Magento vs Shopify Plus: Which is Right for You?

If you’re a retailer still running your store on Magento, you already know the struggle: constant developer dependency, costly upgrades, and a platform that feels more like a burden than a growth engine.

That’s why so many brands are making the move to Shopify Plus. It’s fast, scalable, and designed for retailers who want to spend less time wrestling with tech and more time selling. If you’re weighing up whether to stick with Magento or switch to Shopify Plus, this blog gives you the no-nonsense guide breakdown. 

Let’s dive in. 

What is Shopify? 

Shopify is an easy-to-use ecommerce solution which enables B2B and D2C businesses to build online stores. It’s flexible and scalable, and with a range of pricing plans is used by businesses of all sizes from start-ups to enterprise level. The Shopify App Store enables merchants to increase functionality with hundreds of add-ons. 

What is Magento? 

Magento (acquired by Adobe in 2018 and now known as ‘Adobe Commerce’) is an open-source ecommerce platform. Adobe Commerce has a license fee which is a percentage of a business’ total annual revenue.

Ease of Use

Running a Magento store feels like managing a legacy IT department. Even small changes require developer time, turning routine updates into expensive projects.

Shopify, however, is clean, intuitive, and built for speed. Anyone on your team can add products, customise pages, or integrate apps in minutes – no code required. Time saved here can be dedicated to marketing, sales, or customer experience. 

High Costs

Magento’s open-source label sounds appealing – until you factor in hosting, maintenance, upgrades, and developer retainers. Suddenly, “free” costs tens of thousands a year. 

Shopify keeps it simple. Transparent monthly plans, secure hosting included, and no surprise maintenance bills. Instead of wasting money patching tech, you invest in growth.

Security & Compliance

Magento makes you chase patches, updates, and PCI compliance. Miss one, and you’re exposed. 

Shopify takes care of it, PCI compliance, SSL certificates, and ongoing security are baked in. So you can focus on selling, not fire fighting. 

Customisation & Apps 

Magento offers deep customisation – but it comes at a price: fragile extensions, clashing modules, and developer dependency. 

Shopify balances flexibility with simplicity. Its app ecosystem is massive, plug-and-play, and designed to work without breaking your store. You get speed and reliability without losing creative freedom.

The Challenge

Gina Baconni, a premium fashion brand, was stuck on Magento. User engagement was slipping, discounting was clunky, and the site lacked flexibility for promotions. The team needed a smoother customer journey, more upsell opportunities, and a platform that could actually support growth. 

The Migration

Partnering with Quickfire, Gina Baconni made the move to Shopify Plus. The migration was executed without any SEO drop-off (a common fear), thanks to collaboration with Blink. Key improvements included: 

• Tabbed carousels for bestsellers, new in, and recently viewed. 
• A cart drawer upsell module (“You May Also Like”) to lift AOV
• Global-E integration to streamline European orders 

The Results

The transformation was immediate: 

• +6% increase in conversion rate 
• +73% increase in average order value

As Juliette Offenbach, Creative Director at Gina Bacconi puts it: 

“Quickfire understood our challenges from day one. Their strategic approach made all the difference – and the results speak for themselves.”

If you’re serious about growth, the choice is clear. Shopify delivers speed, scalability, and simplicity that Magento can’t match. 

Still have some questions? Download our Magento to Shopify migration guide here. 

Or ready to migrate? Let’s talk about how to get your brand off Magento and onto Shopify without headaches. Contact us here.