Magento 2 vs Shopify Plus- Who wins in 2020 for E-commerce Development?

For any online businesses, making a choice for suitable E-commerce development platform is a challenging job. There are several platforms nowadays making selection work more complicated, but we will discuss the two most popular platforms Magento 2 and Shopify. It is important to choose a suitable platform before starting the online selling business.

The reality behind a store success depends on the website platform it is based. To help you have a perfect start in your business making a mart decision is important. In this blog post, we will make a detail comparison of the two platforms to highlight their differences and help you decide whether Magento 2 development is suitable or Shopify development. But before that some introduction is required for better understanding.

A Brief Overview of Magento and Shopify:

What Is Magento?

Magento was launched in 2007 and is known for its flexibility, customization, and scalability. With its latest version Magento 2 it is offered as Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce.

• Magento Open Source: A Free and self-hosted platform providing functions to build and develop a unique online store.
• Magento Commerce: The premium version is recommended for merchants and Magento 2 developer who are looking for a cloud solution to optimize the store performance.

What Is Shopify?

Shopify is a commercial platform allowing business owners to build their online stores without going deep into technical knowledge. There are two options provided: Shopify and Shopify Plus.

• Shopify: A hosted solution allowing online stores to customize storefront, sell products, run and grow business.
• Shopify Plus: An advanced platform offering better level of customization, support, and other useful features.

You can also read this : Magento Commerce Vs Salesforce Commerce

We have discussed the most significant points of difference to help you make a wise decision while selecting CMS.

1. Hosting

Shopify Plus : Shopify Plus is SaaS based which operates on a different server and comes fully hosted. It is a perfect alternative to self-hosted software and companies are moving from traditional hosting to SaaS models. The availability of the site’s security is the real reason for its popularity. Shopify take care of SSL certificates to PCI compliance. This help in saving the resources on manual site updates.

Magento 2 : Magento is a self-hosted platform needing third-party hosting for the E-commerce store. A robust server is needed which results in smooth customization. Magento Support can be availed from the community when facing any downtime or technical issues. That’s why most companies consult Magento developer to host their website and manage security. All security patches are integrated by experts adding monthly cost.

2. Ease of Use

Shopify Plus : Shopify is a simple to use E-commerce platforms, focusing on store merchants and the backend features include simple drag and drop. A user can customize the homepage, navigation with a few clicks. Although Shopify Plus and Magento 2 have several common features but Shopify offers small changes without developer assistance.

Magento 2 : Magento needs technical skills to set up, and a bit difficult to use on a daily basis. It needs deep learning and unless you hold expertise or have hire Magento developer, you’ll find tough to go with it and perform changes. Magento has several unique features making it a preferred choice for E-commerce industry. It lacks drag and drop functionality, but its customizing is not tough for store owners having CMS knowledge.

3. Multi-Stores

Magento 2 : With the global audience in mind E-commerce need multi-store to engage them for higher sales. One of Magento’s advantages is the availability of multiple stores with a single interface, helping different websites for different countries. With the presence of local domains, native languages, and currencies, customers love buying from the stores.

This multi-store means product catalogs are offered in the local language and feature to apply changes across all websites. For this reason, international brands prefer Magento 2 development.

Shopify Plus : Shopify Plus provides creation of different store views, but unlike Magento, they require separate interfaces making complex for store admin. The data can be shared between the stores using content syncing, but it requires more efforts than the Magento. So, if you’ve decided on having different stores, go with Magento 2 development.

Shopify Plus has functionality to sell in multiple currencies, but the prices will revert to your main currency during the checkout. This approach isn’t a perfect customer experience and requires proper changes for desired results.

4. Customer Support

Shopify Plus : Shopify Plus offer users 24/7 support over phone, email and live chat. Each user is assigned a Merchant manager for personalized support service. In addition, Shopify by default handles updates and security making user less likely to access support.

Magento 2 : Customer get 24/7 Magento support through forums and community in case of any trouble. In addition support from Magento’s account management team is offered, but at an additional price. For self-hosted users, most of the support related queries are fixed through hosting provider, making things complicated. Unlike the Shopify Plus, which have flat charges, the Magento offers support according to your plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which is better Shopify or Magento?

Hosting is the major difference to make a better selection. Shopify is a hosted platform while Magento is a self-hosted. Shopify resolves all the hosting troubles and requires monthly fees with no additional effort or expense needed from the user.

2. Why Magento 2 is best for E-commerce?

Magento is a flexible, scalable and secure platform for the E-commerce development. It is one of the most preferred platforms in terms of advanced features, security and support. A fully scalable and innovative E-commerce store can be designed using Magento CMS.

3. Is Shopify a good place to sell?

Overall, Shopify is a great hosting solution to build an online selling platform and one of the best for those who are not technical. It’s also great for the users who are interested in drop-shipping approach.

Wrapping Up:

Both platforms have their advantages & disadvantages. Therefore, the decision to choose between the two CMSs completely depends on the business requirements. Major factors for selection are cost, security, hosting, support, and available resources. If we compare major features and Magento 2 is a better platform to invest. You can avail Magento Support from reputed agency like AgentoSupport for smooth migration, upgrade and boost conversion rate. This will make you far ahead of the competitors with minimum efforts.