In the debate between Magento vs. Shopify, the stakes are high and the answers aren’t always obvious.
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.
This is your best comparison of two of the most popular ecommerce platforms: Magento and Shopify.
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.
Magento Commerce Cloud, also known as 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.
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.
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.
🤔 Did you know Shopify started as a snowboard shop? The founders built Shopify in 2006 because they couldn’t find an ecommerce store builder that gave them the control they wanted.
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 most people get their first ecommerce store live in a few hours. Everything you need is already there: built-in features and Shopify Payments ready to go.
Magento? That’s a different story. It’s capable, but not for beginners. Magento requires real technical expertise or a developer team. Even small updates might mean digging into the core 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.
You have access to the open source platform, which means no limits (except your team’s coding knowledge). Magento’s best when your business needs demand customisation options from the start.
Shopify works differently. You:
- choose a premium theme,
- tweak the layout,
- install apps from the vast app marketplace,
- and get going.
If you want to dig deeper, Shopify’s ecosystem lets developers build with APIs and native integrations. But it’s still more structured. You can do a lot, but not everything.
🤔 Did you know Shopify now powers millions of businesses worldwide? From side hustles to global brands, it’s one of the most popular ecommerce platforms for a reason.
💡 Here’s the tradeoff: Magento is more highly 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, custom pricing, and full B2B setups. If you’re running multiple brands or regions under one system, this e-commerce solution 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. Shopify takes care of high traffic volumes, and the platform adds new features every few months. You’ll also find everything from inventory tracking to sales tools in one dashboard.
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? We looked into this properly for you.
Shopify: clearer pricing, fewer surprises
Shopify plans start at around €27/month (on annual billing). That gets you the basics:
- a working store,
- hosting,
- built-in checkout,
- multiple payment gateways,
- 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 like Grow or Advanced. You get better reports and more advanced features, but the price is still predictable. You’ll know what you’re spending and when. Most of the extras come from apps, and even those are often pay-as-you-go.
Want to dig deeper? The Shopify Plus plan is built for big brands. Starting around $2,300/month, it handles large catalogues, together with high traffic and custom needs.
Is it cheap? Not really. But it’s clear and you’re not guessing.
🤔 Did you know you can see which Shopify plan is the most cost-effective for your business using our Shopify Pricing Calculator? Check it out now.
Magento (Adobe Commerce): flexible pricing, higher setup cost
Now let’s move on to Magento.
There’s no public price tag. Adobe gives you custom pricing based on your store size and how much help you’ll need. If you go with Magento Commerce Cloud, you’re looking at a full platform with lots of power, especially for B2B or brands with unique logic.
But here’s what’s different: Magento needs a dev team. You’ll likely pay for:
- setup,
- hosting (if not on cloud),
- maintenance,
- 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 extras. 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. Plus, the community forums make it easy to get help.
If your business is already complex and growing fast, Magento can work better. You can shape the platform around your needs, but only if you have the team (and the time) to do it.
Think of it like this: Shopify is the all-in-one solution that gets you moving. Magento gives you room to build, but it starts slower and costs more.
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 read through hundreds of G2 reviews to find out. 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. Shopify cuts through that.
You get a clean dashboard with fewer bugs and less waiting. Updates are automatic. Maintenance headaches? Gone.
But we get it. Switching platforms sounds risky. So here’s our view of what changes when you move from Magento to Shopify:
Magento vs Shopify: what changes after migration?
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
- You’re planning international sales or a fresh brand experience
Then yes, moving to Shopify might be the smartest step you take this year.
It’s faster to manage and built to grow with your business, not slow it down.
And if you’re worried about the switch?
Let us handle it. At WeCanFly, we’ve helped brands like Shoepassion and Heinrich Dinkelacker move from Magento to Shopify without losing sales or customer data.
We handle:
- Products, orders, customer data, and URLs
- Theme updates or full redesigns
- SEO setup and redirects
- Full support after launch
Want to see what a Shopify Plus setup could look like for your brand?
See our previous works: Shopify eCommerce Case Studies and Our work
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.
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.
Don’t wait, and get a quote from us now.
Because ecommerce shouldn’t be hard. And with the WeCanFly Agency, it for sure won’t be.
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