If you're running a business that's already operating on Magento and starting to question whether it's still the right fit, you're in familiar territory. You’d be joining brands like Gymshark, Hasbro, Heinz, and Staples Canada, who also made the move from Magento to Shopify in search of greater agility and operational ease.
But what exactly pushes established businesses to make such a significant shift? In most cases, it’s not about platform trends. It’s about day-to-day friction that starts piling up until it gets in the way of growth.
Maybe your development backlog is constantly full with fixes, not improvements. Maybe every small change — updating a product page, tweaking your checkout flow — requires a developer and a lot more time than it should. Or maybe you're spending more on maintenance than on moving your business forward. All of these calls for serious changes in your technical foundations.
However!
Replatforming isn’t just a technical switch — it’s a business operation. It changes →
how your store functions
how your team works
how easily you can scale
If you’ve already invested time and budget into Magento, the idea of moving to Shopify is a serious strategic shift, not something to take lightly.
To help you grasp the idea better, with this guide, we’ll break down what migrating from Magento to Shopify actually involves — from when it makes sense to switch, how to migrate from Magento to Shopify (technical and business realities), and to what you’ll need to prepare for. If you’re actively considering the move, this will help you understand exactly what you're walking into and whether it’s worth it.
Important note: So that you’re rest assured while reading the article, all the materials were provided and reviewed by our Magento and Shopify teams, as well as our CTO.
When it makes sense to migrate from Magento to Shopify
Migrating Magento to Shopify isn't something businesses do on impulse. It’s a decision shaped by real, repeatable signals:
operational bottlenecks
rising overhead
the growing realization that your current tech stack is costing more than it's giving back
While Magento can be incredibly powerful, there’s a point at which flexibility turns into friction. Below are some of the clearest signs that migration is not just reasonable — it’s strategic.
Some of the possible signals that it’s time to transfer Magento to Shopify
These aren’t hypotheticals — they’re the most common triggers we’ve seen in real-world migrations:
Too much custom work, too little return. If every small change to your store requires developer input, or your storefront has become patchwork through constant workarounds, it might be worth evaluating whether your current platform is still supporting your goals — or slowing you down.
Rising costs with limited scalability. WhileMagento Open Source has no license fee, associated expenses like hosting, maintenance, custom development, and performance optimization can add up. On the other hand, platforms like Shopify Plus offer a more consolidated pricing model, which may reduce overhead for certain business types — but not all.
A backlog full of fixes instead of improvements. If your development team is stuck in a loop of patches and maintenance instead of shipping new features, the issue might lie deeper in the platform’s operational demands.
Performance and UX issues. Frequent slowdowns, mobile glitches, or challenges managing multi-regional storefronts may indicate it's time to consider other architecture, whether that's a restructured Magento setup or a shift to a platform with built-in performance handling.
Scaling adds tech complexity. Growing product catalogs, entering new markets, or launching advanced features like bundles or multi-location inventory can increase technical overhead. Whether you're using Magento or considering alternatives like Shopify, it’s important to assess if your platform can scale efficiently without multiplying development effort.
Types of businesses that benefit most from migrating and can safely make the switch
Migration makes the most sense for businesses that:
If your business fits the following profile, you can likely migrate Magento to Shopify with minimal compromise and major long-term gains:
You're selling directly to consumers via a curated catalog
You use standard pricing models and product configurations
Your internal team wants more autonomy (without always relying on developers)
You're looking to reduce operational overhead and streamline tech
Your business is growing and you want to focus on expansion, not maintenance
Who should probably stay on Magento
The Shopify platform — even with the Shopify Plus plan — isn’t for everyone. Some businesses rely on workflows or product logic that go far beyond what Shopify’s architecture was built for.
Here are the types of businesses that should approach migration cautiously:
Complex B2B operations. Magento’s native B2B features — company accounts, tiered pricing, quotes, custom catalogs — are still stronger than what Shopify offers without significant workarounds or paid apps.
Businesses with deep custom backend logic. If your store requires things like dynamic pricing engines, multi-step checkout logic, or tight ERP integration with custom triggers, Shopify may hit architectural limits.
For example, Dinarys worked onthe Mon Tresor Bebe project, where our client required Shopify to Magento migration because of Shopify limits in customization.
Facing operational constraints on Shopify, they migrated to Magento 2 to support advanced workflows like editable orders and invoices, installment payments, user moderation, and QuickBooks synchronization. Over a six-month effort, we custom‑built these features — plus shipment adjustments and catalog exports — creating a flexible, scalable platform tailored to their specific business logic and payment complexity.
