Compare / Medusa vs WooCommerce
Medusa vs WooCommerce
Pick Medusa if you want a headless API and a React storefront. Pick WooCommerce if the site is already WordPress — also the Gumroad/digital-goods path.
Facts checked 17 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Medusa in the catalog WooCommerce in the catalogStart on Railway
How they compare
| Medusa | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT core (medusajs/medusa) source | GPL-2.0 (catalog) source |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 36,778 stars, pushed 17 Oct 2026 (not in the catalog row) source | 10,554 stars in the catalog source |
| Self-host | Node API + React storefront. | A store on a WordPress site you already run. |
| Best for | Headless commerce. | A WordPress shop, including digital goods. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Medusa is the published Shopify stack. WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin (catalog: GPL-2.0, 10,554 stars). /stacks/woocommerce-digital covers digital files and memberships.
FAQ
- Medusa or WooCommerce?
- Medusa if you want a headless API. WooCommerce if the site is already WordPress. That is the stack FAQ.
- Saleor?
- See /compare/medusa-vs-saleor if the team is Python/GraphQL.
- Are these free?
- Licenses as listed. You still pay Stripe or PayPal and hosting.
- Digital downloads?
- WooCommerce on /stacks/woocommerce-digital is the published Gumroad-shaped path.
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