Over the past year, we’ve seen more businesses take a serious look at migrating from Magento to Shopify, particularly to Shopify Plus. This isn’t just a passing curiosity — it often comes up in discovery calls, technical audits, and strategic workshops we conduct with our clients. The motivation is clear: Shopify Plus promises to reduce technical overhead, simplify operations, and offer predictable costs. And in a time when CTOs and founders are seeking leaner, more scalable systems, that’s an appealing pitch.
But there’s a catch.
Some companies are starting this conversation not because they’ve outgrown Magento or evaluated Shopify Plus on its merits — but simply because Shopify has become the buzzword. It's seen as modern, fast, and lighter on infrastructure, and that’s not untrue. But if a business follows the trend without assessing what it really needs — technically, operationally, and financially — it may end up solving the wrong problem.
That’s why we’re publishing this article: to give you a grounded, side-by-side look at Magento and Shopify Plus. We’ll cover their technical architectures, TCO implications, business logic capabilities, and operational trade-offs — so that your decision is based on clarity, not momentum.
This isn’t guesswork. We created this piece together with oursenior engineers, who regularly act as technical consultants when clients are stuck between platforms. Their input reflects years of real-world experience helping businesses choose not the trendiest option — but the right one.
Who this ‘Shopify Plus — Magento’ comparison is for — and why it matters
This article isn’t for businesses just starting out with their first online store. It’s for those who have already been in the game for a while. Whether you're running your ecommerce operations on WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud — or even Magento or Shopify themselves — you're at a point where the platform you use can either help you scale or hold you back.
We often work with companies that have reached this inflection point. They’ve grown in complexity — adding new regions, products, fulfillment logic, and marketing workflows — and are now questioning whether their current setup still fits their business model. And that’s when two names usually come up: Magento and Shopify Plus.
Let’s take a closer look at which businesses usually fall into this decision space:
Businesses migrating from other platforms
You might fall into this category if:
You’ve outgrown WooCommerce, PrestaShop, or other entry-level solutions
You’re looking for better UX, scalability, or ecosystem support
You want to consolidate multiple disconnected systems into one
You’re struggling with rising maintenance and patching demands
🟧 Magento may appeal to businesses with in-house tech teams or highly tailored needs. 🟩 Shopify Plus may attract those who want managed infrastructure and faster rollout cycles.
Businesses already using Magento, but considering Shopify Plus
These businesses often:
Feel that Magento’s flexibility comes with too much technical debt
Want to simplify operations without sacrificing growth potential
Are exploring ways to lower TCO by switching to a hosted, all-in-one model
Want to reduce reliance on constant developer involvement
However, they still need features like multi-store support, regional pricing, advanced catalog management and wonder if Shopify Plus is robust enough.
Businesses using Shopify, but hitting platform limits
In these cases, we typically see:
The need for custom checkout flows or advanced promotions
Complex B2B logic like quote management or tiered pricing
Multi-language, multi-store architecture that’s too difficult to manage via workarounds
A desire for full control over hosting, code, and data handling
🟧 These businesses may be evaluating Magento for its deep customization options and open technical base, especially when Shopify Plus hits its structural ceiling.
This article is for businesses who see themselves somewhere in the matrix above. Maybe you’re weighing options after a performance audit. Maybe your business operations have matured, and your current platform is showing cracks. Either way, this isn’t a basic feature comparison — it’s a strategic evaluation for businesses that need their platform to serve growth, not hinder it.
Magento overview: Open architecture, high control — but not for everyone
Magento often enters the conversation when businesses feel limited by mainstream eCommerce platforms.
What is Magento?
Magento is a powerful open-source eCommerce platform, originally launched in 2008 and acquired by Adobe in 2018. It’s known for being powerful, flexible, suitable for enterprise-level businesses, but also for demanding more technical oversight. The version most businesses use today falls into two main categories:
Magento Open Source — the community-supported, license-free version (in other words, an open-source platform)
Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento Commerce) — the enterprise-level solution with official support, cloud hosting options, and advanced features
Magento (now Adobe Commerce) is built for flexibility. It's highly customizable and can support complex business logic, advanced product structures, and tailored shopping experiences across multiple stores.
