Shopify vs Magento

Shopify vs Magento: Which Is Best? 🚀

Struggling to decide between Magento and Shopify? It may help you to know that you’re not alone in this decision. These solutions are two of the most popular ecommerce platforms on the market today. To start the Shopify vs Magento contest, we need to answer the simple question of who are they?

Who are Magento and Shopify? 🤔

In a nutshell, Magento and Shopify are online store builders.

On one hand, Shopify is an easy-to-use solution for building online stores, as the platform is capable of supporting both fledgling and high-volume businesses.

With Shopify, store owners will not need to know how to code allowing the launch of an online store to happen very quickly. Merchants using this platform are charged a monthly fee, but Shopify pricing will vary considering the plan that you choose.

Magento on the other hand is an open-source platform that is free to install on a computer. However, merchants will need to pay for web hosting which costs somewhere around $10 per month alongside; security and extension fees, but we’ll explain that in more detail below:

While Magento is a powerful platform, we think that merchants will find it hard to achieve ecommerce goals without knowing how to code. So, for that reason, we’d say that Magento is more suitable for enterprise-level businesses that already have a development team in place.

To give both solutions a fair trial, we think that it’s only right to outline an overview for each platform’s key features, starting with Magento:

Magento Ecommerce Services: Key Features

With Magento, users will receive access to:

• Unlimited products.
• Over 100 payment gateways.
• Over 4,000 integrations.
• Over 6,000 staff accounts.
• International payment processors.
• Built-in fraud protection.
• An open-source solution.

Shopify Ecommerce Services: Key Features 🔑

With Shopify, users will receive access to:

• Web hosting.
• Unlimited products.
• A first-party POS system.
• Over 100 payment gateways.
• Unlimited bandwidth.
• Free themes.
• Thousands of integrations via plugin.
• 24/7 support from Shopify’s team.
• A free subdomain.
• A no-code store builder.
• A free SSL store certificate.
• A company blog.
• Staff accounts.
• A detailed sales report.
• A PCI-DSS compliant.
• International payment processors.
• Built-in fraud protection.
• A mobile app for store owners.
  

Looking at the list of key features above for each solution, it’s pretty clear that Shopify offers more to its merchants. Sure, we are a digital commerce agency that specialises in Shopify and Shopify Plus, so you could say that we'd be biased, but the facts speak for themselves.

So, now that we have a good understanding of what Shopify offers its customers, let’s take a look into the 10 things that Shopify provides over Magento.

10 Things That Shopify Provides Over Magento:

N0.1: Web Hosting

As we mentioned above, a monthly subscription with Shopify includes web hosting which allows for an easier set-up process. Setting up is simplified, as merchants will not need to manually sign-up for a web host provider as they would with Magento ecommerce services.

N0.2: User Friendly

When it comes to the Shopify vs Magento competition, merchants considering Shopify will be pleased to learn that the platform offers the ability to drag and drop during the build of an online store.

Since Magento is built for enterprise businesses, companies will likely need a developer in their midst to set up an ecommerce site. At the very least, businesses will require the addition of extensions to build a sufficient online store. Fortunately, on Shopify, merchants can build a website without the need for additional support.

N0.3: Contemporary Themes

It’s important to know that all Shopify themes walk hand in hand with a responsive design. Essentially, Shopify stores will be able to source 89 themes and 9 of them are free to use.

As a team, we think this is a really attractive starting point for new businesses and merchants testing out Shopify’s platform. However, should merchants choose to select Shopify’s contemporary designs, this is also an affordable route to take.

The most expensive themes on Shopify are listed at $350 whereas on Magento they’re listed at $499. Additionally, Magento supplies just 11 themes which all require further payment with the ‘Free Absolute Template’ as an exception.

For those of you who have been loyal readers of ours for some time, you may remember the guide that we put together on The 10 Best Shopify Themes For 2019.

Whether you’ve already checked it out or are looking for some useful information we would suggest taking a look at this guide as many of the templates within this article are still well worth implementing in 2021 alongside Shopify’s recent release - Dawn.

Check out our article Dawn The Latest Theme For Shopify Design for further information on this release.