Teams running headless or composable commerce setups. Magento’s flexibility makes it ideal for headless builds, where frontend and backend are decoupled. While Shopify has Hydrogen and Shopify Headless, it’s not yet as mature for complex composable environments.
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Magento gives you control. Shopify gives you speed. The right time to migrate is when that control starts holding you back from delivering value fast. And for many modern D2C brands, that moment comes sooner than expected.
What benefits your business will get with migration from Magento to Shopify
Before we dive in: The benefits below apply to businesses that are truly a good fit for Shopify — the ones we outlined earlier: direct-to-consumer brands, product-focused businesses with relatively standard operations, and teams looking for more autonomy and fewer infrastructure headaches.
If you're running complex B2B workflows, deep backend customization, or rely heavily on Magento’s extensibility, you might not experience the same upsides or at least not without significant compromise.
With that said, for the right business, migrating from Magento to Shopify can unlock a range of operational, performance, and growth benefits.
1. Lower total cost of ownership (TCO)
What you get with Shopify:
Predictable monthly pricing (especially on Shopify Plus)
Hosting, security, and updates are included
Fewer ongoing developer hours needed for day-to-day changes
Compared to Magento. Magento Open Source may appear “free,” but in reality, you're paying for:
Hosting and server maintenance
Ongoing patching and upgrades
Developer time for even small tweaks
💡 If you're constantly spending on infrastructure or firefighting bugs, Shopify centralizes and simplifies it all. Often at a lower long-term cost.
By moving their eco-friendly felt products store from Magento to Shopify, the Dinarys team significantly reduced their hosting, maintenance, and development overhead. Shopify’s unified pricing model, built-in infrastructure, and app-driven features eliminated costly server management and developer-intensive updates.
As a result, myfelt not only cut recurring technical expenses, but also accelerated their release cycles — of their new Shopify store — without the budget surprises that came with keeping Magento alive.
2. Faster time to market
With Shopify, you can:
Launch campaigns, product updates, and content changes in hours, not weeks
Use a wide range of pre-built apps instead of custom development
Empower non-technical team members to manage site changes confidently
Compared to Magento:
Most changes in Magento require developer involvement
Even small UX or content updates may pass through QA and deployment cycles
Custom features often require time-consuming planning and testing
💡 The speed advantage of Shopify gives you more flexibility to respond to market changes and customer needs in real time.
3. Improved performance and mobile UX
Shopify's frontend is optimized for speed out of the box, including:
Mobile-responsive themes
CDN and caching built-in
Reduced reliance on third-party optimization tools
Compared to Magento:
Performance depends heavily on your server setup, custom code quality, and caching strategy
You may need additional investment in performance audits, CDNs, or PWA integration
💡 If you’re seeing mobile bounce rates or sluggish load times on Magento, Shopify can deliver faster, more consistent UX across devices.
Dinarys had a similar project. Although we didn’t migrate from Magento, but from WooCommerce, our goal still was to improve performance via Shopify migration on the ALEXASCHA project.
Migrating from WooCommerce to Shopify, ALEXASCHA saw a significant lift in key performance metrics. Thanks to Shopify’s optimized infrastructure and a revamped checkout flow, page load times dropped dramatically, bounce rates decreased, and user engagement increased. This led to higher conversions per visit and better overall retention, allowing the marketing team to scale campaigns confidently without sacrificing site performance or user experience.
4. Easier day-to-day store management
With Shopify, your internal team can:
Add/edit products and collections easily
Update content and visuals through drag-and-drop editors
Configure discounts, shipping, and checkout rules through a clean admin panel
Magento’s admin panel is powerful, but:
Can feel more complex and technical
Often requires admin training or dev support for new workflows
Custom admin features can increase the maintenance burden
💡 If you're aiming to reduce reliance on developers for routine tasks, Shopify makes it far more manageable.
5. Built-in scalability without the overhead
Shopify Plus supports multi-store management, localized experiences, and advanced automation tools — without requiring you to rethink your infrastructure.
Magento scalability is real but:
Depends on how well your store is architected
Often requires DevOps, monitoring tools, and ongoing infrastructure investment
💡 With Shopify Plus, brands can scale into new markets, add languages or currencies, and handle surges in traffic — all without touching server settings.
6. Access to a powerful app ecosystem
Shopify’s App Store gives you:
Thousands of vetted, easy-to-integrate apps for marketing, bundling, reviews, loyalty, subscriptions, and more
Plug-and-play tools that don’t break your backend
Less need to build everything from scratch
In Magento:
Extensions exist, but often require developer installation and customization
Conflicts between modules are more common
Updates can break custom features if not handled carefully
💡 Shopify simplifies extensibility without sacrificing flexibility—great for teams that want to build smarter, not bigger.
