/ Articles

Deciding Between Adobe Commerce and Shopify? Here's What You Need to Know!

  • DATE PUBLISHED (31/0/2023)
  • READ TIME (5MIN)

The eCommerce industry has experienced significant growth, especially during the pandemic. As a result, consumers are increasingly turning to online shopping and supporting independent brands.

On the one hand, merchants are heading for platforms that offer the most value for every dollar. As eCommerce businesses look for platforms that can provide value and support their independent business model, the question of Adobe Commerce Vs. Shopify arises. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider the adobe commerce features vs. shopify features and adobe commerce pricing vs. shopify pricing before making a decision.

We've created a comparison article to help entrepreneurs and businesses take advantage of the current market momentum in eCommerce, which has expanded beyond traditional b2b and b2c models.

But first, let’s take a look at some numbers that we have dug up that show how significant the growth of eCommerce -

  • E-commerce sales in the United States reached $861.12 billion in 2021, representing a 33.3% increase over the previous year.

  • In 2021, e-commerce accounted for 14.3% of total retail sales in the United States, up from 11.8% in 2020.

  • The number of online shoppers in the United States increased by 18.9% in 2021, reaching nearly 280 million people.

  • In 2021, mobile commerce accounted for 63.1% of total e-commerce sales in the United States, up from 58.6% in 2020.

As more and more consumers turn to online shopping, businesses are looking for effective and user-friendly platforms like Magento and Shopify to help them create and manage their online stores.

Adobe Commerce is a robust platform that offers a wide range of features and tools for enterprises to create an effective online presence. On the other hand, Shopify is a user-friendly platform most popular among small and medium-sized businesses. So let’s dive further into Adobe Magento Vs. Shopify by understanding each platform and its tech stack.

What Is Adobe Commerce (Magento)?

Adobe Commerce is a leading open-source enterprise eCommerce platform where you can build multichannel commerce experiences for b2b and b2c customers on a single platform. 

In 2018, Adobe acquired Magento, a popular e-commerce platform in its own right. The acquisition allowed Adobe to integrate Magento's features and capabilities into its platform, making it even more powerful and versatile.

Adobe is a commerce platform wrapped in future-proof technology from catalog to payment to fulfillment. As a result, it offers endless flexibility and scalability to large businesses. When considering Adobe Commerce pros and cons, it's important to consider its capabilities as well as its pricing and support options.

Let’s take a look at the tech stack -

  • Adobe Commerce uses PHP for its backend code, javascript, HTML, and CSS for its storefront development, and Knockout, a popular javascript library, for its frontend development. Adobe Commerce stores its data in a MySQL database and uses XML for its configuration files and customizations.

  • Adobe Commerce has also released a Progressive Web App (PWA) frontend, which has become popular among developers because it provides a modular approach to storefront themes. The PWA is built with React, a javascript library for creating user interfaces, and connects to the platform via GraphQL.

  • One of the key benefits of Adobe Commerce is its open-source architecture, which allows small businesses to create complex user experiences and platform integrations. Adobe has also adopted Magento's community support, which is one of the most active third-party communities in the e-commerce space. This makes it easy for businesses to find developers and third-party tools for their Adobe Commerce websites.

  • Finally, Adobe Commerce integrates seamlessly with Adobe's suite of enterprise applications, such as Experience Manager, which can enhance the user experience of an online store.

Adobe has been improving its enterprise capabilities, and we expect to see some new features and upgrades in areas such as live search, AI-powered product suggestions, and PWA studio. 

These enhancements will be available as individual microservices through a SaaS model, which can help address some of the limitations of open-source software. 

In the coming years, we expect Adobe to push for a series of SaaS-based microservices linked together by the open-source Adobe commerce platform.

What Is Shopify?

Shopify is a powerful multi-channel eCommerce platform that offers a variety of tools and technologies to assist businesses in the launch, customization, and growth of their online stores. It offers a range of features including inventory management, payment processing, and customer relationship management.

In order to weigh Shopify’s pros and cons, a detailed view of its tech stack will tell you a lot about its capabilities. 

  • Shopify is built on Ruby on Rails, a web-application framework widely used to create high-performance, database-backed web applications. Shopify is the world's largest and oldest Ruby on Rails codebase.

  • The Shopify functionalities were initially built into the same codebase (including the frontend and backend code). The core of Shopify has remained a monolith for years, and due to its impact on the platform's scalability, it's now moved to independent and isolated modules, which means a single codebase with well-defined boundaries.

