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Magento vs Shopify

Magento logo

Magento

Software

Open-source ecommerce platform for enterprise retail

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shopify logo

Shopify

Software

The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Magento has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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; Shopify using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • They diverge on capability: Magento covers Multi-store management, Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Magento and Shopify actually diverge.

Attributes where Magento and Shopify differ
AttributeMagentoShopify
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded20082006

Identical on both: platforms (Web), 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 Magento

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

Only in Shopify

  • Hosted ecommerce platform
  • Payment processing
  • Order tracking
  • Marketing automation
  • Apps and integrations
  • Multi-channel selling
  • SSL certificate

Both cover

  • Inventory management

What people use each for

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

Magento

No use cases recorded yet. See the Magento review.

Shopify

  • Running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilmentnot Magento
  • Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot Magento

Where each one falls short

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

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

Shopify

  • Using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • That fee makes the cheapest plan the most expensive place to use an outside processor, which is the opposite of how plans usually work
  • Card rates also improve with the plan, from 2.9% on Basic to 2.7% on Advanced
  • Amex is charged at a higher rate than other cards on every plan below Plus
  • Plus starts at $2,300 a month
  • The advertised lower monthly prices require paying a year up front

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Shopify

$29/month
  • Starter$5/month
    • Buy Button & Sales Channel
    • Abandoned checkout recovery
    • Basic reporting
  • Basic$29/month
    • Online store
    • Up to 2 staff accounts
    • Basic reports
  • Standard$79/month
    • Professional reports
    • Gift cards
    • Up to 15 staff accounts

Which should you pick?

Choose Magento if

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

Choose Shopify if

  • You need hosted ecommerce platform.
  • You also want payment processing.
Shopify review

Questions people ask

Is Magento or Shopify better?
Neither clearly leads. Magento starts at Free and Shopify at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Magento or Shopify?
Magento has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Magento and $29/month for Shopify.
Does Magento or Shopify run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Magento for free?
Yes. Magento has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Shopify starts at $29/month.
What can Magento do that Shopify cannot?
Magento covers Multi-store management, Advanced product catalog, Customer segmentation, Order management system. Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Payment processing, Order tracking, Marketing automation. Both handle Inventory management.
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