Headless commerce agency
Medusa ecommerce development. Your logic. Your code.
Medusa.js is an open-source Node.js and TypeScript commerce engine. We design, build and run stores on it — B2B, marketplace and multi-channel — and hand you every line of code.
The Architecture
Headless commerce engine
Medusa is a Node.js and TypeScript commerce backend. "Headless" means the engine — products, orders, inventory, payments, fulfillment — is completely separated from the frontend. You build the storefront yourself.
MIT licence — genuinely yours
Open source under the MIT licence. The code is yours to read, modify, deploy, and walk away with. No vendor can change its pricing and force you to accept it or rebuild. You own the engine, not a subscription to it.
Production-ready at scale
Not experimental. Also not something you set up over a weekend — a production build is a multi-month project and requires sustained TypeScript expertise to maintain.
API-first, every channel
Your storefront, mobile app, wholesale portal, and POS are all clients of the Medusa API. Omnichannel is the default architecture — not a plugin you add later when you've outgrown a single channel.
What We Build
Medusa development services
Custom Medusa store build
Backend modules, data model, pricing rules and order workflows written against your commerce model — not bent around a template. How Medusa’s architecture fits together →
Next.js storefront
A headless storefront built to your design, server-rendered for search and speed, talking to Medusa through its API. Medusa storefront options compared →
B2B commerce
Customer-specific price lists, company accounts with multiple buyers, purchase approvals and quote-to-order flows. Medusa for B2B commerce →
Multi-vendor marketplaces
Multiple sellers, split payouts, and per-vendor inventory and fulfillment, modelled in the backend. Marketplace builds on Medusa →
Payments, ERP, 3PL and CMS integrations
Payment gateways, ERP and inventory sync, shipping and 3PL connections, and a headless CMS for content — all scoped at the architecture stage. Medusa payment gateway options →
Migration to Medusa
Products, customers, order history and URL redirects moved from Shopify or WooCommerce, tested on staging before cutover. Migrating from Shopify to Medusa →
Hosting, support & maintenance
Deployment on infrastructure you own, dependency and platform updates, and retained development after launch. Medusa hosting and infrastructure →
The Fit Check
Is Medusa right for your store?
Right for
- Custom B2B commerce Tiered pricing by customer segment, purchase approval workflows, quote-to-order pipelines, credit terms, net payment logic. Medusa handles this natively. WooCommerce approximates it.
- Multi-vendor marketplaces Multiple sellers, split payouts, per-vendor inventory and fulfillment. Medusa handles marketplace logic as a first-class use case — Shopify and WooCommerce don't.
- Non-standard subscription logic Usage-based billing, metered pricing, complex trial structures. Custom subscription logic needs a commerce engine you can code against, not a plugin approximation.
- Shopify exits at scale When platform fees and app workarounds have become a real line item, and the logic you need keeps fighting the platform. Owning the engine changes that equation.
- Omnichannel builds Web storefront, mobile app, physical POS, and wholesale portal feeding the same catalog, inventory, and order management. API-first from the start.
Not for
- Standard DTC stores For a standard direct-to-consumer catalogue, Shopify's app ecosystem and managed infrastructure are genuine advantages. Evaluate Medusa when the platform starts limiting the business — not before.
- Businesses without dedicated developers Medusa requires TypeScript developers not during the build — but after it, indefinitely. Platform updates, integration changes, new features. The total cost of ownership changes significantly without them.
- Six-week timelines A production Medusa build takes 5–8 months. Backend, frontend, integrations, migration, testing, staging. If the timeline matters, say so at the start.
- Content-first commerce Medusa has no CMS layer. Page content requires a separate headless CMS — another service to set up and run. If content-driven commerce is your model, WooCommerce gives you WordPress's full CMS alongside the commerce engine.
How We Build
Architecture & scoping
We map your commerce model before writing code. Payment flows, fulfillment logic, integration requirements, content strategy — all specified at this stage. Surprises in architecture cost more than surprises in code.
Medusa backend
Core installation, module setup, database schema, API design. Custom business logic — pricing rules, discount structures, order workflows — built at this layer.
Frontend development
We build your storefront in Next.js (our default) or another framework based on requirements. Full design implementation, performance optimisation, Medusa API integration. Lighthouse 90+ is a build standard.
Integrations
Payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Adyen, Klarna), shipping carriers, fulfillment platforms, ERP connections. Each integration tested against your real transaction volumes, not demo data.
Platform migration
Moving from Shopify or WooCommerce: product catalog, customer data, order history, URL redirect mapping to protect existing SEO. Migration testing runs in parallel with staging.
Handoff
Complete source code, deployment documentation, credentials, architecture notes. Nothing locked to our infrastructure or services after launch. You own it.
Integration Ecosystem
Payments
Stripe, PayPal, Adyen, Klarna — natively supported. Any payment processor with a REST API can be integrated as a custom Medusa module. Multi-currency and multi-region checkout handled at the backend layer, not hacked onto the frontend.
