MedusaOpen-source agentic commerce platform
vs
ShopifyThe All-in-One Commerce Platform for Businesses
Comparison · E-Commerce Platforms · weekly run Nov 3
Medusa vs Shopify
Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?
The short answer
Shopify is the stronger AI pick in E-Commerce Platforms: it has a visibility score of 78.7 versus 1.2 for Medusa, and ranks ahead in 100% of the answers that name both.
Choose Medusa if…
- You need a self-hosted or on-premises option
Choose Shopify if…
- You want the brand AI engines rank higher (78.7 vs 1.2)
- AI answers describe it more positively (41% vs 0% positive)
- You need PCI DSS Level 1 or SOC 2 Type II or SOC 3 coverage
- You prefer a larger, established vendor (5,000+ employees)
AI visibility side by side
Latest weekly run · Nov 3
| Metric | Medusa | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility score | 1.2% | 78.7% |
| Change vs last week | New | New |
| Rank in E-Commerce Platforms | #22 | #1 |
| Share of voice | 0.4% | 15.6% |
| Mentions this run | 2 | 72 |
| Positive in AI answers | 0% | 41% |
The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.
Visibility score trend
Weekly runs over the last 60 days
Medusa 0pp · Shopify 0pp over 0 weekly runs.
Engine by engine
Shopify leads on 3 of 3 engines
ChatGPT
AI Mode
Perplexity
MedusaShopify
Head to head in AI answers
2 engine answers name both brands
0Medusa ranked higher
2Shopify ranked higher
| Prompt | Engine | Medusa | Shopify |
|---|---|---|---|
| How do companies build and run an online store without a dedicated tool? | ChatGPT | #4 | #1 |
| How do companies build and run an online store without a dedicated tool? | AI Mode | #5 | #1 |
Features, pricing & fit
| Dimension | Medusa | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat tiers | Flat tiers |
| Entry price | $29 / mo | $29 / mo |
| Free plan | No | No · 3-day trial |
| Deployment | Open source, self-hosted or hosted on Medusa Cloud | Hosted by Shopify on its own infrastructure |
| Integrations | — | 21000+ |
| Compliance | — | PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3 |
| Support | Community, Priority Cloud support on Scale plan, Dedicated support engineer and 24/7 support on Enterprise plan, Medusa Expert Partners for migration | 24/7 support, Live chat, Help Center, Community |
| Founded | 2021 | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Copenhagen, Denmark | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Employees | 11–50 | 5,000+ |
| Funding | Series A · $15M raised | — |
| Best for | Developers and teams building custom B2C or B2B commerce that need a flexible, self-customizable platform | Merchants selling online, in person, and in AI chats, from solo entrepreneurs and small teams to global and complex businesses |
Plans side by side
Medusa
Develop$29per month
Launch$99per month
Scale$299per month
EnterpriseCustomcontact sales
Shopify
Basic$29month, billed yearly ($39/mo monthly)
Grow$79month, billed yearly ($105/mo monthly)
Advanced$299month, billed yearly ($399/mo monthly)
Plus$2,300month (starting at)
Pros and cons
Themes from the AI answers that mention each brand
Medusa
Profile in progress.
Shopify
- Market-leading, best-overall choice for most businesses
- Fast launch and smooth, easy setup
- Scales from small businesses to enterprise retail
- Strong app ecosystem and integrations
- Transparent pricing, free trial and annual discounts
- Extra transaction fees unless using its native payment gateway
- Less suited to advanced SEO and deep app integrations
- Limited back-office customization
- Heavy reliance on paid add-on apps for some needs
Data collected ·ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode·coverage 100%·next run
Cite as: SlateIndex, “Medusa vs Shopify”, https://slateindex.ai/compare/medusa-vs-shopify, data of Nov 3, 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.