Magento benefits
Magento is self-hosted by default, which means businesses are responsible for infrastructure, maintenance, updates, and scaling. Adobe Commerce Cloud (ex-Magento Commerce Cloud) offers managed cloud hosting, but the underlying principle remains the same — you control everything: from the backend code to frontend delivery.
“Magento isn’t just a storefront solution — it’s a foundation. For businesses with advanced pricing models, B2B complexity, or global operations, the level of control it gives you is hard to replicate on any hosted platform.”
Your hosting and scalability are only as good as your chosen stack
That said, this control is exactly what makes Magento so attractive to businesses that can’t compromise on flexibility.
Magento is especially well-suited for enterprise-level retailers, B2B operations, and companies that treat their online store as a core business engine rather than just a sales channel. But that power comes with responsibility: you’ll need the technical bandwidth to build and maintain the system you want.
If your business model demands tailored logic, rich backend workflows, and full infrastructure control — Magento can deliver. Just be prepared to invest in the right development and support strategy.
Real-life case #1: Magento migration for PROSTOR.
Dinarys had a project focused on Magento migration. Our client was a well-established brick-and-mortar retail chain in Ukraine — Prostor. It’s a vast droggerie chain specializing in cosmetics and household cleaning products. We’re still working with them, but the migration phase has successfully finished.
Before migrating, PROSTOR faced limitations with their previous platform (Horoshop) — from restricted CRM integration and lack of customer engagement features to a subpar checkout experience and poor scalability.
Magento 2 offered a solution tailored to their needs:
It supported seamless CRM integration and allowed for custom modules like a local-market-specific bonus system and offline pickup options.
It enabled OTP login and a smooth checkout flow, enhancing engagement.
The infrastructure, powered by Kubernetes, ensured reliable scalability across regions.
Results? Their Magento store has seena notable boost in conversions, SEO performance, and UX — all within five months of launch.
Key takeaway
Magento (Adobe Commerce) is a fit for businesses that need full control over how their online store operates. From custom workflows and complex catalogs to multi-store management and B2B logic — Magento can handle it all, but requires technical resources to do so. It’s not for every business, but for the right one, it offers long-term flexibility and depth.
STILL UNSURE WHICH PLATFORM IS RIGHT FOR YOUR MIGRATION?
Our team will evaluate your current setup, business priorities, and growth goals — and guide you toward the right move, whether that’s Shopify Plus or Magento.
Shopify Plus overview: Streamlined growth with guardrails
Shopify Plus has become a go-to option for scaling brands that want to grow fast without getting tangled in infrastructure. It’s the enterprise-level tier of the broader Shopify platform designed to handle high-volume sales, complex operations, and international expansion.
What is Shopify Plus?
Shopify Plus is a fully hosted, subscription-based commerce platform that offers the same user-friendly foundation as regular Shopify, but with more power under the hood:
More control over checkout and APIs
Support for automation and B2B features
Higher performance limits and priority infrastructure
Dedicated account management and launch support
The core appeal of Shopify Plus lies in its “commerce without the chaos” philosophy. Merchants don’t need to worry about hosting, scaling, patches, or security updates — Shopify handles all of it.
Shopify Plus benefits
Shopify Plus runs on Shopify’s multi-tenant SaaS infrastructure, meaning your store shares resources with others but benefits from world-class uptime, security, and infrastructure scaling. This is great for most businesses, but it also means some backend elements (like full server access or deep customization) remain off-limits.
Shopify Functions (for some backend customizations like discounts or shipping logic)
It’s not a blank canvas, but it’s flexible enough for many growing businesses.
