Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Magento VS Shopify

Compare Magento VS Shopify and see what are their differences

Magento logo Magento

Magento is the eCommerce software and platform trusted by the world's leading brands. Grow your online business with Magento.

Shopify logo Shopify

Shopify is a powerful ecommerce platform that includes everything you need to create an online store and sell online. Try it free for 14 days.
  • Magento Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-09
  • Shopify Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-09-04

Magento features and specs

  • Highly Customizable
    Magento allows extensive customization of the design and functionality, giving you full control over your e-commerce store's appearance and features.
  • Scalability
    Magento is capable of handling small stores to large, complex e-commerce websites, making it scalable as your business grows.
  • SEO-friendly
    Magento offers strong SEO capabilities, including customizable URLs, meta tags, and sitemaps which help improve search engine rankings.
  • Robust Feature Set
    Magento comes equipped with advanced features like multi-store management, product bundling, and extensive reporting and analytics.
  • Strong Community Support
    Magento has a large and active community of developers and users, offering valuable resources and shared solutions.
  • Wide Range of Extensions
    The Magento marketplace has numerous extensions that can add extra functionality to your store, from payment gateways to customer service tools.

Possible disadvantages of Magento

  • High Learning Curve
    Due to its complex architecture, Magento requires a steep learning curve and may not be suitable for beginners without technical expertise.
  • Resource Intensive
    Magento requires significant server resources to run smoothly, which can lead to higher hosting costs and the need for robust IT infrastructure.
  • Costly Development
    Custom development and ongoing maintenance for Magento can be expensive, often requiring specialized developers.
  • Patches and Updates
    Frequent updates and patches require continuous maintenance to keep the platform secure and up-to-date.
  • Complex Setup
    Setting up a Magento store can be a time-consuming and complex process, sometimes requiring professional installation and configuration.
  • Performance Optimization
    Without proper optimization, Magento can suffer from performance issues like slow page load times, which can negatively impact user experience.

Shopify features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Shopify offers a very intuitive and easy-to-use interface, which makes it accessible even for those with minimal tech skills. Store setup and management can be performed with little technical knowledge.
  • Extensive App Ecosystem
    Shopify's App Store features thousands of apps and integrations, allowing users to extend the functionality of their online stores. From marketing tools to inventory management, there's likely an app for almost any need.
  • Customizable Themes
    Shopify offers a wide range of professionally designed themes that are easily customizable. This allows businesses to create unique and visually appealing online stores without needing a designer.
  • Secure and Reliable
    Shopify provides robust security features and ensures your website's uptime. This means you don't have to worry about your store's security or dealing with downtime issues.
  • Comprehensive Customer Support
    Shopify offers 24/7 customer support through various channels, including live chat, email, and phone. This ensures that help is available whenever you need it.
  • Mobile Responsiveness
    All of Shopify's themes are mobile-responsive, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for customers regardless of the device they use.
  • Built-in SEO Features
    Shopify provides built-in SEO features and analytics tools that help with search engine rankings and tracking the performance of your store.

Possible disadvantages of Shopify

  • Transaction Fees
    Although Shopify offers its own payment gateway, Shopify Payments, it charges additional transaction fees if you choose to use an external payment gateway.
  • Customization Limitations
    While Shopify does offer a lot of customization options, it can be restrictive for businesses with very specific needs or those that require deep customization capabilities. Advanced customizations often require knowledge of Shopify's proprietary coding language, Liquid.
  • Cost
    Shopify's monthly subscription fees can add up, especially for advanced plans or when additional paid apps are used. This can be a significant cost for small businesses.
  • Content Management Limitations
    Shopify is primarily an e-commerce platform, and it may lack some of the advanced content management features (like blogging capabilities) found in platforms specifically designed for content management such as WordPress.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic store setup is straightforward, mastering Shopify's more advanced features can take time and may require additional training or hiring a professional.
  • Limited Internationalization
    Shopify's multi-language and multi-currency capabilities are somewhat limited compared to other platforms dedicated to global e-commerce.

