Adobe Commerce development
Storefront design
Performance & SEO
AI & agentic commerce
Release tracker
Adobe Commerce and Salesforce Commerce Cloud are both enterprise platforms, but they suit different organizations. Salesforce Commerce Cloud fits retailers that are already standardized on Salesforce for CRM, service and marketing, want a fully managed SaaS platform, and sell mainly B2C at high volume. Adobe Commerce fits businesses that need deep control over catalog, pricing and integrations, run B2B and B2C on one platform, want a choice of hosting models, or already use Adobe Experience Cloud. The licence model, your existing ecosystem and the depth of your B2B needs usually decide it.
What each product is
Adobe Commerce is the licensed edition of Magento. It runs on-premises or with any host, on Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure (PaaS), or as Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service, Adobe's SaaS edition. B2B and B2C run on the same application. Adobe's newest offering, Adobe Commerce Optimizer, adds catalog and merchandising services and a storefront on Edge Delivery Services that can sit in front of other commerce back ends.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a family of products rather than one application. Salesforce describes five that share one architecture: B2C Commerce, B2B Commerce, Order Management, Payments and Point of Sale. B2C Commerce, the platform most enterprise retailers mean when they say "SFCC", is a multi-tenant SaaS platform. B2B Commerce is built on the core Salesforce platform alongside Sales and Service Cloud. Salesforce's pricing and product pages used the name "Commerce Cloud" in November 2026; check current naming, as Salesforce rebrands products often.
Enterprise comparison
| Area | Adobe Commerce | Salesforce Commerce Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Licence model | Annual licence quoted by Adobe; Adobe's product description uses GMV and average order value as licence metrics; hosting included on Adobe cloud or SaaS | Not published; every edition on Salesforce's pricing page says "contact for pricing" (November 2026). Terms are set by contract |
| Deployment | On-premises, PaaS on Adobe cloud, or SaaS | SaaS only, run by Salesforce |
| Code access and customization | Full code access on PaaS and on-premises (PHP modules); out-of-process via App Builder, events and webhooks on all editions | B2C: server-side customization on SFRA, headless storefronts and APIs. B2B: Salesforce platform tools (Lightning, Apex, Flow) |
| B2B | Native B2B module in the same application: company hierarchies, shared catalogs, negotiable quotes, purchase order approvals | Separate B2B Commerce product on the Salesforce platform, closely tied to Sales Cloud accounts |
| Headless options | GraphQL and REST APIs, API Mesh, Storefront on Edge Delivery Services, any frontend | B2C: several storefront types, from server-side SFRA to React-based headless storefronts hosted on Salesforce's Managed Runtime, plus Commerce APIs |
| Ecosystem | Adobe Experience Cloud (Experience Manager, Analytics, Target, Real-Time CDP); Commerce Marketplace extensions | Salesforce Customer 360 (Sales, Service, Marketing, Data Cloud); AppExchange |
| Order management | Built-in order handling and MSI inventory; external OMS for complex distributed fulfillment | Salesforce Order Management as a separate product |
Licence model: the biggest practical difference
Neither vendor publishes enterprise prices, so get formal quotes. The structure matters as much as the number:
- Contract pricing (Salesforce Commerce Cloud) is not published. Ask exactly how fees scale with GMV, orders or traffic, and what changes at renewal.
- Tiered licence pricing (Adobe Commerce) steps up by GMV band. Hosting is included on Adobe's cloud and SaaS editions; on-premises you pay for hosting separately.
- Implementation and run costs are separate on both: build, integrations, add-on products, and the in-house or partner team that operates the platform.
Model five years at your expected growth rate. A licence that looks cheaper at today's GMV can cost more at three times the volume, or the other way round.
Ecosystem fit
If your sales, service and marketing teams already live in Salesforce, Commerce Cloud's native ties to those clouds reduce integration work, especially for B2B, where account data and sales reps sit in Sales Cloud. If you use Adobe Experience Manager for content, Adobe Analytics or Real-Time CDP, Adobe Commerce fits more naturally into that stack.
Mixed stacks are common. Adobe Commerce integrates with Salesforce CRM through connectors or custom integrations; our Magento CRM integration guide covers that pattern. Adobe also documents a connector that syncs catalog and price data from Salesforce B2C Commerce into Adobe Commerce Optimizer, which shows that the boundary between the two vendors is no longer absolute.
B2B depth
Adobe Commerce runs B2B and B2C in one application and one Admin, which suits manufacturers and distributors that sell to both. Salesforce B2B Commerce is a strong choice when the B2B process is driven by account managers working in Sales Cloud, because commerce and CRM share the same platform. Test your real flows, such as quote negotiation, purchase order approval and contract pricing, on both. Our comparison of the best B2B ecommerce platforms lists what to test.
Headless and composable options
Both support headless storefronts. Salesforce B2C Commerce offers several storefront types, from the server-side SFRA to React-based headless storefronts hosted on Salesforce's Managed Runtime; Salesforce's developer guide on choosing a storefront type lists the current options. Adobe Commerce exposes GraphQL and REST APIs, API Mesh to combine sources, and Adobe's Storefront on Edge Delivery Services. If you are planning a composable architecture with several vendors, read composable commerce explained first; the integration and governance work is the same on either platform.
Implementation partners
Both platforms are usually implemented by partners. When you evaluate them:
- Ask for named team members and their recent work on your target version and storefront model.
- Check how they handle upgrades and ongoing support, not just the launch.
- Ask how they would integrate your ERP, OMS and CRM, and what they would build versus buy.
- Verify partner status directly in Adobe's or Salesforce's partner directory rather than relying on logos.
Which to choose
| Your situation | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Salesforce is your system of record for customers and sales | Salesforce Commerce Cloud |
| High-volume B2C retail, want no infrastructure ownership | Salesforce B2C Commerce or Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service |
| B2B and B2C on one platform, complex catalogs and pricing | Adobe Commerce |
| Need code-level control or a specific hosting region or model | Adobe Commerce (PaaS or on-premises) |
| Already on Adobe Experience Cloud | Adobe Commerce |
For a mid-market comparison, see Adobe Commerce vs BigCommerce.
FAQ
Is Salesforce Commerce Cloud more expensive than Adobe Commerce?
It depends on GMV, growth and contract terms. Neither publishes prices, so compare formal five-year quotes, including implementation and hosting.
Can Adobe Commerce work with Salesforce CRM?
Yes. Customers, orders and consent can be synced through a connector or a custom integration using Adobe's APIs, events and App Builder.
Can I run headless on both?
Yes. Both offer API-first options and their own headless storefront frameworks.
Next step
If Adobe Commerce fits your requirements, Mistri's Adobe Commerce development team can help scope the platform, and our headless Adobe Commerce work covers API-first and composable storefronts.
Sources
Commerce Cloud pricing (Salesforce, checked November 2026); Commerce Cloud explained (Salesforce); Salesforce Commerce Connector for Adobe Commerce Optimizer (Adobe Experience League); B2B for Adobe Commerce introduction (Adobe Experience League); Adobe Commerce On-premise Software product description (Adobe); Choose your B2C Commerce storefront type (Salesforce Developers).
