Adobe Commerce development
Storefront design
Performance & SEO
AI & agentic commerce
Release tracker
Choose Shopify if you want a hosted platform you can launch quickly, your catalog and pricing rules are fairly standard, and you would rather pay for apps than employ developers. Choose Magento (Adobe Commerce or Magento Open Source) if you need deep control: complex catalogs, B2B buying with company accounts and negotiated pricing, custom checkout or pricing logic, or integrations that must work your way. Neither is better in general. The right choice depends on your catalog, your buyers, your team and how much of the platform you want to own.
Below is a fair comparison of how the two work today, a weighted decision matrix by business type, and clear verdicts.
The core difference: rented platform vs owned platform
Shopify is a hosted software-as-a-service platform. Shopify runs the servers, applies updates and sets the rules for what can be customized. You extend it with apps and themes, and on Shopify Plus you get more control over checkout and higher limits.
Magento is software you run, or that Adobe runs for you. Magento Open Source is free to download and host anywhere. Adobe Commerce is the licensed edition, available on-premises, on Adobe's cloud infrastructure, or as Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service. In every case you have access to the application code and can change almost anything, which also means you own more of the responsibility: upgrades, patches and hosting choices.
That single difference explains most of the trade-offs below. Shopify gives you less to worry about and less to control. Magento gives you more to control and more to worry about.
Side-by-side: how they compare in 2026
| Area | Shopify | Magento / Adobe Commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting and updates | Fully hosted; Shopify handles servers and platform updates | Self-hosted or Adobe-hosted; you plan upgrades and security patches |
| Pricing model | Monthly plans (Basic, Grow, Advanced, Plus). As of November 2026, Shopify's US pricing page says Plus starts at $2,300 per month | Open Source: no licence fee. Adobe Commerce: licence priced by Adobe on tiers such as gross merchandise value and average order value; quoted by Adobe |
| Catalog structure | Up to 2,048 variants per product (since October 2025) | Configurable, bundle, grouped and virtual products; flexible attributes; no fixed variant cap in the data model |
| B2B | As of November 2026: native B2B on all paid plans since April 2, 2026 (company profiles, payment terms, volume pricing, up to 3 catalogs). Unlimited catalogs, partial payments and deposits are Plus-only | Adobe Commerce B2B: company accounts and hierarchies, shared catalogs, negotiable quotes, purchase order approvals, quick order, requisition lists |
| Checkout customization | Limited on standard plans; full checkout customization on Plus, within Shopify's extension framework | Full code-level control of checkout |
| Multi-store and international | Markets for multiple countries; expansion stores on Plus | Multiple websites, stores and store views from one install |
| Extensions | Shopify App Store; many apps are monthly subscriptions | Adobe Commerce Marketplace and third-party vendors; custom modules |
| Team you need | Can run with a small team and occasional agency help | Needs developers, in-house or through an agency, plus hosting expertise |
Shopify's plans, prices and feature splits change regularly. Check Shopify's pricing page and changelog for the current position before you decide.
Weighted decision matrix by business type
A comparison table tells you what each platform does. A decision needs weights, because a factor that is critical for one business barely matters to another. Use the matrix in two steps.
Step 1: weight each factor for your business type (3 = critical, 2 = important, 1 = minor). The table gives typical weights for four common types.
| Factor | DTC brand | B2B manufacturer or distributor | Multi-region retailer | Early-stage store |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog size and complexity | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| B2B buying (accounts, quotes, approvals) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Custom pricing, checkout or business logic | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Integration depth (ERP, PIM, WMS) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Speed to launch and ease of running | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| In-house or agency development capacity | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Predictable running cost | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Step 2: score each platform from 1 to 5 on each factor for your situation, multiply by the weight and add up. As a starting point:
- Catalog complexity, B2B, custom logic and integration depth usually score higher on Magento, because you can change the data model, pricing and checkout directly. Shopify narrows the gap for simpler B2B now that native B2B is on every paid plan.
- Speed to launch and ease of running usually score higher on Shopify, because hosting, updates and many features come built in.
- Development capacity scores higher on Shopify if you have little or none, and is neutral if you already have a Magento team or agency.
- Predictable running cost depends on your setup. Shopify is a known monthly fee plus apps and payment costs. Magento's cost is driven by hosting, development and, for Adobe Commerce, the licence.
If the totals are within about 10% of each other, the deciding factor is usually the one you weighted 3. Ask which platform handles that one best without workarounds.
Verdicts: choose X if
Choose Shopify if
- You are a DTC brand with a focused catalog and standard pricing.
