Shopify vs Magento: Comparing Top eCommerce Platforms

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” — Dan Millman

We start by mapping how each platform aligns with Australian businesses’ needs today. This is about cost, speed and long-term growth.

One option bundles hosting, security and 24/7 support so you can launch a store quickly with fewer moving parts. The other, as magento open source, gives deeper control over code, architecture and extensions.

Expect different pricing profiles: monthly plans and app add-ons versus hosting, development and extension costs that scale with complexity. We’ll weigh features like POS, themes and shipping integrations against catalogue depth, SEO and custom workflows.

Throughout, we keep the focus on business outcomes — conversion, average order value and customer lifetime value. If you need help shaping your store experience or design, email hello@defyn.com.au and we’ll step in.

Key Takeaways

• Choose the hosted option for speed-to-market and lower operational overhead.
• Pick the open-source route for heavy customisation, complex products and multi-store needs.
• Compare total cost: month-to-month fees versus project-based hosting and development.
• Consider support, SEO and performance based on your expected traffic and growth runway.
• Focus on outcomes — sales, conversion and customer lifetime value — over raw feature lists.

At a glance: what Australian businesses need from an eCommerce platform today

We prioritise clarity and resilience for any store that serves the Australian market.

Practical needs are clear: fast launch, reliable hosting, transparent pricing and strong SEO. Mobile-first design and simple integrations reduce friction for users and teams.

Traffic growth and stability matter. Platforms must handle sale-day peaks with caching, CDN and image optimisation. Merchants expect robust product and catalogue tools, easy content edits and themes that reflect their brand while staying fast.

• Compliance: GST-ready invoicing and payment gateway compatibility.
• Support: 24/7 customer support versus community and partner ecosystems.
• Integrations: inventory, shipping and accounting with minimal custom code.

Security and hosting responsibilities differ. One option bundles SSL and PCI compliance; the other needs hosting, patches and scans managed by you or a partner.

If you’re struggling with your Shopify customisation with your developer, contact hello@defyn.com.au and we’ll help tailor the platform to your customers and growth plan.

Shopify Vs Magento: core differences that shape your build

The platform you pick decides how much control your developers have and how fast you launch.

Hosted SaaS vs open source: control, complexity, and compliance

Hosted SaaS offers a fast path to market with built-in hosting and PCI compliance. Teams avoid patching and server management, and support is vendor-led 24/7, which suits small teams that prioritise speed and predictable management.

Open source gives full code access and deep extensibility. Built in PHP, magento open source and its enterprise variants let developers tailor workflows, data models and headless designs. That power comes with responsibility: you manage hosting, security patches and WAFs.

Who typically chooses which platform and why

Non-technical teams and companies who value ease and quick launch often use the hosted option for predictable care and faster time-to-value.

Engineering-led organisations and high-traffic retailers pick the open source route for multi-store, B2B rules, advanced SEO control and bespoke integrations.

“Pick the option that maps to your team’s skills and growth plan — not just its current wish list.”

• Support & community: vendor support versus a broad developer community and partner ecosystem.
• Developers & code access: limited templating and APIs versus full framework access for deep custom work.
• Design & SEO: strong out-of-the-box patterns against granular control of URLs and metadata.

If you’re struggling with your Shopify customisation with your developer, contact hello@defyn.com.au and we’ll help map the right strategy for your ecommerce roadmap.

Ease of use and time-to-launch

Getting a store live quickly often comes down to how simple the admin and theme editor are.

Drag-and-drop simplicity speed. The hosted option provides a visual editor and mobile-responsive themes so a non‑technical user can build pages, tweak sections and publish fast.

Developer effort and control. The open-source route has deeper features and configuration. That power comes with a steeper learning curve and usually needs developer time for setup and theming.

How this affects launch timelines

• Editor tools and clear UI reduce time-to-launch for standard ecommerce sites.
• Complex product rules or bespoke integrations extend project lead time on open-source builds.
• Onboarding, docs and vendor support speed up confidence for new teams.

Both platforms cover core SEO basics, but the open-source option exposes more native controls while the hosted platform scales SEO via templates and apps.