7. Enhanced marketing capabilities and conversion tools
Shopify makes it easier to:
Launch and A/B test landing pages quickly
Integrate with email marketing, CRM, and social platforms
Set up one-click upsells, cross-sells, and post-purchase flows
Magento is less agile in this area:
Marketing campaigns often rely on manual setup or third-party modules
Landing page creation may require design/dev involvement
Native personalization and conversion tools are limited
💡 If marketing velocity is key to your growth, Shopify gives your team more autonomy and more data to iterate faster.
8. Safer, more predictable technical environment
With Shopify:
Shopify manages PCI compliance, SSL, patches, and platform updates
No need for manual security audits or emergency patching
Your team can focus on strategy, not server logs
On Magento:
You're responsible for applying security patches and managing updates
Outdated modules or missed upgrades can pose real risks
More vendor dependencies mean more coordination overhead
💡 If you're tired of worrying about site stability or security breaches, Shopify’s fully hosted model eliminates most of those concerns.
If you’re the kind of business that’s outgrown the complexity of Magento — or never fully needed it in the first place — Shopify offers a clean, modern alternative. It may not give you full backend control, but for most growing D2C brands, it offers something more valuable: the ability to move faster with fewer trade-offs.
What challenges does Magento to Shopify migration service presume and how to solve them
Magento 2 to Shopify migration can provide real business value, but it’s not without its technical and operational hurdles. For teams used to Magento’s flexibility and control, the move to Shopify’s closed architecture may require rethinking how certain features are implemented, or even rebuilt.
Below, we’ve outlined the most critical challenges companies face during this transition and how experienced developers recommend solving each of them.
Challenge #1: Data structure differences: from flexible to opinionated
Magento allows for highly customized product types, attributes, and catalog structures. Shopify, by contrast, has a more opinionated model: no custom entity types, fewer product variants, and stricter limits (e.g., 100 variants per product, 3 options max).
What can break:
Complex product configurations
Bundled or kit-based SKUs
Custom attributes like “material type” or “compatibility”
Dinarys recommendation:
“We typically start with a mapping workshop to translate Magento’s product schema into Shopify’s structure. In most cases, what looks like a hard limit can be worked around with metafields or custom app logic.” — Lead Shopify Developer, 8+ years in eCommerce
Challenge #2: Bundled product logic doesn’t transfer 1:1
Magento supports advanced product types like grouped, configurable, and bundled products. Shopify doesn't natively support this level of logic out of the box.
Common issue: Stores using kits, sets, or dynamic product assembly (e.g. rugs in custom sizes or component bundles) may find their flows broken post-migration.
Dinarys recommendation:
“We usually recreate this logic through custom apps or combine native Shopify features with scripts and Flow automations — especially on Plus. In some cases, we build custom bundle apps when off-the-shelf ones fall short.” — Shopify Solutions Architect
Challenge #3: Loss of custom checkout functionality
Magento allows full control over checkout logic. Shopify limits this unless you're on Shopify Plus, and even then, only to a degree.
Examples of what may be affected:
Multi-step checkout workflows
Business logic around shipping, taxes, or payment routing
Custom B2B flows (e.g. PO numbers, delayed payment terms)
Dinarys recommendation:
“We tell clients early: if your checkout is heavily customized, you’ll need Shopify Plus — and even then, expect to simplify. Most businesses end up with a faster, cleaner checkout, but with some trade-offs on complexity.” — eCommerce Delivery Lead
Challenge #4: Third-party integrations must be rebuilt or reconnected
Magento integrations are often built through custom APIs, middlewares, or direct database queries. Shopify works strictly through APIs — no database access, and webhook-driven.
What this impacts:
ERP, CRM, PIM, and warehouse systems
Custom reporting dashboards
Data pipelines built on raw Magento data
Dinarys recommendation:
“We handle this by reviewing existing integrations and replacing them with Shopify-native connectors or middleware like Patchworks or Alloy. For custom flows, Shopify APIs and webhooks are stable — but the logic has to be refactored.” — Senior Backend Developer
Challenge #5: Content pages and CMS blocks need to be recreated
Magento’s CMS blocks and layout XMLs don’t carry over. Shopify uses JSON sections, Liquid templates, and a different structure entirely.
