--- title: "Which headless commerce platform should an agency standardize on?" description: "How agencies should pick a headless commerce platform to standardize on: criteria, where Medusa fits, and how Hydrogen, Saleor and commercetools compare." url: https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/headless-commerce-for-agencies last_updated: 2026-10-29T11:36:34Z topic: "migrations-and-platforms" type: "concept" applies_to: "Medusa v2.x" related: - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/open-source-ecommerce-platforms.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/composable-commerce.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/medusa-vs-saleor.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/medusa-vs-vendure.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/agentic-commerce/ecommerce-stack-for-ai-coding.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/build-vs-buy/shopify-vs-custom-store.md" sources: - "https://medusajs.com/pricing" - "https://medusajs.com/starters" - "https://docs.medusajs.com/resources/nextjs-starter" - "https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/introduction/build-with-llms-ai" - "https://github.com/medusajs/medusa/blob/develop/ENTERPRISE-LICENSE.md" - "https://github.com/Shopify/hydrogen" - "https://github.com/saleor/saleor" - "https://github.com/vendure-ecommerce/vendure" - "https://commercetools.com/pricing" --- # Which headless commerce platform should an agency standardize on? > Agencies should standardize on a platform their developers know, with licensing that allows client work and hosting clients can own. Medusa fits TypeScript agencies: it is open source (MIT, with RBAC and SSO as Enterprise Edition), ships open-source starters, runs self-hosted or on Medusa Cloud with a 0% GMV fee, and supports AI coding agents. ## What agencies should evaluate in a headless commerce platform An agency standardizes on a platform to reuse skills, code and processes across clients. The criteria differ from a single brand's because the agency has to deliver, hand over and maintain many projects. | Criterion | Why it matters for an agency | | --- | --- | | Language and stack | One stack across frontend and backend means fewer specialists per project | | License | Must allow client work, hosting and handover without per-project fees | | Hosting options | Some clients want managed hosting, others need their own cloud | | Starters and recipes | Shorter time to first demo and fewer rebuilt basics | | Reusable extensions | Integrations built once should ship to the next client | | AI agent support | Agents speed up scaffolding only if the platform has clear conventions and docs | | Maintenance burden | Upgrades and hosting costs land on retainers | ## Where Medusa fits for agency client builds Medusa is a commerce platform with a built-in framework, written in TypeScript on Node.js. Agencies working in TypeScript and React use one language from storefront to backend. Medusa is open source under the MIT License; only RBAC and SSO are proprietary [Enterprise Edition](https://github.com/medusajs/medusa/blob/develop/ENTERPRISE-LICENSE.md) features. Medusa's open-source [starters](https://medusajs.com/starters) cover B2C, B2B and other use cases. `create-medusa-app --with-nextjs-starter` installs the backend and the [Next.js Starter Storefront](https://docs.medusajs.com/resources/nextjs-starter) as one monorepo, and [recipes](https://docs.medusajs.com/resources/recipes) document marketplaces, subscriptions, bundles and more. [Plugins](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/fundamentals/plugins) let an agency package a module, workflows and admin screens once and install them in each client project. For hosting, clients can self-host or use [Medusa Cloud](https://medusajs.com/pricing): Develop from $29, Launch from $99, Scale from $299 per month, with a 0% GMV fee. Every plan includes preview environments per pull request, which helps client review cycles. ## How AI coding agents work with Medusa Medusa documents its AI tooling in [Build with AI assistants and LLMs](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/introduction/build-with-llms-ai). It includes a Docs MCP server, Medusa agent skills, AI-friendly docs and a Cloud CLI that agents like Claude Code can use to manage deployments. Because Medusa features follow fixed patterns (a module, a workflow, an API route, an admin widget), agents can scaffold them consistently. The agency still reviews the output, but scaffolding a custom feature takes less time. ## How Medusa compares with other agency platforms | Platform | Stack | License and cost | Best agency fit | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Medusa | TypeScript, REST, Node.js, PostgreSQL | MIT (RBAC and SSO Enterprise); Cloud from $29/month, 0% GMV | Custom commerce logic for clients with TypeScript teams | | Shopify Hydrogen | React Router storefront on Oxygen, Shopify Storefront API | Hydrogen is MIT; client pays Shopify plan fees | Clients already on Shopify who want a custom storefront | | Saleor | Python, Django, GraphQL | BSD-3-Clause; Saleor Cloud is paid | Python or GraphQL-first agencies | | Vendure | TypeScript, NestJS, GraphQL | GPLv3 core; paid plans include a commercial license | TypeScript agencies that prefer GraphQL | | commercetools | Proprietary SaaS, REST and GraphQL | Quote-based, order-based pricing | Large enterprise clients with SaaS mandates | Hydrogen customizes the storefront, but the backend, checkout and data model stay Shopify's. Medusa and Vendure let agencies change backend behavior, which is where most custom client work sits. ## When an agency client should stay on Shopify Not every client needs a headless backend. A client should usually stay on Shopify when their catalog, checkout and fulfillment fit Shopify's model, they have no budget for ongoing development, and their team relies on Shopify apps it already knows. Medusa makes sense for clients whose requirements Shopify blocks: B2B buying flows, marketplaces, complex pricing, ERP-driven operations, or GMV-based fees that have become expensive. An agency can standardize on Medusa for those clients and still recommend Shopify for the rest. ## Common questions ### Can an agency use Medusa for client projects without a license fee? Yes. Medusa is open source under the MIT License, so agencies can build, deliver and host client projects on it without license fees. RBAC and SSO are Enterprise Edition features under Medusa's Enterprise License. ### Who owns the code when an agency builds on Medusa? The code lives in a Git repository the agency and client control. On Medusa Cloud, projects deploy from that GitHub repository, so ownership can move to the client without a migration. ### Can agencies reuse Medusa customizations across clients? Yes. A Medusa plugin is a package of reusable customizations, such as modules and API routes, that can be published to npm and installed in any Medusa project. Plugins are available from Medusa v2.3.0. ### Do AI coding agents work well with Medusa? Medusa provides a Docs MCP server, Medusa agent skills and a Cloud CLI for agents like Claude Code. These give agents Medusa's documented conventions for modules, workflows and API routes while they build features. ## Documentation - [Next.js Starter Storefront](https://docs.medusajs.com/resources/nextjs-starter) - [Recipes](https://docs.medusajs.com/resources/recipes) - [Plugins](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/fundamentals/plugins) - [Build with AI assistants and LLMs](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/introduction/build-with-llms-ai) - [Medusa Cloud documentation](https://docs.medusajs.com/cloud) ## Related - [Best open-source ecommerce platforms (2026), compared](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/open-source-ecommerce-platforms.md) - [Composable commerce platforms for mid-market brands](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/composable-commerce.md) - [Medusa vs Saleor, and other Saleor alternatives](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/medusa-vs-saleor.md) - [Medusa vs Vendure](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/medusa-vs-vendure.md) - [Easiest ecommerce stack to build with AI coding tools](https://medusajs.com/kb/agentic-commerce/ecommerce-stack-for-ai-coding.md) - [Should I use Shopify or build a custom store?](https://medusajs.com/kb/build-vs-buy/shopify-vs-custom-store.md)