Medusa Has a Free Open-Source E-Commerce Platform — Shopify Alternative for Developers

Shopify takes 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Medusa takes 0%. And you own every line of code.

What is Medusa?

Medusa is an open-source headless commerce platform built with Node.js. It handles products, orders, payments, shipping, and more — with a modular architecture that lets you customize everything.

Why Developers Choose Medusa

1. Headless Architecture

// Fetch products from any frontend
const response = await fetch('http://localhost:9000/store/products');
const { products } = await response.json();

// Works with React, Next.js, Gatsby, Vue, Svelte, mobile apps...
products.forEach(p => console.log(p.title, p.variants[0].prices[0].amount));

2. Modular Commerce Modules

// Use only what you need
import { ProductModule } from '@medusajs/medusa/product';
import { CartModule } from '@medusajs/medusa/cart';
import { PaymentModule } from '@medusajs/medusa/payment';
import { FulfillmentModule } from '@medusajs/medusa/fulfillment';

Each module is independent. Use Medusa for orders but keep your existing product catalog.

3. Custom Workflows

import { createWorkflow, createStep } from '@medusajs/workflows-sdk';

const validateInventory = createStep('validate-inventory', async ({ productId, quantity }) => {
  const stock = await inventoryService.getStock(productId);
  if (stock < quantity) throw new Error('Out of stock');
  return { available: true };
});

const processOrder = createWorkflow('process-order', (input) => {
  const validation = validateInventory(input);
  const payment = chargePayment(input);
  const fulfillment = createShipment(input);
  return { validation, payment, fulfillment };
});

4. Multi-Region Support

// Different currencies, tax rates, and shipping per region
const regions = [
  { name: 'US', currency: 'USD', tax_rate: 0 },
  { name: 'EU', currency: 'EUR', tax_rate: 20 },
  { name: 'UK', currency: 'GBP', tax_rate: 20 },
];

5. Admin Dashboard

Medusa includes a React admin dashboard with:

• Product management (variants, images, collections)
• Order management (fulfillment, returns, exchanges)
• Customer management
• Discount codes and gift cards
• Sales channels

6. Payment and Fulfillment Plugins

# Payments
npm install medusa-payment-stripe
npm install medusa-payment-paypal

# Fulfillment
npm install medusa-fulfillment-manual
npm install medusa-fulfillment-webshipper

Medusa vs Shopify vs WooCommerce

	Medusa	Shopify	WooCommerce
Transaction fees	0%	2.9% + $0.30	0%
Self-hosted	Yes	No	Yes
Headless	Native	Via API ($)	Via plugin
Customization	Full code access	Theme + apps	PHP plugins
Multi-currency	Built-in	Higher plans	Plugin
License	MIT	Proprietary	GPL

Getting Started

# Create new project
npx create-medusa-app@latest my-store

# Start
cd my-store
npx medusa develop

# Admin: http://localhost:9000/app
# Store API: http://localhost:9000/store

The Bottom Line

Medusa gives developers full control over their commerce stack. Zero transaction fees, open-source, and modular enough to fit any business model.

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