MAGENTO VS SHOPIFY

Choosing the right e-commerce platform can be the difference between scaling your business and struggling with limitations. This is especially crucial for small businesses that often operate with tight budgets and lean teams.

Two of the biggest names in the space, Shopify and Magento offer powerful but fundamentally different approaches. Shopify dominates the hosted, all-in-one platform space, while Magento shines when it comes to large, highly customized e-commerce stores.

In this guide, we break down the key differences, pros and cons, pricing, and features of Magento and Shopify to help you decide which one best suits your business.

Magento vs Shopify: Key Differences at a Glance

1) Shopify is a paid, fully hosted SaaS platform ideal for beginners and businesses that want a turnkey solution.

2) Magento Open Source is free, self-hosted software best suited for developers or businesses with in-house technical teams.

3) Shopify simplifies setup and management, while Magento allows deep customisation but requires more technical know-how.

4) Magento offers a premium enterprise edition (Adobe Commerce), which comes at a much higher cost.

Pros and Cons: Magento vs Shopify

Shopify Pros

1) Beautiful, responsive themes

2) Intuitive UI and beginner-friendly setup

3) Huge app marketplace with extended functionality

4) 24/7 customer support

5) Multiple payment gateways and POS integration

6) Strong online community and documentation

Shopify Cons

1) Most premium themes cost extra

2) Apps can clutter the dashboard and increase costs

3) Transaction fees apply unless using Shopify Payments

Magento Pros

1) Free to use (open source version)

2) Highly customizable with advanced features

3) Strong developer community

4) Powerful backend for large product catalogs

5) Hundreds of integrations and extensions

6) Internationalization features built-in

Magento Cons

1) Steeper learning curve

2) Not beginner-friendly

3) Requires separate hosting and server setup

4) Setup and maintenance can be costly

Feature Comparison: Shopify vs Magento

Store Setup & Functionality

1) Both platforms offer core features like shopping carts, product pages, checkout modules, and collections. However:

2) Shopify: Easier to set up with guided wizards and no coding required.

3) Magento: More advanced out-of-the-box features but requires manual setup and technical expertise.

Inventory Management

Shopify: Unlimited products on all plans + seamless dropshipping integration (e.g., Oberlo).

Magento: Also allows unlimited products, but lacks built-in dropshipping tools.

Shipping Capabilities

Both platforms support flexible shipping rates and carrier integration.

Shopify: Built-in support for real-time rates, dropshipping calculators, and third-party fulfillment tools.

Magento: Shipping setup is manual unless extended via plugins.

Discount Codes & Promotions

Magento: Offers advanced discount rules and coupon setup.

Shopify: Available on all plans except Lite.

Themes and Design Flexibility

Shopify: Offers a wide range of professional, mobile-optimized themes. Easy to customize through a visual editor—no coding needed for most changes.

Magento: Comes with fewer built-in themes (16 total), but supports deep customization via code. Great for developers but not ideal for beginners.

Verdict: Shopify wins on ease of use; Magento wins on design flexibility (if you have developer support).

Ease of Use: Shopify Wins Shopify: User-friendly dashboard, guided setup, no hosting hassles, and intuitive content management.

Magento: Requires manual setup, hosting management, and technical knowledge—even for basic tasks.

Pricing Breakdown: Magento vs Shopify

Setup Costs

Magento Open Source: Free to use, but you must pay for hosting, domain, and developer setup.

Shopify: No setup fees; includes a 14-day free trial.

Monthly Costs

Shopify:

Lite: $9/month

Basic: $29/month

Shopify: $79/month

Advanced: $299/month

Magento: Hosting costs range from $5 to $100+ per month depending on traffic and provider.

Bandwidth Charges

Shopify: Unlimited bandwidth included.

Magento: Depends on your hosting provider.

Transaction Fees

Shopify: No extra fees with Shopify Payments. Otherwise:

Lite & Basic: 2%

Shopify Plan: 1%

Advanced: 0.5%

Magento: No platform-specific fees, only what your payment gateway charges.

Theme Prices

Shopify: Free and paid themes starting at $80.

Magento: Themes from $1 to $499, depending on complexity.

Verdict: Shopify offers more pricing predictability, while Magento can be cheaper upfront but costlier in the long run due to development needs.

Apps and Extensions

Shopify: Thousands of apps in the Shopify App Store. Easy one-click installs. Apps include:

1) Oberlo – Dropshipping

2) Shopify Email – Marketing automation

3) Advos – Social media ad creation

Magento: Massive extension library with both free and premium tools. Popular plugins:

1) One Step Checkout – Streamlined purchase flow

2) Banner Slider – Visual homepage sliders

3) Gift Card Manager – Customer loyalty programs

Verdict: Magento offers more depth for developers, but Shopify is far more accessible for non-technical users.

Payment Gateways & International Sales

Shopify: Includes Shopify Payments and supports other gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Amazon Pay.

Magento: Compatible with over 100 payment gateways and better suited for international commerce with multilingual and multi-currency features.

Final Verdict: Shopify or Magento?

Choose Shopify if:

1) You're a small to medium-sized business with limited technical resources.

2) You want a fast, secure, hosted solution with an easy learning curve.

3) You prefer predictable monthly pricing and access to robust support.

Choose Magento if:

1) You have an in-house development team or budget for custom development.

2) You need extensive customisation or run a complex enterprise-level store.

3) You plan to scale internationally with custom workflows and integrations.

Need Help Migrating or Launching on Shopify? As a Shopify agency, we help brands migrate from Magento to Shopify and build high-performing stores that scale with your business goals. Whether you’re replatforming or starting fresh, let’s talk.