“Shopify Plus is ideal for teams who want to focus on growth, not maintenance. It’s especially strong when speed to market, UX consistency, and predictable costs matter more than full backend control.”
— Senior Solution Architect at Dinarys
Shopify Plus works best formodern D2C brands, fast-scaling product companies, and multi-regional B2C businesses. It delivers agility, resilience, and speed but within a structured framework. If your business thrives on getting to market quickly, scaling with less tech debt, and using robust tools instead of building from scratch, Shopify Plus may be the better fit.
Just know that the trade-off for simplicity is control and that’s a decision worth evaluating against your long-term roadmap.
Real-life case #2: Shopify Plus migrations for Undergoods.
One of our Shopify-based projects was Shopify Plus migration for Undrsgoods. It’s a Dubai-born brand, specializing in men's underwear and basics (such as trunks, boxers, T-shirts, and socks). Originally, they were operating on WooCommerce, until the platform’s limits hindered their further development.
To improve site speed, user experience, and regional scalability, Undrgoods migrated to Shopify Plus, which helped them with a lot of things:
Multi-store management enabled easy regional content and pricing adjustments.
Support for regional payment methods ensured seamless checkout across the UAE and KSA (through Shopify Payments).
Faster performance and mobile-first UX boosted customer experience and conversions.
Automated bundle operations cut manual work and streamlined logistics.
This migration helped Undrgoods scale while delivering a smooth, localized shopping experience.
N/B: Sometimes it’s difficult to understand which plan to choose for your business. To help you get a better idea of the most popular Shopify plans, we offer you to read our article on full-fledged comparison of Shopify and Shopify Plus.
Key takeaway
Shopify Plus is built for fast-moving teams that want to focus on business, not infrastructure. It’s especially strong for direct-to-consumer brands, international rollouts, and marketing-driven growth. While it has limits in customization, its simplicity and speed make it a powerful tool for scaling without complexity.
Shopify Plus vs Magento Commerce: Infrastructure and toolset comparison
Choosing between Magento and Shopify Plus isn’t just about features — it’s also about how well the platform supports your current operations, your internal team’s capabilities, and your long-term growth strategy. Infrastructure and tooling directly impact speed to market, scalability, and how smoothly your business can execute on new ideas.
To help you evaluate the options based on real business needs, we broke the comparison into the areas where the differences are most impactful.
Hosting environment and infrastructure management
The way a platform is hosted and maintained affects:
your team’s workload
your total cost of ownership (TCO)
how quickly you can scale
Magento offers full freedom with greater technical demands; Shopify Plus is more streamlined but offers less low-level control.
💼 Business focus: Magento is a better fit for businesses with internal technical teams or highly specific hosting requirements. Shopify Plus suits those that want to reduce infrastructure overhead and speed up operations.
“Magento gives engineering teams full control, which is a huge asset, but also a responsibility. For brands without in-house DevOps, it’s a commitment that needs to be weighed carefully.”
— Roman Fesko, CTO at Dinarys
Toolset and ecosystem
Your tooling determines how easily you can:
extend your store
adapt to new customer needs
maintain operational efficiency
Businesses with advanced requirements may benefit from Magento’s deep customization, while those prioritizing agility may lean toward Shopify’s plug-and-play approach.
💼 Business focus: Shopify Plus is more efficient for smaller or fast-moving teams. Magento suits companies that rely on deep backend logic, tailored workflows, or ERP-level customizations.
“Shopify’s ecosystem makes it easier for non-tech teams to operate. You get automation, marketing tools, and integrations without starting from scratch.”
— Senior Full-Stack Engineer at Dinarys
Real-life case #3: Shopify to Magento migration for MonTresor
Limited by Shopify’s capabilities, the client moved to Magento 2 to enable complex workflows like editable orders, installment payments, user roles, and QuickBooks sync. Over six months, we developed custom solutions — including shipment edits and catalog exports — to build a scalable platform aligned with their business logic and payment model.
