DevVersus

Saleor vs Medusa(2026)

Saleor is better for teams that need fully headless graphql api. Medusa is the stronger choice if open source and self-hostable. Saleor is open-source (from $500/month (Saleor Cloud)) and Medusa is free.

Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.

By Bikram Nath

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Saleor logo

Saleor

open-source

Saleor is a high-performance open source headless e-commerce platform built with Django and GraphQL for custom storefronts.

Starting at $500/month (Saleor Cloud)

Visit Saleor
Medusa logo

Medusa

free

Medusa is an open-source headless commerce engine that gives developers full control over their ecommerce stack.

Visit Medusa

How Do Saleor and Medusa Compare on Features?

FeatureSaleorMedusa
Pricing modelopen-sourcefree
Starting price$500/month (Saleor Cloud)Free
GraphQL API✓—
Multi-currency✓✓
Multi-channel✓—
Warehouse management✓—
Headless-first✓—
Plugin system✓✓
Headless commerce—✓
REST + GraphQL APIs—✓
Multi-region—✓
Customizable workflows—✓

Saleor Pros and Cons vs Medusa

S

Saleor

+Fully headless GraphQL API
+Open source (self-host free)
+Multi-currency & channel
+Developer-first
−Complex self-hosting
−Requires developer to set up
−Cloud pricing is expensive
M

Medusa

+Open source and self-hostable
+Full developer control
+Node.js/TypeScript native
+No vendor lock-in
−Requires engineering resources
−Smaller ecosystem than Shopify
−No hosted option for free

Should You Use Saleor or Medusa?

For most teams, Saleor is the better default: it offers fully headless graphql api and is open-source (from $500/month (Saleor Cloud)). Choose Medusa instead if open source and self-hostable matters more than complex self-hosting. There is no universal winner — the right pick depends on your budget, team size, and whether you value fully headless graphql api or open source and self-hostable more.

Choose Saleor if…

  • •Fully headless GraphQL API
  • •Open source (self-host free)
  • •Multi-currency & channel

Choose Medusa if…

  • •Open source and self-hostable
  • •Full developer control
  • •Node.js/TypeScript native

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