Magento (Adobe Commerce) vs. Shopify: The 13 most important differences

a. OnPrem version vs. pure cloud system

A reliable server infrastructure is essential for the smooth operation of your online shop. Even in terms of hosting, both platforms exhibit significant differences.

Shopify offers a purely cloud-based solution. Once you set up your store on Shopify, you automatically use the platform's servers. This means you don't have to worry about hosting yourself. Instead, Shopify provides you with its professional and proven IT infrastructure.

Automatic updates and maintenance also save you further effort and costs. Instead of fiddling with the technical setup, your main focus with Shopify is on what's most important: selling your products.

Even the biggest brands rely on Shopify's proven servers, even during peak times. We often hear about outstanding uptime rates of 99.99%. Indeed, our experience confirms that Shopify stores achieve exceptionally high availability, even during large marketing campaigns like TV appearances.

Magento, on the other hand, gives you a choice: The open source version requires you to host your store yourself or hire a service provider. This flexibility also means a higher level of technical responsibility and additional financial and time expenditure.

The Commerce edition also requires an on-premises installation, whereas the Commerce Cloud offers a cloud-based solution. Adobe handles hosting and maintenance, offering similar simplicity to Shopify. However, we often hear that Shopify stores offer better overall performance and faster speeds.

Our recommendation: If you have the necessary technical capacity and resources, Magento is the superior choice for self-hosting. However, for most retailers, we recommend flexible, resource-efficient cloud hosting. Shopify is more convincing in this regard.

b. Focus on maintenance vs. seamless scaling

This brings us to a key difference between Magento and Shopify: We often see merchants initially opt for Magento and host their store themselves. While this may work well for the initial launch, as store requirements grow, maintenance costs also increase significantly.

Many Magento retailers work with agencies long-term to maintain the status quo. Version upgrades, in particular, involve enormous effort and expense. Currently, the difficult transition from Magento 1 to Magento 2, for example, is causing discontent, which can only be resolved through a complex migration.

Shopify, on the other hand, is designed from the ground up for scaling and continuous improvement. You never have to worry about switching to another e-commerce platform, even as your expectations for your store grow.

Shopify evolves along with your business and is always up to date: security updates and installations of new versions happen in the background so they never affect you.

In terms of scalability and maintenance effort, Shopify outperforms Magento for us.

c. Complicated vs. intuitive entry

The technical setup of your online shop is in place, but what are the first steps on the respective platforms?

With Shopify, you can get started immediately and easily, regardless of your programming skills. Thanks to the intuitive modular system, you can easily set up your store using drag & drop, add products in just a few clicks, or customize the design to suit your brand.

While Shopify is ideal for beginners, Magento is more geared toward a tech-savvy audience. Magento 1, in particular, is challenging for beginners due to its complexity and multitude of customization options, especially since many of the additional options are irrelevant and tend to overwhelm them.

Magento store configurations require more expertise. According to merchants, even making changes to category pages or feed management can be challenging. With Shopify, you don't have to prepare for a steep learning curve thanks to the user-friendly theme builder and clear admin area.

Magento generally requires more in-depth training or support from programmers to optimally set up your store. In contrast, with Shopify, you can get started right away without any prior knowledge.

d. Extensibility through open source vs. flexibility through apps

We've already mentioned one fundamental difference between Magento and Shopify: Magento is open-source software, meaning the application's source code is openly accessible.

In theory, this allows for unlimited customization possibilities, but in practice it requires advanced IT knowledge or cooperation with specialists, such as agencies.

In contrast, Shopify is a closed system and therefore naturally offers less freedom. However, you can fully enjoy the available customization options without relying on external knowledge or coding skills.

Another advantage: Many functions that you can only implement with Magento through programming effort can be implemented with Shopify through the smooth interaction of apps.

If 100% flexibility is important to you and you can afford the associated costs, Magento is the right option. However, we recommend Shopify if you value independence and ease of use.

e. Plugin patchwork vs. holistic app ecosystem

Extensions play a key role in adapting your online store to individual needs without having to code it yourself each time. Both Magento and Shopify allow you to expand your Shopify store with apps and plugins. However, comparing the two store systems reveals significant differences.

Magento offers approximately 4,400 extensions in the Adobe Commerce Marketplace. While this allows you to cover a wide range of functions, there's a lack of comprehensive compatibility between the extensions. Not all plugins are optimized for the latest versions, which can lead to security risks or disruptions in the worst case. Furthermore, there's a lack of comprehensive quality control: Some extensions are incompatible with each other and cause bugs.

Plug-in chaos grows over time and demands increase. We often observe how many Magento merchants are more concerned with maintaining their extensions than focusing on further developing their store.

