Medusa vs Shopware
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
Composable commerce engine for developers
VS
Shopware
Flexible open-source commerce for growing brands
| Feature | Medusa | Shopware |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 35,640 | ★ 3,400 |
| First released | 2021 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Shopify, commercetools | Shopify, Magento |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Medusa or Shopware better?
Medusa is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Shopware if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Medusa and Shopware free and open-source?
Yes. Medusa is licensed under MIT and Shopware under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Medusa and Shopware with Docker?
Medusa: yes. Shopware: yes.