“Choose the path that matches your team’s skills — speed or deep control.”

If you’re stuck in shopify config or theme setup, contact hello@defyn.com.au and we’ll help streamline your launch and improve the experience.

Pricing and total cost of ownership

Costs are often the deciding factor — but the headline price rarely tells the whole story.

Hosted plans bundle hosting, SSL and platform updates into a predictable per-month fee. Common plan tiers start around $39/month, $105/month and $399/month. Payment gateways and premium apps add to ongoing costs.

Shopify plan tiers, inclusions, and typical add-on costs

We see three core plan levels that trade features for monthly simplicity. Shopify Payments removes extra platform transaction fees; external gateways may incur additional charges.

Magento Open Source “free” plus hosting, themes, and extensions

magento open is free to install but needs paid hosting, security, themes and extensions. Expect theme and extension purchases from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, plus developer time.

When Adobe Commerce/Commerce Cloud makes sense

Commerce Cloud and Adobe Commerce carry licence fees that scale with revenue. They suit businesses needing enterprise SLAs, multi-store tooling and advanced workflows.

• Include maintenance, patching and performance optimisation in TCO.
• Apps often run on subscriptions; extensions may be one-off but need integration.
• We can map a realistic 12–24 month cost picture to help your business choose confidently.

“Budget certainty wins in growth stages; bespoke builds repay their cost where complexity demands it.”

If you are struggling with your Shopify customisation with your developer, contact hello@defyn.com.au and we’ll help.

Themes, design and customisation depth

Design choices and theme limits define how unique your store can feel and how much developer time you’ll need.

Hosted themes are polished, mobile-ready and include free and premium options (typically $150–$350). The visual editor speeds up page and content changes so non-technical teams move fast.

Liquid templates let you build flexible sections, but there is no core code access. That means platform-level changes to checkout or deep workflows usually require apps or higher-tier plans.

Open source flexibility

magento open source and similar open source foundations ship with base themes and let developers modify every line of code. This unlocks bespoke page layouts, custom modules and PWA builds for advanced mobile UX.

• Theme costs are similar across both options, but open source work often includes custom functionality beyond styling.
• SEO structures like titles, URLs and tags are natively configurable; parity can be achieved via theme settings and apps.
• For brand-led experiences, full code access gives endless possibilities; for speed and consistency, polished themes win.

We help you weigh design freedom against maintainability so the final experience meets your business objectives.

If your shopify design needs outgrow your developer’s bandwidth, email hello@defyn.com.au and we’ll help push it further.

Apps, extensions and integrations

Choosing the right extensions and integrations shapes how your store performs and scales.

We compare app breadth, pricing models and developer ecosystems so you can pick a sustainable integration strategy.

Shopify App Store breadth and pricing models

The app store offers thousands of add-ons for marketing, reporting, shipping and analytics. Many apps use monthly subscriptions; some are free and others charge premium fees that reach into the high hundreds or more per month.

Pros: fast plug‑and‑play functionality and easy SaaS connections.

Watchouts: app sprawl can increase ongoing costs and affect performance if not managed.

Magento Marketplace scale and developer ecosystem

The marketplace lists 5,000+ extensions with prices from about $19.99 up to $2,000. These are often one‑time licences but need developer time for installation and customisation.

Pros: deep functionality for ERP, PIM and industry‑specific workflows thanks to a strong developer market.

Watchouts: extension overload raises maintenance and upgrade complexity; governance is crucial.

• Both markets cover core ecommerce needs, but the open code platform supports more platform‑level changes via modules.
• We prioritise integration governance to control costs and preserve upgrade paths.
• For complex ERP and WMS integrations, the deeper module set is compelling; for fast SaaS connections, apps win.

“Thoughtful functionality choices protect performance, security and upgrade paths.”

If you are struggling with your Shopify customisation with your developer, contact hello@defyn.com.au and we’ll design a scalable integration plan.

Sales, catalogue and inventory features

Good sales tools turn product lists into predictable revenue — and the right platform shapes that flow.

