Shopify vs Magento (2022) - Which is Best for eCommerce?

Online store owners are constantly striving to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. It all starts with your choice of the ecommerce platform. If you don't have a high-quality platform, much of your effort will be in vain. Two of the most widely used ecommerce platforms are Shopify and Magento. Find out which one is superior to the other and is the better choice for your business. Our latest article has all the information! Check it out.

Which is better for ecommerce - Shopify or Magento (2022)?

If you are planning to start an online store, you may be wondering which platform is the best option for you. There are many different ecommerce platforms available, but two of the most popular are Magento and Shopify.

The right ecommerce platform can make it easier to manage your store, add products, process payments, and provide customer support. The wrong platform can make it challenging to do all these things or may not offer the needed features. Both Shopify and Magento have their advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is important to analyse your needs and the needs of your store before selecting the platform that best suits you.

Quick Overview

Shopify is a Canadian ecommerce company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. It is also the name of its proprietary ecommerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Shopify was founded by Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake after attempting to open an online store. All three founders discovered that the platform they were currently using was inadequate. So they decided to create their own solution, and Shopify was born.

Shopify is now one of the most popular ecommerce platforms in the world. Over a million businesses use Shopify to power their online stores, making it one of the most popular ecommerce platforms on the market. We at Fourmeta have been a proud partner with Shopify for several years, helping businesses to get exceptional results through our customer-centric and data-driven approach to ecommerce.

Magento is an open-source ecommerce platform written in PHP. The software was initially developed by Varien, Inc, a US private company headquartered in Culver City, California.

Magento was founded in early 2008 by Roy Rubin and Yoav Kutner. Rubin had previously worked on osCommerce, an open-source ecommerce platform that is also written in PHP. Kutner was the CEO of Varien at the time. The two decided to start Magento after being disappointed with the lack of flexibility that osCommerce offered.

Magento was released on March 31, 2009. It quickly became popular due to its flexibility and features. Many large companies, such as Samsung, Ford, and Olympus, use Magento to power their online stores.

Now that we know about the history of the two ecommerce platforms, let's look at how they compare in terms of features and performance. We will break it down in stages and answer the following questions:

1. What is the key difference between Shopify and Magento?

2. How do Shopify and Magento compare in various fields?

3. Which one is right for your business?

What is the Key Difference?

Shopify is a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, while Magento is an open-source platform.

Shopify is a fully hosted platform, so you don’t have to worry about hosting your own store. Shopify is a turnkey solution. This means that you pay a monthly fee, and everything you need to run your online store is included: the features, the functionality, the designs, etc. As a result, there are no hosting fees, no set-up fees, and no need to worry about updates or maintenance.

Magento, on the other hand, is a self-hosted platform. This means you must find a web hosting provider and install the Magento software yourself. You will also be responsible for maintaining and updating the software and setting up your hosting and security measures.

Magento is thus more difficult to use than Shopify. This is because Magento offers more customisation choices and requires more technical knowledge to set up and use. On the other hand, Shopify is designed to be user-friendly and can be set up and used with little to no prior experience.

Now that we’ve looked at the key difference between Shopify and Magento, let’s compare them in various fields.

How do Shopify and Magento compare?

There are discernable differences between Shopify and Magento. The platforms take divergent approaches to critical components. We will consider the following components below and then issue a verdict on the best platform for each:

At the end, we will issue a final verdict, taking into account everything that was discussed throughout the article. Let's take a closer look at each of the components.

Pricing

Shopify offers a simple pricing structure. There are three plans: Basic Shopify, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify. Prices range from $29 to $299 per month. There are no hidden fees or long-term contracts. You can also try Shopify for free for 14 days.

Magento has a more complex pricing structure. The Community Edition is free to download and use. However, you will need to find your own hosting and pay for your own security measures. The Enterprise Edition starts at $22,000 per year. The Community Edition is suitable for small businesses, while the Enterprise Edition is geared towards larger businesses with more complex needs. In addition to the license fee, you will also need to pay for web hosting, set-up, and maintenance.

Regarding website templates and themes, the prices between the two platforms differ drastically. Shopify themes can range from free to $180, while Magento can charge up to $499 for some of their themes. And since Magento is an open-source platform, you will likely need to hire a developer, adding a few thousand dollars to your expenses.

Verdict: If you are looking for a simple pricing structure, then Shopify is the better choice. However, if you don’t mind a complex pricing structure and you are willing to pay for features that you need, then Magento could be a good choice. For our money, Shopify is the better choice. It's hard to beat with three inclusive plans, a hassle-free 14-day trial, and no long-term contracts.

Ease Of Use

Shopify is designed to be easy to use, with a simple, intuitive interface that even those without prior experience can follow. All you need to do is sign up for an account and follow the on-screen instructions. Shopify also offers 24/7 support if you need help. Shopify was built to be a platform inclusive of all skill levels.

