switchpoint

Ecommerce · Migration guide

Moving from Shopify to Medusa

Reviewed by Switchpoint Editors ·

Why teams switch

The honest reasons

What's wrong with Shopify

  • App fees compound
  • Transaction fees off Shop Pay

What Medusa does better

  • Headless
  • Highly extensible

Switching cost

What it actually takes

Product, customer, and order CSV exports are clean; theme + custom apps + integrations are the work. Plan 2-3 months for a non-trivial store including SEO redirect map and Shop Pay churn. App data (subscriptions, reviews) is the hardest part — most apps don't export portably.

Step by step

A safe cutover plan

  1. 1

    Audit

    Inventory every workspace, project, or asset in Shopify you actually use. Most teams discover 30-40% is dormant.

  2. 2

    Export

    Run Shopify's official export. Note exactly which fields, relations, or attachments lose fidelity — those are your manual rebuild.

  3. 3

    Rebuild structure in Medusa

    Set up Medusa skeleton (workspaces, teams, permissions) before importing. Importing into an empty workspace creates a mess.

  4. 4

    Import cleanest layer first

    Bring in the data that maps 1:1. Defer custom fields, automations, and integrations.

  5. 5

    Parallel run for 1-2 weeks

    Keep Shopify read-only. Anything you find missing in Medusa, fix during this window.

  6. 6

    Cut over integrations

    Switch every webhook, Zap, link, and bookmark. This is the longest part — budget for it.

  7. 7

    Archive, don't delete

    Keep Shopify archived for 90 days. You will need it.

Compare directly

Shopify vs Medusa Reverse: Medusa → Shopify Try Medusa

Other moves people make

Related migrations

Shopify → WooCommerceguideWooCommerce → ShopifyguideShopify → BigCommerceguideBigCommerce → Shopifyguide