Magento vs Shopify in 2026: Features, Costs and When to Migrate

One gives you deep control and flexibility. The other cuts out the tech headaches and gets you selling fast.

The wrong choice? It could slow you down or cost you way more than you expected.

So let’s break down the facts, as they stand in 2026.

This is our comparison of two of the most popular ecommerce platforms: Magento and Shopify. It covers all Shopify plans, from Basic to Plus. If you’re a larger brand weighing Magento against Shopify’s enterprise plan only, read our Shopify Plus vs. Magento comparison.

Magento (Adobe Commerce) vs Shopify: what are these platforms made for?

Both Magento and Shopify are powerful ecommerce platforms, but they’re built for very different types of businesses.

First, the names. The paid version of Magento is now sold by Adobe as Adobe Commerce: self-hosted (on-premises), on Adobe-managed hosting (Adobe Commerce on Cloud Infrastructure) or as Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service, a fully managed, “versionless” SaaS that Adobe upgrades for you, with a storefront built on Edge Delivery Services (Adobe Experience League). The free edition is called Magento Open Source.

Adobe Commerce is aimed at bigger, more complex operations. Think enterprise-level businesses with their own tech teams or partners handling the backend. It gives you deep control over everything, from how your catalogue management works to how your checkout process is built.

Self-hosted Magento requires technical knowledge, and it helps to have custom development support. If your team knows how to work with code (or you can bring in someone who does), Magento gives you freedom.

You can manage multi-store setups and build fully custom solutions. But that flexibility comes with a cost: budget and technical skills. This platform doesn’t hold your hand. It assumes you know what you’re doing, or that you’re hiring someone who does.

Now compare that with Shopify.

Shopify was made for store owners who want to launch fast and grow quickly, all while focusing on sales instead of code. You can build a full Shopify store with no dev team. You:

• pick a theme,
• add products,
• connect Shopify Payments,
• and go live.

It’s a smart choice for small businesses and solo founders that want to skip the complexity and get selling. And it’s no longer only for small stores: the same platform runs mid-market and enterprise brands on Shopify Plus.

What if you need extra features? The Shopify App Store is packed with tools for everything from email marketing and inventory management to payment processing. There’s less setup. Fewer decisions to make. And most things work right away.

Key features compared: Magento vs Shopify

Choosing an ecommerce platform is about what works when you’re selling and scaling.

Magento and Shopify take two very different routes to get you there.

Let’s look at what they’re like under the hood, starting with the features that shape your daily work:

#1 Ease of use for beginners and developers

Shopify is easier, no debate there. You don’t need coding skills to build your own website, and a simple store can go live in a few hours. Hosting, security updates and checkout are already there, and every plan comes with 24/7 support from Shopify (Plus adds priority support, including phone) (Shopify pricing).

Magento? That’s a different story. It’s capable, but not for beginners. Self-hosted Magento requires real technical expertise or a developer team. Even small updates might mean digging into the code. That’s fine if you’ve got the setup. But if not, expect to spend more time and money to get basic things running.

💡 If you’re a solo founder or small team with no tech background, choose Shopify. It has a user-friendly interface and fewer roadblocks. If you’re running a large brand and you already have people handling dev work, Magento could still be a good fit.

#2 Customisation freedom (themes, code access)

If you’re after full control, Magento offers it. You can change almost anything:

• theme layout,
• checkout flow,
• how your URL structure looks.

With Magento Open Source or self-hosted Adobe Commerce, you get access to the code, which means few limits (except your team’s coding knowledge). Magento’s best when your business needs demand deep customisation from the start.

Shopify works differently. You:

• choose a theme,
• tweak the layout in the theme editor,
• install apps from the Shopify App Store,
• and get going.