  • The core of Shopify's database structure is MySQL relational database, which stores customer information, order details, and product information. In the past, Shopify used a sharding approach to scale its database, which involved dividing the data across multiple database servers. However, Shopify has recently adopted a new approach called "pods," which involves isolating each application instance with its data stores, including MySQL, Redis, and Memcached. This allows each customer to have their isolated database instance, which can improve performance and scalability.

  • The Shopify admin stack was built using HTML templates and the jQuery and prototype.js JavaScript libraries. However, Shopify has updated its frontend ecosystem with the evolving technology landscape. It uses React, a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces, and TypeScript, a programming language that adds optional static typing to JavaScript.

The following are some of the most popular Shopify apps:

  1. Shop - Order & Delivery Tracker: This app assists businesses in tracking and managing their orders and deliveries.

  2. Shopify Logo Maker: Businesses can create professional logos for their online stores with this app.

  3. Shopify POS: With this app, businesses can manage in-store and online sales from a single platform.

  4. Shopify Ping: This app allows businesses to communicate with customers and team members using a single chat platform.

  5. Shopify - eCommerce Business: This app offers a variety of tools and resources to assist businesses in expanding their online stores.

Aside from these apps, numerous digital tools can be easily integrated with Shopify to support high-volume sales and assist businesses in scaling their service offerings.

Like the Shopify Customizer app, which allows businesses to add custom HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to their shop pages and customize the look and feel of their online stores.

Shopify offers a range of business tools to help improve a store's efficiency and performance in two categories: KPI-driven and time-saving.

  • KPI-driven tools help businesses enhance their sales metrics, scale growth, and increase profit margins—for example, the Shopify profit margin and CPM calculators. 

  • The time-saving solutions automate repetitive operations, giving business owners more time to concentrate on tasks like streamlining the store workflow or optimizing the business's bottom line.

There is a reason why Shopify is so well-liked by small businesses. It is easy to use, has a sizable ecosystem of add-ons and apps from third parties, and you might only need to employ a developer if you want to build some unique features.

Adobe Magento Vs. Shopify

Shopify and Magento are both popular e-commerce platforms, but some key differences set them apart. 

Shopify is known for its user-friendly interface and wide range of features tailored toward small and medium-sized businesses. It provides various tools and integrations to assist businesses in developing an effective online presence and managing their online stores.

On the other hand, Magento is a more powerful and versatile platform designed for larger businesses and enterprise-level operations. It offers many features and tools to help businesses create complex and customized online stores. 

During the 2000s, Magento's open-source flexibility and modularity dominated the e-commerce platform market. But slowly, Shopify took center stage by emphasizing simplicity and low maintenance, two features that Magento lacked.

While both platforms are popular and effective, they are geared toward different types of businesses with different strengths and capabilities. So, how do you choose between Adobe Commerce Vs. Shopify the better platform? By taking a closer look at how these two platforms are different in terms of:

  1. Target audience

  2. Usability

  3. Themes and,

  4. Sales tools.

Target Audience

Adobe Commerce and Shopify are both popular eCommerce platforms that cater to different types of customers. 

When we talk about Adobe Magento Vs. Shopify, Adobe Magento/ Adobe Commerce is designed for large and complex businesses. It offers a wide range of features and customization options and allows enterprises to launch multi-channel experiences.

  • B2b businesses often have more complex e-commerce needs, such as the ability to handle large orders and multiple pricing tiers. Adobe Commerce offers features that are specifically designed to support B2B e-commerce, including the ability to create custom pricing structures, support for bulk orders, and integration with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

  • Another benefit of Adobe Commerce for large businesses is its ability to support complex product catalogs and large traffic volumes. Adobe Commerce can handle millions of products and orders per hour, making it suitable for businesses with extensive and diverse product ranges.

  • In addition, Adobe Commerce offers support for multiple languages and currencies, advanced reporting and analytics, and integrations with other business systems such as CRM and ERP.

  • Adobe Commerce provides businesses with a high level of customization and control over the appearance and functionality of their online store. This includes the ability to create custom themes, design their checkout process, and integrate their store with other digital marketing channels such as social media and email marketing. This flexibility allows businesses to create unique and engaging customer experiences tailored to their brand and target audience.

Adobe Commerce is a highly scalable and flexible platform ideal for large businesses with complex eCommerce needs. 

Shopify is a simpler and easier-to-use eCommerce platform that is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a limited set of features and customization options, but it is much easier to set up and manage, even for users with little technical expertise.