Platform fit by business type
Different business types benefit from different strengths. Your product complexity, fulfillment logic, and internal processes should guide your platform choice — not just pricing or market trends.
💼 Business focus: Consider how your team works. If you need tailored processes, Magento offers space to build them. If you want to empower a lean team with strong out-of-the-box functionality, Shopify Plus delivers.
“We usually help clients map out their key revenue-driving operations first. If they’re built around speed, user experience, and dynamic marketing, Shopify Plus often fits better. If they rely on specific backend rules, Magento takes the lead.”
— Senior Solution Architect at Dinarys
Key takeaway
Your eCommerce infrastructure should match how your business operates. Magento gives you control and flexibility, but requires more technical management. Shopify Plus simplifies operations with built-in tools, but comes with limitations in customization.
Choose the platform that fits your internal capabilities, growth plans, and how much complexity your team is ready to handle.
NEED HELP CHOOSING THE RIGHT PLATFORM BASED ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND TOOLING?
From hosting and DevOps readiness to available integrations and ecosystem support — we’ll help you make a grounded decision and build or migrate with confidence.
Shopify Plus and Magento Enterprise Comparison: Business operations support
Your platform isn’t just a sales engine. It’s the operational core of your business. It affects how your team manages products, processes orders, updates content, supports customers, and adapts to change. That’s why choosing between Magento and Shopify Plus means looking closely at how each platform supports your day-to-day operations and long-term workflows.
Let’s break down where each platform (Magento Enterprise vs Shopify Plus) fits different business needs and how they handle common eCommerce operations:
Catalog management and product complexity
For businesses with large, diverse, or highly customized product catalogs, efficient catalog management is a must. How you structure, manage, and display product data directly impacts operational efficiency and content accuracy.
💼 Business focus: Magento is ideal for businesses with complex product structures or thousands of SKUs. Shopify Plus works well for simpler or more uniform catalogs, especially with app support.
“Magento handles product complexity better out of the box. If your catalog requires advanced logic or layered attributes, it gives you more structure to work with.”
— Senior Magento Developer at Dinarys
Order management and fulfillment workflows
Order management systems should align with your fulfillment model — whether that’s B2C, B2B, DTC, dropshipping, or hybrid. The platform’s ability to integrate with 3PLs, automate order flows, and support split shipping can make or break operations.
💼 Business focus: Magento fits fulfillment-heavy operations with custom rules. Shopify Plus works well when speed and automation matter more than edge-case logic.
“If you need to create complex workflows — say, splitting orders based on region, warehouse, or supplier — Magento lets you build exactly what you want. Shopify Plus gets there faster but needs apps or workarounds.”
— Senior Solution Architect at Dinarys
Multistore and regional operations
If you're selling across multiple countries, brands, or business units, multistore capabilities are essential. Consider how easily each platform handles localization, pricing, and backend management for regional teams. Dedicated support is also a critical parameter to assess.
💼 Business focus: Magento suits businesses running several regional or channel-specific stores under one roof. Shopify Plus is easier to manage if you're scaling into a few clear markets.
“Magento’s multistore architecture is built-in. If you're running separate stores for B2B and B2C, or by region, it simplifies backend operations. Shopify’s approach works, but you manage each instance separately.”
— Roman Fesko, CTO at Dinarys
Admin usability and team workflows
Your platform should support — not slow down — your internal teams. From marketers to operations managers, everyone needs a backend that’s usable, efficient, and adaptable to their workflow.
💼 Business focus: Shopify Plus helps lean teams do more with less. Magento supports deeper control, but requires coordination between departments and tech support.
“Shopify’s admin is a big win for non-tech teams. You can move faster with less support. Magento gives more options, but you need training and processes to use it efficiently.”
— Full-Stack Developer at Dinarys
Key takeaway
Choose a platform that fits how your business operates day to day. Magento works best for businesses with complex catalogs, custom fulfillment workflows, or multistore setups that need tight control. Shopify Plus is better for teams that want ease of use, automation, and scalable operations with fewer technical dependencies.
