A quick disclaimer before we start:Magento was acquired by Adobe in 2018 and became part of the Adobe Experience Cloud under the name Adobe Commerce. Since then, Adobe has focused on enhancing Magento for enterprise-level use, adding powerful tools for personalization, AI-driven merchandising, and cloud hosting. However, the Magento Open Source edition continues to exist and is actively maintained by the community.
Further in the article, we’ll use both names — Adobe Commerce and Magento — interchangeably, since many businesses and developers still refer to the platform as Magento, especially when discussing its open-source roots and community-driven features.
Magento and Shopify have been two of the most widely used and — in some countries — leading ecommerce platforms for years. Often seen as direct competitors, they’ve both earned loyal user bases — each offering different strengths depending on what a business needs.
In recent years, though, Shopify has taken the lead in adoption. With its user-friendly setup, faster time to market, and large ecosystem of apps and integrations, it’s become the platform of choice for many growing companies — especially those expanding into new markets or rethinking their digital strategy:
Shopify leads Magento by a notable margin in global market share and number of active websites in 2025, maintaining a dominant position especially in the U.S. market.
Obviously, these numbers paint a clear picture of current trends, but they only scratch the surface. If we look deeper, it becomes clear that each platform plays a very different role in the eCommerce ecosystem. There are entire segments of businesses that Shopify serves better than Magento ever could — and vice versa. And that’s exactly why choosing the right platform means going beyond popularity and understanding which tool is the best fit for your business model, complexity, and future plans.
That’s why, in this article, you’ll get to know:
Magento vs. Shopify: A look at the industries and business sizes where each platform tends to shine and why.
Magento vs Shopify — pricing and plans explained: What you actually get at different pricing tiers, and how total cost of ownership stacks up.
Pros and cons of Shopify: From speed and simplicity to scalability trade-offs — where Shopify delivers and where it might fall short.
Pros and cons of Magento: Flexibility, custom logic, and deep integrations — balanced against technical overhead and team demands.
Exploring the platforms side-by-side: Core functionality, tech stack, scalability, and support for niche or industry-specific features.
Real-world use cases: Examples of how different businesses have built their stores on Shopify and Magento, and what drove those choices.
So before jumping on the hype train, let’s actually see what’s under the hood.
Magento vs Shopify: Where these platforms are used the most
Choosing between Magento and Shopify isn’t just about comparing features — it’s about understanding how well each platform fits your business model, industry, and growth stage. While both platforms are flexible in different ways, they’ve naturally attracted different kinds of businesses over the years.
Business models they suit best
The choice between Shopify and Magento often comes down to how your business operates — its sales strategy, channel mix, and complexity behind the scenes.
Shopify is often the platform of choice for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, small-to-midsize product companies, and businesses that prioritize speed, ease of use, and low technical overhead. It’s especially strong for businesses selling standardized physical products across digital channels, including social commerce and mobile. For startups or brands looking to get to market quickly with a clean storefront and solid user experience, Shopify is usually the safer bet.
Magento, on the other hand, is better suited to complex B2C or B2B operations, hybrid business models, or companies that need highly custom workflows — think marketplaces, subscription models, multi-language stores, or stores requiring unique checkout logic. It appeals to teams that want control over how every part of the shopping experience is built and scaled.
Conclusion:
Shopify works best for straightforward D2C selling and quick launches, while Magento fits complex or hybrid models that need deep customization and flexibility.
Industry-specific functionality
Different industries bring different requirements — from visual merchandising to backend operations — and platform capabilities don’t always stretch across sectors equally.
Shopify works extremely well in:
Fashion
Beauty
Home goods
Health and wellness
Lifestyle products
These are industries where visual branding, product storytelling, and clean UX play a big role. Its app ecosystem also supports a wide variety of plugins for shipping, subscriptions, or influencer marketing.
Magento often comes out ahead in industries that demand deeper backend customization, such as:
Automotive
Industrial goods
Wholesale distribution
Medical supplies
Electronics
These businesses often require advanced product configurations, multiple pricing tiers, B2B portals, or integration with existing ERPs — all areas where Magento's flexibility pays off.
Conclusion:
Shopify caters best to visually driven, B2C industries with standard product structures, while Magento supports more complex, backend-heavy industries with specialized business needs.
Business size and technical capacity
Your internal resources and ability to manage technical infrastructure can significantly influence which platform is the better long-term fit.
Shopify is ideal for small to midsize businesses, especially those with limited development resources. It’s also attractive for larger brands that want to minimize infrastructure maintenance — as long as their requirements align with Shopify’s capabilities or can be met with apps or Shopify Plus.