Fulfillment & shipping
Shippo, EasyPost, ShipStation, direct carrier APIs (UPS, FedEx, DHL). 3PL integrations (ShipBob, Deliverr) scoped per project. Split shipments, warehouse routing, and dropship logic built at the backend — not approximated in a frontend component.
ERP & inventory
NetSuite, SAP Business One, Brightpearl, and custom ERP connections via REST or webhook. Inventory sync, order writeback, and customer data flow scoped at the architecture stage — not retrofitted after launch when the cost is five times higher.
Content management
Sanity (our default) or Contentful for page content, collection descriptions, SEO copy, and editorial. The storefront fetches commerce data from Medusa and content data from the CMS — separate concerns, correctly separated at the architecture level from the start.
Customer authentication
Medusa's built-in customer auth for B2C. For B2B with SSO requirements — Auth0, Okta, or SAML integration scoped per project. Multi-account hierarchies (parent company / subsidiary buyer accounts) handled natively in Medusa's customer model.
The Migration
Migrating to Medusa from Shopify or WooCommerce
A move to Medusa is a rebuild, not an export. The storefront is rebuilt, the data is migrated, and every app your current store relies on is replaced with a Medusa module or custom code. Plan for the same five-to-eight-month timeline as a new build.
Every indexed URL is mapped and 301-redirected so search equity carries over. The migration runs in parallel on staging, and the old store stays live until cutover. If moving to WooCommerce — or staying where you are — would solve the problem with less work, we'll tell you before you commit.
- Product catalog — titles, descriptions, variants, images, metafields
- Customer accounts and full order history
- Collections, tags, and product relationships
- URL structure with 301 redirect mapping — your SEO equity stays intact
- Storefront — new Next.js frontend built to your design
- All app functionality replaced with Medusa modules or custom code
- Checkout, payment flows, and tax configuration
- Transactional email and notification workflows
The Honest Comparison
Medusa.js vs our WooCommerce builds
| Medusa.js | Custom WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | 5–8 months | 6–10 weeks |
| Transaction fees | Zero | Zero |
| CMS layer | No — headless CMS required | Full WordPress CMS included |
| Non-developer content editing | No — requires CMS setup | Yes — Gutenberg |
| B2B custom logic | First-class, native | Possible with extensions |
| Developer talent pool | TypeScript specialists | Large global PHP pool |
For most growing stores, WooCommerce is the right answer. For stores with complex B2B logic, marketplace models, platform fees and app workarounds that have become a real line item, or omnichannel requirements — Medusa earns the investment. We'll tell you which applies before we quote anything.
Who Does The Work
Senior-only.
No handoffs.
A Medusa.js build at this scale — custom payment logic, multi-region support, B2B workflows, ERP connections — requires a developer who has done it before. Not someone learning on your project.
The developer who scopes your architecture builds it. Nothing gets handed to juniors after the kickoff. We take fewer projects than most agencies. The complexity Medusa requires is the reason.
Not sure where your current store stands? Run it through our free AI store audit before we talk.
FAQ
Medusa development questions
Does Medusa.js handle SEO well?
Yes, when built correctly. Because Medusa is headless, SEO is entirely a frontend concern. A properly built Next.js storefront serves fully rendered HTML to Googlebot — no client-side rendering issues, fast LCP, clean URL structures. We build to Lighthouse 90+ as a floor.
How long does a Medusa build take?
Most production builds run five to eight months from scoping to launch: backend, storefront, integrations, migration and testing. A focused backend rebuild behind an existing storefront can be shorter; marketplace or multi-region builds with ERP integration sit at the longer end. You get a timeline after scoping, not before.
Can you migrate our existing store to Medusa?
Yes — from Shopify, WooCommerce or another platform. Products, variants, customers and order history are migrated, every indexed URL is mapped to a 301 redirect, and the new store runs on staging in parallel until cutover. Storefront, checkout and app functionality are rebuilt rather than copied. If Medusa is not the right destination, we will say so before scoping.
What payment gateways does Medusa support?
Natively: Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, Adyen. Custom integrations can be built for any payment processor with an API. Adding gateways is a development task rather than a plugin install — more flexibility, more dev time.
Can Medusa handle subscriptions?
Yes, with custom Stripe integration. Native subscription management is not included out of the box — it's a development task. This is one of the legitimate gaps compared to WooCommerce Subscriptions. We scope subscription requirements in detail before committing to a Medusa build.
How does content management work?
Medusa manages products, orders, customers, and fulfillment. For page content you need a headless CMS. We typically integrate Sanity or Contentful — both have editorial interfaces your marketing team can use without developer involvement. That integration is factored into project scoping.
What does ongoing maintenance involve?
Expect 5–20 hours per month depending on store complexity — platform updates, dependency management, Stripe API changes, new feature development. We offer retained maintenance for projects we've built.
What if we outgrow your Medusa build?
You own the code. Take it to any developer, any agency, or build an in-house team around it. Nothing in our builds is proprietary. The architecture documentation describes every integration point and decision made during the build.
Evaluating a platform move?
Tell us what you're running and what it can't do. We'll give you a straight comparison — Medusa, WooCommerce, or stay where you are.