Mercado vs Tiendanube
Mercado
mercado.africa
Tiendanube
tiendanube.comSide by side
| Figure | Mercado | Tiendanube |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $15,000/mo | 27,999 ARS/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 5 | 6 |
| Spec score · Ecommerce platforms | 8.9 (#34) | 9.3 (#6) |
| API | A REST API is offered at api.mercado.africa with order creation, inventory reservation, payment-link return and journal posting. | Tiendanube exposes a REST API using JSON, bearer tokens and OAuth 2, with resources for products, orders, customers, payments, shipping and webhooks. |
| App marketplace | Yes | Yes |
| Documentation | Mercado advertises live runnable API documentation with curl, TypeScript and Python examples, but no separate public help-center content was found. | The help center covers products, orders, abandoned carts, customers, shipping, payments, design, domains, statistics, marketing, apps, wholesale and AI tools, and advertises more than 600 tutorials. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Hosting model | hosted | hosted |
| Integrations | The site names Paystack, Flutterwave, Stripe, MTN MoMo, WhatsApp, Instagram catalogs, Okta, Azure AD and Google SSO/SAML. | The ecosystem includes payment, logistics and ERP connections plus more than 350 applications. |
| Inventory locations | 50 | 3 |
| Sales channels | Merchants can sell through a storefront, WhatsApp, POS terminal, and marketplace using the same catalog, prices, and inventory. | Stores can sell through their own site, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Google, Pinterest, TikTok, Mercado Libre and physical point of sale. |
| SDKs | The maker lists TypeScript, Python and Go SDKs plus a theme marketplace with a 70/30 creator-platform revenue split. | Public Tiendanube repositories include a TypeScript Nube SDK and a PHP SDK; both are MIT licensed and support partner-app API development. |
| System requirements | The maker describes browser, POS, mobile and third-party integration access but publishes no specific hardware or operating-system requirements. | The mobile app requires an internet connection, while the service is operated through a web browser or Android and iOS applications. |
| Transaction fee | The homepage states a fee of 1.4% + ₦50 per transaction and says the core free tier requires no card. | varies |
| What it does | Mercado presents itself as an African commerce operating system combining storefront, ledger, inventory and payments. | Tiendanube is a hosted e-commerce platform for creating an online store and selling directly to customers without intermediaries. |
Plans
Mercado
- Growth$15,000 a month
- Scale$75,000 a month
- EnterprisePrice not published
- StarterFree
- EnterprisePriced on request
Tiendanube
- InicialFree
- Esencial27,999 ARS a month
- Impulso79,999 ARS a month
- Escala244,999 ARS a month
- EvoluciónPrice not published
- Tiendanube EvoluciónPriced on request
In their own words
Tiendanube
Tiendanube is a hosted commerce platform for selling products through multiple channels, with web, iOS, and Android access. It supports digital products, abandoned cart recovery, and an app marketplace. Its free Inicial plan includes unlimited products, sales, and visits, with one distribution center. Paid plans add capacity and payment options: Esencial costs 26,999 ARS a month and includes one distribution center, one custom payment method, and a 2% transaction fee with other payment methods. Impulso costs 78,999 ARS a month, with two distribution centers, three custom payment methods, and a 1% fee with other payment methods. Escala costs 234,999 ARS a month and includes three distribution centers, unlimited sales-list exports, and a 0.7% fee with other payment methods. Evolución lists unlimited distribution centers, negotiable transaction fees, and unlimited sales-list exports, but no price is listed. Tiendanube also offers a 7-day trial. The maker was founded in 2011.