May 5, 2026
The Open-Source Shopify Alternative Local Businesses Should Know About
Shopify charges $29/mo plus takes a percentage of every sale. If you're selling products online as a local business, there's a one-time-cost alternative that puts more money in your pocket.
If you sell anything online — parts, kits, physical products, gift cards — you've probably used Shopify or looked at it. It's the default choice, and for good reason: it's easy, it works, and it looks professional.
But the cost structure is brutal for small local businesses.
What Shopify actually costs you
Shopify Basic: $29/mo
That's the starting point. But there's more:
- Transaction fees: If you don't use Shopify Payments, they charge 2% on every sale. On $10,000/mo in sales, that's $200/mo going directly to Shopify.
- App fees: Most serious Shopify stores need apps for reviews, email, subscriptions, and more. Apps average $20–$100/mo each.
- Theme costs: A professional theme that doesn't look like every other Shopify store costs $150–$350 one-time.
A real Shopify setup for a local retailer doing $10,000/mo costs $150–$400/mo easily.
The alternative: Medusa
Medusa is an open-source e-commerce platform. It has the same core features as Shopify — product catalog, cart, checkout, order management, customer accounts — but you host it yourself.
Zero monthly platform fee. Zero transaction fees. Own your store forever.
You still pay for hosting ($10–$20/mo on a basic server) and payment processing (Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, same as Shopify Payments). But the Shopify platform fee and the Shopify transaction fee disappear.
Is Medusa right for your business?
Medusa is ideal for:
- Local retailers selling 50–500 products online
- Contractors selling kits, parts, or material packages
- Businesses outgrowing Etsy and wanting their own store
- Anyone doing $5,000+/mo in online sales where Shopify fees are material
It's not ideal for:
- Businesses doing under $1,000/mo in online sales (just use Shopify — the time to set up isn't worth it at low volume)
- Non-technical owners who want zero responsibility for the platform
What the setup looks like
BOLTED sets up Medusa for $97. That includes the installation, Stripe payment integration, your first product catalog, and your store connected to your domain. It runs on a $10–$20/mo VPS — your only ongoing cost.
The math: if you're doing $5,000/mo in sales, you're saving roughly $50–$100/mo vs Shopify. Payback in under 2 months.
Ready to stop paying monthly SaaS fees?
Browse our setup services — open-source tools deployed on your server, one-time fee.
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