Shopify vs Magento: You must be introduced to the term Dropshipping, it is a process where merchants collect orders from the third party and sell directly to the customers. Dropshipping is all about the process that happens behind online shopping.
To perform Dropshipping, there are many stores present online. These platforms are well known as eCommerce stores and help in storing and shipping the products.
From the list of popular and trusted E-commerce Stores, Shopify and Magento are also the choices of many professionals. Whether you are a beginner or going to change the Dropshipping site, you might be confused between these two.
Well both the platforms are performing well in their place and they are better than each other at specific points.
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Shopify vs Magento: Which eCommerce Platform is Right for You?
So, let’s discuss briefly both of them and compare Shopify and Magento to find which one is right for you.
Shopify
Known for its best services, Shopify is a Canadian e-commerce company trusted by worldwide retailers. Shipping, Storing, Marketing, Advertising, and Payments are some features provided by it.
Shopify is running smoothly, over worldwide it is used by thousands of small retailers. This is a secure eCommerce company with the least issues. They are connected to millions of businesses and still growing.
Tobias Lutke was a computer programmer for a trading company. But later in 2002, he built his own company Shopify. Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake are the co-founders of the company as well.
Today, Shopify has worth more than $1.5 million.
Magento
Built on open source technology, Magento is an eCommerce platform that provides a shopping cart system to online merchants. It offers powerful marketing features like catalog management and search engine as well.
It was officially started in 2007 whereas, in May 2018, it was acquired by Adobe Inc for $1.68 Billion USD. Magento is written in PHP and also uses other frameworks like Laminas and Symfony.
Magento serves many developer tools and its architect is pretty different from others. Moreover, you can choose between Business, Small Business, Mid-Market, and Enterprises as well.
The support system and Security, both are up to the mark in Magento.
Not only shopping software but Magento is also known for its Open Source where developers can extend the functionality of core files by adding plugins and all.
What About Pricing?
Shopify Pricing: A simple pricing method including three basic plans. Their three Shopify plans are priced at:
- You pay $29 per month for the “Basic Shopify” pricing plan.
- You pay $79 per month for the “Shopify” pricing plan.
- You pay $299 per month for the “Advanced Shopify” pricing plan.
The main difference between each lies in the fees it charges for accepting credit cards. Each Shopify plan changes the number of staff accounts available, as well as the ability to send out gift cards, and recover abandoned shopping carts.
Magento Pricing: Magento is free of cost software. They offer Enterprise Edition also which comes in a paid plan respected to your online store needs.
Also Read: Shopify vs WooCommerce
Shopify vs Magento: Pros and Cons
Shopify Pros and Cons
| PROS 👍 | CONS 👎 |
| Easy to handle the online store | The more expensive yearly bill |
| You can build your Brand | Limited capability |
| You can focus more on targeting the audience | More work to build and maintain a store |
| Shopify includes hosting and security | Customization is better with other platforms |
| 24/7 support – have your issues resolved around the clock | |
| Sell on other channels like Amazon, Facebook, eBay, and Pinterest as a built-in feature |
Magento Pros and Cons
| PROS 👍 | CONS 👎 |
| Good range of themes to choose from | A bit of a learning curve |
| No coding knowledge is needed for Magento commerce | Difficult for beginners |
| Magento is free to use | A lot of time to set up |
| Lots of customization options | Lots of costs associated with setting up your store |
| Magento 2 extensions | |
| Phone call support is available |
Comparison Between Shopify and Magento
- Initial Cost: Magento is free of cost software. They offer Enterprise Edition also which comes in a paid plan respected to your online store needs.
Whereas, for using Shopify Software, users have to pay a monthly subscription to access the platform. It is also known as SAAS (Software As A Service). You will get a free trial of 90 days and after that, you can choose between Basic Shopify i.e. $29 per month, Shopify i.e. $79 per month, and Advanced Shopify i.e. $179 per month. The better program you purchase the more features you will be able to access.
*So, Shopify is costly but provides a variety of plans and features than Magento.
- Skill/Coding Knowledge: Both Shopify and Magento are widely different when it comes to comparing at this point. Coding language is important while making online decisions as it shows what can be done.
Magento is open source and uses PHP, which means the source code is available for everyone and it can be modified easily by anyone, of course, free of cost! You can alter the template codes which suit your storage needs.
Talking about Shopify, it uses a coding language known as Liquid. Shopify is a proprietary source which means codes can’t be modified by everyone.
*This all makes Shopify a better option for small stores. Whereas, for advanced and complex one Coding of Magento is recommended.
- Hosting: Hosting is a very essential part of an online business, it will affect storage, spend, and many more things as well.
Magento is a better option in hosting as it provides third-party hosting. This means you have to pay a third party for hosting. So, users can choose any hosting that suits their requirements at a price margin.
But, Shopify is totally different at all. It is hosted by the Company.
*So, in Magento, you get an option while getting a hosting and Shopify you didn’t.
- Themes: Themes are essential to your website. Creating an attractive theme is a good step for Brand Recognition and Respect.
Shopify offers over 60 templates whereas Magento has more than 2 thousand themes. You get the option between paid and free themes as well.
Both platforms provide good themes, they are responsive and meaningful as well. Moreover, the maximum users are from mobile phones so they offer a mobile-friendly store also.
Magneto has a wide range of theme options. You will get Drag and Down visual editing as well, which is much useful for beginners.
*In Shopify, you can easily customize the basics of your themes.
- Capability: Talking about capability or adding an extension in Magento, it has thousands of extensions…both paid and free. You can upgrade your website in many ways having new features as well. Moreover, there are 2,300+ extensions in Magento 2.
In Shopify, you will find add-on Apps in place of extension or integration.
*So, Magento has far more extension options than Shopify.
- Community Support: Community support is also an important part of any online business. There are always chances of facing any issues while working online; to solve your problems friendly-users support must be present.
Magento has more advantages at this point because of its 2, 50,000 worldwide developers. That means your issues will be solved within a short period as it provides Support and Maintenance Services to users.
Moreover, Shopify is also performing well by providing 27X7 Customer Service. Shopify’s service goes up to the mark when you choose paid plans.
*So, Both Magento and Shopify have good community support.
- SEO: Both Shopify and Magento rank perfectly in the term of SEO. It includes things like page URLs, Titles, Headings, and many more. Both the platform performs best to bring organic traffic on your website.
However, Magento is not fully optimized…you need the Magento SEO Assistance that increases your SEO strategy.
*So, both are on the top in terms of SEO.
Shopify vs Magento: Which One To Choose?
Magento is a good option for those who are looking to develop an online store; it provides many features with great customization. If you are good at technical knowledge…go with it. Magento 2 has upgraded tools with better features for different size businesses.
On the other hand, Shopify is a simple and maintained website. For beginners and users having a low budget…Shopify is a good choice. You can easily operate this platform without any high technical skills.
So, we discussed a lot of factors about Shopify and Magento that you need to know about any eCommerce website. Selecting anyone will depend upon your work, goal, expertise, and budget. Before choosing one…you have to see which one fulfills your requirements.
Hope this Shopify vs Magento article helped you! By commenting below, let us know which one you liked and going to use soon…
Also Read: eCommerce Comparisons