Shopify is a fully managed SaaS platform with lower technical barriers and predictable costs starting at $29/month, while Magento is a self-hosted open-source solution requiring developer expertise but offering unlimited customization and lower long-term costs for high-volume stores. Shopify suits most merchants; Magento suits enterprise retailers needing complete control.
Magento vs Shopify — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Shopify if you want to launch quickly (under 1 week), need minimal technical overhead, and value 24/7 support and automatic updates with predictable costs. Choose Magento if you're an enterprise retailer generating $1M+ in annual revenue, require deep customization, have in-house development teams, and want to minimize per-transaction fees and monthly platform costs.
Open-source e-commerce platform requiring self-hosting and developer expertise.
Cloud-based SaaS e-commerce platform with managed hosting and user-friendly interface.
Monthly Cost (Mid-Size Store, $500K Revenue)
Structured comparison data for Magento vs Shopify with 154 attributes.
Developer Resources (Stack Overflow Tags)
Typical Seller Monthly Revenue Threshold
Base Monthly Subscription (Starter Plan)
Monthly Active Buyers (Marketplace Access)
Profit Margin Retention (Example: $100 sale)
Magento vs Shopify — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Magento vs Shopify.
Which platform is cheaper for a $500K/year online store?
Magento is significantly cheaper at this scale. A mid-size Magento store with hosting ($150/month), SSL ($10/month), and extensions ($100/month) costs ~$260/month or $3,120/year. The equivalent Shopify store would use Shopify Plus at $2,300/month ($27,600/year) plus 2.0% transaction fees (~$10,000/year), totaling ~$37,600 annually—12x more expensive.
Can I migrate from Shopify to Magento later?
Yes, but it requires effort. Shopify allows CSV exports of products, orders, and customer data. However, you'll need a developer to map Shopify's data structure to Magento's architecture, rebuild customizations, and reimplement apps. Expect 3-8 weeks of development time and $5,000-20,000+ in costs, depending on store complexity.
Is Magento secure enough for PCI DSS compliance?
Magento can be PCI DSS Level 1 compliant, but YOU are responsible for maintaining security. This requires regular patches, SSL certificates, firewalls, and security audits. With Shopify, PCI DSS compliance is managed by Shopify's infrastructure—you inherit compliance automatically. For non-technical teams, Shopify's built-in security is significantly safer.
Which has better app support and integrations?
Shopify has 10,000+ vetted apps in its App Store, while Magento has ~5,000+ extensions. However, Shopify's ecosystem is more curated and app quality is more consistent. Magento's flexibility means custom integrations are possible but may require developer work. For quick, plug-and-play integrations, Shopify wins.
What is the typical cost per transaction on each platform?
Shopify charges 2.0-2.9% + $0.30 per transaction via Shopify Payments. On a $50 order, that's ~$1.30-1.75. Magento has zero platform transaction fees, but you pay payment gateway fees directly (typically 2.2% + $0.30 with Stripe). The real advantage for Magento emerges at 10,000+ monthly transactions.