- You want to launch or relaunch in weeks rather than months.
- You do not have, and do not want, a development team.
- Your B2B needs are simple: a few wholesale price lists, payment terms and company profiles.
- You are comfortable working within Shopify's checkout and customization rules.
Choose Magento or Adobe Commerce if
- You sell B2B with company hierarchies, buyer roles, negotiated quotes or purchase order approvals.
- Your catalog has complex configuration, many attributes, or customer-specific pricing across many accounts.
- Your pricing, checkout or fulfilment logic is a competitive advantage you need to build exactly.
- You run several brands, countries or store views and want them on one platform.
- ERP, PIM and warehouse systems must integrate deeply, in your own way.
- You want to own your code and choose your own hosting.
When it is a close call
Mid-sized DTC brands with a growing wholesale arm are often the hardest case. Shopify's 2026 B2B changes cover more of this ground than before, while Adobe Commerce still goes further for complex B2B. If you are in this group, map your actual B2B workflows (who orders, who approves, how prices are set) against each platform before you decide.
If Magento looks right, the next question is which edition. Our comparison of Adobe Commerce vs Magento Open Source explains what the licensed edition adds.
What each platform asks of your team
Day-to-day work looks different on each platform, and this often matters more than any feature list.
Running a Shopify store
- Shopify applies platform updates for you, so there are no version upgrades to plan.
- Most new capability arrives as an app install or a theme change, which a store team can often handle without developers.
- The main ongoing tasks are reviewing app subscriptions, checking app compatibility after Shopify changes, and keeping within platform limits.
Running a Magento store
- You or your partner apply security patch releases and isolated security patches, and plan a version upgrade roughly every few years as release lines leave support.
- Hosting needs care: PHP, database, OpenSearch, Valkey and Varnish all have to stay on supported versions.
- New capability can be built exactly as you want, but it goes through a development and testing process.
Neither model is wrong. A team that wants to spend its time on marketing and merchandising will often prefer Shopify's model. A team whose advantage comes from how the store works, not just how it looks, will often accept Magento's extra upkeep for the control it gives.
Total cost: what to compare
Comparing a Shopify plan price to a Magento hosting bill is misleading. Compare total cost over three years, including:
- Platform fees: Shopify plan, or Adobe Commerce licence (Open Source has none).
- Payment costs: Shopify charges an extra transaction fee when you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, at a rate that depends on your plan.
- Apps and extensions: often monthly on Shopify; often one-off plus renewal on Magento.
- Hosting: included with Shopify; a separate cost for Magento unless Adobe hosts it.
- Development and maintenance: usually higher on Magento, because you own upgrades and customization.
- Cost of workarounds: what it costs, in apps or manual work, when a platform cannot do what you need.
Switching between them
Moving platforms is a significant project in either direction: data, URLs, redirects, integrations and team retraining all need care. Our ecommerce replatforming guide covers how to switch without losing sales. If you have outgrown Shopify and need more control, see our guide to moving from Shopify to Adobe Commerce. Mistri also runs Magento migration projects, including moves onto Magento from other platforms.
FAQ
Is Magento better than Shopify for SEO?
Both can rank well. Magento gives more control over URLs, faceted navigation and templates, which helps large catalogs but also makes mistakes easier. Shopify handles more for you, with less flexibility. Content, site speed and technical hygiene matter more than the platform itself.
Is Shopify cheaper than Magento?
For small and mid-sized stores with standard needs, usually yes, because hosting and updates are included. For large or complex stores, the answer depends on apps, transaction costs, Plus fees and how much custom work each platform needs.
Can Shopify handle B2B now?
Yes, for many cases. Since April 2, 2026, Shopify's native B2B features are on all paid plans, with some features kept for Plus. Complex B2B, such as purchase order approval rules and negotiated quotes, is still a stronger fit for Adobe Commerce.
Is Magento still supported?
Yes. Adobe released Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source 2.4.9 on May 12, 2026, with standard support until May 31, 2029.
Making the call
Run the matrix with your own weights, and test your hardest requirement on each platform before you commit. If Magento or Adobe Commerce comes out ahead, Mistri's Adobe Commerce development team can help you scope the build properly.
Sources
Shopify pricing (Shopify, checked November 2026); Key B2B features now available on non-Plus plans (Shopify changelog); The product variant limit is now 2048 for all merchants (Shopify developer changelog); B2B for Adobe Commerce introduction (Adobe Experience League); Adobe Commerce On-premise Software product description (Adobe).
