Staxly

Medusa vs Render

Open-source commerce engine — build custom storefronts with Next.js + Node
vs. Unified cloud for apps, databases, and static sites

Medusa websiteRender website

Pricing tiers

Medusa

OSS (self-host)
$0. MIT license. Run Medusa backend + admin on your infra.
$0 base (usage-based)
Medusa Cloud Free
$0. Hobby projects. Shared infra. Community support.
Free
Medusa Cloud Pro
$99/mo. Production support. Dedicated DB. Priority.
$99/mo
Enterprise
Custom. SSO, SLA, dedicated cluster, PCI.
Custom
Medusa website

Render

Postgres — Free
30-day limit. 256 MB RAM, 0.1 CPU, 1 GB storage. Rotates.
Free
Hobby (Free)
Free workspace. 1 project, 2 envs, 100 GB bandwidth. Includes free Web Services + static sites + dev DB.
Free
Key Value (Redis) — Free
25 MB. Ephemeral.
Free
Web Service — Free
Free (spins down with idle). 512 MB RAM, 0.1 CPU.
Free
Postgres — Basic
256 MB RAM, 0.1 CPU. Always-on.
$6/mo
Web Service — Starter
Always-on. 512 MB RAM, 0.5 CPU.
$7/mo
Key Value — Starter
256 MB RAM.
$10/mo
Professional
$19/user/month. Unlimited projects, 500 GB bandwidth, up to 10 team members.
$19/mo
Web Service — Standard
Always-on. 2 GB RAM, 1 CPU.
$25/mo
Organization
$29/user/month. Unlimited members, 1 TB bandwidth, compliance certs.
$29/mo
Postgres — Pro
4 GB RAM, 1 CPU.
$55/mo
Web Service — Pro
Always-on. 4 GB RAM, 2 CPU.
$85/mo
Web Service — Pro Plus
Always-on. 8 GB RAM, 4 CPU.
$175/mo
Enterprise
Custom. Centralized team management, dedicated support.
Custom
Render website

Free-tier quotas head-to-head

Comparing oss on Medusa vs hobby on Render.

MetricMedusaRender
No overlapping quota metrics for these tiers.

Features

Medusa · 16 features

  • Admin DashboardReact-based admin UI.
  • AuthCustomer + admin auth with JWT.
  • CartMulti-region carts with tax/pricing logic.
  • CheckoutMulti-step checkout flow.
  • Customers + GroupsCustomer records + B2B groups.
  • Dynamic PricingPrice lists, rules, customer-specific.
  • Event BusAsync events via Redis / RabbitMQ.
  • File ServicePluggable storage (S3, local).
  • Gift CardsNative gift-card support.
  • Inventory + Multi-warehouseStock tracking across locations.
  • Next.js StarterProduction-ready Next.js storefront.
  • Orders + FulfillmentFull order lifecycle (edits, returns, exchanges).
  • Products + VariantsProducts with options, variants, images.
  • Promotions + DiscountsRule-based promos, campaigns.
  • Tax ProvidersPluggable tax calculation.
  • Workflows EngineDurable saga-style business logic.

Render · 13 features

  • AutoscalingMetric-based autoscale of instances.
  • Background WorkersProcess queue workers. No HTTP entrypoint.
  • Blueprints (render.yaml)Infrastructure-as-code config for all services.
  • Cron JobsScheduled Docker jobs.
  • Custom DomainsFree SSL, automatic cert renewal.
  • DDoS ProtectionBuilt-in.
  • Persistent DisksAttach persistent SSD to services.
  • Preview EnvironmentsPer-PR preview envs with their own DB and services.
  • Private ServicesInternal services not exposed to the public internet.
  • Render Key Value (Redis)Managed Redis-compatible key-value store.
  • Render PostgresManaged PostgreSQL with automated backups.
  • Static SitesGit-backed static hosting with global CDN, free SSL.
  • Web ServicesLong-running HTTP services with auto-scale + health checks.

Developer interfaces

KindMedusaRender
CLImedusa CLIRender CLI
SDK@medusajs/js-sdk
RESTMedusa Admin API, Medusa Store APIRender REST API
MCPMedusa MCPRender MCP
OTHERMedusa Admin UI, Next.js Starter
Staxly is an independent catalog of developer platforms. Outbound links to Medusa and Render are plain references to their official websites. Pricing is verified against vendor pages at publication time — reconfirm before buying.

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