If you want to dig deeper, developers build on Shopify with APIs, apps and Shopify Functions, which replaced Shopify Scripts for custom discount, shipping and payment logic in June 2026. Shopify also connects with the ERP, PIM and CRM systems larger brands already use (our integration services). It’s still more structured than Magento. You can do a lot, but not everything. The checkout is a good example: you extend it with apps and checkout UI extensions instead of editing its code, and some options are Plus-only (see our guide to Checkout Extensibility in 2026).

💡 Here’s the tradeoff: Magento is more customisable. But Shopify gets you results faster and without needing to know PHP or handle your own web hosting.

#3 Growth and scalability for high-volume stores

Both platforms scale. But in very different ways.

Magento was built with enterprise businesses in mind. It supports multi-store management, and Adobe Commerce adds B2B features such as company accounts and custom pricing through its B2B extension (Adobe Experience League). If you’re running multiple brands or regions under one system, it can handle it. It’s also a better fit if your growth involves custom development and complex workflows.

Shopify offers an easier growth path for most brands. You don’t need to manage your own servers, and Shopify takes care of high traffic volumes. A few things that used to be arguments for Magento are now built into Shopify:

• B2B: native B2B (company accounts, catalogs with custom prices, payment terms) works on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans since April 2026 (Shopify Help Center). Basic, Grow and Advanced get up to 3 B2B catalogs, Plus gets unlimited catalogs and Plus-only features. Read our B2B on Shopify guide.
• International sales: Shopify Markets lets you sell in many countries, currencies and languages from one store, on every plan. Plus also includes up to 9 expansion stores in the monthly fee.
• Upgrades: Shopify updates the platform for you. On Magento, Adobe supports each 2.4.x release line for about three years: standard support for 2.4.6 ended on 11 August 2026, for 2.4.7 it ends on 31 May 2027 and for 2.4.8 on 31 May 2028 (Adobe lifecycle policy). On a heavily customised self-hosted store, every version upgrade is a project of its own.

There are additional costs on both sides, but Shopify’s pricing is easier to predict. Magento needs more planning around hosting and dev work.

💡 So here’s our take: if you’re growing fast and want fewer headaches, Shopify is easier to scale. If your roadmap includes lots of custom features and you already have tech support, Magento has more space to build.

Pricing: Shopify vs Magento

Which one gives you better control over cost? Here’s what you pay in 2026.

Shopify: clearer pricing, fewer surprises

In the US, Shopify plans start at $39 a month for Basic ($29 a month on yearly billing). In the euro area, Basic is €32 a month, or €24 a month billed yearly. That gets you the basics:

• a working store,
• hosting,
• built-in checkout,
• Shopify Payments and other payment providers,
• and access to the Shopify App Store.

If you’re a solo founder or running a small team, you’ll be live in days, with no developer needed.

And if you grow? You move to higher tiers: Grow ($105 a month in the US) or Advanced ($399). You get lower card rates, more staff accounts and better reports, but the price is still predictable. Most of the extras come from apps. If you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, Shopify adds a transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus (Shopify pricing).

Want to dig deeper? The Shopify Plus plan is built for big brands. It starts at €2,100 a month on a 3-year term or €2,250 on a 1-year term (about $2,300 a month in the US on a 3-year term), and larger, high-volume businesses pay a variable platform fee agreed with Shopify (Shopify Plus pricing). It handles large catalogues, high traffic and custom needs.

Is it cheap? Not really. But it’s clear and you’re not guessing. All plans, fees and real costs are broken down in our Shopify pricing guide for 2026.

Magento (Adobe Commerce): flexible pricing, higher setup cost

Now let’s move on to Magento.

There’s no public price tag for Adobe Commerce. Adobe quotes it individually, based on your business and the setup you choose. Magento Open Source has no licence fee, but you pay for everything around it.

And that’s the key difference: Magento needs a dev team. You’ll likely pay for:

• setup,
• hosting (unless Adobe hosts it for you),
• maintenance and security patches,
• version upgrades,
• and ongoing dev work.

If you’re self-hosting, that means even more: performance tuning, patching – the list goes on, and all of that adds up.