Magento, in contrast, is a stronger choice for midsize to enterprise businesses that either have an in-house tech team or a reliable development partner. Its open-source architecture means more freedom, but also more responsibility. For businesses with complex needs and the capacity to manage or outsource the technical side, Magento offers unmatched flexibility.
Conclusion:
Shopify suits businesses looking for simplicity and minimal tech involvement, while Magento is a better match for companies with more advanced needs and technical resources.
Magento Commerce vs Shopify: Plans and pricing comparisons
Platform pricing is more than just a budget question. It affects everything from launch speed to long-term flexibility. Here’s how Shopify and Adobe Commerce stack up, and what each investment really gets you.
Shopify: Transparent pricing with tiered features
Shopify’s pricing is clean and easy to understand, with clear upgrade paths as your business grows. Each tier builds on the previous one, keeping things predictable and low-maintenance.
Shopify offers:
Built-in hosting, security, and maintenance
Intuitive admin dashboard
Extensive app marketplace (Shopify App Store)
24/7 support
Automatic platform updates
You only need Shopify Plus when you require advanced automation, Shopify Payments, custom checkout flows, or enterprise-grade API capabilities.
Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento Commerce) is a fully managed solution with SaaS, PaaS, and modular storefront options — designed for businesses with complex needs.
Key benefits:
API-first architecture with deep extensibility
AI-driven merchandising, personalization & search
B2B tools (quote management, purchase orders, company accounts) available also through Magento store (officially Magento marketplace from Adobe)
Built-in cloud hosting, security management, and compliance
Global expansion capabilities with localized storefronts
24/7 technical support and learning resources
Pricing is based on usage — your revenue, order volume, and site traffic impact the cost. Exact figures are provided after consultation with Adobe, reflecting your business’s scale and complexity.
Shopify or Magento: What are you really getting yourself into?
If your priority is a fast, low-friction launch with minimal technical oversight, Shopify delivers consistently and predictably. But if you're aiming for deep customization — global storefront management, major B2B features, or highly tailored customer experiences — Adobe Commerce is a strategic investment in capability and control.
Next, we’ll dig deeper into how each platform’s capabilities map to real business needs — and where each system shines or struggles.
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Pros and cons of Shopify: From speed and simplicity to scalability trade-offs
Shopify’s rapid rise in popularity isn’t accidental. It offers one of the most accessible, user-friendly ecommerce experiences available today, especially for businesses focused on direct-to-consumer sales.
From startups launching their first product to midsize brands looking to modernize operations, Shopify makes it easy to build an online store, manage it, and scale it without the need to engage a deep technical expertise, and even better — work efficiently with limited technical expertise.
Where Shopify delivers
One of Shopify’s biggest strengths is its ability to simplify store management. Behind the scenes, the platform handles:
Hosting
Security
Compliance
Performance optimization
This allows businesses to focus on operations and growth. Its admin interface is clean and intuitive, which makes it especially attractive to non-technical teams.
The app ecosystem is another major plus. Whether you need to —
Add subscriptions
Enable influencer marketing
Connect to third-party warehouses
Launch multilingual content
— there’s usually an app, or several, to choose from. This flexibility enables rapid experimentation without needing to build from scratch.
Shopify is particularly strong in industries that rely on visual storytelling and digital marketing. For these businesses, Shopify helps deliver sleek user experiences with minimum fuss.
Where Shopify may fall short
That said, Shopify’s simplicity can become a limitation as your business grows more complex. What we mean by this:
Technical difficulties with implementation. Advanced business logic, like tiered pricing, conditional discounts, custom checkout flows, or regional rules, can be difficult to implement without workarounds or additional apps (through Shopify store).And even then, you may run into hard limitations imposed by Shopify’s core infrastructure. The checkout experience, for example, is locked down by default. Full customization is only available on Shopify Plus, and even then, some backend controls remain limited. This can be a dealbreaker for businesses with highly tailored purchase flows.
App dependency. While the app store offers convenience, relying heavily on third-party solutions often leads to rising monthly fees and potential integration headaches. Over time, businesses may find themselves stitching together a patchwork of tools just to support what should be core functionality.
Business model limitations. Shopify is not natively built for B2B use. While it has made strides with Shopify Plus, things like quote management, company accounts, and role-based pricing still require apps or custom development.
Shopify is a powerful choice for fast-growing D2C brands and product companies that value ease, speed, and simplicity. It’s one of the best platforms on the market for launching and scaling a store with minimal friction.
However, as operations become more complex or industry-specific, Shopify’s guardrails can start to feel restrictive — especially if your team is looking for deep control over the customer journey or backend logic.
