Platform comparison
Magento vs Shopify
Two different philosophies. Magento: full control, self-hosted. Shopify: all-in-one, hosted. Discover which suits you.
Magento vs Shopify at a glance
The main differences summarized
| Aspect | Magento 2 | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self-hosted (€100-€500/month) | Hosted (included) |
| Monthly costs | €100-€500 (hosting only) | €29-€2,000/month |
| Transaction fees | €0 | 0.5-2% |
| Setup costs | €5,000-€50,000+ | €0-€5,000 |
| Customization | Unlimited | Limited |
| Technical knowledge | Developer required | No knowledge needed |
| Multi-store | Included | €2,000/month (Plus) |
| B2B features | Native | €20-€300/month (apps) |
| Scalability | Unlimited | Good (up to enterprise) |
| Ideal for | Enterprise, B2B, complex | Starters, B2C, simple |
Detailed comparison
Cost comparison
Magento 2
Setup costs:
- • Theme: €59-€299
- • Extensions: €500-€5,000
- • Development: €5,000-€50,000
- Total: €5,500-€55,000+
Monthly costs:
- • Hosting: €100-€500/month
- • Transaction fees: €0
- • Extensions: €0-€100/month
- Total: €100-€600/month
Break-even: Cheaper than Shopify Plus after 1-2 years (at €100k+ revenue/month).
Shopify
Setup costs:
- • Theme: €0-€350
- • Apps: €0-€500
- • Setup/design: €0-€5,000
- Total: €0-€5,850
Monthly costs:
- • Plan: €29-€2,000/month
- • Transaction fees: 0.5-2%
- • Apps: €50-€300/month
- Total: €79-€2,300+/month
Note: At €100k revenue/month you pay €1,000-€2,000 transaction fees (1-2%).
Customization & flexibility
Magento
- Unlimited customization (full access code)
- Custom modules, integrations possible
- Full database access
- Developer needed for everything
Shopify
- Theme editor (drag & drop)
- 6,000+ apps for extra functionality
- Liquid template language (limited)
- No database access
M
Choose Magento if...
- You do €100k+ revenue per month (transaction fees become too expensive)
- You have complex B2B requirements (tiered pricing, quotes, etc.)
- You want to run multiple shops from 1 admin (multi-store)
- You need custom integrations (ERP, CRM, warehouse systems)
- You want full data ownership and control
- You have a developer in-house or on retainer
- You have 10,000+ products with complex catalogs
S
Choose Shopify if...
- You're starting a new shop and want to go live quickly
- You have no technical knowledge or developer
- You do less than €50k revenue per month
- You want to focus on marketing, not technology
- You have a simple B2C shop without complex features
- You don't want to worry about hosting, security, updates
- You're testing a product/niche and want to start low-risk
Want to migrate from Shopify to Magento?
Read our complete migration guide with costs, tools and step-by-step explanation.
View migration guide