And if you need marketing tools or SEO features? You’ll either build them or pay for extensions. You’re not stuck, but you’re also not done after setup.

So… which one gives you better control?

If you want predictability, Shopify wins. You’ll know what’s included. You’ll know when you’re paying more and why.

If your business is already complex and you’ve invested in a team and a custom platform that works, Magento can still make sense. You can shape the platform around your needs, but only if you have the team (and the time) to do it.

When we compare the two with clients who run Magento today, we don’t stop at the licence. In our podcast episode on migrating from Magento to Shopify, Tomek Runowicz lists three things to check before deciding:

1. the full cost of running the store over the last 12 months: infrastructure, the people working on it, agency invoices from both peak season and quiet months;
2. the projects that never happened or took much longer than planned, and what that cost you in lost sales;
3. your Magento version and the risk that comes with its support dates.

So what do you really need right now?

If you’re not sure, let’s see how real users talk about these platforms.

Pros and cons Magento vs Shopify: what online stores love (and hate)

We went through G2 reviews of both platforms (from 2025). Here’s what came up again and again, from small teams and big players alike.

What users like about Magento (Adobe Commerce)

➡️ “Adobe Commerce offers exceptional flexibility and scalability, making it ideal for mid to large enterprises.” – Verified User in Computer Software
➡️ “Roadmap now includes exciting new functionality for B2B, SaaS, hosting extensions and customisations in the cloud via AppBuilder.” – Frank M., Technical Lead
➡️ “Better enterprise support. Quick turn around time for critical vulnerabilities fixes.” – Milind S., Software Engineer
➡️ “Bringing in new Adobe Commerce Saas, More disintegration via app builder, personalization, improved cloud service.” – Aditya Y., Senior Magento Engineer

What users dislike about Magento

➡️ “Adobe Commerce has a steep learning curve, especially for new developers. Setting up and maintaining the platform can be complex without experienced resources. The licensing and infrastructure costs are relatively high compared to open-source or SaaS alternatives, which may not be ideal for small businesses. Additionally, frequent updates sometimes require heavy regression testing, which can increase development time and cost.” – Verified User in Computer Software
➡️ “Some of the B2B functionality isn’t yet as advanced as we would like, eg sharing company address information.” – Frank M., Technical Lead
➡️ “Magento has always required strong technical expertise, and Adobe Commerce continues that trend—even more so with the new headless tools (GraphQL, App Builder, Edge Delivery). Native Features Still Require Extensions. Performance Bottlenecks (Without Tuning), Internationalization Weaknesses.” – Verified User in Apparel & Fashion
➡️ “Some issue related to performance but overall is good, well structured code and modules” – Saurabh J., Frontend Engineer

What users like about Shopify

➡️ “Great platform, easy to use, extremely user-friendly – outstanding customer support.” –
Verified User in Retail
➡️ “It is numbers of features like easy to use, very easy to integrate by my clients. Also, I worked directly on live with easy implementation.” – Ravi K., Software Developer
➡️ “The ease of use is impressive. You can have a fully functional store in a few hours, without needing to know how to program. I love the variety of templates, the integration with multiple payment gateways, and the huge community of apps that allow you to customize almost any aspect of the business.” – Victor S., Business Owner
➡️ “Shopify has everything, functionalities, additional tools for discounts, gift cards, and even membership subscriptions adjustments, and financial refunds, returns and editing. It’s so complete.” – Kyle Henry L., Partner Care Manager

What users dislike about Shopify

➡️ “Uploading videos slows down the speed of the website. I wish this were something Shopify could improve on in the future.” – Taphath H., CEO
➡️ “Transaction fees can be a bit high if you don’t use Shopify Payments, and some advanced features require additional paid apps. It would also be ideal to have more design freedom without relying on code.” – Victor S., Business Owner
➡️ “The editing of orders can be tricky since it might not get the information passed to the next application without proper timing like Avectous or BC.” – Kyle Henry L., Partner Care Manager
➡️ “Although Shopify rolls out new features semi-frequently and updates the admin side and the app quite a bit, it’s not always for the better. A lot of these updates feel like top brands were not consulted as to what e-Commerce brands actually need to run their day-to-day operations, and when Shopify receives this kind of feedback, it’s taken lightly and further updates take a long time to correct issues.” – Marc G., Operations Manager

Migrating from Magento to Shopify: is it worth it?

