Do you know which eCommerce platform is better in 2020? Magento 2 vs. Shopify?
Before starting any online business, the most important decision is choosing the right platform. You will come across many eCommerce site owners that are not happy with their current choice.
Any eCommerce development company you hire will ask you to decide on the platform first. Of course, they will guide you in making the right choice. The top two choices for an eCommerce website are Magento and Shopify.
Here we will be comparing these two major platforms – Magento 2 vs Shopify in detail. We are pretty sure that you will understand the basics of Magento vs Shopify after reading this blog.
What is Magento?
The Magento platform was launched in the year 2007. It is an eCommerce platform developed using open-source technology. Magento is known for its flexibility, high customization, and scalability.
It comes in two versions:
Magento Open Source – It is a free and self-hosted platform that provides all the functions to develop an eCommerce site from scratch.
Magento Commerce – This is the premium paid edition. It is recommended for business owners and developers who want a one-stop cloud solution for optimizing the store websites and boost their sales.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a complete eCommerce platform that enables business owners to build their online store without technical knowledge. There are two options of the Shopify platform:
☛ Shopify
It is a hosted solution that gives freedom to online stores of customizing online storefront, sell products and manage the eCommerce business.
☛ Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is a multi-channel platform with a higher customization level, support and more useful features than Shopify.
☛ Features: Shopify vs Magento 2
- Magento 2 has 5000+ add-on extensions, while Shopify comes with 100 free and paid apps and add-ons. Due to this, the scope of frontend features is more. Magento 2 will allow integration of multiple features like coupon codes, wishlists, customer dashboards, related products, etc. Such extensive integration is not possible in the case of Shopify. When it comes to add-ons, Magento 2 is the clear winner in Magento 2 vs Shopify comparison.
- Magento 2 is better than Shopify in terms of multi-lingual capabilities as it has in-built multiple languages. If you choose Shopify, you will have to take the help of third-party apps to create a multi-lingual store.
- The basic version of Shopify allows only 25 products on a store whereas there is no such restriction in Magento 2. However, this problem has been taken care of in its advanced Shopify pricing plans. Also, Shopify is a hosted solution, there will be no performance issues which is a possibility in Magento stores. In this situation, there is no clear winner in the Magento 2 vs Shopify comparison.
- When it comes to community support, Magento 2 definitely has an upper hand. The reason is its huge community of developers, partners, and merchants. They are always ready to resolve issues. This is something that is lacking in Shopify.
- Both platforms have a huge number of themes and templates that allow you to create responsive websites.
- Both the platforms are SEO compatible too. You can get high rankings and traffic for your online store irrespective of the platform you choose.
Difference Between Magento 2 vs Shopify:
☛ Popularity
Right now, Magento is the most common eCommerce platform. 14% of the top sites use Magento while only 6% use Shopify. If you really want to compare these platforms in terms of popularity, then the best way is to know the popular brands that use them.
Some of the popular names that use Magento are Nike, Olympus, Rosetta Stone, and Ghiradelli. On the other hand, some big names that use Shopify are Tesla and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Store.
These names are a clear indication that both platforms have some big names up their sleeve.
☛ Coding
In Magento 2 vs Shopify, there is a huge difference in terms of coding. Magento makes use of PHP and Shopify makes use of a coding language called Liquid.
While Magento is an open-source platform, Shopify is proprietary. Yes, this is important because it will affect your decision.
An open-source platform means you can make changes in the code and modify it as per your needs but a proprietary platform can’t be modified.
It means, the template code in Magento can be modified but in Shopify, that’s not possible. Due to this, Shopify is the perfect solution for simple stores but not for complex ones that require changes in the source code.
☛ Expense
How much does Shopify cost is a question that is commonly asked by people? As it is Software-as-a-Service, you will have to pay a monthly subscription fee. Shopify will give you a free trial initially, but you will have to pay after that.
So, how much does Shopify cost per month?
