Considering the situation today, every new business is tempted to start their online business journey. And any business to thrive has to have a website, especially those businesses that want to sell products online. There are so many platforms to build your website that you would be spoiled for choices. But the two absolute best platforms to start your online store has to be the latest Magento 2 and Shopify.
Truth be told, both the platforms are a treat to work on, but because of the similarities of operations few of us are left clueless on which platform will really be more beneficial for the long run.
To make it easier to understand we have split the whole blog into sections and tried to bring out the smallest of detail into consideration so that you can make the best choice for your upcoming online store or upgrade an already existing one.
Current usage
Historically Magento has been the preferred platform for eCommerce stores since its launch in 2004. In recent times, however, Shopify has seen a surge in popularity – it is now used to create 21 percent of all eCommerce stores. Shopify has made a name for itself as a user-friendly application that everyone can get to grips with, as we will discover later.
Magento has, however, developed itself as more than one-size-fits-all website designers, and so it still sees its own fair share of users. Magento is still extremely popular among eCommerce owners and power 1.2 percent of the internet that makes up about 12 percent of all online stores.
Coding
Magento 2 uses Open Source – PHP, whereas Shopify makes us of their Proprietary platform – Liquid.
Open source means the source code is publicly available and can be changed by anybody, unlike Shopify’s proprietary code. Template code can be changed using Magento to meet individual shop needs. For Shopify, this can not be achieved.
Initial Cost
As Magento 2 is an opensource framework, you can start the development process by purchasing a good hosting after assessing the Magento 2 server requirements. On the other hand, Shopify charges you a fee to use its platform starting from as low as $29.
Customization
If you have tons of customizations then you should contemplate going with Magento 2 as you will find features like a drag-and-drop Page Builder provides flexibility in design creation along with many other customizations that can be dealt with using codes.
But Shopify, on the other hand, is built on standardized web templates which limit innovation in design and it sometimes gets difficult to achieve the design you are looking for.
Scalability
Sell complex, configurable products with various selling options and that’s, not all the Magento 2 platform is designed for endless customization without imposing any limits on the features and functionality. Easily enable cross-border expansion with full out-of-the-box localization, multi-language, multi-brand support, as well as integration with popular payment processors and shipping providers.
With Shopify, Several of the most important customer interactions can’t be customized such as the checkout process for example. It is a bummer because many things that Shopify does is just flawless.
Moreover, features required by large and growing companies including order management, complex product catalogs, and subsite functionality, aren’t supported by Shopify.
Support
Magento is supported by the people resources of more than 260,000 developers worldwide who are continually generating new innovations and functionality.
Shopify’s use of the proprietary Liquid language leaves a limited pool of developers equipped to help on projects and implement sites.
Themes
For a Magento 2 website, you can browse thousands of paid themes and purchase the one you like the most. But, on the other hand, Shopify only has Only 65 theme options available.
The Verdict
Magento has a far more diverse range of design options. If you’re looking to develop an online store with more features and scope for scalability, and customization, Magento is a better choice. Magento 2’s improved features make it a great option for more sizable businesses.
Shopify is best if you’re looking to design a more simplistic website that requires little commitment and maintenance overall. This makes it the perfect choice for new businesses without the budget or technical know-how for a more in-depth builder.
If you require help in creating your online store, you can contact us and we can help you with planning a great looking website for you!