Each platform aligns with a different operational mindset — map your workflows before choosing your tools.
COMPLEX PRODUCT SETUPS, CUSTOM ORDERS, OR MULTI-REGIONAL OPERATIONS?
We’ve helped businesses navigate these challenges across both Magento and Shopify Plus. Let’s talk through your structure and choose (or build) what actually fits.
Comparison between Magento Enterprise and Shopify Plus: Total cost of ownership (TCO)
Choosing an eCommerce platform is also about long-term financial fit, especially when it comes to Magento Enterprise & Shopify Plus comparison. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) includes everything from licensing and hosting to development, maintenance, and staffing. Businesses need to look beyond upfront costs and evaluate what it really takes to operate and scale on each platform.
Here’s how Magento and Shopify Plus compare across the cost categories that matter:
Licensing and platform fees
The first cost decision is often about the platform license, but what’s “free” today may not be tomorrow. Businesses need to understand what’s included in the subscription (or not), and how costs shift as they scale.
💼 Business focus: Shopify Plus provides predictable pricing. Magento offers flexibility, but requires tighter cost planning.
“Magento Open Source may be free, but once you add hosting, security, and dev time, the cost adds up fast. Shopify Plus is upfront with pricing, which helps when budgeting for the long run.”
— Delivery Manager at Dinarys
Development and maintenance
Running a scalable eCommerce store requires ongoing development, whether you’re fixing bugs or building new features. The level of technical complexity and team resources needed varies widely between platforms.
💼 Business focus: Magento suits businesses with in-house tech teams or long-term development roadmaps. Shopify Plus is easier to maintain for leaner teams.
“If your business runs on very custom logic, Magento can save you money in the long term by avoiding constant app costs. But you’ll pay more upfront to build things right.”
— Magento Team Lead at Dinarys
App & extension costs
Both platforms use extensions or apps to expand functionality, but the pricing models are very different:
💼 Business focus: Shopify Plus is better for time-to-market. Magento pays off if you plan to invest in long-term ownership.
“Shopify apps are fast to install and easy to use, but they add to your monthly bill. Magento’s module model gives you more control over long-term cost, especially if you manage everything in-house.”
— Backend Engineer at Dinarys
Staffing and skill requirements
The cost of operations isn’t just tools. It’s people as well. The required internal or external team has a major effect on TCO:
💼 Business focus: Shopify Plus reduces staffing costs. Magento works well if you already have a strong technical team.
“Magento gives you full freedom, but you’ll need a dedicated team that understands its architecture inside out. Shopify Plus is a lighter lift, which appeals to smaller ops teams.”
— Project Manager at Dinarys
Key takeaway
TCO isn’t just about what you pay — it’s about how your team operates and grows. Magento gives you flexibility and control, but with higher infrastructure and staffing demands. Shopify Plus simplifies operations and centralizes costs, but ongoing app fees and feature trade-offs can add up. Choose the platform that aligns with your resources, internal capacity, and budget management style.
What platform will scale efficiently with your business?
Scalability isn’t just about how many products you can upload or how fast your site loads. It’s about whether your eCommerce platform can evolve with your business model, support your operational workflows, and accommodate regional or structural growth — without becoming a burden.
Scaling fast with lean teams
If you’re a direct-to-consumer brand focused on growth through marketing, product launches, and regional expansion, Shopify Plus often makes the most sense. It handles infrastructure for you, allows quick setup of multi-currency and multi-language storefronts, and has a rich app ecosystem that reduces dev time.
For teams that don’t have a large internal tech department — and don’t plan to build one — Shopify Plus offers clear operational advantages. Many of our clients choose it precisely because it lets them scale campaigns, storefronts, and even back-office automation with minimal internal effort.
“If you plan to grow aggressively without hiring a full tech team, Shopify Plus takes a lot off your plate. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to get new markets or bundles launched.”
