How to choose between an off-the-shelf platform, a headless stack such as Medusa and a custom build, with the full cost, the critical process and the integrations on the table.
How to choose an ecommerce platform in 2026: SaaS, open source, enterprise or headless. A ranking by sales scenario, six criteria and the 24-month cost.
A practical custom versus off-the-shelf framework covering 24-month cost, process fit, integrations, risk and product advantage.
Most platform decisions go wrong before any code is written. Teams compare feature lists and licence prices, then discover that their pricing rules, approval flow or ERP integration needs a workaround the vendor never mentioned.
The articles in this section compare concrete options and show where each one stops fitting. Each comparison states when a ready-made platform is the better choice, lists the costs you will pay over at least two years and names the assumptions behind every number.
If you would rather have a working store than another comparison, we launch a live B2B and B2C store on our Medusa foundation in 30 days, from €5,000 net.
