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.
Medusa
Composable commerce engine for developers
VS
Shopware
Flexible open-source commerce for growing brands
| Feature | Medusa | Shopware |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 99 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| 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 | ★ 36,440 | ★ 3,430 |
| First released | 2021 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Shopify, commercetools | Shopify, Magento |
What are Medusa and Shopware?
Medusa
Medusa is a headless, open-source commerce platform written in JavaScript. It provides modular building blocks for building custom online stores, marketplaces, and B2B commerce experiences with a powerful admin and API.
- Headless commerce architecture
- Modular plugin system
- Built-in admin dashboard
- Multi-region and multi-currency
Shopware
Shopware is an open-source e-commerce platform from Germany built with Symfony and Vue.js. The community edition offers a modern admin, headless API, and a rich extension ecosystem.
- Modern Vue.js admin
- Headless API capabilities
- Rule-based merchandising
- Strong extension store
Medusa vs Shopware: key differences
Medusa is written in TypeScript, while Shopware is built with PHP. Medusa is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Shopware. Shopware is the more established project (first released 2010), while Medusa arrived in 2021. Medusa has the considerably larger community, at 36,440 GitHub stars versus 3,430.
Why pick each one
Choose Medusa if…
- Highly customizable for developers
- Modern TypeScript codebase
Watch out for
- Requires development effort for storefront
- Less turnkey than hosted platforms
Choose Shopware if…
- Polished merchant experience
- Powerful B2B suite available
Watch out for
- Heavy resource needs
- Complex for small shops
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.
Which is lighter on resources, Medusa or Shopware?
Medusa has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Shopware. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.