N0.4: Thousands of Integrations

As a platform, Shopify offers online users a choice of over 6,000 apps via the Shopify App Store. So, when it comes to comparing Shopify to Magento ecommerce services, it’s a clear win for us. Why? Well, Magento offers under 4,000 extensions, whereas Shopify’s extensive collection of apps allow for the simplified customisation of any Shopify store.

N0.5: 24/7 Support

Shopify’s support team is available 24/7 via; email, phone, social media channels, forum and the Shopify Help Center.

Additionally, Shopify, the ecommerce giant offers education for its users through online courses, webinars and blog posts. However, it should be noted that Magento offers support via; the help centre, forums, developer documentation, tech resources, phone, ticket and demo support. So both platforms offer an exceptional level of service for their customers.

N0.6: A Free Subdomain

Shopify vs Magento, which one will take the lead? Well before you make your decision, consider that Shopify offers online businesses a free subdomain within their monthly subscription plan.

This is especially handy for brands who are not yet ready to commit to a domain name. In the meantime, merchants will be able to use the myshopify.com subdomain to promote their business. However, since Magento caters to enterprise businesses, merchants will require a domain name.

N0.7: A No-Code Store Builder

While Shopify offers HTML and CSS editing, online teams do not need to know how to code to use the platform. With Shopify’s easy drag and drop functionality, over 6,000 apps for support and an ability to hire Shopify Experts for complex changes, Shopify is a no-code store builder, which means that anyone can use the platform.

On the other hand, most businesses on Magento will need to hire or have an in-house developer to set up their website. Another possibility here is that Magento merchants will come to heavily depend on the use of extensions.

N0.8: Easy Set-Up

Shopify has a simplified process that leads its users through the steps when they sign-up to build an online store. With this easy set-up process, stores can go through each step one at a time. Additionally, there is also a theme editor that Shopify merchants can go through to complete and customise their website easily.

N0.9: Affordability Factor

In addition to the points listed above, the competition between Shopify vs Magento indicates that Shopify is the more affordable option out of the two. For instance, the transaction fees for payment gateways are lower and the need for web development work is greatly reduced.

With Shopify, merchants will also receive; web hosting, a subdomain, free themes, free drop-shipping options and much more. While Magento does not have a monthly subscription offering, the cost to get a site up and running is far greater than it is on Shopify.

N0.10: Customisation

Last but by no means least, businesses on Shopify can customise the; fonts, colours, images, layout and currency on their website inside Shopify’s handy theme editor. Magento on the other hand often requires the use of third-party extensions for customisation.

Why Do Merchants Prefer Shopify over Magento? 💭

If the points listed above were not sufficient evidence enough as to why merchants prefer Shopify over Magento, here’s a few more reasons why companies have chosen to join the Shopify community:

Content Management System

Did you know that Shopify has a built-in CMS feature that allows online retailers to run and manage a company blog? You’ll find the simple editor allows stores to change the; headers, typeface, links and images displayed across the brand's website.

For merchants to create a blog on Magento, a third-party extension will likely be required for the same effect.

Unlimited Bandwidth

Shopify provides merchants with unlimited bandwidth and online storage across all plans, so this feature is guaranteed to any business that joins the platform, whereas Magento, requires a separate online storage setup for companies to receive unlimited bandwidth.

First-Party POS System

When comparing Shopify to Magento ecommerce services, Shopify provides a first-party POS system whereas Magento provides one via ConnectPOS, a third-party POS system that can be sourced via extensions.

Additionally, Shopify’s POS system integrates with online stores so that merchants can view data across their entire business.

Trusted by Merchants

As an agency of Shopify experts, we know that the platform has over 1,700,000 merchants using the ecommerce solution, whereas Magento ecommerce services currently have 250,000 merchants in their ranks.

Our guess for the difference in numbers is because Shopify supports merchants at all stages of business: from small to enterprise allowing entrepreneurs to grow steadily with support.

SEO Friendly

When it comes to Shopify vs Magento on the topic of SEO, Shopify would have to be our winner. Why? Well, the platform has built-in SEO features such as; meta descriptions, meta titles and more allowing online stores to truly optimise their website for product search.

