Magento vs Shopify is a topic worth looking into. Both are leading ecommerce platforms used by businesses across the world. A comparison between them is only partially viable, as they tend to target different types of businesses. But exploring their features provides valuable insights into the features that a shop owner might put on the table when comparing the two options.
Overview & Usage
First of all, Magento is different to Shopify because it’s an open-source e-commerce platform. This means users can have full access to the backend. Shopify is a closed hosted-for-you platform.
Both offer similar essential features: the ability to create product listing (collection) pages, individual product pages, blog pages, blogging capabilities, shopping carts, checkout processes, and store search functions.
Therefore, a choice between them depends largely on the business’s specific needs and goals. Let’s take a look at some awards of both platforms, according to BuiltWith:
Magento:
-> 7th most popular in Romania in the Open Source category.
-> 4th most popular in the Top 1 Million sites in the Open Source category.
-> 10th most popular on the Entire Internet in the Open Source category.
-> 9th most popular in Romania in the eCommerce category.
-> 3th most popular in the Top 10k sites in the eCommerce category.
Shopify:
-> The most popular in Romania in the Hosted Solution category.
-> The most popular on the Entire Internet in the eCommerce category.
-> The most popular in the Top 1 Million sites in Hosted Solution category.
-> 3rd most popular in Romania in the eCommerce category.
-> 2nd most popular in the Top 10k sites in the eCommerce category.
Customizability & flexibility: tailored solutions for any need
Magento: It offers unparalleled flexibility and customization and is renown for offering great built-in features, such as highly advanced filtering option. All you can imagine, Magento and the dedicated team behind it, can do it.
But keep in mind: the most important thing about the interface of an e-commerce is that it must stay in line with your brand’s voice while remaining perfectly functional.
From custom themes and extensions to integrations with third-party tools, the possibilities are limitless.
Shopify: It’s a more limited structure that does offer a range of free themes and apps. In comparison with Magento, its customization capabilities are more limited. Shopify is ideal for businesses looking for a straightforward, beginner-friendly setup without the need for extensive customization.
Here are some cool features we built for our clients, at Baldwin.
A performant music player
A crucial element in the discovery phase is – of course – to try before you buy. That’s why we custom-developed a media player that automatically fetches the track titles & files from the ERP system, without compromising performance. A user can listen to selected tracks from the product detail page to discover a specific album.
Short Shelf Life functionality
Short Shelf Life feature helps businesses manage products with limited expiration periods, ensuring they stay fresh & safe. Short Shelf Life, also known as “THT,” meaning “Ten Have Till,” is used to indicate a product’s “Best Before” date. We built this feature for our latest client, Amanvida, to help them manage product expiration dates in an efficient manner. Benefits?
➡ Regulatory compliance
➡ Efficient inventory management
➡ Good customer satisfaction
➡ Cost savings
➡ Improved operations
If you’re looking for a platform that offers ease of use, Shopify is a solid option. However, if you prioritize flexibility, scalability and performance, Magento is the clear winner.
Scalability: growing without limits
Magento: Magento is designed for scalability. It is the go-to choice for businesses expecting significant growth. But either if managing a small online store or a global enterprise with thousands of products and high traffic, Magento can handle it all.
Shopify: Shopify is scalable up to a point, as it struggles to meet the demands of complex businesses. For large catalogs & heavy traffic, Shopify Plus offers additional features, but it still lacks the depth of control Magento provides.
Cost wise: investing smart for the long-term
Magento: It’s a one time investment and the costs will be higher than a website built on a platform such as Shopify. However, the cost will be amortized over time and will provide you with greater flexibility. But most important, Magento it’s highly scalable.
Shopify: Shopify is a subscription-based platform, which includes hosting and ongoing updates. While this model simplifies cost management, it comes with recurring fees and additional charges for premium apps and features.
According to a research commissioned by Shopify, Shopifys total cost of ownership is, on average, 29% cheaper than Magento’s. So if the cost is a deal breaker for you, this is something you should keep in mind.
Implementation expertise
Magento: It requires technical expertise to set up, basically a team that’s ready to write the code for your dream-come-true e-commerce. Somehow it’s similar to WordPress, but less beginner-friendly and accessible than Shopify. In Magento, every new module you want to add needs to be validated by both the programming and marketing teams, because a secure source will not negatively impact speed or accessibility performance.
So, you are thinking Magento vs Shopify. Oh well, Magento is ideal for larger businesses with resources and access to skilled developers or those willing to invest in professional development services (like ours wink-wink).
Shopify: Shopify’s has an intuitive interface that’s designed for non-technical users, allowing anyone to set up and manage an online store with minimal hassle. This ease of use makes it a popular choice for small businesses and startups that don’t have acces to a dedicated IT team. So, limited features, limited design, but costs savings.
One more thing:
Here are some brands you might know and the choice they made in their assesment: Magento vs Shopify:
Magento: Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Nespresso, Christian Louboutin, Omega, Nestle, Toyota, Canon, Puma, Purina, Cisco, Nintendo
Shopify: Skims, LeSportSac, Sephora, Redbull, Heinz, Lindt, Gymshark, PenguinBooks, Tesla, Oatly, Rothy’s, Deliveroo.