Magento videos

Magento vs Shopify Pros and Cons Review Comparison

More videos:

  • Review - WooCommerce vs Magento - What’s Better for Your Business in 2019?
  • Review - Magento 2 Overview | #1 Video on Youtube
  • Review - Adobe Commerce Detailed Independent Review | Magento Reviews and Ratings
  • Review - Maximizing B2B Success with Adobe Commerce: In-Depth Wilson eCommerce Review
  • Review - Adobe Commerce Review: Great Enterprise Level E-Commerce Solution
  • Review - Shopify vs Magento: Which is Better? (2024)
  • Review - Magento vs Shopify vs OpenCart vs PrestaShop 2023: The Best eCommerce Platform Is... 🔶 E-CASH S2•E42

Shopify videos

Shopify Review 2020 - Is it still worth it in 2020?

More videos:

  • Review - SHOPIFY REVIEW MID 2019 - Is Shopify Worth It For The Money? Pros & Cons
  • Review - THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE USING SHOPIFY (IN 2019)
  • Review - Shopify Review 2025 - Is It Right For You? Pros And Cons
  • Review - Shopify Review: Is It the Best eCommerce Platform for Your Store?
  • Review - Shopify Review 2025 - Is It Right For You? All Features Explained!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Magento and Shopify)
eCommerce
29 29%
71% 71
eCommerce Platform
31 31%
69% 69
Online Marketplace
39 39%
61% 61
eCommerce Tools
29 29%
71% 71

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Magento and Shopify

Magento Reviews

Top 5 Headless Ecommerce Platform For B2B Business (2024 Reviews)
Adobe Commerce, previously known as Magento Commerce, stands out as a highly popular open-source Headless Ecommerce Platform for B2B. Widely adopted across various industries, it offers businesses the flexibility to tailor their online stores to suit their specific requirements. Tailored for enterprise and B2B markets, Adobe Commerce is capable of handling high levels of...
Top 10 Shopify Alternatives for Ecommerce in 2024
Adobe Commerce, formerly known as Magento Commerce, offers enterprise-level capabilities. It's designed to handle a high volume of products and transactions, making it suitable for large businesses. Adobe Commerce also provides excellent B2B features and support services, ensuring that large-scale operations run smoothly.
Source: www.attrac.io
Top 10 Web Content Management Systems
If Shopify was not the eCommerce CMS that you were looking for, then Magento should do the trick for you. Magento comes in two different variations. First is the official Adobe release which is an enterprise CMS and needs a subscription fee to run. The other however is one of the best free CMS eCommerce options, known as Magento Open Source. The principal difference between...
Source: cloudzy.com
Shopify Self-Hosted Alternatives for Your E-Commerce Success
In conclusion, exploring self-hosted alternatives to Shopify opens up a world of possibilities for businesses seeking greater control, flexibility, and ownership of their e-commerce endeavors. While Shopify remains a popular and user-friendly choice, self-hosted platforms like WooCommerce, Magento, OpenCart, and PrestaShop offer an array of features, customizability, and...
Source: cyberpanel.net
Best eCommerce Platform for Auto Parts
Adobe now owns Magento, a free and open-source eCommerce platform. Additionally, “Adobe Commerce,” a paid, cloud-hosted version of Magento marketed particularly at bigger companies. A highly effective and scalable eCommerce platform for auto parts is Magento (Adobe Commerce). Some of the greatest businesses in the world, like Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and Nike, trust it.
Source: www.ayatas.com

Shopify Reviews

  1. Shopify - the best no code platform.

    Creating my online store for small dog products on Shopify was a remarkably smooth and rewarding experience. Shopify's user-friendly platform guided me through each step of the setup process, making it easy even for someone without prior experience. Their range of customizable templates gave my store a professional and appealing look, and the analytics tools provided have been invaluable for tracking my store's performance and customer trends. Additionally, Shopify's 24/7 customer support was always ready to assist whenever I encountered any roadblocks. Overall, launching my business on Shopify has been a positive experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to start their own online store.

