Shopify vs Medusa
Medusa is open source commerce software that you host and build your store on. Shopify is a hosted store builder that you pay for each month. We checked every figure on this page against the vendors' own pages on 17 Oct 2026. Prices are list prices as of that date.
Shopify vs Medusa at a glance
| Shopify | Medusa | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Not documented on the pages we read | MIT, except the Enterprise Edition materials [S2]; recorded on Forkshelf as MIT [S3] |
| Entry price | Basic, US$39 a month paid monthly; less on yearly billing [S1] | Code under MIT [S2] |
| Higher plans | Grow US$105 a month, Advanced US$399 a month, both paid monthly; less on yearly billing [S1] | Not documented on the pages we read |
| GitHub stars | Not applicable in our reading | 37,125 on 8 Nov 2026 [S4] |
| Last code push | Not applicable in our reading | 7 Nov 2026 [S4] |
| Server memory | Not applicable in our reading | "at least 2GB of RAM" for an "optimal experience" [S5] |
What is Medusa?
Medusa's code is on GitHub at medusajs/medusa. Its LICENSE file says the repository is licensed under the MIT License [S2]. That excludes "the Enterprise Edition materials identified in ENTERPRISE-LICENSE.md" [S2]. The GitHub API does not return a single SPDX id for it. Forkshelf records it as MIT [S3]. The repo had 37,125 stars on 8 Nov 2026 [S4]. It is not archived, and the last push was on 7 Nov 2026 [S4].
Shopify vs Medusa pricing
Shopify Basic is "For solo entrepreneurs" [S1]. It costs US$39 a month when you pay monthly [S1]. Grow costs US$105 a month and Advanced US$399 a month when you pay monthly [S1]. Yearly billing costs less on all three. The yearly prices changed between page loads on 17 Oct 2026, so check Shopify's page for the current figure. The pricing page shows a trial: "Try 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months." [S1]. Shopify says "pricing and payment options can differ depending on where your business is based" [S1].
Medusa's code costs nothing to download under MIT [S2]. A Medusa paid plan is not documented on the pages we read. Medusa's deployment guide says the host "must offer at least 2GB of RAM" for an "optimal experience" [S5]. In our reading, a self-hosted Medusa costs you the server and the time to run it.
License and code
In our reading, the license is the main difference for a team that needs control of its store code. Medusa publishes its license text on GitHub [S2]. Its Enterprise Edition materials sit under a separate license file [S2]. A source license for Shopify is not documented on the pages we read. Read both Medusa license files before you build on it.
Shopify is the better fit when
- You want a hosted store with a listed monthly price [S1].
- You want to try the platform before paying full price. Shopify shows a 3-day free trial [S1].
Medusa is the better fit when
- You want the store code under the MIT License, outside the Enterprise Edition materials [S2].
- You want a project with recent activity. The repo had a push on 7 Nov 2026 [S4].
Run Medusa on Railway
Railway lists a template by Heimdall for Medusa (railway.com/deploy/medusa) [S6]. Railway shows it as unverified [S6]. Railway verifies a template only when the maker of the technology "becomes a partner and reviews the template" [S9].
It is titled "Deploy & Host Medusa.js v2" and was created on 12 May 2026 [S6]. The template had 138 projects on 17 Oct 2026 [S6]. Read the template page and its source before you deploy.
Medusa's guide asks for at least 2GB of RAM "for optimal experience" [S5]. Railway's Free plan allows up to 0.5 GB RAM per service [S7]. In our reading, a Medusa deploy on Railway needs a paid plan.
Affiliate disclosure: Forkshelf earns a commission if you sign up for Railway through the links marked "Paid link" on this page. This does not change the order or content of any comparison here.
To get started, create a Railway account (Paid link). The Free plan allows up to 1 vCPU and 0.5 GB RAM per service [S7]. The Hobby plan has a US$5 minimum usage per month, with US$5 of monthly usage credits included [S7][S10]. It allows up to 48 GB RAM per service [S7].
Railway is one option. Pricing on Railway is as of 17 Oct 2026.
Other Shopify alternatives
Forkshelf also lists Saleor (BSD-3-Clause), Vendure (GPL-3.0-or-later, as its Community Edition) and Bagisto (MIT) [S8]. All three had a code push in the past week as of 17 Oct 2026 [S8]. See the Shopify alternatives page for the full list.
FAQ
Is Medusa open source?
Its repository is under the MIT License, except the Enterprise Edition materials [S2]. Forkshelf records it as MIT [S3].
How much does Shopify Basic cost?
US$39 a month paid monthly, as of 17 Oct 2026 [S1]. Yearly billing costs less.
How much RAM does Medusa need?
Its deployment guide asks for "at least 2GB of RAM" for an "optimal experience" [S5].
How many GitHub stars does Medusa have?
37,125 on 8 Nov 2026 [S4].
Sources (all fetched 17 Oct 2026)
- [S1] https://www.shopify.com/pricing
- [S2] https://github.com/medusajs/medusa/blob/develop/LICENSE
- [S3] Forkshelf listing for medusajs/medusa, https://forkshelf.com/alternative-to/shopify
- [S4] https://api.github.com/repos/medusajs/medusa
- [S5] https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/deployment/general
- [S6] https://railway.com/deploy/medusa
- [S7] https://railway.com/pricing
- [S8] https://api.github.com/repos/saleor/saleor, https://api.github.com/repos/vendurehq/vendure, https://api.github.com/repos/bagisto/bagisto
- [S9] https://docs.railway.com/templates/publish-and-share
- [S10] https://docs.railway.com/pricing/plans
Verdict by use case
| Use case | Best fit | Why, with sources |
|---|---|---|
| A hosted store running today | Shopify | Monthly billing puts Shopify Basic at US$39 a month. [S] Pricing is as of 25 Oct 2026. |
| A store on your own server | Medusa | Medusa's code is mostly MIT, except the Enterprise Edition materials, and its deployment guide asks for at least 2GB of RAM for an optimal experience. [S] |
Prices and hardware figures come from each vendor's own pages on the date shown. Vendors change them without notice, so check the linked page before you buy or size a server.