Do you want to skip the read and get right to my winner? Shopify the Winner within this Magento vs Shopify comparison eCommerce platform test.
Introduction to our Magento vs Shopify Comparison:
Magento vs Shopify for your eCommerce platform? Two big hitters in the ecommerce platform arena clash in our extensive, informed and in-depth comparison review.
In our Magento vs Shopify comparison we will give you the lowdown on both. This should help you to fill your e-commerce trolley platform requirements and make your checkout decision on which provider to use that little bit easier.
We have dug deeply into the Magento vs Shopify platforms in order to help you clearly see what both have to offer. Our guide is a side-by-side view on what we feel are most important when looking at these two web building platforms. To help you clearly understand the differences we have also placed a Magento vs Shopify winners verdict at the end of each section.
Overview: Same arena but different approach.
While this will be an in-depth comparison review of Magento vs Shopify it is important to understand some fundamental differences between the two platforms. Below are some of the major Magento vs Shopify differences in order to help you understand whether Magento or Shopify is the platform for you.
Shopify:
- Shopify is a commercial product – This means you need to pay to use it.
- Shopify is a hosted solution – The Shopify platform hosts your store.
- Shopify is a platform more suited to novices and offers a simple user interface.
Magento:
- Magento is an open source, free to use software product. Note: There is a Magento2 enterprise product but this is only suitable for large organisations. We will be concentrating on the ‘standard’ Magento vs Shopify offerings not Shopify vs Magento 2.
- Magento is a self-hosted solution – This means you need to establish your own hosting, installation, setup and complete configuration before beginning store creation – This will require at least a reasonable knowledge of web development and programming skills unless the task is outsourced to a professional Magento developer – Costs for the latter need to be taken into account.
- Magento is packed full of features but taking full advantage makes it more suitable for those with advanced development experience.
Who wins the Magento vs Shopify popularity stakes?
Before we get into side-by-side comparisons let’s take a look at the Magento Shopify figures for use.
It is roundly understood that in the Magento vs Shopify user statistic comparison that Magento currently has around 250,000 users while Shopify has in excess of 600,000 users.
This makes Shopify the clear winner when looking at Magento vs Shopify active ecommerce sites.
Our Side-by-Side comparisons – Will it be Magento or Shopify for your business?
The Magento Shopify platforms have both been tested to ensure you get a clear picture from the various categories below. You will also note that when looking at each category there will be a ‘winner’ in each section.
Ease of Use:
When considering whether to use Magento vs Shopify as your online selling platform, ease of use is a key factor. We will consider this factor and start with our side by side comparisons:
Magento:
It must be said that there is quite a learning curve to be encountered when considering Magento. The reality here is that unless you have some coding experience and understand a range of technical terms you will not maximise the true power of this platform.
We feel the Magento Content Management System (CMS) is less user friendly than Shopify’s unless you are well versed with programming and coding.
This is because there are lots of technical terms to overcome and some of these can be quite intimidating for the beginner, but those with such experience or those willing to invest time in understanding Magento will certainly benefit from the platform’s flexibility and use.
Being open source means Magento gives a lot of freedom once coding experience develops.
There are also lots of resource guides that will help get you through any difficult processes but time and patience is required for the beginner.
Shopify:
The opposite must be said of Shopify’s user interface. Beginners will find it easy to get the hang of and will find the system very intuitive.
As your one-stop-shop, drag ‘n drop website and store builder you will find it pretty easy to customise your store and moving elements around the page can be achieved exactly as you wish.
Shopify provides all of the tools require to build and run your store. This means you can be up and running in next to no time.
Some key ‘ease of use’ functions everyone should appreciate are:
- Ease of custom image insertion into themes in order to fully personalise your store
- Addition of initial and future product range in no time whatsoever
- Payment set up is simple
- Fully customise your store’s look and feel to reflect your business goals
Winner – Shopify! when comparing Magento to Shopify ‘Ease of Use' category.
Features and Flexibility:
In terms of features and flexibility when considering Magento vs Shopify, the former has the edge. Here’s a few key pointers on both.
Out-of-the-box:
Magento:
In the Shopify or Magento decision making process the features and tools offered need to align with your business aspirations.
Magento offers solid features and tools and will allow you to grow your store at exactly the pace you wish.
Indeed, the features and tools offered by both platforms are deemed more than sufficient to maintain and manage your online store.