Our experience with Shopify, however, is different: Unlike Magento, Shopify offers over 8,000 extensions in its own app store, which impress not only with their quantity but also with their timeliness and mutual compatibility. Many providers now develop their software according to the "Shopify First" principle.

In this context, we often speak of an app ecosystem at Shopify: the way different extensions interact seamlessly with each other and exchange data is, in our view, unique in all of e-commerce.

From shipping and customer service to newsletters and accounting – the Shopify App Store offers multiple solution alternatives for virtually every requirement. This allows for a comprehensive, customized customer journey, regardless of technical expertise or external resources.

f. Flexible design adaptations vs. qualitative design catalog

Fortunately, you don't need to be a professional designer to build an online store that looks great and effectively represents your brand. Shopify and Magento offer design templates that serve as a solid foundation for your store's layout and appearance. However, the level of design flexibility varies between platforms.

While Magento offers only about 12 official themes in the Adobe Commerce Store, they offer a high degree of customization. However, these customization options come with a steep learning curve, especially for merchants without a technical background.

Shopify, on the other hand, combines simplicity and flexibility. The Theme Store offers around 120 design templates (including powerful free options) for quickly and easily building a professional-looking online store.

The quality and compatibility of Shopify themes are guaranteed: Each design is created by experienced designers, meets the latest e-commerce standards, and is regularly updated. Shopify also ensures that only responsive and high-performance designs are included in its catalog.

Both platforms have their own strengths when it comes to design: Shopify scores with ease of use and high-quality themes that meet the most modern e-commerce requirements and are regularly updated. In our view, Magento is a good fit for retailers who have the willingness and resources to delve into the technical details and customize their store down to the smallest detail.

g. Self-responsible vs. integrated security measures

Security is arguably one of the most crucial aspects in e-commerce, contributing significantly to customer trust. SSL certificates play an important role in this by signaling that a website is secure and that sensitive information such as payment details or account information is transmitted encrypted. Customers recognize SSL encryption by the URL, which begins with "https" instead of "http."

When it comes to security, Shopify has the edge, in our opinion. After setting up your domain, Shopify automatically provides your online store with an SSL certificate, at no additional cost or effort on your part.

In addition, Shopify continuously maintains and develops the platform infrastructure, with SSL, secure checkout, and PCI-DSS compliant transaction processing enabled by default in all stores.

In contrast, the situation is more complicated with Magento Commerce. Here, the responsibility for implementing updates and patches lies directly with the store operators. Setting up SSL encryption also requires additional effort, as it must be installed separately.

h. Native vs. external semantic search

Especially with large catalogs, customers appreciate intelligent search to find the products they're looking for, avoiding having to scroll through the entire product range. Semantic search delivers relevant results even in the case of typos and takes context into account.

Magento already natively integrates an advanced product search that intelligently recognizes input and corrects it if necessary. Shopify merchants, on the other hand, currently rely on external apps for this. However, Shopify has already announced work on its own semantic search solution.

i. Complex vs. emerging B2B functions

Since its inception, Shopify has focused heavily on retailers selling directly to consumers, thus positioning itself firmly in the B2C segment. However, in recent years, the platform has recognized the significant potential of B2B and has begun expanding the features of its enterprise version, Shopify Plus, for business-to-business commerce.

Features include individual customer segmentation and specific pricing. Nevertheless, we don't currently recommend Shopify for purely B2B shops with particularly complex requirements, although we expect further improvements in this area in the coming years.

Magento, on the other hand, is designed for both B2C and complex B2B requirements, and with the appropriate expertise, can be comprehensively tailored to companies that, in turn, sell other companies. Although Shopify is on the right track and has recently made massive gains, we currently recommend Magento for demanding B2B shops.

j. Cumbersome vs. uncomplicated multichannel connection

In the dynamic e-commerce world, it's becoming increasingly important to have a presence beyond your own online store. Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest play a key role here. Appearing in potential customers' feeds with the right products can significantly increase your brand awareness.

Shopify makes it easy to reach your target audience wherever they are. Multichannel sales integration is included in all plans and can be fully set up in no time. Best of all, there's no additional cost.

In comparison, connecting to social media is more complex and involves additional costs with Magento. Plugins that enable Instagram integration, for example, can cost between $40 and $150 on Magento, while such multichannel features are already included in the basic Shopify plan.

If multichannel selling is relevant to you and your target audience, we believe Shopify is a more user-friendly and cost-effective option compared to Magento.

k. Free vs. restricted checkout customizations

Although Shopify offers a high degree of flexibility for presenting your brand in your online store, there is one notorious limitation: Extensions and customization of the checkout are only available on the most expensive Enterprise plan. In all other plans, you can customize the design by adjusting colors, fonts, or logos, but the basic structure of the checkout remains unchanged.