☛ Shopify pricing structure:
- Basic $29/month
- Pro $79/month
- Unlimited $179/month
If you pay more Shopify cost per month, you get access to more features such as abandoned cart recovery, advanced reporting, and gift cards. You can get all these features at comparatively less cost if you choose Magento.
Now, let’s talk about transaction fees. Shopify will charge transaction fees for payments made through external payment gateways. The Shopify transaction fee percentage ranges between 2% to 0.5%.
If your Shopify monthly cost is more then it means a lower transaction fee. If your eCommerce store has a lot of transactions then the Shopify fees amount total can be a lot.
There is an option to avoid the Shopify payment fees by making use of Shopify’s direct payment gateway.
By now you know that Magento is a self-hosted solution. So, you will have to pay for a third-party hosting service. It can be as low as $3.95 from companies such as SiteGround and HostGator.
The hosting decision is very important as it can affect the site speed, storage and the number of products your site can manage. In the case of Magento, you can choose a hosting solution that fits your needs, unlike Shopify hosting.
Magento community edition is free to download but the Magento enterprise price depends on your specific online store requirements.
For the final Magento and Shopify cost calculation, you need to include the add-ons too. Moreover, Magento users will also require the help of developers to develop and manage the store. The cost of developers should also be included in the approximate project cost.
☛ Scalability
The common opinion is that Magento is a better choice than Shopify if you have a large-scale store. However, if you want to build a small eCommerce store with no hassles then Shopify is the way to go. Again, if you are planning to grow your online store with time and need a scalable platform then Magento is your best bet.
If you compare Magento 2 vs Shopify in terms of scalability, then Magento is a clear winner.
☛ User Experience
A lot of people are of the opinion that Shopify is more user-friendly than Magento. Shopify is a preferred choice for people who don’t have technical knowledge. You can quickly set up your online store after signing up in Shopify. You can customize your store’s features with its website-building tool.
Magento is also easy to work with due to its ready-made extensions. You don’t require any coding as you have got ready-made solutions. Magento 2 also comes with a user-friendly admin panel. In comparison to Shopify, admin tasks can be completed more easily with Magento 2. You can carry out all the admin activities without needing advanced development knowledge.
In terms of user experience, both the platforms are good in their respective sense in the Magento 2 vs Shopify comparison.
☛ SEO
About 44% of all online purchases start with an online search. Therefore, it is very important that your online store and products are found in Google and other search engines. Some eCommerce platforms are just better for SEO.
Magento holds the top position for SEO optimization and Shopify and WooCommerce had a tie for the second rank.
You definitely know the winner in this case between Magento 2 vs Shopify.
☛ Speed
Your eCommerce store’s speed is one of the ranking factors for SEO. It is a known fact that if it takes a while to load pages then your potential customers will move to another site.
Research shows that even a second’s delay can reduce the conversion rate by 7%. A speedy eCommerce store is as good as having a successful one.
The paste reviews of Magento state that it is incredibly slow. This makes Shopify a clear winner. But the Magento 2.0 review changes it a little bit as Magento 2 sites have proven to perform better than Magento 1 sites. Ultimately, its like a tie between both the platforms.
Conclusion
After the detailed discussion between Magento 2 vs Shopify, it can be said that Magento 2 can be considered the best eCommerce platform 2020. There are a lot of reasons that we can say this with a certain confidence.
Of course, the best platform for individual projects may vary as the project needs re different too. This is a general judgment after considering multiple factors. You can decide the right platform after considering the most important factors for you.
If you want an eCommerce store that can handle an unlimited number of products then Shopify is your best bet. On the other hand, if you want an online store with a variety of features, scalability, and customization then Magento is your best bet. But as we said, it ultimately depends on the project requirements.
Are you still confused after all the detailed discussions? You can always rely on your Magento or Shopify development company to help you make an informed decision.
Are you looking for Magento or Shopify expert developers? Do you want to set up your eCommerce store as soon as possible? Let’s get started quickly by telling us your project requirements on [email protected]!