We will take 4 examples of some ‘key’ features that both platforms offer and mention 2 in each section.
Shipping charge calculation:
This is one of the most basic, essential aspects for those selling physical goods via their ecommerce store.
Both platforms perform well when it comes to powerful calculation of shipping charges.
With Shopify you also get some integration of drop-shipping tools which come with shipping estimates. Their shipping calculators are also more exact.
Inventory management:
Magento allows you to create and sell unlimited product numbers. Shopify matches this.
There is a word of caution here relating to Magento. While an unlimited number of products are permitted by the platform, if you are selling lots of different products you need to ensure that your hosting provider can match your needs. If not, performance and site loading speeds could turn out to be serious issues.
This is not a concern for those using the Shopify platform (due to the fact that Shopify is a fully hosted and managed ecommerce solution).
The creation of products and collections using Shopify or Magento offers similar scope. However, Shopify steals a march here due to its direct integration for drop-shippinginventory apps such as Oberlo.
Shopify:
The Shopify store functionality is quite powerful and easy to set up.
Basic features such as Shopping carts, Checkout modules, Product pages and Collections are all included, as they are with Magento.
Here are comparisons of the final 2 of 4 ‘key’ features in this Magento, Shopify category:
Coupon and Discount code provision:
Those plumping for the Shopify ‘Lite’ payment plan will not have this feature.
It is available on all of the more expensive plans.
Magento offers this important feature from the ‘get-go’. You can manipulate as you wish when it comes to discount code creation and calculation functionalities.
Payment gateway options:
This is where Shopify has a big edge in terms of numbers (but only in the amount of gateways available!).
They support in excess of 70 payment gateways, far more than Magento, although it is eminently possible to add more gateways using 3rdparty apps to Magento.
The real issue we find with Shopify is that unless you use their payment gateway – ‘Shopify Payments’ which gives 0% per transaction incentive, you will pay a transaction fee on every sale when using other payment gateways.
While both platforms are pretty similar regarding the availability of features and tools, the main difference we see between them is that Magento offers far more intermediate and advanced features which come built into the system.
With Shopify you may need to regularly dip into the app market (see category below) to extend functionality.
Magento vs Shopify Themes & Templates:
Magento:
There are 12 themes available from Magento. Both free and paid for.
Note: 10 of these are fully mobile responsive (we will get into mobile responsiveness in the next category).
One very positive aspect for those with coding knowledge, or anyone who has a budget to hire a Magento developer, is that your own theme can be created from scratch.
It should also be noted that Magento is an extremely flexible platform.
This means that you can customise just about any aspect of your site.
The caveat here is as previously mentioned: Some of these customisations require deep coding knowledge.
Examples of such customisation:
· Add a ‘product slider’ for those products you wish to feature and promote
· Animations can be added to your site for visual engagement – This addition can be extremely beneficial in terms of getting your site noticed
· Newsletter functionality can be added to your webpage ‘footer’
· ‘Cross-selling blocks’ can be placed across your product pages – This is an effective way to increase revenue
All of these customisations and more make the possibility of taking your Magento store to the next level a reality.
Shopify:
In the Magento to Shopify comparison of templates, Shopify has the upper hand.
They offer in excess of 60 professional, well-designed and attractive themes, all of which are customisable.
There are free as well as paid-for themes available.
To ease the pain of purchase, you should consider this as a long-term rather than short-term investment. After all, it will be the ‘face’ of your online store.
In this respect you will be pleased to know that any Shopify theme chosen can be customised exactly as you wish.
Here are a few popular customisations to consider:
· Addition of new pages – Examples being: Individual product pages, An ‘About Us’ page or a Blog.
When presented in an interesting style these types of pages will keep your customers coming back for more
· Colour palette and image changes in order to reflect your business as you wish
· Change page elements – You can add, move, remove and even re-size page elements to suit your style
· Social media feed integration is very straightforward to achieve
Magento vs Shopify 3rd Party Apps & Plugins:
Magento:
The Magento Marketplace offers a huge choice of free and paid extensions. Just under the 5,000 mark!
An added bonus is the fact that users with little technical knowledge can simply add an extension with just one click.
You will find an app for just about every function required from the Magento Marketplace apps store and due to the available quantity of apps this gives them the edge over Shopify.
It must also be pointed out that both platforms offer excellent social media integration apps.