Pros and cons of Magento: Flexibility, custom logic, and deep integrations
While Shopify wins on simplicity, Magento excels at depth. It’s built for businesses that need to go beyond the standard playbook — that is:
Implement unique workflows
Manage intricate product catalogs
Operate globally with different customer types and pricing rules
For these companies, Magento offers the kind of customization that simply isn’t possible on most SaaS platforms.
Where Adobe Commerce delivers
Adobe Commerce shines when the ecommerce business model demands full control. The platform’s open, modular architecture allows for deep customization across every part of the user experience, from storefront layout and filtering to backend logic, checkout flows, and even customer-specific pricing rules.
One of its biggest differentiators is its native support for B2B operations. Adobe Commerce includes:
Company accounts
Approval workflows
Purchase orders
Shared catalogs
This makes it a strong fit for businesses operating in manufacturing, wholesale, distribution, or hybrid B2B/B2C models.
The platform is also equipped for international and multi-store setups, allowing businesses to manage multiple storefronts under one backend while tailoring experiences by region, brand, or customer group. Its scalability and integration capabilities make it ideal for businesses that need to connect with ERPs, CRMs, or third-party systems across multiple layers.
And with the addition of Adobe’s AI and personalization tools (especially within Adobe Experience Cloud) merchants can also deliver tailored content, product recommendations, and promotions at scale.
Where Adobe Commerce may fall short
Despite all advantages, Adobe Commerce comes with higher expectations:
Unlike Shopify, it doesn’t offer a plug-and-play experience. Even with Adobe Commerce’s managed cloud services, you’ll need experienced developers to build, launch, and maintain your store.
A team of developers leads to higher total cost of ownership (TCO): from longer development timelines to ongoing technical maintenance. Adobe Commerce is not just a platform, it’s an infrastructure decision. If your business doesn’t have access to reliable technical talent (in-house or through an agency), launching on Adobe can be overwhelming.
Adobe Commerce may be overkill for businesses with straightforward catalogs and basic functionality needs. You’re paying for flexibility, whether you use it or not.
Time to market is considerably longer. From planning and architecture to deployment and optimization, launching on Adobe Commerce is more resource-intensive, which may delay time-sensitive go-to-market plans.
What are the conclusions?
Adobe Commerce is built for scale, complexity, and full ownership of the commerce experience. If your business operates in a highly specialized industry, requires advanced B2B capabilities, or needs to serve multiple regions with different logic, Adobe Commerce is one of the most capable platforms available.
However, it’s not for the faint of heart. It requires a strategic investment, technical leadership, and a long-term commitment to building and maintaining infrastructure that fully supports your unique operations.
Difference between Magento and Shopify: Technical side of things
While features and pricing are easy to compare at a glance, the real test of a platform’s long-term value lies in how it’s built. If you’re planning to scale, localize, or support complex workflows, the technical architecture behind your eCommerce platform will directly influence what you can do and how efficiently.
Let’s take a closer look at how Adobe Commerce and Shopify differ on the technical side: from architecture and developer experience to scalability and industry support.
Shopify vs. Magento: Core functionality and architecture
Shopify and Adobe Commerce take fundamentally different approaches to platform structure.
Shopify is a closed, SaaS-based platform. That means you can configure and extend it, but you can’t touch the core. Its structure is designed to be safe and stable, limiting the risk of breakage but also restricting flexibility.
Adobe Commerce is based on an open-source, modular architecture. It offers complete control over how your eCommerce system behaves whether you're building advanced workflows, a custom checkout, or integrating deeply with your ERP.
Takeaway: Shopify gives you predictability and speed. Adobe Commerce gives you the room to build your store the way your business works—but you’ll need a team who knows how.
Shopify versus Magento: Development environment and tech stack
Your developers will have a very different experience depending on which platform you choose.
Shopify uses a proprietary templating language called Liquid and offers APIs for app integrations. It’s well-suited for rapid theming, but deeper backend logic is mostly off-limits unless you’re on Shopify Plus.
Adobe Commerce is built with PHP, uses Symfony components, and supports both REST and GraphQL APIs. Developers can create custom modules, override native functionality, and build PWA (Progressive Web App) frontends using Adobe’s PWA Studio.
Takeaway: Shopify is simpler to build on for common use cases. Adobe is for engineering teams that want to create unique experiences from the ground up.
Magento or Shopify: Scalability and infrastructure
Both platforms can scale, but they do so differently.
Shopify handles all infrastructure. It’s fully hosted, secure, and optimized out of the box. There’s no DevOps overhead, which makes it great for businesses that want to grow without thinking about technical complexity.
