Medusa Next.js Starter vs Vendure
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?
Medusa Next.js Starter
Production-ready storefront template for Medusa
VS
Vendure
Headless commerce framework built on Node.js
| Feature | Medusa Next.js Starter | Vendure |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,796 | ★ 8,302 |
| First released | 2022 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Shopify themes, Saleor Storefront | Shopify, commercetools |
Why pick each one
Choose Medusa Next.js Starter if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Vendure if…
- Strong TypeScript developer experience
- Well-documented plugin system
Frequently asked questions
Is Medusa Next.js Starter or Vendure better?
Neither is universally better. Vendure has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Medusa Next.js Starter and Vendure free and open-source?
Yes. Medusa Next.js Starter is licensed under MIT and Vendure under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Medusa Next.js Starter and Vendure with Docker?
Medusa Next.js Starter: yes. Vendure: yes.