Shopify:
The App store available from Shopify offers a healthy selection. You will have in excess of 2,400 Apps to choose from. These are both free and paid for.
Taking advantage of such add-ons will certainly add power to your store.
There is a very good ‘apps search’ feature which makes it easy to find the type of app that you are looking for.
A word of caution: Some ‘Shopify-specific’ apps do require some coding snippets. Make sure you are aware of this when browsing for a required application.
Magento vs Shopify Hosting & Back-up:
Magento:
Because Magento is a ‘self-hosted’ platform this means that either yourself or the hosting provider are responsible for back-up and restore functionality.
It is extremely important that you do not leave such an important function to chance. Before you choose a provider to host your Magento-powered online store do check extensively what they offer in terms of backing-up of your data and the restore function if data is lost.
It should be said that there are some very good hosting providers out there that deal well with the back-up and restore functions.
You would also be wise to save your data on a regular basis.
This should be looked upon as either after any changes are made, or daily.
You will find apps that help automate the process but do make this a priority. Losing data after restoration due to any issue could cost you many hours to put right.
Shopify:
The platform is fully hosted on all subscription plans.
When it comes to back-up and restore with Shopify things are far more straightforward.
The platform backs-up your data on a daily basis.
This means that in the worst case you should only lose data on any changes made on the day a problem occurs.
However, this has caused a lot of concern for users since the September 2020 data breach on Shopify servers and again earlier this year. For safety, the platform recommends its users to back up their store information using *.csv files. Alternatively you can use a third-party app to help you out like Rewind.
Winner – Draw! when comparing Magento to Shopify ‘Features and Flexibility' category.
Magento eCommerce vs Shopify Tools:
Whether you choose Magento or Shopify or any other platform the availability of eCommerce tools is absolutely crucial to making the most of your online presence. Both platforms offer extensive choice.
Magento:
Two obvious reason it is such a popular platform are because many see it as an all-in-one E-Commerce solution and that it offers a huge feature set. Our Magento eCommerce review agrees and does not see many major feature missing from this advanced piece of software.
Shopify:
When it comes to Shopify online store reviews, the eCommerce tools this platform offers are also awesome. Despite its lower price point Shopify has developed over the years to be an equal to any other eCommerce platform on the market including the mighty Magento.
Winner – Draw! when comparing Magento to Shopify ‘eCommerce Tools' category.
Magento vs Shopify SEO and Mobility:
In the Magento vs Shopify decision stakes the SEO & Mobility features cannot be ignored. The good news is that both offer advantages for your online presence. Here are highlights of the Shopify versus Magento SEO & Mobile functionality;
Good SEO is a crucial feature for all online stores.
In this respect both platforms offer similar functionality and are seen as being search engine ‘friendly’.
When the SEO functionality is used effectively this will give you the ability to ensure your store climbs page rankings.
Those using Magento or Shopify online stores have the potential to rank highly in the results pages.
Due to the similarity of functions on both platforms here are 4 highly useful SEO features split across the 2 comparisons that are either built-in or can be obtained from the relevant platform apps store.
Page edit of title and description:
This will help define how your online store appears in search engine results pages.
Add alt text to images:
By adding alt text to your store’s images, it will help search engines to understand what they are about, thus helping to move you up the ranking ladder.
Anyone starting an online store (whether they are using Magento Shopify or any other ecommerce platform) should be aware of the high importance of mobile responsiveness.
A site that is slow to load on a mobile device will in all likelihood be abandoned by a visitor.
As we have mentioned, of Magento’s 12 themes, 10 are fully mobile responsive. This means that when your site is viewed via a mobile device it will automatically resize itself to fit the viewing device.
If you have chosen to employ a Magento developer to assist with your online store appearance, do spend a little time discussing mobile responsiveness and AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages).
This feature continues to increase in importance and is something you would be wise to understand (not necessarily from a technical point of view, just the benefits it offers!).
As we have referred to, both platforms offer solid SEO features.
These features are fairly straightforward to implement via both CMS editors.
Here are the final 2 of 4 examples of what SEO features can be taken advantage of on both the Magento or Shopify platforms:
SEO issues scan:
This tool allows you to identify and subsequently rectify any potential issues which are affecting your stores search engine ranking potential. Examples being; poor meta descriptions or page title.
Site speed checks:
It stands to reason that the faster your site loads, the better search engines think of it (this is because it provides a more satisfactory user experience).
