No matter what you sell, in which industry, and in which capacity, if your business is not online it doesn’t exist. With this reality check every business strives for an online presence. To make this possible you need to set up an online store, but which ecommerce platform do you choose?
This is a comprehensive Magento vs Shopify guide for finding the best fit for your business.
But first, below are Magento and Shopify differences at a glance.
| Quick Comparison | Magento | Shopify |
| Editors | Full customization | Partial customization |
| Themes | Unlimited themes with animations | Limited options with limited customization |
| Plugins and apps | Can be installed, though comes in with built-in features | Has limited built-in features and plugins need to be added for functionality which adds cost. |
| Content Management System (CMS) | robust CMS can be integrated with WordPress | built-in CMS feature can edit blog content, headers, images, etc |
| Scalability | ✔ | ✔ |
| Usability | less user-friendly and requires technical expertise | Highly user-friendly |
| Security | ✔ | ✔ |
| Cons | The price doesn’t cover hosting and server costs. | With integrations for functionality, costs keep on increasing. |
To choose your online store we have prepared a comprehensive Magento vs Shopify comparison.
Side-by-side comparison:
- Overview
Magento is an open-source platform that is highly customizable. Given its technical aspect, it is mostly used by large-scale businesses that can afford web developers. Given its pricing, it comes into higher-end platforms.
Shopify is a subscription-based platform that is easy to use, with its drag-and-drop builder, anyone can make a few changes to the given templates and themes and deploy stores in no time. Its no-code development makes it a popular choice though it comes with its limitations in customization and flexibility.
- SEO capabilities
A website without good search engine visibility will not show up in search results; thus, it is equivalent to being non-existent.
Shopify offers adding tags and meta fields. It lacks built-in SEO filter features. The URL for products is by default on /collections/. Further, the app store offers limited options for SEO apps.
Magento online shop supports hierarchical category structures. It does not have a built-in SEO filter feature, but you can add extensions for added functionality. You can configure and optimize website speed and support various caching methods. Magento offers fewer pre-built SEO extensions as compared to Shopify but it provides custom solutions.
-Marketing
Shopify allows you to send emails with templates. You can also post them directly on key social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, etc. For additional functionality, you might want to consider adding extensions and apps.
In contrast, Magento offers built-in marketing tools to promote your business. In addition to creating landing pages, you can also create flexible coupons, manage newsletters, and set discounts for abandoned products. Further, you can add multi-channel selling options on social media stores and eBay by installing extensions.
If you are doing Magento vs Shopify the right way, you’ll see Magento clearly winning in marketing.
- Multicurrency payment support
Shopify does offer multicurrency support where it converts prices into the customer's location, however on checkout the currency changes to the one that was selected on store-based.
However, in the Magento shop, you can accept payments in multiple currencies for your global customer base.
- Customization
For both platforms, if you need a higher level of customization, you will be required to learn a coding language.
In Shopify, you are required to know Shopify’s liquid language, which varies depending on the plan.
However, in Magento for customization system integration and performance tuning, developer input is required. You can make major changes in almost every section of your website.
- Support
Shopify offers dedicated customer support through various channels including live chat, email, and phone support.
Magento provides extensive community through forums, documentation, and user groups. Additionally, businesses can opt for premium support packages for dedicated assistance from Magento experts.
You can connect Magento with analytics and experience managers who give you great insights to work on.
- B2B support
Shopify focuses primarily on B2C. For B2B it offers wholesale pricing and customer segmentation. However, they might need to rely on third-party apps for customer development.
Magento is better than Shopify in this case as it offers a far more robust B2B functionality including custom pricing, account management, bulk ordering, and quote requests. It’s specifically designed for B2B with features like multi-vendor support, flexibility, and extensibility.
- Shipping and inventory/ Product listings
In Shopify, there is no limitation on product listing but the variants per product are limited to 100. The meta description is also limited to 200 words.
