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Software · head to head

FastSpring vs Magento

FastSpring logo

FastSpring

Software

Merchant-of-record commerce platform for global payments, subscriptions, and tax compliance

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Magento logo

Magento

Software

Open-source ecommerce platform for enterprise retail

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Magento has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: FastSpring pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.; Magento magento Open Source is available under the OSL v3 license as a free self-hosted edition, but Adobe sells a separate proprietary Adobe Commerce edition with additional B2B, page builder and cloud features not included in the open source code
  • They diverge on capability: FastSpring covers Global online payments, Magento covers Multi-store management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FastSpring and Magento actually diverge.

Attributes where FastSpring and Magento differ
AttributeFastSpringMagento
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modeltransactionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
Platformsweb, apiWeb
Founded20062008

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in FastSpring

  • Global online payments
  • Subscription billing
  • Branded checkout
  • Tax compliance
  • Fraud prevention
  • Digital invoicing and quotes

Only in Magento

  • Multi-store management
  • Advanced product catalog
  • Customer segmentation
  • Order management system
  • Inventory management
  • Progressive Web App
  • GraphQL API
  • Security & compliance

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

FastSpring

  • Selling software or SaaS internationally without a local tax entitynot Magento
  • B2B invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise SaaS dealsnot Magento
  • Recurring subscription billing for digital productsnot Magento
  • Reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchasesnot Magento

Magento

No use cases recorded yet. See the Magento review.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

FastSpring

  • Pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
  • As a merchant-of-record, FastSpring takes on more control of the checkout and payment relationship than a pure payment gateway like Stripe.
  • Revenue share pricing can become more expensive than flat per-transaction gateway fees at very high volumes.
  • Primarily targeted at software/digital goods sellers, so it is less suited to physical product e-commerce.

Magento

  • Magento Open Source is available under the OSL v3 license as a free self-hosted edition, but Adobe sells a separate proprietary Adobe Commerce edition with additional B2B, page builder and cloud features not included in the open source code

Pricing, plan by plan

FastSpring

On request
  • Custom$undefined/mo
    • All-in-one transaction-based pricing based on sales volume
    • No subscription fees or per-feature charges
    • Discounted rates for ACH and wire transfers

Magento

Free
  • Magento Open SourceFree
    • Unlimited products
    • Multiple storefronts
    • Advanced marketing
  • Adobe Commerce$20000/year
    • All Open Source features
    • 24/7 enterprise support
    • Managed cloud hosting

Which should you pick?

Choose FastSpring if

  • You need global online payments.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want subscription billing.
FastSpring review

Choose Magento if

  • You need multi-store management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want advanced product catalog.
Magento review

Questions people ask

Is FastSpring or Magento better?
Neither clearly leads. FastSpring starts at On request and Magento at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FastSpring or Magento?
Magento has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for FastSpring and Free for Magento.
Does FastSpring or Magento run on more platforms?
FastSpring runs on web, api. Magento runs on Web.
Can I use Magento for free?
Yes. Magento has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. FastSpring starts at On request.
What is FastSpring best used for?
FastSpring is most often used for selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity, b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals, recurring subscription billing for digital products, reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchases. Of those, selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity and b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals are not what Magento is typically brought in for.
What can FastSpring do that Magento cannot?
FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance. Magento covers Multi-store management, Advanced product catalog, Customer segmentation, Order management system.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FastSpring: What does FastSpring cost?

FastSpring uses flat-rate, all-in-one pricing based on transaction volume, with fees withheld from payouts. There is no minimum volume or subscription fee, and pricing is typically quoted based on expected sales volume after contacting their sales team.

Source
FastSpring: Is there a free plan?

FastSpring does not offer a free plan; instead pricing is transaction-based with no upfront subscription cost, and merchants only pay a commission on completed sales.

Source
FastSpring: What does FastSpring integrate with or include compared to a payment gateway like Stripe?

FastSpring bundles international payments, subscription management, tax compliance, fraud prevention, reporting, and B2B invoicing into one price, whereas gateways like Stripe charge separately for many of these features.

Source
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