If you’re running a Magento store and wondering if it’s time for a change, you’re not alone. Many ecommerce businesses are rethinking their setup, especially when Magento starts to feel too complex to manage.

Here are the facts and stories we’ve seen up close:

Why brands move from Magento to Shopify

Magento is powerful, but it’s not the right fit for everyone, especially if you’re tired of the challenges it brings.

In the conversations we have with Magento merchants, the end of support for a version is rarely the main reason on its own. The bigger reasons are the slow pace of development (every new feature becomes a project that takes months) and the cost of the whole setup, including the people who run it. A major upgrade is simply the moment when the question comes up.

On Shopify, hosting, security and platform updates are Shopify’s job, and your team spends its time on the store instead.

Magento vs Shopify: what changes after migration?

Sources: Adobe lifecycle policy, Shopify pricing, Shopify Help Center: B2B.

Is migration worth it?

If your store runs fine on Magento, and you’ve already invested in dev workflows, maybe you don’t need to move yet. But if:

• you’re tired of debugging issues,
• adding features takes weeks,
• admin tasks eat your time,
• a major version upgrade is coming up,
• you’re planning international sales or a fresh brand experience,

then moving to Shopify might be the smartest step you take this year.

How long does it take to pay off? For large businesses, Tomek puts the payback at 6–12 months in our podcast episode, depending on how fast the store develops after launch. The biggest risks of the migration itself are Google rankings and the systems that stay with you (ERP, PIM, returns, CRM). On Shopify, you can import your old URLs as redirects in a CSV file: up to 100,000 redirects per store, or 20 million on Plus, and a redirect only works if the old address no longer exists on the new store (Shopify Help Center). More pitfalls are in our list of the most common Shopify migration mistakes.

What a Magento to Shopify migration looked like for ShoePassion

ShoePassion, a group of premium footwear brands selling in Germany, Austria and other European markets, came to us with a Magento store. The team felt the platform no longer kept up with them: technical limitations, little room for new ideas and maintenance costs that kept adding up.

We didn’t start with the main store. Our first project for the group, in 2021, was the smaller Heinrich Dinkelacker brand, so both teams could learn how they work together. Then, from February 2022, we moved the main ShoePassion store to Shopify Plus. Along the way, we integrated it with their ERP (Pixie) and PIM, and built a custom app connected to Shopify POS that checks stock in every ShoePassion store in Germany and lets customers order shoe repairs. If you can, we recommend the same pilot-first approach.

And if you’re worried about the switch?

Let us handle it. We’ve delivered 400+ projects on Shopify and Shopify Plus, including migrations from Magento and other platforms.

We handle:

• products, orders, customer data, and URLs,
• theme updates or full redesigns,
• ERP integrations and other systems that stay with you,
• SEO setup and redirects,
• full support after launch.

Want to see what a Shopify Plus setup could look like for your brand?

Let’s talk.

See our previous work: Shopify eCommerce Case Studies.

Final thoughts: Magento vs Shopify – no one-size-fits-all

There’s no single “best” platform. Only the one that fits how you work and what you sell.

Magento gives you room to build, but expects you to bring the tools and a dev team that knows what they’re doing. Shopify skips the mess and gets you online fast with a system that works right out of the box, and in 2026 it covers B2B and international sales natively too.

So ask yourself: do you want more control, or more speed?

If you’re spending more time managing your site than growing your business, it might be time to switch. And if that sounds like your current setup, we’ll help you move.

Get a quote from us.

Because ecommerce shouldn’t be hard. And with wecanfly, it won’t be.