— Magento Team Lead at Dinarys
Scaling through complexity
For businesses that scale by deepening operational sophistication, rather than simply expanding reach, Magento (Adobe Commerce) may be a better long-term partner. If your growth strategy involves complex product logic (like tiered pricing or configurators), marketplace-style operations, or tight integration with internal systems like ERP or PIM — Magento gives you more room to build exactly what you need.
This is especially true for companies planning to enter B2B or hybrid markets, manage multiple product catalogs across storefronts, or work with highly customized checkouts and customer portals.
“Shopify is great for fast growth, but once your operations require fine-tuned logic, Magento becomes more efficient. You don’t need workarounds—you build what fits.”
— Roman Fesko, CTO at Dinarys
N/B: Here’s also a list of resources that can be useful for business owners currently (or in the near future) considering ERP or PIM integration:
Your growth model — not just your current size — should guide your platform choice. Two businesses with similar revenue might need very different platforms depending on how they sell, what tools they depend on, and how flexible their product model is.
If you're launching new regions quickly and want a lean team: Shopify Plus.
If you're expanding SKU logic, B2B workflows, or service layers: Magento.
If your business includes omnichannel sales or multiple brands: both can work, but execution depends on your internal capacity.
“Many companies overestimate what they need early on and underestimate how painful technical debt becomes later. The platform you choose should grow the way you plan to grow — not how someone else did.”
— Project Manager at Dinarys
Key takeaway
Shopify Plus scales easily when speed and simplicity matter most, especially for marketing-led growth. Magento scales deeply, offering full control for businesses with complex operations and long-term custom requirements. Choose based on how your business is structured to grow, not based on what looks easiest today.
Just a few final words
The decision between Magento and Shopify Plus shouldn’t start with trends or assumptions. It should start with your business model, your operations, and where you actually want to go.
We’ve worked with fast-scaling D2C brands and large enterprises — and in each case, the right platform wasn’t the most popular one, but the one that aligned with how they planned to grow, what they expected from their team, and how much technical overhead they were ready to manage.
Whether you’re preparing for your first major migration or weighing whether to replatform again, treat this decision like a long-term investment. Not just into the tech stack — but into how your business will run behind the scenes.
If you’re still weighing options, our senior engineers are ready to step in — not to pitch a solution, but to help you find the one that makes the most sense for how your business actually works.
MAGENTO OR SHOPIFY PLUS — WHICH WILL TAKE YOUR BUSINESS FURTHER?
If you’re at the crossroads, we’ll help you make the call with clarity. No fluff, just deep technical insights and real-world experience from teams who’ve done it before.
Shopify Plus offers tools like Shopify Flow and Shopify Scripts, which enable some degree of customization without touching the core code. However, for more advanced customization, Shopify retailers often rely on custom apps built on top of its fully hosted SaaS solution. On the other hand, Magento merchants, especially those on the Adobe Commerce Cloud Edition, can achieve deep customization with full custom development, although it often comes with higher maintenance costs and a greater need for development services.
Choosing the right ecommerce platform depends on your priorities. Shopify Plus simplifies operations with Shopify Payments, reducing transaction fees and offering native PCI compliance. It's a strong fit for Shopify stores that want scalability without the burden of infrastructure management. Magento (Adobe Commerce), while more flexible, often requires setup of third-party payment gateways and deeper tech involvement to meet compliance needs — but can be tailored more precisely for complex payment scenarios.
Shopify retailers benefit from predictable pricing under a fully hosted SaaS solution, which includes hosting, PCI compliance, and platform maintenance. They can also reduce overhead by using built-in tools like Shopify Flow, Shopify Payments, and native integrations. Magento merchants, however, often incur higher maintenance costs due to infrastructure, custom development, and optional use of the Adobe Commerce Cloud Edition. Still, Magento provides more control — especially for businesses needing advanced customization or unique workflows not supported by Shopify’s user-friendly interface.
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