  • User-friendly interface and intuitive design: Shopify offer a range of pre-designed themes and templates that make it easy for businesses to create an attractive and professional-looking online store with minimal effort.

  • Ease in Operations Management: Shopify offers a range of built-in tools and features that make it easy for small businesses to manage their online store, including support for multiple languages and currencies, payment processing, and order fulfillment. Shopify also offers integrations with popular marketing and sales tools, such as email marketing and social media, making it easy for businesses to promote their products and engage with customers.

  • Affordability: Shopify offers a range of pricing plans tailored to the needs of different businesses, including small, medium-sized, and enterprise-level businesses. 

The basic Shopify plan is suitable for small businesses just starting, while the Shopify Advanced plan is geared towards medium-sized businesses that need more advanced features and support. 

For enterprise-level businesses, Shopify offers a Shopify Plus plan, which includes additional features such as a dedicated account manager and the ability to process high volumes of orders.

Overall, Shopify is a well-regarded platform used by many businesses, including small, medium, and large enterprises. Its flexibility and comprehensive feature set make it a good choice for businesses of all sizes looking to set up an online store.

Usability 

While Adobe Commerce is more challenging to use than other eCommerce platforms, it offers a high level of control and flexibility that allows businesses to tailor the platform to their specific needs and requirements.

To give you a better understanding of Adobe Commerce's pros and cons, here is a list of the core features of Adobe Commerce that contribute to its ease of use:

  • User-friendly admin interface: Adobe Commerce offers a modern and intuitive interface that makes it easy for merchants to manage their online store, including adding and managing products, processing orders, and tracking sales and revenue.

  • Mobile-friendly design: Adobe Commerce is designed to be mobile-friendly, with responsive themes and templates that automatically adjust to the screen size and resolution of the device being used. This makes it easy for merchants to manage their online store and for customers to shop on their mobile devices.

  • Detailed documentation and support: Adobe Commerce offers a range of online resources and support options, including detailed documentation, user guides, and community forums, to help merchants get the most out of the platform.

Overall, Adobe Commerce offers a high level of control and flexibility, making it suitable for businesses with complex eCommerce needs. In addition, its user-friendly admin interface and mobile-friendly design, along with extensive documentation and support, help to make it a viable option for businesses of all sizes.

Shopify:

User-friendly admin interface: Shopify offers a modern and intuitive interface that allows merchants to manage their online store, including adding and managing products, processing orders, and tracking sales and revenue.

Mobile-friendly design: Shopify is designed to be mobile-friendly, with responsive themes and templates that automatically adjust to the screen size and resolution of the device being used. This makes it easy for merchants to manage their online store and for customers to shop on their mobile devices.

Extensive online resources and support: Shopify offers a range of online resources and support options, including detailed documentation, user guides, and community forums, to help merchants get the most out of the platform.

Affordable pricing plans: Shopify offers a range of pricing plans tailored to small business needs, with monthly fees significantly lower than those of other eCommerce platforms.

Built-in tools and features: Shopify offers a range of built-in tools and features that make it easy for businesses to manage their online store, including support for multiple languages and currencies, payment processing, and order fulfillment.

Shopify also offers integrations with popular marketing and sales tools, such as email marketing and social media, making it easy for businesses to promote their products and engage with customers.

Themes

Adobe Commerce offers a range of theme components that define the look and feel of the front-end store. These components include templates, layouts, and styles, which are used to create the overall design and appearance of the store.

Adobe Commerce offers two types of themes: blank themes and pre-designed themes. Blank themes are starting points for custom design, allowing developers to create their designs from scratch. Pre-designed themes are ready-made designs that can be customized to suit the needs of the business.

The theme components in Adobe Commerce can be customized to create unique and engaging customer experiences. Developers can use the theme editor to change the theme's colors, fonts, and styles and add custom graphics and images.

They can also use the layout editor to change the structure and arrangement of the elements on the page, including the position of the header, footer, and sidebar.

Overall, the theme components in Adobe Commerce offer a high level of flexibility and control over the look and feel of the front-end store, allowing businesses to create unique and engaging customer experiences.

Shopify themes, on the other hand, are more straightforward to use than Adobe Commerce themes. In addition, Shopify offers a limited set of pre-designed themes that can be customized to suit the needs of the business.

These themes are ready-made designs that can be easily installed and configured without extensive customization or development work. Plus, it’s an important feature that will help you evaluate Shopify pros and cons.

Shopify offers two types of themes: free themes and paid themes. Free themes are basic designs available at no cost, while paid themes are more advanced designs available for a fee. Depending on the design and features, paid themes typically cost between $100 and $180.