Merchants can also make use of additional features through apps via the Shopify App Store. Features such as Shopify’s content management system also allows businesses to build their own blog on their website to improve search engine rankings.

No Transaction Fees

While Magento doesn’t charge transaction fees, you’ll notice that they’re added when you add a payment provider to a website. For instance, Stripe charges 2.9% and £0.20 for non-European transactions and 2.4% + £0.20 for European transactions.

Whereas all plans that use Shopify Payments do not demand any transaction fees from merchants, making them the more cost-effective solution for businesses to utilise.

Affordable Dropshipping

Entrepreneurs can drop ship via Shopify and Magento, but merchants should know that dropshipping with Magento demands a flat rate of $249 for the Dropship extension, whereas, on Shopify, users can choose from multiple dropshipping providers.

In-Built Security

When comparing Shopify to Magento ecommerce services, take note of the security situation. What might you find? Well, Shopify has a built-in fraud analysis feature that provides SSL certificates and is PCI-DSS compliant.

Shopify is also compliant with GDPR, whereas if a merchant needed to add an SSL certificate to Magento, they would need to contact support for assistance. Additionally, businesses will need to be PCI-DSS compliant to sell on Magento and will need to install this manually.

Built for Businesses

Magento is made for enterprise businesses, but Shopify has been built with all businesses in mind and as each company grows, additional features become available so that the platform can better support its users, so merchants will only need to pay for the features that they need when they need them.

Shopify vs Magento: FAQs

Still, have some questions that need to be answered? Check out the list of frequently asked questions below for further information on Shopify and Magento ecommerce services:

N0.1: How to Make the Switch from Magento to Shopify?

Want to learn how to migrate your website from Magento to Shopify? Visit Shopify’s Help Centre using the link provided.

N0.2: Shopify vs Magento: What’s Best for SEO?

We here at Karmoon believe that Shopify is the best option for SEO, due to its; fast website loading speed, SEO functionality alongside the abundance of apps available for merchants to utilise.

Unlike Magento, Shopify has a built-in blog component that allows businesses to create search-based blog posts. Blog posts are a very effective way to increase traffic and website SEO, ultimately improving a store’s search rankings on the web.

N0.3: What’s the Difference Between Magento and Shopify Plus?

The key difference that separates Magento and Shopify Plus from each other is the fact that Magento is an open-source solution, whereas Shopify Plus is not. Shopify Plus includes; hosting, advanced security features and lower transaction costs making it the better choice for enterprise businesses to pursue.

N0.4: Shopify vs Magento: What’s Easier?

In terms of simplicity, Shopify’s no-code approach to store building is an empowering tool for any merchant who is looking to start a new business. The process couldn’t be simpler. The theme editor allows users to customise an online store with ease in just a few simple steps.

N0.5: Is Shopify or Magento the Better Choice?

Don’t get us wrong, Magento is a great platform for the teams that already have their in-house developers. However, many businesses will not operate in this way, which is where Shopify comes in. As a platform, Shopify is the better choice for many brands. Shopify is the solution for small businesses up to enterprise-level while remaining accessible to non-developers.

Shopify also offers; hosting, unlimited bandwidth and online storage in all of its plans whereas Magento requires merchants to host their cloud storage from the solution. This is an important aspect to consider because as a business scales, the cost of hosting and storage will likely increase while using a third-party provider on Magento.

N0.6: Magento 2 vs Shopify: What’s the Best Platform?

By now, it’s probably pretty clear whose side we’re on. All we know is that Shopify’s mission is to make commerce better for everyone and that’s why they have our vote.

No matter whether you’re launching a business for the very first time or have an enterprise that needs a new solution, we can say with confidence that Shopify offers the features that you will need to successfully run an online store.

So, are you ready to get started with Shopify? Explore all of the essential tools and services that your business will need to; start, run and thrive with Shopify’s 14-day free trial.

So, that concludes today’s article on Shopify vs Magento. If you’re actively looking to work with a Shopify agency designer or developer to assist you with your business, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch to get started!