So, you’ve decided to start selling your products online. You may have a growing social media platform where you sell your products, or you’re already established and looking to grow even further. There are various options available for you to create an e-commerce website. However, the two most powerful options are Magento and Shopify.
Which one should you choose? Well, that depends on your needs. They both offer the same service with different approaches.
Shopify is now the leading e-commerce platform available. Started in 2004, it has grown exponentially since then to power many small-medium businesses. Its greatest advantage is its usability and simple design interface. Prior knowledge of coding language isn’t required.
Magento was established in 2009 and is popular among medium to large enterprises. It is an open-source e-commerce platform that is coded using PHP, a coding language used by over 75% of websites according to a study by W3Techs. It is available on both a free and paid platform.
Magento Vs Shopify
Pricing
Shopify
Shopify’s pricing plans come at 3 different levels.
- Shopify Basic at USD 29/Month
- Shopify at USD 79/Month
- Advanced Shopify USD 299/Month
Magento
Magento has two different pricing methods.
- A free open-source platform that anyone can use
- An advanced platform called Magento Enterprise offers custom pricing but is around USD 20,000 annually for businesses that earn less than a million annually. Prices are tailored according to business revenues.
Ease of Use
Shopify
Shopify’s primary selling point is its ease of use. No prior knowledge of coding is required, and the design process is intuitive. Shopify is limited by its pre-existing templates and doesn’t offer much in the way of control.
Magento
Magento is coded using PHP. Prior knowledge of coding is required, and it has a steep learning curve. However, it is much more flexible and offers control that Shopify lacks.
Features
Shopify
Along with basic software, Shopify allows for the use of add-ons and extensions. By paying extra, these add-ons allow features like gift cards and abandoned cart recovery.
Magento
Magento too offers add-ons and extensions. By nature of its open-source platform, there are thousands of add-ons available for Magento, and at a lower cost than Shopify. Plus, Magento has a lot more options.
SEO
Shopify
Both platforms offer SEO with Shopify primarily dependent on apps. The SEO features are limited in Shopify.
Magento
Magento has more extensive SEO features when compared to Shopify. The platform is extremely customizable and offers a great degree of control in SEO activities.
So which platform should you choose?
Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses. Shopify is more tailored to the e-commerce beginner. It offers a one-stop solution for most people with the drawback being a lack of control.
Magento requires someone with knowledge of code and has a steep learning curve. But what it offers is a great deal of customization, better SEO features, and a wide variety of add-ons and extensions.
If you’d like to know more about which is the best option for you, you can always talk to us at +971 4 580 3378.