Adobe Commerce gives you options. You can self-host, but most businesses use Adobe Commerce Cloud (Magento Commerce Cloud), a managed infrastructure offering that includes performance monitoring, auto-scaling, and compliance tools. It’s ideal for businesses running multiple storefronts, complex catalogs, or global operations.
Takeaway: Shopify scales fast and effortlessly if your model fits the mold. Adobe Commerce is built for companies scaling in complexity, not just volume.
Industry-specific and niche functionality
If your business fits a standard retail model, Shopify will likely cover your needs. It’s ideal for verticals like:
Fashion and apparel
Beauty and wellness
Lifestyle and fitness
Food and beverage
Home goods and decor
But for businesses in regulated or complex industries, Shopify may fall short without heavy app stacking or workarounds.
Adobe Commerce is designed to handle:
Automotive (fitment data, compatibility filters)
Healthcare/medical (custom compliance flows)
B2B distribution (quotes, purchase orders, catalogs by company)
Takeaway: If your business doesn’t fit the standard D2C model or if B2B is a core part of your operation, Adobe Commerce gives you the structure to support it natively.
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Final Shopify vs Magento comparisons based on real-life ecommerce store development cases
While feature charts and pricing tables are helpful, the most practical insights often come from what happens in real-world projects. As a company that provides Shopify development services with Magento certified developers, Dinarys has worked with a wide range of companies: from fast-scaling consumer brands to highly specialized B2B operations. We helped them choose between Shopify and Magento based on their actual business needs.
In this section, we’ll walk through a series of real-life development cases that show where each platform proves its strengths. Whether it’s launching a global retail brand on Shopify or building a fully customized B2B ordering system on Magento, these examples illustrate how platform decisions play out when applied to real technical, operational, and market demands.
Project #1: WooCommerce to Shopify Plus migration for Undrgoods
Undergds is a Dubai-born brand, specializing in men's underwear and basics (such as trunks, boxers, T-shirts, and socks) made from micromodal fibers. Undrgoods is positioned as a premium yet affordable underwear solution tailored to the needs of regional customers who value both comfort and quality.
Why did they decide to migrate from WooCommerce?
As Undrgoods grew, they began to push the limits of what WooCommerce could reliably support. The platform served them well in the early stages, but as order volumes increased and product variants expanded, they faced performance bottlenecks, plugin conflicts, and scaling limitations. Managing growth started to feel more like managing workarounds.
To support their ambitions and deliver a faster, more stable shopping experience, they decided it was time to move to Shopify Plus.
Why Shopify Plus?
Multi-store management. Shopify Plus made it easier to manage multiple storefronts across different regions, helping Undrgoods tailor content, pricing, and inventory to local markets without heavy custom development.
Integration with regional payment methods. Shopify Plus supported seamless integration with regional payment options, ensuring smoother checkout experiences for customers across the UAE, SAR, and KWD.
Performance and UX optimization. Shopify’s fast infrastructure and modern themes helped Undrgoods deliver a consistently smooth, mobile-first experience, which is critical for conversion rates in a high-expectation market like Dubai.
Automation of complex bundle operations. Shopify Plus enabled smarter product bundling logic with apps and backend automation, reducing manual handling of multi-item offers and streamlining logistics.
Project #2: WooCommerce to Shopify migration for ALEXASCHA
ALEXASCHA is a sustainable, eco-conscious fashion and accessories brand focusing on artisanal products inspired by Bauhaus aesthetics. The client needed a fast, mobile-optimized, secure, and self-manageable platform with room for growth that would help them increase their conversion rate of ~5% at the time.
We chose Shopify as a platform for their online store because it best matched their goals in terms of:
Performance and speed. They needed faster load times and a smoother customer experience to reach a goal of 10–15%. Shopify’s optimized architecture and performance out of the box made it the ideal upgrade.
Mobile experience. Shopify themes' responsive and mobile-first design meant a better experience for visitors, which is an essential piece in improving sales and user retention.
Ease of management. The client wanted to be able to make changes “without the help of third parties.” Shopify’s intuitive admin panel and user-friendly setup empowered their internal team.
Secure and reliable operations. Shopify includes built-in SSL certificates, PCI compliance, and enterprise-grade security that’s important for a brand that wants to ensure safe transactions and avoid data breaches.
Comprehensive feature support. Shopify covered essential improvements like better analytics setup, multi-browser compatibility, fast load speeds, and ongoing site optimization, helping the brand double conversion rates and user retention.
Project #3: Horoshop to Magento 2 migration for PROSTOR.
