--- title: "Medusa vs commercetools" description: "Medusa vs commercetools: open-source TypeScript commerce with flat Cloud pricing vs enterprise SaaS with quoted pricing, and when each one fits a brand." url: https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/medusa-vs-commercetools 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/composable-commerce.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/open-source-ecommerce-platforms.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/ecommerce-backend-cost.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/outgrown-shopify-plus.md" - "https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/medusa-vs-vendure.md" sources: - "https://medusajs.com/pricing" - "https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/introduction/architecture" - "https://github.com/medusajs/medusa/blob/develop/ENTERPRISE-LICENSE.md" - "https://commercetools.com/pricing" - "https://docs.commercetools.com/api/graphql" - "https://docs.commercetools.com/api/projects/api-extensions" - "https://docs.commercetools.com/api/projects/types" --- # Medusa vs commercetools > Medusa is an open-source, TypeScript commerce platform that is free to self-host, with managed Medusa Cloud plans from $29 per month and a 0% GMV fee. commercetools is a proprietary, enterprise SaaS platform with sales-quoted, order-based pricing. Medusa costs less and is customizable in code; commercetools fits large enterprises wanting a vendor-run, SLA-backed service. ## How Medusa and commercetools compare Medusa and commercetools are both headless, API-first commerce platforms built for composable architectures. The main difference is the delivery model. commercetools is a proprietary SaaS that you license from the vendor, while Medusa is open source and you run it yourself or on Medusa Cloud. | Area | Medusa | commercetools | | --- | --- | --- | | License | Open source (MIT); RBAC and SSO are Enterprise Edition | Proprietary SaaS | | Pricing | Free to self-host; Medusa Cloud from $29/month, 0% GMV fee | Not published; order-based plans quoted by sales | | Language and runtime | TypeScript on Node.js, PostgreSQL | Vendor-hosted; you call its APIs from any language | | APIs | REST Store API, Admin API, and your own API routes | REST and GraphQL APIs | | Customization | Custom modules, workflows, API routes and admin extensions in the same codebase | Custom types and fields, API extensions and external services | | Hosting | Self-host anywhere, or Medusa Cloud | Vendor-hosted only | | Source access | Full source on GitHub | No source access | ## Why teams look for commercetools alternatives commercetools positions itself for enterprise retailers and brands. Its pricing page asks buyers to contact sales and describes order-based plans instead of published prices. For mid-market brands, that sales cycle and contract size are often the reason to look elsewhere. The second reason is customization. On commercetools, logic that does not fit its data model runs in external services that you deploy and operate next to the platform. On Medusa, the same logic is a custom module or workflow inside your application, written in TypeScript and deployed with the rest of the backend. ## What Medusa offers an enterprise brand Medusa ships Commerce Modules for products, pricing, carts, orders, payments, fulfillment, inventory, promotions, tax, regions and more. Each module owns its data in PostgreSQL, and [module links](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/fundamentals/module-links) connect them without coupling. Business logic runs in workflows that roll back completed steps when a later step fails. For enterprise operations, Medusa Cloud's Enterprise plan adds RBAC, SSO, audit logs, SLA-backed uptime, BYOC (bring your own cloud), SOC 2 and a dedicated support engineer, according to the [Medusa pricing page](https://medusajs.com/pricing). RBAC and SSO are covered by Medusa's [Enterprise License](https://github.com/medusajs/medusa/blob/develop/ENTERPRISE-LICENSE.md); the rest of the codebase is MIT. Every Medusa Cloud plan has a 0% GMV platform fee and unlimited orders, products, sales channels and regions. Capacity depends on the plan's compute, not on revenue. ## When commercetools is still the better fit commercetools is a reasonable choice in these cases: - Your organization requires a fully vendor-operated SaaS and does not want to own the application code. - Procurement prefers one enterprise vendor with an established contract, partner network and analyst coverage. - You already run commercetools and its integrations work; replatforming cost would outweigh licensing savings. - Your team has no Node.js or TypeScript developers and does not plan to hire them. Medusa fits better when you want lower and predictable platform cost, your developers work in TypeScript, and you want custom commerce logic inside the backend instead of in separate services. ## Migrating from commercetools to Medusa A move from commercetools to Medusa is mainly a data and integration project, because both platforms are headless. A typical path: 1. Map commercetools resources (products, variants, prices, customers, orders) to Medusa's Commerce Modules. 2. Export data through the commercetools API and import it with Medusa's [Admin API](https://docs.medusajs.com/api/admin) or a script that calls Medusa workflows. 3. Rebuild custom types and API extensions as Medusa custom modules and workflow hooks. 4. Point the storefront's API layer at Medusa's Store API and run both systems in parallel before switching DNS. Plan for historical order import, URL redirects and payment provider re-configuration. Migration effort depends mostly on how many external services you built around commercetools. ## Common questions ### How much does commercetools cost compared to Medusa? commercetools does not publish prices; its pricing page describes order-based plans quoted by its sales team. Medusa is free to self-host, and Medusa Cloud lists Develop at $29, Launch at $99 and Scale at $299 per month, all with a 0% GMV fee. ### Is Medusa a MACH platform like commercetools? Medusa is headless and API-first, exposes REST Store and Admin APIs, and splits commerce into independent modules, so it covers the same composable ideas. Unlike commercetools, Medusa is open source, so you can self-host it or run it on Medusa Cloud. ### Can Medusa handle enterprise requirements like SSO and RBAC? Yes. RBAC and SSO for Medusa Admin and Medusa Cloud are Enterprise Edition features under Medusa's Enterprise License, available on the Medusa Cloud Enterprise plan with SLAs, audit logs and a dedicated support engineer. ### How hard is it to migrate from commercetools to Medusa? A commercetools to Medusa migration is a data and integration project: export products, customers and orders through the commercetools API, import them through Medusa's Admin API or a migration script, and repoint each integration. Storefronts already built headless only need their API layer swapped. ## Documentation - [Medusa's architecture](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/introduction/architecture) - [Commerce Modules](https://docs.medusajs.com/resources/commerce-modules) - [Modules](https://docs.medusajs.com/learn/fundamentals/modules) - [Medusa Cloud vs self-hosting](https://docs.medusajs.com/cloud/comparison) ## Related - [Composable commerce platforms for mid-market brands](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/composable-commerce.md) - [Best open-source ecommerce platforms (2026), compared](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/open-source-ecommerce-platforms.md) - [Cheapest way to run a production ecommerce backend](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/ecommerce-backend-cost.md) - [Outgrown Shopify Plus: what sits between Shopify and a custom build?](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/outgrown-shopify-plus.md) - [Medusa vs Vendure](https://medusajs.com/kb/migrations-and-platforms/medusa-vs-vendure.md)