What this impacts:
Landing pages
Static content blocks
Promotional banners and custom layouts
Dinarys recommendation:
“We rebuild landing pages in Shopify using sections and metafields. In some cases, we use Page Builder apps like Shogun or native Shopify tools depending on the team’s in-house capacity post-launch.” — Frontend Developer, UI/UX focused
Challenge #6: SEO and URL structure mismatch
Magento URL structure is customizable and often optimized over time. Shopify has a fixed URL format (e.g., /products/, /collections/) and doesn’t allow deep control over certain slugs.
Risks:
Loss of organic rankings
Broken inbound links
Redirect chains
Dinarys recommendation:
“We audit every live URL before migration, set up 301 redirects, and ensure structured data is preserved. It’s not possible to fully replicate Magento’s URL logic, but you can retain SEO performance with careful planning.” — Technical SEO & Shopify Migration Specialist
Challenge #7: Loss of custom admin tools or internal dashboards
Magento stores often run on complex admin setups, including dashboards, custom reports, approval flows, and vendor tools. Shopify's admin panel is simpler and not natively extensible to the same degree.
Dinarys recommendation:
“When admin tools are critical, we build lightweight internal apps or dashboards using Shopify’s Admin APIs. It takes planning, but you can replicate most reporting and workflow tools in a more user-friendly format.” — Shopify App Developer
Challenge #8: Change management for the internal team
Migrating platforms also means retraining your internal team — marketers, merchandisers, support, ops — to work with a new backend, new workflows, and possibly new KPIs.
Dinarys recommendation:
“We always involve internal users early — during UAT and training. Shopify is easier to use, but every team has muscle memory from Magento. Training and handover support are just as important as technical QA.” — eCommerce Project Manager
Migration isn’t just about moving data. It’s about rethinking how your store runs and how your team works with it. The most successful Magento 1 to Shopify migrations happen when the limitations are acknowledged early, the right solutions are scoped with experienced developers, and the internal team is part of the process, not just handed a finished product.
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A step-by-step roadmap to moving from Magento to Shopify
Migrating from Magento to Shopify is a full business transition that reshapes how your team operates and how your store runs behind the scenes. If you're aiming to avoid disruption and preserve performance, it’s important to know what the migration truly involves and how to do it right, step by step.
Below is a complete roadmap (which you can also use as your Shopify migration checklist) that outlines each phase of a full Magento migration to Shopify, including who’s responsible for what, where the technical friction points are, and what’s actually included in a successful end-to-end migration.
Step 1: Pre-migration discovery & audit
“You can’t migrate cleanly without understanding what you’ve actually built over the years. The discovery phase helps prevent ‘surprise’ gaps during implementation.” — Senior Solution Architect
This phase is about clarity. You’re taking stock of everything your Magento store currently does — from catalog structure to backend logic — to figure out what can (and should) be carried over. It’s also the right moment to create a full data backup to ensure nothing is lost as you prepare for migration.
What’s included:
Functional audit of the current Magento setup
Review of custom features, third-party extensions, and admin workflows
“This is where we decide what’s staying, what’s changing, and what’s getting rebuilt. We scope workarounds early so there are no surprises mid-sprint.” — Shopify Technical Lead
Once you know what you’ve got, the team maps that to Shopify’s environment — deciding which features will be replicated, replaced, or dropped.
Key planning elements:
Choosing between Shopify and Shopify Plus
Mapping Magento’s data model to Shopify’s (products, variants, metafields)
Defining Shopify app stack or scoping custom app builds
Planning integration logic for ERPs, CRMs, shipping systems, etc.
Step 3: Store environment setup & theme development
“We often use this phase to clean up UX debt. The move to Shopify is a great chance to simplify front-end complexity while keeping the brand feel.” — Lead Frontend Developer
This is where your new store starts to come to life, visually and structurally.
Localization setup: languages, currencies, and taxes
Step 4: Data migration & validation
“You can’t just export data and import data. We map, reformat, clean, and validate. If that’s done right, the store launches without data shocks.” — Data Migration Engineer
Now it’s time to actually move the data, but that doesn’t just mean copy/paste. It means transformation and restructuring.
What’s included in a full Magento to Shopify data migration:
Magento to Shopify product migration, i.e. catalog (including attributes, variants, categories, images)
Customer accounts and full order history
Reviews and product metadata
Static content (blogs, CMS pages, FAQs, etc.)