Prostor is a well-established brick-and-mortar retail chain in Ukraine, specializing in cosmetics and household cleaning products. With over 427 stores across 132 cities, they’re expanding their digital footprint to match their physical presence.
PROSTOR’s previous platform (Horoshop) limited their ability to:
Integrate with their custom CRM
Implement customer engagement tools and custom bonus programs
Offer a streamlined user experience (e.g., OTP login, efficient checkout)
Scale operations within a secure, flexible technical framework
They approached Dinarys to migrate to Magento 2 because it allowed for:
Deep flexibility for integrations. Magento’s platform allowed seamless integration with Prostor’s CRM and made it possible to develop highly tailored modules (e.g., bonus system, offline pickup points).
Custom user engagement features. Magento enabled them to introduce OTP authentication, optimize checkout, and build a loyalty program suited to local market behavior — all integrated directly into the site.
Robust scalability and infrastructure support. Using Kubernetes, the new Magento setup could handle peak loads across multiple regions, making the platform both reliable and resilient.
Tangible business impact. Within five months, Prostor saw significant improvements in online conversions, SEO (search engine optimization) visibility, and user experience, thanks to the high degree of customization and platform control Magento provided.
You can read a full case study if you need more information or read our article about Magento migration to learn more about every trick and tip for a successful migration process.
Project #4: Magento to Shopify migration for myfelt
myfelt is a design‑forward brand crafting bespoke felt products, like rugs, placemats, coasters, often with customizable size, color, and pattern options.
The myfelt team wanted to migrate from Magento Commerce to:
Reduce ongoing costs and technical dependency, moving away from a high-maintenance platform
Speed up deployment, especially before the critical Black Friday sales period
Find a platform that allowed self-management without developers, making daily updates easier for their team
Cost-efficiency. Shopify significantly lowered the overhead associated with hosting, maintenance, and technical support, enabling myfelt to operate more sustainably.
Faster time-to-market. The platform’s simplicity and clear migration tools allowed myfelt to complete the transition in under three months — just in time for peak sales periods like Black Friday.
Team empowerment and autonomy. Shopify’s intuitive admin interface allowed myfelt’s team to manage product updates, content edits, and basic commerce management without developer involvement.
Support for custom product workflows. Despite migrating to a simpler platform, they retained unique product features, like a custom PDF generator that converts customer-made rug configurations into detailed manufacturing instructions, ensuring seamless operational continuity.
Improved performance and conversions. After the migration, myfelt saw their site speed improve dramatically, and conversions nearly doubled — from 2.7% to around 5% within the first three months.
It’s easy to get caught up in market share graphs, performance benchmarks, or popularity trends when comparing Shopify, Magento, or any other ecommerce platform. But the truth is — none of those metrics alone will tell you which platform is right for your business.
So before picking the right ecommerce platform, ask the real questions:
How complex is your business logic?
Do you need full control or faster launch cycles?
Is your team ready to manage infrastructure — or do you want it fully handled?
Will your platform grow with you — or outgrow you?
There’s no single winner in the Shopify vs. Adobe Commerce debate. The best platform is the one that meets your business where it is — and supports where you want to go next.
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Shopify is ideal for launching fast with minimal technical effort, while Magento 2 is better suited for businesses that need deep customization and more complex infrastructure.
Magento 2 is the better choice if your store requires integration with custom solutions or implementation of custom features, B2B functionality, or advanced integrations. Shopify is a great fit if simplicity, speed, and ease of use are your top priorities.
Both platforms can scale, but in different ways. Shopify simplifies scaling standard D2C brands, while Magento 2 gives you the flexibility to scale complex, multi-layered operations on your own terms.
Magento (especially Magento Enterprise, now Adobe Commerce) is often the go-to for enterprise-level businesses that need extensive customization, custom integrations, and deep control over infrastructure. Shopify manages high-volume stores well too, but Magento offers more flexibility for teams with the technical knowledge to handle it.
Both platforms offer strong SEO capabilities, but Magento SEO is more configurable out of the box, especially when paired with specific Magento extensions. Shopify users benefit from built-in marketing tools and a user-friendly website builder, while Magento supports advanced customization and API documentation for those needing more granular control. Shopify also makes it easy to use third-party apps, but Magento allows deeper integration.
For large businesses that require full control over functionality, Magento Commerce Cloud stands out with its robust customization options and flexible architecture. It allows teams to tailor everything — from product logic to checkout flow — often with custom modules and self-managed web hosting. At the same time, Shopify offers the Shopify Plus plan, which provides greater flexibility than its standard offerings. However, it may still present limitations for businesses that require highly specific features or full control over their infrastructure.
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