Magento 2 vs. Shopify, both of which are currently the better e-commerce platforms, have become a hotly debated topic in recent years. There are a lot of opposing opinions on this point, making it confusing for merchants to choose for their store. If you are one of them, this blog post will help you make the best choice easier by comparing Magento 2 and Shopify comprehensively from 15 different aspects. Many people misunderstand that these two platforms are similar, but in reality, they are very different in almost every aspect.
What is Magento?
It is an open-source eCommerce platform that gives developers all the resources they require to build flawless eCommerce stores. A modernized store can now be built using the platform's enhanced security features, extensions, and other features thanks to the upgrade to Magento 2.0. However, in order to create enterprise-level stores, coding knowledge is required. Make great strides by collaborating with one of the top Magento development companies if you want to increase sales through your online store.
Magento 1 and Magento 2 are used to power more than 1.67 million and almost 1 million websites, respectively. After being acquired by Adobe, Magento is expected to experience significant growth in its features and applications globally in the years to come. To learn more, check out our "custom Magento 2 services" that can give your business a competitive edge.
What is Shopify?
A user-friendly eCommerce platform makes it simple for SMBs to large-sized businesses to create an online store and begin selling products there. It stands out in the crowded eCommerce market thanks to a comprehensive suite of services for customer engagement, marketing, sales, payments, shipping, support, and more.
By supplying power to nearly 39 million e-commerce websites, Shopify has generated $307.4 billion in economic activity worldwide. In the first quarter of 2022, it brought in 1.2 billion in revenue, with most of its merchants being members of generation Y. You can hire a reputable eCommerce development company in India for one-of-a-kind e-commerce development. MagentoBrain is one such company. They have a dedicated e-commerce web development team as well as "custom Shopify development services".
Magento vs Shopify Comparison
Both eCommerce platforms are better in their place. It depends on your requirements. Magento development solution is an open-source platform that offers a very flexible and efficient solution that is beneficial for large-scale enterprises. Let's explain it in detail now:
1. The popularity of the platform
There is no doubt that Magento 2 and Shopify are very popular eCommerce platforms today. Magento 2 has authorized more than 250,000 eCommerce, and Shopify has built about 600,000 online stores. The Magento global community consists of approximately 60,000 developers and more than 300 solution partners, resulting in continuous improvement and enhancement of the platform. Since Magento has the largest and strongest community, it always stays ahead of all other platforms. Magento 2 seems to be the first choice for most medium and large businesses, while small businesses are more interested in Shopify.
However, both platforms are geared towards small, medium, and large companies, regardless of size. From my point of view, Magento 2 will not only be able to expand business on large e-commerce platforms in the future but will also be an ideal choice for small e-commerce platforms.
2. Upfront costs
First of all, Magento provides us with two versions, two options, Magento Open Source (free) and Magento Commerce. So, if you choose the Magento open-source platform, you can start from $0.00. Meanwhile, Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, but after that, you will need to pay.
Still, the upfront costs of developing a new website from scratch based on the two platforms are vastly different. To build a Magento website, you need to have strong technical knowledge and experience; otherwise, you have to find a professional Magento technical service provider to do it, which requires a certain fee. Generally speaking, it takes US$2,500 to US$10,000 to find a website development company in Asia to build a foreign trade website, and it takes at least US$15,000 to cooperate with companies such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
On the other hand, Shopify stores have no setup fees. What you need to do is choose a monthly plan to start and then configure the website yourself as it does not require a lot of technical skills. More specifically, Shopify offers a website-building drag-and-drop tool; thus, you can move elements around the page to customize your store as needed.
This is why most small companies choose Shopify because of their low budget for early investment. However, for large and medium-sized e-commerce malls, the development cost of Magento may not be a big problem, and it will also help them develop in the long run. Read on to find out why.
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3. Operating expenses
As I mentioned, Shopify users have to opt for a monthly plan and they will continue to pay their bills monthly until they... close their store. There are three Shopify plans - Basic Shopify, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify, which cost $29, $79, and $299 per month. It's worth noting that website hosting is already included in these packages.
On the Magento side, instead of paying a monthly fee to use Magento 2, you pay a hosting fee ($3-100 per month depending on your needs). While it does have costs, you are free to choose the hosting solution that works best for your store.
In addition to this, Shopify also charges 2%, 1%, or 0.5% (transaction fees) on each sale if you use an external payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments. For example, if you want to include popular payment gateways like PayPal, Braintree, Authorize.net, etc. when using the Basic Shopify plan, you will be charged $2 for every $100 of orders. So, assuming your revenue is $100,000 per year, you would be paying $2000 to Shopify.
4. Ease of use
Here, I am no longer talking about how to build a website, but about the convenience of managing the entire website.