This can be a limitation for merchants with specific requirements. Nevertheless, Shopify emphasizes that its checkout has the highest conversion rate worldwide and is extremely reliable. In our experience, these limitations serve as a safeguard against bugs that might arise during customization.

If this is an obstacle for you and you don't want to use Shopify's Enterprise plan, Magento offers a possible alternative with its freely configurable checkout.

l. External vs. native POS functionalities

Another difference to Magento is Shopify's integrated POS system, which is a decisive advantage, especially for retailers with brick-and-mortar stores.

Shopify POS (point of sale) is an advanced point-of-sale system that seamlessly integrates digital and physical sales channels. Whether you sell online, operate a physical store, or attend trade shows, Shopify lets you manage all channels from a centralized backend.

This allows you to offer a cross-channel customer experience and analyze customer behavior holistically at no additional cost. We don't know of any other shop system that allows a comparable combination of online store and brick-and-mortar retail.

In contrast, POS systems in Magento (Adobe Commerce) are not natively integrated, but are offered via paid extensions. These only partially guarantee a consistent and intuitive connection to the shop system.

For us, the integrated POS features make Shopify the better option for most merchants looking to implement advanced sales features and omnichannel.

m. Complicated vs. Understandable, powerful marketing tools

In our comparison of the marketing features of Shopify and Magento, we find clear differences in the approaches of both platforms.

Magento primarily relies on extensions to implement marketing functions. Whether SEO/SEM, CRM, or automation, you'll find a wide range of tools in the Extensions Store. However, integrating these extensions may require technical expertise or even developer support.

Shopify, on the other hand, integrates marketing features directly into the platform's dashboard, making it easy for merchants to track and optimize their marketing strategy. The analytics provide a clear overview of key KPIs, automation tools, and the most effective marketing channels.

Conclusion: Shopify ideally combines power and ease of use with its integrated marketing tools and requires no technical knowledge to evaluate the performance of your store.

a. Costs Magento (Adobe Commerce)

While Magento offers a free, open-source version, running your online store isn't entirely free. Responsibility for the domain, server, and maintenance rests with you. Therefore, we recommend this version primarily for retailers who have the necessary resources and in-depth technical expertise.

Furthermore, Magento is characterized by a rather opaque pricing model for its licensed versions, Magento Commerce and Commerce Cloud. The exact costs cannot be determined in advance, as they depend heavily on individual specifications and your business's revenue. However, we often hear of minimum costs starting at €20,000, even for simpler shop functionality.

b. Shopify costs

Unlike Magento, Shopify features a transparent subscription model. For a fixed monthly fee, you get hosting, maintenance, regular updates, and access to all the essential features necessary to run a powerful online store.

Shopify also impresses us with its scalability: As your business grows and you need more features, switching to a more comprehensive plan is just a few clicks away. A complex migration to another system is therefore never necessary.

For particularly demanding requirements , Shopify Plus is also available, a solution that meets even the complex needs of large companies. You can find more details in our guide.

a. Who is Magento (Adobe Commerce) suitable for? [Checklist]

• You want to run your online shop on-premise and take responsibility for hosting, maintenance and upkeep.
• You have budgets and a willingness to work with external agencies.
• Thanks to open source, you want to be able to customize your store's functionality down to the last detail. You have in-house expertise or want to collaborate with external developers.
• You need a 100% individual shop design, which you implement together with specialists.
• You want to customize your checkout completely freely.
• You want to implement a complex B2B shop.
• Native semantic search is important to you.
• As a hobbyist or developer, the free open source version is ideal for you.

b. Who is Shopify suitable for? (Checklist)

• You want to rely on a reliable cloud solution and avoid additional effort and costs for hosting, server maintenance, and updates.
• You want to focus on developing your store instead of maintaining it.
• You want a user-friendly shop system that allows you to get started immediately, without programming knowledge and dependence on agencies.
• You want to connect your products to other channels, such as Instagram, TikTok or marketplaces, at no additional cost and thus increase your visibility.
• You want to operate a shop with the highest security standards (SSL certification, PCI-DSS compliance) without any additional effort.
• Your goal is a holistic customer experience, realized through a modern app ecosystem.
• You expect your shop system to grow and scale flexibly along with your business.
• You want to present your brand identity in an appealing way thanks to professional and intuitively customizable design options.
• You benefit from Shopify POS and the comprehensive possibilities for combining digital and physical sales channels.
• Your focus is on B2C, possibly with some B2B requirements.

c. How the migration works

Are you currently a Magento merchant and considering switching to Shopify?

An effective migration requires careful planning and a detailed technical review. For this reason, we recommend working with experts who specialize in such migrations.