    🏁 Competitors: Tilda, WooCommerce
  2. Lori Appleman
    · Founder at Redline Minds ·
    Strong Option for New DIY Stores Serving Consumers

    Shopify is a powerful marketing machine that has driven incredible growth. It's an excellent choice for the store owner who needs to do it themselves, on a shoestring budget, who does not sell complex products and who does not plan to run a hybrid - a store that serves multiple customer bases such as retail and wholesale.

    Due to its sheer market share, there is a robust marketplace of apps that can be added to shape the store to fit most needs. There is an equally robust selection of themes and developers who can assist with any size project. They have a terrific knowledge base which I strongly recommend store owners use as it teaches the basics for e-commerce in general and online marketing. This learning should be done prior to developing a plan for your site. That will help root your project for success.

    Unfortunately, it's also oversold based on name recognition even when the platform is a poor choice for a specific business. There are both policy and technical limitations that impact suitability.

    Shopify stores require many apps, which adds monthly costs and can greatly slow your store down. While ALL online stores end up with some app use, because this allows you to choose the features you want and need, much of what is native in other carts like their most direct competitor, BigCommerce, is not. So you'll spend more money each month and it can be harder to get a fast site.

    Among the stores that should probably NOT use Shopify: - Sells items that are generally prohibited on the platform which includes weapons, weapon-related items, sex objects, tobacco (for some odd reason Vape is currently on the platform but for how long is anyone's guess), alcohol.
    - Sells items allowed but that don't qualify for Shopify Payments which expands the above list to include supplements, CBD, vape products and other items. - Just as above, any store that can't qualify for Shopify Payments or who has good reasons to use another payment gateway. Why? Because if you don't use their payment gateway which they profit from, they will take 1/2-2% of your gross revenues soley because you are using another gateway. For small merchants, this isn't much, for big ones it's a significant cost. - Stores with multiple price structures or catalogs - such as those who offer VIP tiers or wholesale clients. Why not? Because you can't create true customer groups which on other platforms let you segment the catalog and content for each customer group. Groups are really important for B2B. To accomplish multiple audiences on Shopify requires either a separate app (at an added cost) or multiple storefronts, or ShopifyPlus (which is still creating multiple sites). This can greatly increase your operational costs and work efforts. - Stores with complex products - these are items with many options, also known as configurable or customizable products. While Shopify does offer the ability to offer up to 3 options per product with a maximum of 100 skus per product, this limit is very easy to exceed. There is also no native path to add modifiers such as those one would use for personalized products (like custom embroidery. While these issues can be overcome with apps, that adds both load time and costs.

    🏁 Competitors: BigCommerce, Magento, Miva, WooCommerce, Workflow
    👍 Pros:    Easy to use|Low price|Flexible|Large developer base|Great documentation|Reliable|Low maintenance
    👎 Cons:    Limited features|No customer groups for wholesale|Some product types forbidden|Must use their gateway or pay extra fees|Limited api calls|Limited capabilities for products with options

WordPress vs. Proprietary Site Builders: What to Know Before Starting a Website Development Project
Shopify: Shopify does not natively offer a backup option for user data. Although product data, orders, and customer details are stored, full-site backups must be managed manually or with paid third-party apps. Restoration options are limited, requiring users to rely on Shopify support or third-party solutions if data is lost.
Comparing 9 WordPress alternatives & competitors in 2024
Shopify specializes in ecommerce sites, managing customer data, payments, and content without the need for plugins. Store themes allow you to customize pages and create a consistent branded look. Shopify lets brands focus on global, local, and B2B sales right from their website's dashboard, with metrics like total sales and average order value.
Source: webflow.com
19 Best WordPress Alternatives in 2025
Shopify is a leading e-commerce platform that offers a wide range of features for online businesses. From setting up an online store to managing inventory and marketing, Shopify provides a comprehensive solution.
Source: www.pixpa.com
Top 5 Headless Ecommerce Platform For B2B Business (2024 Reviews)
Known for its stability and security, Shopify Plus provides businesses with a robust platform and extensive app store, along with complete control over design and functionality. With enterprise-level features and a flexible app-based system, Shopify Plus allows companies to expand their operations according to their unique needs. It enables API-driven experiences by smoothly...
Top 10 Shopify Alternatives for Ecommerce in 2024
When running an e-commerce business, choosing the right platform can make a significant difference in your success. While Shopify is a popular choice, there are several other e-commerce platforms that might better suit your business needs. Let's explore the top Shopify alternatives that cater to a variety of users, from small startups to large enterprises.
Source: www.attrac.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Shopify should be more popular than Magento. It has been mentiond 43 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Magento mentions (12)