Objectively speaking, both Magento 2 and Shopify offer user-friendly and easy-to-use admin dashboards for administrators, regardless of their level of technical knowledge. Thanks to this, we can efficiently manage products, customers, orders, CMS pages and create sales reports, etc. However, I prefer the modern look of the Magento 2 dashboard in comparison.
5. Function
Both of these popular platforms offer the basic features to start and maintain your eCommerce business. Here are some comparison examples:
When it comes to discount and coupon codes, Magento 2 allows you to generate as many codes as you want by default. While Shopify also offers this feature, it's not included in the basic plan.
When it comes to inventory management, Magento users can control an unlimited number of items. Shopify stores offer the same functionality, except for those on the Basic plan — which only allows 25 items.
In terms of shipping, both platforms offer flexible shipping methods and automatically calculate shipping costs.
Moving to a multilingual setup, you can add any number of languages to your Magento 2 marketplace by easily installing language packs. For Shopify, you have to look for some language apps.
Another common feature for eCommerce web stores is a blog, which can be found on Shopify and can be added to Magento using a free or paid extension.
The most basic features offered by both platforms are related to SEO and marketing. In fact, Magento 2 and Shopify provide us with similar SEO capabilities, such as editing meta tags, meta titles, meta keywords, URL keys, alt text, etc., which help improve website rankings on SERPs.
6. Design and customization
Website design is one of the most important factors in determining the success of a website. There are many Magento 2 and Shopify themes to choose from, both free and paid. Generally, most templates are responsive and mobile-friendly, so they render well no matter what device your customers are using.
The problem is that you can only change the basic colors and fonts in the Shopify theme. Whereas Magento 2 is a flexible and extensible platform that allows you to customize and create beautiful and unique designs according to your creativity.
Regarding the code, Magento 2 uses PHP, while Shopify uses Liquid; Magento is open source, while Shopify is closed source. Being open source, Magento 2 gives you the freedom to develop custom code to suit your needs, whereas you cannot modify Shopify's code.
Therefore, Shopify is only suitable for small businesses that accept a simple website with a common look and feel. At the same time, Magento 2 can meet the needs of medium-sized and large e-commerce businesses, which often require unique and complex stores.
7. Speed and performance
Website speed optimization is a key factor for eCommerce stores. Many surveys have shown that even a 1-second delay can result in a 7% reduction in conversion rates. If customers experience slow page loads, they are likely to leave your website.
Due to the fact that Shopify is a hosted solution, the company guarantees the functionality of the website. The majority of the time, Shopify sites perform well and consistently.
For a Magento 2 website, its website speed mainly depends on the chosen hosting service. If you choose a powerful host with proper website optimization (code and images throughout the site), you don't need to worry about site performance.
8. User experience
One of the most important aspects when evaluating an eCommerce platform is user experience, especially checkout ease.
Magento 2 provides us with a simple and fast two-step checkout process (including shipping information, preview, and payment information), as well as some great features like guest checkout and one-click account creation. Also, the discount code box is placed directly on the checkout page.
Shopify also offers a convenient one-page checkout. The problem is, on the Basic Shopify plan, doesn't show real-time shipping rates from the start, which can lead to higher rates of cart abandonment at checkout.
9. Modules and Plugins
Although Magento 2 and Shopify already provide almost everything an online store needs, it is highly recommended that you consider some third-party extensions to enhance website performance and functionality.
As of now, Shopify offers more than 2,300 apps in its store, which is less than the number of Magento 2 extensions (more than 3,000) currently on the market. In contrast, Magento 2 not only provides more plugins in quantity but also guarantees more in terms of quality. Its expansive list covers all aspects of store improvement and enhancement, including accounting and finance, marketing, content and customization, customer support, payments and security, reporting and analytics, and more.
10. Payment gateway option
Magento: Magento includes multilingual payment processors that will expand the reach of your store internationally. You can add Magento's various modules and set up various payment options to your store using add-ons from third parties.
Shopify: This platform comes with an integrated payment processor. Besides, it supports over 70 different payment processors.
11. Scalability
There is no doubt that Magento 2 is more suitable than Shopify for medium and large e-commerce stores with thousands of products. If you just want to build a small website with no long-term plans, Shopify might be a good choice. However, if you are looking to develop an online business that may grow and grow in the future, Magento 2 is the first place to start.
12. Magento 2 vs Shopify. Who is the Best?
All things considered, the final score is 9-4 and the winner is Magento 2. However, this may not be true for all eCommerce businesses. In order to find the best platform for your company, you need to balance the potential of the platform with your goals and budget.
Wrapping Up
If you need to build a store with a handful of products in a short amount of time, Shopify is just what you need. On the contrary, if you are expecting an online store with powerful features, scalability, and customization, Magento is the best choice.