Catalyst Storefront 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?
Catalyst Storefront
Composable storefront starter for BigCommerce-style backends
VS
Medusa
Composable commerce engine for developers
| Feature | Catalyst Storefront | Medusa |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 243 | ★ 35,640 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Shopify Hydrogen, Vue Storefront | Shopify, commercetools |
Why pick each one
Choose Catalyst Storefront if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Catalyst Storefront 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 Catalyst Storefront and Medusa free and open-source?
Yes. Catalyst Storefront is licensed under MIT and Medusa under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Catalyst Storefront and Medusa with Docker?
Catalyst Storefront: yes. Medusa: yes.