Magento, on the other hand, is not as user-friendly. While it has many features, it’s not as easy to use as Shopify. You need comprehensive technical skills to set up your store and get it running. Magento also doesn’t offer as much support as Shopify does and lacks 24/7 support. You’ll have to rely on community forums for help if you run into trouble.

Verdict: Shopify is the clear winner when it comes to ease of use. While Magento does offer more features and personalisation options, it is not nearly as user-friendly as Shopify.

Redesign

Shopify offers a wide range of themes that can be easily personalised to match your brand. In addition, Shopify offers the advantage of quickly changing elements. Shopify provides a framework and gives you complete design flexibility. If you want even more control over the design of your store, you can hire a Shopify Expert.

Magento also offers a wide range of themes and templates. However, since Magento is an open-source platform, you will need to have some coding knowledge to modify the themes to match your brand. If you don't have coding knowledge, you will need to hire a developer, which can be expensive.

Verdict: Both Shopify and Magento offer many themes and templates. However, Shopify has the advantage of being easier to customise and make needed changes, as your business grows. You can still easily tailor your store with Shopify if you don't have coding knowledge. And since most of us aren't developers, Shopify is the winner.

Performance And Security

Shopify uses a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to deliver your content quickly and efficiently. Shopify also offers its customers a headless approach to ecommerce. With headless, the back-end is decoupled from the front-end, with API helping the two communicate. Headless ecommerce has the advantage of customisation and personalisation, where the front-end design is bespoke and jaw-dropping. And headless is adaptable to multiple devices, including desktops, laptops, and mobile devices.

By the way, if you need a refresher or you simply aren’t yet familiar with the headless approach, download our excellent 30+ page guide that has everything you need to know. You can download it by clicking here.

Shopify also uses industry-leading security measures to keep your store safe from hackers. And if you need help, Shopify offers 24/7 support.

Magento is an open-source platform, which means it doesn’t have the same level of performance as Shopify. While Magento does offer you tons of possibilities, you have to remember that it is a self-hosted platform. This means that the performance of your host or server will tremendously impact the way your store runs on Magento. The more products, apps, and plugins you have, the slower your site will load. This undoubtedly leads to lost sales. Furthermore, Magento also doesn’t offer as much support as Shopify does. 

Verdict: When it comes to performance and analytics, Shopify is the better choice. With a content delivery network, headless architecture, and industry-leading security measures, Shopify can provide your store with the performance and protection it needs.

App Store

Shopify has an App Store with over 3,200 apps that can help you streamline your store. With apps for accounting, marketing, shipping, and more, the Shopify App Store has everything you need to run your store. It's great to know that most apps and plugins may be easily added with a single click.

Magento also has an App Store with over 5,700 apps. This number of apps is undoubtedly impressive. However, since Magento is an open-source platform, the quality of the apps can vary. Therefore, you want to ensure that the apps function and help your store, not hinder it. And since Magento doesn't have as much support as Shopify does, you may have trouble finding answers if you run into problems with an app.

Verdict: Both Shopify and Magento have App Stores with a large selection of apps. However, Shopify has the advantage of being easier to use and having better support, considering that most of us don’t have extensive coding skills.

Payment Options

Shopify offers many payment options, including credit cards, debit cards, and PayPal. Furthermore, it also supports various payment processors, with over 100 options. And Shopify also offers its own payment gateway, Shopify Payments. With Shopify Payments, you can immediately get started with credit card payments. In addition, there are no setup fees and no hidden charges, which is excellent.

Magento is an open-source platform, which means it doesn’t have as many built-in payment options as Shopify. Magento also doesn’t offer its own payment gateway. Instead, you will need to set up your own payment gateway or use a third-party provider. And since Magento is not as user-friendly as Shopify, setting up your payment gateway can be tricky.

Verdict: When it comes to payment options, Shopify is the better choice. With a range of built-in payment gateways and its own payment gateway, Shopify makes it easy to start accepting credit card payments. However, it should be noted that Magento has better options for international selling.

Features

As we have said above, both platforms offer a diverse range of options for customisation and are rich in features. However, there are some key differences between the two platforms. Let's review some of the more prominent features:

Verdict: Both Shopify and Magento are feature-rich platforms. However, Shopify is the better choice if you want an easy-to-use platform with built-in features. On the other hand, Magento is an excellent choice if you have some coding knowledge and want a highly flexible platform for international customers.

Conclusion

Shopify and Magento are both great ecommerce platforms. They both offer excellent features and options for customisation. However, there are some critical differences between the two.

Final Verdict: Shopify is the better choice for most businesses. It’s easier to use, has better support, and offers many features. Magento is an excellent choice if you have coding knowledge. However, it’s not as user-friendly as Shopify and can be tricky to set up.

If you would like to migrate your online store from Magento to Shopify, or if you simply have an idea for a product and want to open a Shopify store, Fourmeta is here to help. For ambitious ecommerce businesses everywhere, Fourmeta is the ideal combination of Shopify design, development, and marketing. Check out our blog for more helpful information about Shopify stores, including recommendations, actionable tips, and advice. Don't hesitate to contact us and schedule a free consultation.

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