Salesforce Commerce Cloud vs Medusa

The switch cost is mostly labor, and it splits into one-time work and recurring work. One-time work covers exporting data, mapping catalogs, customers and orders to Medusa's data model, rebuilding promotions and checkout, replacing cartridge logic with modules or custom code, and standing up the storefront. Recurring work covers hosting the Medusa server and worker, PostgreSQL, Redis and S3-compatible file storage, plus engineering time for upgrades and security patches. The biggest drivers are the number of sites, price books, custom cartridge features and integrations with your order management and CRM. Ask any quote to itemize build, data migration, hosting, support and Enterprise Edition licensing separately, so you can compare each line with your current Commerce Cloud contract.

Duration depends on scope rather than on the platform alone. The main variables are how many storefronts and markets you run, how much custom cartridge logic must be rebuilt, how clean your product and customer data is, and how many systems must be reconnected at cutover. Teams usually run the old and new stores in parallel for a period so that orders, customers and SEO redirects can be verified before switching. No supplied timeline applies to your estate, so ask for a phased plan with written milestones and an agreed definition of done for each phase. A fixed-scope engagement sets the timeline in writing before work starts.

A capable engineering team can do it, but it must be honest about the skills required. Medusa is built with Node.js and TypeScript on PostgreSQL, so your developers need working knowledge of those tools, plus Redis, S3, container or server operations, and the Medusa deployment model. The migration also needs payment, tax, shipping and ERP integration work that is specific to your business. Consider a partner for the parts your team has not run before, such as production deployment, security hardening or backup design, and keep ownership of the storefront and business rules in-house. Whatever you choose, document who does what before work begins.

After launch, your team owns the running platform, not just the code. Responsibilities include the Medusa server in API and admin mode, the worker that handles background tasks, the PostgreSQL database, Redis, file storage, backups and restore testing, monitoring and incident response. Each release requires running database migrations through the predeploy step before startup, and each deployment should be checked through the /health endpoint. You also own dependency upgrades, secrets rotation for values such as COOKIE_SECRET and JWT_SECRET, and the security testing of your storefront and integrations. Agree on a support model with a named owner for each of these areas before go-live.

Medusa covers much of the commerce core, including carts, orders, product catalogs, pricing and inventory, and its documentation describes support for B2B stores, marketplaces and point of sale. Multi-site setups, such as separate brands, regions and currencies, are possible through its modules and configuration, but they are built and maintained by your team rather than configured in an admin console. Your B2B needs, such as account hierarchies, quote workflows, approval chains and customer-specific price books, must be checked against Medusa's current modules and any Enterprise Edition features. Build a requirements list from your Business Manager configuration and test each item against a prototype before committing.

Medusa is open core. The core commerce framework is MIT licensed, so you can use, modify and self-host it without a license fee for that code. Enterprise Edition features based on role-based access control require a commercial agreement with MedusaJS, Inc. Before you choose, confirm which features you need, such as granular admin permissions, and whether they fall under Enterprise Edition. Ask for the agreement terms in writing, including the fee model, support scope, update rights and what happens to those features if the agreement ends. Your legal and procurement teams should review these terms alongside the migration plan.

Medusa is available as Medusa Cloud managed hosting or as a self-hosted deployment, and the choice affects who runs the infrastructure. Self-hosting keeps data, hosting and network controls inside your own cloud accounts or data centers, which matters for data residency and some compliance programs. It also makes your team responsible for availability, patching and capacity. Managed hosting shifts those operations to the provider but still requires you to review where data is stored and how it is protected. Decide this early, because it changes the hosting cost, the staffing model and the security evidence you need to produce.

DeployOpen plans, implements, customizes, integrates, hardens, backs up, upgrades, documents and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own infrastructure, and most engagements are fixed-scope with scope, deliverables and timelines agreed in writing before work starts. DeployOpen can also run security testing of your applications and APIs and prepare systems, controls and evidence for compliance assessments. It does not issue audit reports, attestations or certifications, so an independent auditor or certification body must perform those assessments. Ask for a written scope that names each deliverable, and ask for a quote that follows from it, since DeployOpen does not publish a price list.