Both options support multi-channel selling, abandoned cart recovery and basic reporting. That means you can push products to marketplaces and social channels and bring potential buyers back with recovery emails.

Multi-channel, carts and reporting

• Core sales features: coupons, order notifications and channel integrations with marketplaces and social.
• Abandoned cart tools are built in; reporting depth varies by plan and by custom analytics.
• Integrations for email and ads help with marketing automation and recovery flows.

Catalogue, bulk import/export and merchandising

Catalogue management handles simple product models well and scales to complex attributes when needed.

Bulk import and export tools differ: one approach offers robust CSV and attribute management for large catalogues, while the other uses CSV plus partner apps for deeper data flows.

• Inventory and stock alerts are standard; advanced bundles or kitting are easier with deeper admin controls.
• We align catalogue strategy with UX to lift AOV and repeat purchases.

Contact hello@defyn.com.au if you are struggling with your Shopify customisation with your developer.

SEO and performance considerations

Technical SEO and real-world speed shape how a site ranks and how users behave.

Built-in SEO on open source vs app-led SEO on hosted platforms

Magento’s open source builds ship with granular controls for URLs, metadata, layered navigation and canonical tags. These controls help search engines index complex catalogues more predictably.

The hosted option covers titles and meta descriptions and extends SEO using apps for redirects, schema and automated tag management. For many SMEs this closes most gaps quickly.

Site speed realities for hosted vs self-hosted builds

Independent benchmarks show lighter sites load around 2.6s on the hosted stack and 2.8s on open source. At enterprise scale, optimised open source setups can outperform hosted builds (e.g., 6.0s vs 6.8s) when hosting and caching are tuned.

• Magento ships strong built-in SEO: custom URLs, metadata, canonical tags, structured navigation, and sitemap control.
• Hosted platforms cover SEO basics and scale with apps for schema and redirects.
• Page speed depends heavily on hosting, caching and optimisation.
• CDNs, image compression and aggressive caching are essential for traffic spikes.

“We plan technical SEO alongside content workflows so you can update at speed without breaking structure.”

Next steps: we audit extensions use to avoid bloat, set Core Web Vitals and index KPIs, then optimise hosting and content to lift organic revenue. Contact hello@defyn.com.au if you are struggling with your Shopify customisation with your developer.

Payments, gateways and transaction fees

How you accept payments affects pricing, settlement timing and customer friction at checkout.

Payments are a practical part of running an online business in Australia. Gateways, processor rates and platform fees combine to set your real costs per order.

Gateway availability and Shopify Payments considerations

magento shopify ecosystems both connect to many providers. The open code marketplace supports 150+ gateways via extensions. The hosted option works with 100+ providers and offers Shopify Payments in supported countries to remove extra platform transaction fees.

How fees impact margins across plans and platforms

• All-in fees: card processing plus any platform transaction charges change product margins.
• Recurring models: subscription billing and dunning features affect churn recovery and month revenue.
• Operational fit: settlement timing, multi-currency and refunds change cashflow for companies trading internationally.
• For Australian companies, check surcharging rules, tax calculations and local compliance before choosing a gateway.

“We model all-in costs per payment mix over a typical month so you can choose the right blend of providers.”

If you need help configuring payments without breaking the website checkout UX, contact hello@defyn.com.au.

Mobile experience and omnichannel

A seamless mobile flow turns casual browsers into repeat customers.

Mobile-first design is standard across modern ecommerce platforms. Fast product pages and a streamlined checkout reduce drop-off and lift conversions.

In-person and online sales must connect. Point-of-sale systems unify inventory so a single store view prevents stock surprises during busy trading days.

• Mobile-first design and responsive themes keep pages fast and accessible.
• POS integrations link online and physical stores for click-and-collect and local fulfilment.
• PWA support gives app-like speed, offline browsing and push notifications for richer mobile experiences.
• We prioritise image optimisation, minimal UI friction and plugin choices that protect performance.

When mobile traffic dominates, we set strict speed budgets and re-assess platform fit as your needs evolve. Contact hello@defyn.com.au if you are struggling with your Shopify customisation with your developer.

