / ₹7,447 / ₹30,164 per month, billed monthly (Basic / Grow / Advanced); Plus from ₹1,75,000/mo |
Plan prices are billed monthly, as listed on each vendor's official pricing page. Last verified 4 November 2026.
Not Sure Which Is Right for You?
Book a free 30-minute call with our e-commerce architects. We'll review your current situation and give you an honest recommendation — even if it's not Medusa.js.
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