Medusa vs Saleor

How Medusa and Saleor differ at a glance

Medusa and Saleor are both open-source, headless commerce platforms backed by PostgreSQL. They differ in language, API style and how you extend them. Saleor facts below come from Saleor's own docs, repository and pricing page; GitHub stars are as of October 28, 2026.

Architecture: in-process framework versus API-only service

Medusa is a TypeScript application framework. Requests go from API routes to workflows to modules to PostgreSQL, and your custom code runs in the same process as the commerce modules, as described in Medusa's architecture docs. You add a custom module with its own data models, link it to core modules, and orchestrate changes with workflows that support rollback across steps.

Saleor describes itself as "GraphQL native, API-only". Its README says APIs are the only way to interact with, configure or extend the backend. Custom logic lives in apps that you deploy separately, which Saleor calls out as reducing downtime and simplifying upgrades. Saleor also states the trade-off: for a single developer on a small store, this service-oriented approach can feel more complex than a framework you extend in place.

API style: REST versus GraphQL

Medusa exposes REST endpoints for storefronts and admin tools, and you add REST API routes for custom features. Medusa's Query tool retrieves linked data across modules inside your code. Saleor exposes a single GraphQL API for storefront, admin and app use. If your frontend team wants one typed GraphQL schema and client-driven field selection, Saleor matches that preference directly.

Hosting and cost: Medusa Cloud versus Saleor Cloud

Both platforms are free to self-host. Medusa Cloud lists Develop at $29, Launch at $99 and Scale at $299 per month, with a 0% GMV fee on every plan; it hosts the server, Medusa Admin, storefront, PostgreSQL and S3 storage, with Redis included from the Launch plan.

Saleor Cloud lists free Sandboxes for prototyping, Select at $1,599 per month (up to $200,000 monthly GMV, then 0.8% above that) and Volume at $3,999 per month (up to $1,000,000 monthly GMV, then 0.4%). Enterprise pricing is custom. Saleor Cloud plans include support, onboarding and a delivery team.

Choose Saleor if

• Your team wants a GraphQL-only API as its single contract.
• You want extensions to run as separate services, written in any language.
• Your backend team works in Python and Django.
• You value the BSD-3-Clause license and a single open-source edition, which Saleor describes as having no feature fragmentation or commercial limitations.

Choose Medusa if

• Your team works in TypeScript and wants custom data models and business logic inside the commerce backend.
• You want REST APIs rather than GraphQL.
• You want managed hosting with a flat monthly price and no GMV fee.
• You need B2B features like companies, quotes and approvals as a starting point: Medusa's open-source B2B starter includes modules for each.

When Medusa is not the right choice

Medusa is not the right fit if your organization has standardized on GraphQL across services, or if your platform team writes Python and does not want to add a Node.js service. It is also a weaker fit when you want every extension isolated as its own deployable service: Medusa supports external integrations, but its main extension model runs code inside the application.