Magento Vs Shopify - The Ultimate Comparison
The availability of hundreds of e-commerce platforms makes it difficult to choose the right one. Ecommerce website development agency in Northampton has brought down the fight between the two most popular e-commerce platforms: Magento & Shopify. Magento is US-based while Shopify is Canadian. If one is looking forward to setting up an online store, an eCommerce platform to avail the process of buying and selling is essential.
Both the platforms are doing great, you need to make a choice depending on the business need and budget. Shopify and Magento are both powerful eCommerce platforms. Shopify offers its own hosting and is fairly easy to use. When it comes to Magento one needs to purchase hosting and execute the installation process. Any non-techie would be going mostly for Shopify and the tech-savvy would find Magento absolutely easy to handle. Ecommerce website design in Northampton makes a comparison between the two based on the following factors.
- Easy to Use
Shopify provides its own hosting while Magento does not have hosting solutions. Therefore, setting up a store would be inconvenient. In the case of Shopify, even a novice could set up the store and would not require expert interference. Having little technical background will allow one to set up an online store whereas a web developer could be handy in the case of Magento. Shopify wins in this comparison.
- Payment Gateway
Ecommerce website development agency in Northampton shares that payment gateways play a crucial role when it comes to online shopping. Shopify offers around 100 gateways and Magento around 150 payment gateways. Shopify has its own payment gateway: Shopify payments. By using Shopify payments users will not have to pay additional fees other than credit card processor fees. But if you use other gateways like PayPal or Amazon, an additional fee will be charged. Magento offers larger options and is also convenient for the overseas market. Magento provides more options for international selling.
- Themes
The look and feel of the page or store is a thing one should not miss. Keeping in mind the user, build your store with easy to use features. Both Shopify and Magento offer themes that are responsive. The average theme cost for Shopify is $140 to $180 while for Magento themes can cost from $600 to $2500. Shopify themes can be customized by simply drag and drop but when it comes to Magento one needs professional developers. Magento themes focus on large businesses with chunky budgets, says Ecommerce website design in Northampton.
- Apps and Add ons
Adding extra functionalities to an online store is really important. Both Shopify and Magento offer a wide range of apps and add ons. Shopify has apps like Mailchimp, Trackr, trust hero, etc. Magento has a banner slider, product pre-order, Remarkety, etc. Shopify offers more polished apps in comparison to Magento. Also, Magento apps require coding knowledge whereas Shopify ones are easy to use.
- Pricing
The major difference between the two is hosting. Shopify is self-hosted but when it comes to Magento one needs to purchase separately. The cost of hosting is included in the monthly plan when it comes to Shopify. Magento is free to install but incur costs like hosting, domain and other extensions. Shopify has three main plans to choose from based on monthly rates. Whereas Magento rates will depend on several factors. Magento is an open-source platform so rates will depend on requirements. Shopify plans might look cheaper on the first go but additional themes and apps will increase the cost.