One of the key advantages of Shopify themes for small businesses is their affordability. Free themes are available at no cost, and paid themes are reasonably priced, making them a cost-effective option for businesses with limited budgets.

In addition, Shopify themes are easy to install and configure, even for users with little technical expertise, making them a convenient option for businesses with limited resources.

Overall, Shopify themes are a good option for small businesses that need an affordable and easy-to-use platform for creating an online store.

While they offer a limited set of customization options compared to Adobe Commerce themes, they are user-friendly and scalable, making them suitable for businesses of all sizes.

Sales Tools

Adobe Commerce and Shopify are both popular eCommerce platforms offering various sales tools to help businesses promote their products and engage with customers. However, there are some key differences that weigh in the comparison of Adobe Magento Vs. Shopify. 

Features & Customizations: 

One of the main differences between the sales tools offered by Adobe Commerce and Shopify is the range of features and customization options.

Adobe Commerce provides a broader range of advanced features and customization options, including support for multiple languages and currencies, advanced search and filtering capabilities, and customizable checkout processes.

This allows businesses to create a unique and personalized online shopping experience for their customers.

In contrast, Shopify offers a more limited set of sales tools, focusing on simplicity and ease of use. Shopify offers basic features such as product listings, shopping cart, and checkout, as well as integrations with popular marketing and sales tools, such as email marketing and social media.

While these tools are easy to use, they offer less flexibility and customization than those provided by Adobe Commerce.

Integration Capabilities: 

Another key difference between the sales tools offered by Adobe Commerce and Shopify is their integration capabilities.

Adobe Commerce provides many APIs and integration options, allowing businesses to connect their online store with other business systems, such as CRM and ERP. This enables enterprises to manage all aspects of their eCommerce operations from a single platform.

In contrast, Shopify offers limited integration capabilities, focusing on integrating with popular marketing and sales tools. While this is convenient for businesses that use these tools, it may not be suitable for companies with more complex integration requirements.

Although the premium version, Shopify Plus is designed for large and complex businesses. It offers additional features and benefits compared to the standard Shopify plans, such as higher transaction limits, advanced reporting and analytics, and dedicated support from the Shopify Plus team.

However, the core sales tools and features are the same across all Shopify plans, including Shopify Plus.

Summary

There is so much information to absorb when choosing an eCommerce platform like Adobe Commerce Vs. Shopify. It's not just about the features but understanding your business requirements - what your business needs to grow and scale.

If you are starting, then choosing Shopify will mean less reliance on a development agency. Shopify's simple website builder can be a big factor if you are trying to make things work on a tight budget. However, you will still need technical guidance to troubleshoot any issues. The simplicity of adding new functionalities can also be helpful.

Adobe, on the other hand, has been improving its enterprise capabilities. As a result, we expect new features and upgrades in areas such as live search, AI-powered product suggestions, and PWA studio. These enhancements will be available as individual microservices through a SaaS model, which can help address some of the limitations of open-source software. 

FAQs

Which is better, Adobe Commerce or Shopify?

Adobe Commerce and Shopify are popular eCommerce platforms that can help you set up and manage an online store. Adobe Commerce is suitable for large and enterprise-level businesses, while Shopify is a good choice for businesses looking for an easy-to-use platform. Consider your specific business needs and goals before deciding.

Is Shopify the same as Adobe Commerce?

While Shopify is a cloud-based platform popular among businesses of all sizes, Adobe Commerce is specifically tailored for enterprise-level businesses that need robust case-solving abilities and complete platform ownership.

Does Adobe Commerce have a future?

Adobe Commerce has a strong community of developers and a wide range of features and extensions. Moreover, since Adobe has made significant investments in the platform and has continued to release new updates and features, it indicates a solid commitment to future development.

Is Adobe Commerce worth learning in 2023?

Yes, Adobe Commerce is a popular eCommerce development platform. It has powered many eCommerce businesses globally. If you are interested in working in e-commerce or web development, learning Adobe Commerce could be a valuable investment in your future.

Which CMS is best - Adobe Commerce or Shopify?

Adobe Commerce and Shopify are popular CMS for building and managing an online store. Adobe Commerce is built on the Magento open-source and is a more flexible option for businesses with large product catalogs and high traffic volumes. On the other hand, Shopify is a cloud-based e-commerce platform that is easier to set up and use than Adobe Commerce. To thoroughly understand Adobe Commerce vs. Shopify, go through the above blog.