The below stats by Google Trends compare the popularity of Magento vs. Shopify over the last ten years. Initially, Magento held a consistent level of interest, with a slight lead over Shopify. However, around 2018, there was a big shift. Shopify began to surge in popularity, overtaking Magento and continuing to rise steadily.

Magento vs Shopify: Which Platform is Best?
Magento vs Shopify: Which Platform is Best?
Your eCommerce space is changing at lightening speed today. Keep in mind there are thousands of eCommerce companies like yours wondering about it.
As an entrepreneur, if you wish to survive during the digital era, you will have to take your products online, and you will require an appropriate eCommerce platform. In a world dominated by technology, a lightweight yet strong eCommerce platform makes it easier for you to run a professional store.
Additionally, it facilitates easier presentation of your product line, a flawless shopping experience, and a notable increase in sales. Furthermore, eCommerce sites have centralized business efforts in handling inventory, customer support, and payment processing.
Magento vs Shopify: Numbers and Stats
Based on the latest figures by BuiltWith, there are over 120,000 live Magento-powered websites. Shopify boasts a distinguished figure of over 5.2 million active eCommerce sites in 2024.
Magento is more popular in Europe while Shopify dominates in MENA, Oceania and South America.
The below stats by Google Trends compare the popularity of Magento vs. Shopify over the last ten years. Initially, Magento held a consistent level of interest, with a slight lead over Shopify. However, around 2018, there was a big shift. Shopify began to surge in popularity, overtaking Magento and continuing to rise steadily.
Shopify has expanded since 2020. Wider operations select Shopify for creating websites for selling products online in a much faster and efficient manner. In comparison, Magento has seen less interest. While Magento is still a strong choice for complex, scalable solutions, Shopify’s wider appeal has made it more popular.
This shift highlights Shopify’s edge in the Shopify vs Magento debate, particularly for those who value simplicity and speed. However, Magento remains a strong option for those needing a platform that supports complex eCommerce operations. Choosing between Shopify or Magento depends on your business’s specific needs.
This trend may also be influenced by Adobe’s acquisition of Magento, leading users to search for “Adobe Commerce” instead of directly Googling “Magento.” This shift could explain the steady interest in Magento despite the rise of Shopify.
The stat above by W3Techs highlights a key difference between Magento and Shopify in terms of their usage across high-traffic and low-traffic websites. Magento is great for high-traffic sites. It supports big online stores with complex needs. If you run a large eCommerce site or plan to grow a lot, Magento might be the right choice for you.
Shopify, on the other hand, is a platform popular among many websites; however, most of those websites receive considerably less visitors. Shopify is favored by SMBs who want a user-friendly solution with the necessary tools integrated into the platform. Because of such aspects, it is suitable for businesses that are just developing since it is easy to use and adaptable.
Popular sites using Shopify:
Forbes.com
Cnn.com
Bbc.com
Nypost.com
Minecraft.net
Popular sites using Magento:
Telegraaf.nl
Menshealth.com
Royalmail.com
Nieuwsblad.be
Nejm.org
Shopify vs. Magento: What Do Experts Think?
We aim to provide an honest, detailed guide and Magento vs Shopify comparison without bias. To ensure fairness, we’ve invited two experts from different platforms—Shopify and Magento—to debate.
Oleg Fediv – Senior Shopify Expert with 10 years of experience.
Aleksei Tarasov – Certified Adobe Commerce (Magento) Expert with 7 years of experience as an IT Project Manager.
For the Shopify vs Magento comparisons, we will evaluate the platforms on the following 11 criteria:
In summary, when choosing between Shopify and Magento for your online store, you must analyze your company’s demands and objectives.
Shopify provides a straightforward and user-friendly experience, making it an excellent choice for small to medium-sized businesses and newcomers who value usability and simplicity. Its tiered pricing plans, extensive app store, and devoted customer support make it an excellent choice for companies wishing to get up and running fast and effectively.
On the other hand, Magento is designed for medium to large-sized businesses, enterprise-level organizations, and those with more complicated customization needs. With its robust customization capabilities, flexible architecture, and support for advanced B2B functionality, Magento is the preferred choice for businesses wanting unrivalled flexibility and control over their online stores. While Magento may require a higher initial investment and technical expertise, the platform offers unmatched scalability and customization options, making it a powerful solution for businesses looking to create truly unique and tailored eCommerce experiences for their customers.
Ultimately, the decision between Shopify and Magento depends on your business’s specific goals, budget, and technical
Magento vs Shopify: SEO Capabilities Comparison
For many online stores, Google is the main source of traffic. In this section, we compare the functionality and features of Magento and Shopify that will help you succeed in SEO.
