Shopify vs Magento : Which One To Opt For In 2018

Choosing between Shopify and Magento is a problem which most of the online store owners face. Shopify and Magento are two most popular eCommerce platform. Still, often both are in conflict with each other. Shopify and Magento are characteristically different from each other. In this post, we will compare both Shopify and Magento and decide which is the best one to opt for in 2018.

Differences between Shopify and Magento

Shopify as a platform used for a commercial purpose which works on regular payment basis. There are two versions of Shopify, one is Shopify Plus and the other is simple Shopify. Shopify Plus provides you with better tools. With the help of Shopify Plus, you are capable of scaling your business. Suppose you already have a standardly sizeable company with which you want to compete with other big companies, Shopify Plus is there to help you. On the other hand, Magento comes for free. It is a solution for open source. It provides you with Enterprise, Open Source, and Cloud edition.

The Community Edition of Magento is free. It is used mainly by the small business owners. Magento’s Enterprise edition is fully supported by the team of Magento with the help of email and phone. The pricing includes everything starting from special features, security updates and exclusive enhancement for products. The Cloud Edition of Magento is free from any limitation of multi-tenancy and provides all flexibilities a platform can provide for an open source.

As Shopify is hosted by themselves, it takes minutes to set up. Whereas, Magento needs to hosted by you. Following this comes installation, setting up and configuration. All these should be done prior to your building your own store. Some skills for programming and technical expertise is required before you start to work with Magento.

Comparison of Key Features Between Magento and Shopify

Compared to Shopify, Magento has more features. Both Magento and Shopify provide inventory management. Both the platforms cater you with a platform section. In this section, you can add and the products. Both Magento and Shopify have a bulk of upload features and both are capable to get linked to the warehouse data and stock management. However, it is also true that it is much easier to use Shopify if compared to Magento. Shopify is user-friendly, thus non-coders can also use Shopify with ease.

Magento provides you with a wide range of templates, themes, add-ons, and apps. Thus, you can configure Magento better compared to Shopify. Still, if you consider Shopify’s themes from the viewpoint of any user, it has a better design. Shopify’s design is more appropriate for mobiles and tablets. Magento is multilingual, thus it is easier for you to build a multilingual store. However, you would not get features related to blogging in Magento. You must do plugins in order to enable blogging. Shopify on the other side has the integrated features.

Shopify is User-Friendly Compared to Magento

If you consider from user’s viewpoint, then it is Shopify which would score high in comparison to Magento. Though Magento has a simplified interface, it is Shopify which is actually user-friendly than Magento. It is easier for you to install and set up Shopify. It requires substantial restyling for Magento for setting up and to go live. In addition to this, this is also a prolonged process. Unless and until you are good in technical skills it is difficult for you to use Magento. Magento will also cost you high during the phase when development takes place.

Magento does not help in any hosting. Thus this is another issue which you will come across when you use Magento. As Shopify has hosting, it is more appealing towards the users. However, Shopify has a disadvantage as well. Shopify comes with a restricted flexibility. Thus, in most of the situation, you will have to accept what Shopify caters to you.

If you are technically skilled enough you can try using Magento. However, if you opt for something simple to use, then you must go for Shopify without any hesitation.

In Need Of A Support, Relying On Magento Is Not A Good Idea

If you are struggling to build your web-based store, it is then that you need support. If you choose Magento’s Community Edition, you can rely on some other developers. You would not receive any support from Magento unless and until it is the Enterprise Edition. On the other hand, Shopify provides you with support for seven days, twenty-four hours. Shopify usually provides support and resolves all the problems that may take place.

Is Free Better?

As a business owner, you must put the security of your online store as the most important aspect. Both Shopify and Magento help you to link your domain to your online based store. Shopify provides the solution for hosting, it can be set up easily within minutes.

Magento, on the other way, needs separate hosting. It is actually a very complicated process of installing and setting up Magento. Not only you have to take care of the hosting Magento, you will also be responsible for the security of your online store. In addition to this, Magento is also costly than Shopify.

You Can Get More Marketing Tools From Magento

Both Magento and Shopify provides you with some brilliant tools for marketing. Both have a lot of features related to SEO which can help you in promoting your online store in a better and successful way.
Both Shopify and Magento help you in editing the description and title page. You can decide about how your online store will come up in the search result.

You can add texts to images. Adding a description to the image in your online store will help the customers to know better about the product. This in a way will help them to buy the product.

The Price Depends On The Service You Opt For

Price is an important factor for choosing any platform. You can get both Shopify and Community edition of Magento for free. Although the Enterprise edition of Magento is costlier, it is actually worth money.
Shopify charges you for every transaction you make in your online store.

In case you want something which is flexible and user-friendly, you must go for Shopify.
On the other hand, if you want to scale your business, opt for Magento. You will be able to start with the free Community edition in the initial stage and then you can opt for the Enterprise edition later on. Magento helps you with third party payments which provides you with endless opportunities and development for your online store.