CoreShop vs Medusa
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
| Feature | CoreShop | Medusa |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 292 | ★ 35,640 |
| First released | 2026 | 2021 |
| Replaces | — | Shopify, commercetools |
Why pick each one
Choose CoreShop if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is CoreShop or Medusa better?
Neither is universally better. Medusa has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are CoreShop and Medusa free and open-source?
Yes. CoreShop is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Medusa under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CoreShop and Medusa with Docker?
CoreShop: check the project docs for container support. Medusa: yes.