Whereas, in Magento online stores have no restrictions on products, categories, or data volume. The limitation comes from the server or the hosting plan. Magento store can be optimized for performance with large data sets with proper server configuration, use of caching mechanisms, and ensuring efficient database management.
- Features
Shopify features are easy to customize where users can adjust theme settings, upload logos, and change colors, and fonts easily. They can even rearrange sections for a unique website appearance.
Magento has extensive customization capabilities, allowing store owners to tailor almost every aspect of their online store to meet business needs. It is an open-source nature and modular architecture makes it highly adaptable, from the layout and design functionality of product pages, checkout processes, and integration with third-party services.
- No code development
Shopify’s admin panel allows for basic customization tasks like product addition and theme adjustment without the need for coding. The extensive app store further simplifies customization without coding.
In Magento, you will need to write code for higher-level customization. However, you can alter content, marketing, and UI tweaks with no code customization. Additionally, you can use a no-code page builder for simple edits and basic settings.
- Payment gateways
Shopify offers about 100 payment gateways without added fees. You’ll only pay the processing and transaction fees through its friendly payment processor Shopify Payments.
On the other hand in Magento, you will have to download a payment gateway. Here you would pay the fee on every transaction but since Magento’s payment app supports multiple languages, it is the ultimate payment gateway you need for your global sales.
- Integrations
Shopify offers integration through the Shopify App Store. The market offers many app solutions, including a free one to set up proper data within different CRM systems. Users can easily connect with apps and services for marketing automation, inventory management, and outside marketplace integrations.
Magento offers built-in features like an advanced inventory system. This makes tracking for total visitors, rendering revenue, and comparing products easy. Its Magento sales solutions also support multi-channel selling.
- AI tools
Magento is better than Shopify as it offers AI tools to generate personalized experiences and timely promotional offers tailored to specific audiences given its AI.
- Pricing
Shopify offers tiered pricing plans with a monthly subscription fee, starting at $19 and going up to $300 in the premium plan. Thus it is not value for money. Some of the features are something that a small business won’t need. Thus paying too much isn’t worth it.
In Magento vs Shopify, Magento is on the higher end of the spectrum. It offers packages like Adobe Commerce Pro and Managed services. To obtain pricing information, you will need to reach out to them directly for a quote. Since Magento is an open-source model, hosting comes with an additional cost, unlike Shopify, where hosting is included in the package.
Magento vs Shopify, Which platform to pick?
Both Magento and Shopify are popular options for online stores but in reality, they are very different in experience. Here is a checklist to help you pick the best e-commerce platform for you.
Choose Shopify if you want
- User-friendly interface
- Quick deployment of the online store
- Affordable option
- Hassle-free with hosting and servers included
- Have a small team
- Need easy drag-and-drop functions
- Simple customizations
On the other hand, choose Magento if
- You have the technical expertise to build the website
- Need a lot of flexibility and creative freedom
- Need a robust platform that can bring your unique brand vision to life
- Can hire technical resources for coding skills
- You have a huge business and product inventory
- Have a big team to handle all aspects of the e-commerce website
- Want to sell cross-channel
Magento vs Shopify Conclusion:
Both e-commerce platforms are great options for businesses of any size. However, the most significant factors are price, ease of use, and technical expertise. Our verdict on Magento vs Shopify is that Shopify is easy to use and affordable but it comes with limited customization and features. Whereas Magento is a robust platform that offers extensive autonomy in customizing the platform and benefitting the user. Magento is better than Shopify despite being on the expensive side. It justifies its price with creative and technical freedom. If you choose Magento opt for Magento 2 as it is the step ahead.
If you are looking to build your e-commerce store on Magento or want to migrate from Shopify to Magento you can hire our CRM experts for our services. RT Dynamic is a team of CRM experts with over two decades of experience. Reach out to us today and we’ll be happy to assist you with our diverse range of Magento services.