  • How to Test the Magento API in Postman?
    Overall, Magento API and Postman provide developers with powerful tools to interact with the Magento e-commerce platform and build integrations or extensions that enhance its functionalities. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Medusa vs. Magento: A Comparative Analysis
    In today's fast-paced digital age, e-commerce has become a crucial aspect of businesses worldwide. With the rise of online shopping, companies are looking for highly scalable, reliable, open-source, and cost-effective e-commerce platforms to sell their products and services. The use of open-source e-commerce platforms has gained popularity due to their flexibility, scalability, and affordability. However, with so... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Medusa vs. Magento: A Comparative Analysis
    This section summarizes the comparison between Medusa and Magento. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Best Shopify Alternatives for Your Online Store
    Magento is a popular e-commerce platform that was introduced first in 200, later it was acquired by adobe in 2018. Magento is created with open-source technology and it is suitable for all sizes of businesses either large or small. Source: about 2 years ago
  • SaaS eCommerce platforms
    In comparison to a SaaS eCommerce platform, a self-hosted solution requires more technical skill and maintenance; however, it is the most flexible option for those looking for complete customization capabilities. Self-hosted solutions do not have any limits and the website can be tailored in many different ways. Examples of self-hosted eCommerce websites are Uvodo, Magento Enterprise Edition, OpenCart,... Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Shopify mentions (43)

  • 11 real-life PWA examples you can learn from in 2025
    Shopify is one of the easiest platforms for selling products online, and turning your store into a PWA with installation and push notifications takes just a click, thanks to the Shopify app store. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • shopify.com vs store.link, what do you think is better one?
    Shopify.com vs store.link which one is better? Source: over 1 year ago
  • Forget Shopify Why MedusaJS Is the Future of Headless Ecommerce
    With a traditional e-commerce platform like Shopify, you're locked into their ecosystem. You have to use their templates, checkout, and backend. Headless platforms like MedusaJS give you the freedom to build the front end however you want, using any framework or library. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Allow Rules not given priority over block?
    For example, if you want to load firewalla.com, just allowing "firewalla.com" will not work, you will have allow shopify.com and few other stuff ... You can see what sites loaded using chrome dev mode. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Confused on Sales Tax
    If the shipping and sales tax scares you, it may be better to sell through Etsy since it is a marketplace facilitator and is required to collect sales tax from customers when purchasing your items that are sold. People go to Etsy to find something, not sgalv02.com to find your items. I believe Shopify will help you create a site to sell on, but people don't go to shopify.com to purchase various items like they do... Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Magento and Shopify, you can also consider the following products

WooCommerce - A freely available eCommerce plugin that enables shop facilities on your WordPress website. Functionality enabling extensions & beautiful themes available.

PrestaShop - Create your online store with PrestaShop's free shopping cart software. Build an ecommerce website for free and start selling online with hundreds of powerful features.

BigCommerce - BigCommerce provides ecommerce software solutions and shopping cart software for online businesses. Try it free and start selling your products online today!

OpenCart - A free shopping cart system. OpenCart is an open source PHP-based online e-commerce solution.s

WiX - Create a free website with Wix.com. Customize with Wix' website builder, no coding skills needed. Choose a design, begin customizing and be online today

Etsy - Buy and sell handmade or vintage items, art and supplies on Etsy, the worlds most vibrant handmade...