Common tools:
Matrixify (formerly Excelify)
Custom migration scripts for large catalogs
Manual QA of key records to avoid broken associations
“In Shopify, we don’t ‘port’ extensions. We recreate business logic using apps, Flow automations, or custom scripts. It’s not always 1:1, but it’s usually leaner.” — Shopify App Developer
Magento stores often rely on a mix of integrations and custom logic. In Shopify, that same functionality often comes from apps or custom app development.
“Even if you’re improving UX, Google needs help understanding that nothing broke. Redirects and schema matter just as much as speed.” — Technical SEO & Shopify Migration Specialist
No migration is complete without preserving your search rankings and testing every customer-facing and backend function.
What’s included:
301 redirect plan from Magento URLs to Shopify equivalents
Structured data and SEO metadata migration
Sitemap, robots.txt, and Google Search Console setup
QA of cart, checkout, discounts, forms, and integrations
Load testing and mobile UX testing
Step 7: Launch & Post-migration support
“After launch, we always leave a buffer. Things like fulfillment logic or edge-case issues tend to surface only after real users hit the system.” — Delivery Manager
Going live isn’t the final step and it's not the time to consider the whole migration process a successful migration. It’s just the start of live monitoring, team onboarding, and final optimization.
Final phase deliverables:
DNS switchover and production launch
Live monitoring of transactions, behavior, and bugs
Staff training and access setup
Documentation for internal teams
Post-launch iterations (based on user feedback)
A full Magento to Shopify migration is a transformation of how your business sells, manages, and grows. When done right, it replaces friction with flexibility and maintenance with momentum. But it only works if you treat it as a rebuild and not just a transfer. And that’s exactly what this roadmap is here to help you do.
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How to find a reliable partner for your Magento to Shopify (Plus) migration
Choosing the right technical partner for your migration is about making sure it’s done right. The best partners don’t just build. They advise, translate business needs into tech decisions, help you avoid unnecessary rebuilds, and ensure your store runs better after the move, not just differently.
Whether you’re looking for end-to-end delivery or a fractional development team to support your internal operations, here’s what to look for when choosing a migration partner:
Experience with similar migrations
Why it matters: Magento to Shopify migration is not a generalist job. A reliable partner should have completed multiple replatforming projects, preferably for businesses similar in size, industry, or complexity to yours.
What to ask:
Have you migrated any Magento-based businesses to Shopify before?
Can you share 2–3 relevant case studies?
Have you worked with stores using [bundling logic / B2B features / custom integrations]?
Verified presence on review platforms
Why it matters: Word of mouth is great. Independent, verified feedback is better. Review platforms like Clutch, Pangea, or DesignRush give you a sense of a partner’s professionalism, responsiveness, and real-world results, not just promises.
Where to look:
Clutch.co (look for verified reviews tied to real clients)
Case study sections on their own site (watch for specificity and naming)
Pro tip: Look beyond 5-star ratings. Read how clients describe the team’s communication, flexibility, and problem-solving.
Platform certifications and partnership status
Why it matters: If a vendor holds certifications from Adobe (Magento) and Shopify, it shows they’ve put in the time to understand both ecosystems — backend logic, platform limitations, and migration workflows.
Why it matters: You want a team that can build efficiently and communicate clearly. Look for developers and leads who combine technical depth with project ownership, documentation habits, and consultative thinking.
Ideal hard skills:
Experience with Shopify APIs and metafields
Familiarity with migration tools like Matrixify
Experience with ERP/CRM integration on both Magento and Shopify
Strong understanding of Shopify’s limitations and how to work around them
Ideal soft skills:
Clear, proactive communication
Willingness to challenge assumptions (when it saves you time or cost)
Good listeners, especially during discovery and scoping
Transparent about risks and edge cases
Fractional team flexibility
Why it matters: You may not need a full-time dev team — just the right experts, at the right times. A good migration partner should be able to assemble a fractional team around your needs: tech lead, frontend developer, backend integrator, QA, etc. without overstaffing.
Ability to scale team size up/down based on migration phase
Direct access to key technical leads
Time to wrap it up
If you’ve been running your business on Magento and feel like you’re working harder just to stand still, you’re not imagining it. For many established brands, the problem isn’t with how Magento was set up.
It’s with what it demands over time.
Migration to Shopify isn’t a light switch. It’s a deliberate decision to trade control for clarity, complexity for speed, and ongoing overhead for focus. And for businesses that have already learned what it takes to maintain a Magento store, that trade-off often makes more sense the second time around.
The move to Shopify won’t solve everything overnight. But if your team is tired of slow updates, constant firefighting, and growing tech debt, this isn’t just a technical migration — it’s an operational reset.
Done right, it frees you to grow.
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