Using this tool can help you keep a check on site load speeds.
The final thing to say on SEO functions is that all of Shopify’s themes are required to include social media links as well as sharing buttons. This certainly helps spread your word!
The number of smartphone users who regularly make online purchases continues to rise.
To catch your share of this very demanding audience your online store and themes need to be fully mobile responsive.
Those considering Magento or Shopify as their ecommerce platform will be pleased to know that all Shopify themes come as mobile optimised.
What this means to you is that your store will look as appealing as you have designed it whether your visitors view on a smartphone or tablet.
In the Magento vs Shopify comparison there is one other Shopify feature that must be mentioned:
You will be able to offer a ‘product zoom’ feature which allows your visitors to view each product in more detail.
Winner – Draw! when comparing Magento to Shopify ‘SEO and Mobility' category.
Support and Resources:
A Maggento and Shopify comparison when it comes to support and resources puts Shopify in a stronger position.
Magento:
Because Magento is a self-hosted platform there is no dedicated support as such.
What you can rely on for assistance is the huge community of users who offer a high level of support.
Whenever you run into trouble you can reach out to the Magento Forum.
Here where you will find answers for just about every issue seen.
There is also a powerful search tool on the massive database consisting of user generated content where questions and answers have been clearly laid out.
But unless you are paying the big bucks for Magento2 vs Shopify far lower costs on even their highest price plan you will not have any avenue to a dedicated support team when opting for the Magento platform.
Shopify:
Shopify does extremely well in the help and support category and actually takes some beating even from other hosted ecommerce platform competitors.
They offer support in various ways:
- Email: Feel free to email the support team with any query day or night.
- Live Chat: The option to chat directly with a “Shopify Guru’ is an excellent way to resolve issues quickly.
- Telephone support: The support team are available 24/7 to deal with any issue.
Other support options include extensive knowledge-based tutorials that come loaded with screenshots and tips. You can also make full use of the helpful Shopify Community Forum.
One final comment on Shopify assistance is the opportunity to join The Shopify Ecommerce University. This free resource is an excellent way to increase your ecommerce expertise.
Winner – Shopify! when comparing Magento to Shopify ‘Support and Resources' category.
Magento vs Shopify Pricing:
One of the first things many will look at when considering Magento vs Shopify is the pricing structure. Quite understandable!
If you are considering an Enterprise scheme then the Shopify plus vs Magento enterprise pricing escalates considerably. The price is dependent upon needs and can be obtained by speaking with customer service.
Shopify:
Shopify offers 3 ‘standard’ price plans;
There are 2 ‘other' pricing options;
- Their ‘Lite’ plan does not allow for an e-commerce store to be set up, but for those with an existing website who simply want an easily convertible e-commerce add-on, the Lite plan achieves this through the addition of the ‘Shopify Buy Button’.
- The other plan available is known as their ‘Enterprise’ plan. This is targetted at huge online stores. Anyone interested in pricing for this plan will need to contact the company directly to assess needs and associated costs.
Bear in mind that to enhance your Shopify store that additional app purchase will likely be required. If so, this will obviously add to your running costs.
As stated on their terms of service page, the platform offers a 14-day trial, letting you wade through Shopify first before committing.
Magento:
While Magento’s open-source edition is free to download, Magento Commerce will come at a price.
As a minium;
The greater the functionality and size of your online store, the more you will pay for in terms of related apps and increased hosting costs. An example here is that while some of Magento’s apps are free, the ones that cost come with and installation and annual fee. This can often be seen at around $100 per app per year. As mentioned, the more paid for apps installed, the greater your cost.
Another cost consideration that may need to be take in into account is the potential of hiring a Magento eCommerce development team. If this option is taken then there is a fairly hefty financial investment involved, although you should expect an ‘all singing, all dancing’ site set up for this outlay.
Those companies looking to use the Enterprise version need to understand that Magento themselves set this up for you. This moves things up quite dramatically from a cost point of view. Indeed, there is no openly published price list on their website. You need to complete a contact form detailing your company and needs. Dependent upon what you are after, rumour has it that you will pay anything from £10,000 per annum and well in excess, dependent upon your needs.
Winner – Shopify! when comparing Magento to Shopify ‘Pricing' category. Shopify is a much more affordable platform to launch your online shop.
