Magento vs Shopify - Which eCommerce Platform is Best?

Written by Dhruv Nayak

Published17 January 2025

eCommerce

Choices are everywhere, and choosing the right platform for your eCommerce site can also feel overwhelming. Magento and Shopify are two of the most popular but different options. This blog compares their functions, modularity, cost, and so on to enable you to choose the platform that meets the needs of your business. No matter whether you are a beginner or also changing the platform, this guide will lead you step by step to find the right one.

Table of contents

Magento vs Shopify: Overview

What is Magento?

Pros and Cons of Magento

Customizable by developers.
Advanced inventory and order options.
Great for international sales.
Has a powerful content management system.

You need to manage hosting and security yourself.
More complex than platforms like Shopify.
Requires a bigger investment in development.

What is Shopify?

Pros and Cons of Shopify

Easy-to-use interface
No coding skills are needed for basic stores
Many themes and templates to choose from
Built-in payment methods
24/7 customer support (phone and live chat)
Huge app store for added features
Scalable with secure hosting

Some limitations on customizing the admin
You can’t change the URL structure
Extra fees for using third-party payment gateways

Magento vs Shopify: In-Depth Comparison Guide

Magento vs Shopify: Features and Functionality

Magento vs Shopify: Themes & Templates

Shopify Themes

Easy drag-and-drop editor to customize your theme.
All themes are mobile-friendly, so your store looks great on any device.
Change images, colors, and text without needing to code.
Add social media feeds directly to your store.

Magento Themes

Lots of customization options, but you’ll need some technical know-how.
Add animations or interactive features to keep customers engaged.
Highlight products with a slider on your homepage.
Include a newsletter signup at the bottom of the page to collect emails.
Add cross-selling blocks on product pages to encourage more sales.

Magento vs Shopify: Ease of Use

Magento vs Shopify: Performance

Magento vs Shopify: Pricing

Magento Pricing Overview

Magento Open Source
Prebuilt theme (e.g., Porto)
Minimal customization
Basic third-party extensions
Payment gateway integration

Custom design or significant theme customization
Advanced features like multi-currency and multi-language support
Several third-party extensions
Backend customization (e.g., API integrations)

Highly customized design/UI/UX
Complex backend customizations (e.g., custom APIs)
Extensive third-party integrations (ERP, CRM)
Performance optimization for scalability

Shopify Pricing Overview

Plan	Basic Shopify	Shopify	Advanced Shopify
Monthly Cost	$39	$105	$399
Transaction Fees (if not using Shopify Payments)	2.9% + 30¢ online 2.6% + 10¢ in person 2% for 3rd-party providers	2.7% + 30¢ online 2.5% + 10¢ in person 1% for 3rd-party providers	2.5% + 30¢ online 2.4% + 10¢ in person 0.6% for 3rd-party providers
Additional Staff Accounts	--	5	15
Checkout Capacity	Standard	Standard	10x
Shipping Discount	Up to 77%	Up to 88%	Up to 88%
Duties & Import Taxes	--	--	Fully supported
Localized Selling with Custom Markets	3 markets	3 markets	3 included + $59/mo per added active market

Themes and Templates: Shopify offers cheaper themes. Premium templates cost about $450, much less than Magento's $499.
Complexity of Fees: Shopify's monthly fees are clear, but transaction fees vary. This might make budgeting tricky.
Great for Growing Businesses: Shopify provides all the tools businesses need, whether you're just starting or growing fast.