“Design mobile-first and govern integrations so omnichannel features add value, not technical debt.”

Security, hosting and compliance

Hosting choices and patching routines decide how resilient your store will be.

One option bundles PCI DSS compliance and SSL into the managed platform, so you can focus on operations and customer experience.

Open source builds require active security management: you must apply patches, run vulnerability scans and harden servers. That means managing backups, monitoring and incident response as ongoing tasks.

PCI compliance on hosted stacks vs patching on open code builds

We treat access control and developer workflows as first‑class concerns. Role-based access, staging environments and CI/CD reduce release risk.

• Platform bundles: PCI, SSL and vendor support lower operational overhead.
• Self‑managed: patch cadence, scans and server hardening sit with you or your partner.
• Costs: include hosting, monitoring, backups and incident readiness—not just servers.
• Community: official advisories and contributor guidance help open source users stay current.

“For regulated industries we document data flows, encryption, logging and retention policies.”

If you are struggling with your Shopify customisation with your developer, contact hello@defyn.com.au and we’ll map a compliant hosting and security plan.

Support, community and developer access

Reliable support shapes how quickly teams resolve incidents and keep stores trading.

We balance vendor-led channels with open community resources so businesses get rapid help and deep technical access. Vendor customer support runs 24/7 via chat, phone and email for fast triage. That reduces downtime during peak trading.

24/7 vendor channels vs community and enterprise support

Vendor-led customer support gives quick resolutions and a central help centre full of guides. It suits users who need predictable response times.

Open-source community offers broad forums, tutorials and partner agencies. Adobe Commerce adds paid enterprise support for SLAs and escalation.

• Vendor support: fast triage, clear SLAs and step-by-step help.
• Community: deep technical threads, code samples and partner networks.
• Developers get broader access on open code platforms for deep troubleshooting and extensions.

Need help with Shopify customisation? Contact hello@defyn.com.au

We act as an escalation path. We translate issues into fixes, set clear SLAs and provide proactive monitoring so your website stays reliable.

“Strong customer support reduces downtime and preserves trust during peak seasons.”

Which platform fits your stage: SME, scaling, or enterprise

Different business stages demand different platform trade-offs between speed, control and cost.

We help Australian businesses match platform choice to team size, traffic forecasts and growth plans. Small teams often need predictable pricing and rapid time-to-value. Larger retailers prioritise governance, multi-store tools and deep integrations.

Australia-focused scenarios: budgets, traffic, and shipping partners

Consider local fulfilment, carrier contracts and tax rules as part of selection. Each business has unique needs: catalogue depth, campaign cadence and peak traffic shape technical and commercial decisions.

• SMEs: standard catalogues and lean teams benefit from speed, fixed pricing and app ecosystems.
• Scaling retailers: multi-store, B2B pricing and governance often point to enterprise-grade solutions such as Adobe Commerce or Commerce Cloud.
• Traffic & merchandising: forecast spikes and campaign frequency to pick the right ROI profile.
• Budgeting: include hosting, support and integration costs—pricing alone understates total cost.
• Growth planning: if acquisitions or rapid expansion are likely, multi-store governance reduces re-platform risk.
• Pilots: fast pilots and iterative releases favour easy-to-launch stores that shorten feedback loops.

“We recommend a platform roadmap that evolves with your store and market conditions over the next 24 months.”

If you are struggling with your Shopify customisation with your developer, contact hello@defyn.com.au and we’ll help assess the right path for your business.

Conclusion

Match platform capability to the problems you need to solve — speed, scale or deep customisation.

Both options are mature choices for Australian retailers. Pick the one that maps to your team, roadmap and target sales, not a brand debate. A hosted platform wins on speed, security and 24/7 support. An open code solution wins on design control, built‑in seo and enterprise extensibility.

We help you compare pricing, apps or extensions and ongoing month costs so total cost and results stay aligned. With the right build and governance, ecommerce performance, page speed and marketing outcomes are achievable on either route.

If you want us to review your current store and propose improvements, we’re ready. For hands‑on hosted marketing, SEO and theme work, contact hello@defyn.com.au today.