Magento vs Shopify Comparison Winner:
Whilst both platforms are excellent choices for your online presence, we have used and studied both platforms thoroughly and find a Shopify the Winner within this Magento Shopify comparison platform test.
Conclusion and Recommendation to our Magento vs Shopify Comparison:
Magento or Shopify? When considering whether to plump for Magento or Shopify as your ecommerce platform of choice there are various things to consider.
What is Shopify best used for?
Beginners, those with little technical knowledge or anyone who wants to concentrate solely on promoting and increasing their business will definitely benefit from using Shopify.
Costings can be a confusing issue as you need to assess what you actually get for your money on each plan with Shopify then include extras such as paid-for themes and apps.
Shopify on the other hand is the ‘go-to’ hosted ecommerce platform provider at an affordable cost.
What is Magento best used for?
Those with design and development experience and very deep pockets are more likely to go for Magento.
While you do not pay for Magento software there are costs that must be taken into account and these have been explained above.
The type of user will not be a small or startup business and instead a large fully developed corporation.
Magento Shopify Alternatives
Here's a list of the best Magento Shopify alternatives to create a an online store:
| Rank | Key Features | Price (Basic Paid Plan) | Transaction Fee | My View | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Shopify | Comprehensive e-commerce features, large app store, excellent SEO tools | $29/month Check Pricing | 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction (for online credit card rates) | Ideal for most online stores due to its comprehensive features | Try For Free |
| 2. Squarespace | Beautiful templates, great for small to medium-sized stores, powerful marketing tools | $12/month Check Pricing | None (but payment processor fees apply) | Great for creatives and those who need a visually stunning online store | Try For Free |
| 3. Webflow | Deep customization options, good for web designers, CMS features | $12/month Check Pricing | 2% on customer's checkout total | Best for designers needing high degree of customization | Try For Free |
| 4. Square Online | Syncs with Square POS, good for small to medium-sized stores, unlimited products | Free to start, e-commerce from $12/month Check Pricing | Yes, 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction | Great for existing Square POS users | Try For Free |
| 5. WooCommerce | Open-source, highly customizable, requires WordPress | Free Check Hosting Pricing | Depends on payment gateway used | Best for WordPress users and those who want total control | Try For Free (with Nexcess Hosting) |
| 6. Wix | User-friendly, great for small stores, wide range of templates | $14/month Check Pricing | None (but payment processor fees apply) | Great for small businesses or beginners | Try For Free |
| 7. Big Cartel | Designed for creators and artists, easy to use, limited features | Free for up to 5 products, plans from $9.99/month Check Pricing | None (but payment processor fees apply) | Ideal for artists and creators with smaller product lines | Try For Free |
| 8. Ecwid | Can be integrated into any website, good for small to medium-sized stores | Free for up to 10 products, plans from $15/month Check Pricing | Depends on payment gateway used | Good for those who want to add a store to an existing site | Try For Free |
| 9. Volusion | Good inventory system, comprehensive e-commerce features | $29/month Check Pricing | None (but payment processor fees apply) | Good for medium-sized businesses | Try For Free |
| 10. Weebly | Easy to use, good for small stores, powered by Square | Free to start, paid plans from $6/month Check Pricing | 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction | Good for small businesses or beginners | Try For Free |
Magento vs Shopify Final Word:
Our in-depth Magento vs Shopify testing and review tells us that the majority of those looking to start an online store will be far more comfortable going down the Shopify route.
We do hope our Magento to Shopify comparison has helped clarify what both platforms have to offer and made your decision that little bit easier.
Remember; everyone's needs are different so what we have found the better between Magento 2 vs Shopify, may not be the best option for you. So please do your own research based on your businesses needs.
For those who are still undecided, a final important note when considering Magento or Shopify. Only Shopify offers a 14-day free trial period. It would do no harm whatsoever to take advantage of such an offer and test-drive to see if it fits your business model most appropriately. Two weeks should be ample time for you to test-drive each platform in order to decide as to which suits your needs best.
That’s all for now:
If you've read our Magento vs Shopify comparison up to here, we are grateful. Remember to always keep abreast of the latest developments on website builders, eCommerce, and other Magento Shopify alternative comparison articles, such as the ones below;
- Best website builder programs
- Best website builders for authors
- Best website builder app
- Best website builder for affiliate marketing
- Best website builder in UK
Please share any comments below!