Shopify has several SEO limitations, such as creating a webshop structure for SEO and linking pages, which can negatively impact SEO. In contrast, Magento offers more customization options and ready-made solutions, enabling the creation of a multi-level online store structure, thus providing better SEO capabilities.
Shopify vs. Magento: Detailed Comparison
If choosing an eCommerce platform seems like a daunting task, focus on the essential use cases. So, what’s the main difference between Shopify and Magento? Well, if you run small to medium-sized eCommerce operations, then you’ll find Shopify more attractive. But if you don’t mind getting into the technicalities, then Magento is a more suited option.
Selecting the right eCommerce platform depends on your business requirements. When deciding which eCommerce platform is right for you, review essential elements in this Magento vs Shopify comparison guide.
Ease of Use: Magento Vs Shopify
If you choose an eCommerce platform that is difficult to navigate, then you’ll run into unexpected challenges that would inevitably impact your store. In terms of usability, Shopify has an edge over Magento. One of the best things about Shopify is that it doesn’t require end-users to have coding skills.
In fact, using Shopify is a matter of setting up a new online store and selling products right away. On the downside, Shopify has limited customization, which doesn’t offer complete control of a site. If you’re looking for an outclass eCommerce solution with drag-and-drop functions, site builders, and simple customizations, opt for Shopify.
But if you don’t mind getting into the nuts and bolts of installation and maintenance, then Magento is a much better option. The open-source eCommerce hub features a page builder and comes with an expensive price tag. Unlike Shopify, you’ll find Magento store administration way more challenging.
On the bright side, you can integrate Magento’s admin controls with WordPress and centralize/streamline your content management. In short, if you’re an amateur, it would make more sense to choose Shopify. But if you have some coding skills, Magento would make a better choice.
Pricing: Shopify Vs Magento
Magento:
You’ll find the pricing structure of Magento within your reach. It is equal parts flexible and competitive. There is an option to opt for a Magento plan that meets your eCommerce business needs. And the best part is that it cuts out the need to cover a subscription fee each month. In fact, you can also use the free version of Magento and install it to set up a new store.
But you will need to cover the cost of hosting providers and getting a new domain so that you can publish your site. Magento’s license cost is a different story and comes down to multiple factors. It can be Magento’s version or the license type you want. You can either opt for Magento Commerce or Magento Open Source.
One of the reasons that Magento Open Source stands out is that it is a free system solution. It means there are no licensing charges. But you’ll have to cover the hosting, additional expenses, and site development costs.
Magento Commerce, on the other hand, is a proprietary system, and the starting annual price is around $22,000. Why pay a licensing fee? Well, this is how you get security updates, dedicated technical support, and software access. But the actual cost will come down to varying eCommerce needs, like the number of sites and servers you want to run through Magento.
Shopify:
Shopify works around a subscription model and features five different pricing tiers. Depending on your eCommerce business needs, you can choose a $9 or a $2,000 tier per month. All Shopify plans feature hosting and domain names and you can choose from a variety of themes and templates at a relatively low price point.
In fact, you’ll find that the majority of Shopify themes are super cost-effective. In comparison, both Magento and Shopify pricing can go high and low. If you want great templates, you won’t have to pay more than $180 on Shopify. However, it’ll cost you around $500 on Magento. Users often find it difficult to calculate each plan’s transaction fee and how it would impact the process.
It is vital to understand that Shopify and Magento have different pricing structures. Affordability comes into play only if you have minimal or basic eCommerce needs. It is entirely up to you how you use open-source eCommerce platforms like Magento. And based on your business requirements, the pricing structure is bound to vary.
Integrated Tools: Magento Vs Shopify
Magento comes with built-in features like an advanced inventory system. This allows store owners to check their total visitor count, render revenue reports, import high-volume databases related to products, and compare different product variants.
Business professionals also have the option to get sales solutions from the Magento marketplace. Once you have access to sales tools, set fixed percentages and discount prices, recover abandoned carts, customize checkouts, and make improvements to enhance customer journeys.
Magento’s sales solutions also support multi-channel selling. You can also leverage the Shopify marketplace so that you can quickly sell a wide range of products. Similarly, you can use the Shopify marketplace to recover lost sales and check out abandoned carts.
Selling digital products, you can use Shopify to sell physical products. What’s more is that Shopify has partnerships with UPS, USPS, and DHL Express. This allows store owners to deliver their products efficiently through courier services. In comparison, Shopify features more robust sales tools than Magneto. On the same platform, you can use Google Analytics for thorough data review.
Themes: Magento and Shopify
Your online store’s theme is a crucial element that increases or decreases user retention. If you want to thrive in the eCommerce space, you’ll need a layout and design elements that can garner more attention from users.
Shopify features a long list of premium and free themes. While Magento features impressive themes, it’s not even close to what Shopify has in store for its users. So, if you want to fully customize a theme, then you’re most likely to love Magento.
Magento offers 11 different themes priced from $30 to $500. You can still use Magento to build your dream online store, use the features that work wonders, and make adjustments until you meet your specific brand image.
But if you simply want to choose from a broad selection of paid themes, then choose Shopify over Magento. Plus, you won’t need any coding skills to make changes to Shopify themes.
Apps and Add-Ons
Wondering how to choose the best ecommerce platform? For many eCommerce business owners, it’s all about supported add-ons and apps and an eCommerce platform. Without Add-ons — you can’t add more functionality to your eCommerce store. Whether you choose Magento or Shopify, both platforms make it possible to tap into extensions and add-ons.
Shopify features more than 1,000 apps. You can find premium as well as free apps on Shopify. These apps usually revolve around social media advertising, shipping, and email marketing.
Marketing Features
Marketing tools or features are a crucial component when deciding which e-Commerce platform is right for you. When you have direct access to great marketing tools, you can make the changes to expand your user base and improve your business’ bottom line.
Shopify comes with great marketing tools that pair together with third-party integration. For instance, you can use tools, like Klaviyo and Seguno to sell your products on Instagram and Facebook. Shopify also supports multilingual websites, which allows you to market your products in multiple languages.
On the flip side, Magento has a dedicated marketplace for marketing tools. So, if you want to roll out email campaigns, you’ll first have to install extensions. You’ll also need to hire a skilled web developer who can integrate marketing tools. If you want simplicity, you’ll likely gravitate more toward Shopify’s integrated marketing tools.
When you compare Magento and Shopify, you have to consider your business needs. Comparing Shopify vs Magento involves a strategic process — it’s about having to figure out “which” one caters to your needs. In the end, when it comes to Magento vs Shopify comparison, focus on the features, pricing, add-ons, built-in tools, and other elements to make your decision. So, the next time you read, “Which is better Magento or Shopify,” make sure not to generalize.
Shopify or Magento: Top Tips to Help You Choose
Above, we’ve already compared Magento vs. Shopify in detail, but now let’s shift focus to your specific business needs. Magento vs. Shopify offer distinct advantages, so let’s break down which might be better for you. And all of this without taking sides.
Quick and Simple Development
If you want to create a website and do not want much stress, hassle and time consumption, then the best solution is Shopify. It is simple and intuitive. Creating your online store is easy and can be up in no time without necessarily having to learn how the code works.
Multi-Level Store Structure
For businesses with a large selection of products, Magento shines. Magento includes built-in functionality for creating a multi-level, complex structure of categories and subcategories. This is essential for businesses with extensive inventories. It ensures your products are well-organized and easy to find. Shopify, while easier to use, struggles with multi-level structures. Shopify users can create collections (categories), but to set up subcategories, they need to adjust them with tags. This can be cumbersome and less intuitive, especially as your product range expands.
Long-Term Growth and Scalability
However, if you're planning for the long term and would like the opportunity to expand your business, and maybe even turn it into a marketplace, Magento is the better choice. Magento is designed for future growth, as it provides the necessary tools and frameworks to grow a powerful business.
Let’s sum up.
Shopify is a hosted solution that has a simple, more guided setup and monthly pricing structure and is easier for new users. On the other hand, Magento comes with more freedom and potential for tweaking and comes equipped with many free add-ons.
Choosing between Shopify vs Magento should depend on what you value most. If you need simplicity and speed, Shopify is your best choice. But if you’re thinking long-term and need a platform that can grow with your business, Magento is more suitable. Consider your current needs and future plans before making your decision.
Conclusion
If you’re part of the eCommerce industry or looking for leading eCommerce platforms, you’re going to explore Shopify vs Magento comparison. Magento and Shopify are invaluable and robust eCommerce platforms. If you want to make the “right” choice, find out as much as possible about both platforms and avoid generalizations. At all costs, focus on the elements that meet your prerequisite needs and help you establish and run a successful online store.
Once you review the fundamental differences between Magento and Shopify, you’ll be able to choose the one that can help you meet your eCommerce store needs faster. Since Magento and Shopify have different use cases and parameters, consider how every single element of these eCommerce solutions can help you lay and strengthen the foundation of your online business.