Selecting the right eCommerce platform is a major key to building a successful online business. With so many options available, finding the right one for your company’s needs can sometimes be challenging.
Magento is a popular choice for eCommerce store owners, largely thanks to its near-limitless flexibility and customization options. Nonetheless, several Magento competitors are worth considering. Along with customization features, important things to look for when comparing alternatives to Magento include omnichannel capabilities, ease of use, integration options, and built-in sales and marketing features.
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BigCommerce vs. Shopify: Everything You Need to Know
To help store owners choose the best eCommerce platforms for their needs, we've put together a guide covering the top five Magento competitors on the market in 2024.
Magento Competitors to Evaluate
Many people think that all eCommerce platforms are essentially the same, but the reality is that they are vastly different from one another. No single option will serve every purpose; they all have their strengths and downsides. Oftentimes, what works for other businesses in your industry or other companies of the same size might not work for you.
That's why it's important to carefully consider all of the major alternatives to Magento. And with that in mind, here are some of the top Magento competitors to compare:
- BigCommerce: Best for midsize and large businesses looking for robust, scalable solutions
- Shopify: Perfect for startups and growing small businesses that seek user-friendly customization
- Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Geared toward enterprise-level businesses requiring CRM integration and high-performance features
- WooCommerce: An ideal choice for WordPress users seeking flexibility and scalability without major upfront investments
- Volusion: Suitable for businesses that desire effective marketing tools but have simpler content needs
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a very strong, reputable eCommerce platform that currently powers thousands of stores and processes billions of dollars worth of transactions each year. With recent improvements in third-party integration, security upgrades, and new enterprise features, BigCommerce offers an intuitive yet powerful platform that is ideal for midsize and larger companies.
Benefits of BigCommerce
One of the key advantages of BigCommerce to consider when comparing Magento vs. BigCommerce is the platform's ease of use. When it comes to installation and development, BigCommerce has a quick-launch option that helps you complete the process. It also offers 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone.
BigCommerce's top-notch security features include things like PCI compliance (Level 1), firewalls, and 24/7 monitoring. Recently, it has also partnered with fraud prevention services to help store owners detect and prevent fraudulent activity on their sites.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, BigCommerce offers an all-in-one platform. It includes hosting, themes, SEO, and more—making store setup and transition significantly easier for business owners as well as marketers. This helps establish it as one of the best eCommerce platforms.
Drawbacks of BigCommerce
In the Magento vs. BigCommerce debate, there are a lot of things to like about BigCommerce. However, there are a couple of drawbacks you'll need to consider. The first is a limited number of free themes to choose from. Although new themes have been added, free options are still somewhat minimal.
In some ways, scalability is another BigCommerce drawback. High-revenue businesses may encounter certain limitations. However, BigCommerce Enterprise offers additional features and capabilities designed for large companies. It’s capable of satisfying many of these demands.
Shopify
Along with Magento and BigCommerce, Shopify is one of the leading eCommerce platforms used by many small to midsize businesses. Currently, Shopify powers over 4 million stores worldwide. This fully integrated eCommerce solution provides ready-made online shops that you can tweak and customize to your heart’s content. The platform offers a variety of pricing plans to choose from, each with its own set of SEO, marketing, and analytics tools. You can learn about the experiences of various Shopify and BigCommerce users by reading our case studies (select a platform under the “Technology” filter menu).
Benefits of Shopify
Shopify’s biggest strengths include its customization options and user interface. Today, almost every service markets itself as “user-friendly” but few actually are. Shopify is one of the few. You can choose from a multitude of attractive ready-to-use designs that are also responsive. This means that your site will be optimized for smartphone and tablet users.
Like BigCommerce, Shopify offers plenty of security for its clients. It is certified for Level 1 PCI DSS compliance. As a result, all Shopify online stores are automatically PCI-compliant, which ensures your customers have peace of mind and see your store as a legitimate business.
Drawbacks of Shopify
The biggest drawback that pushes users away from Shopify is the cost of this eCommerce platform. With Shopify, there are fees for both monthly subscriptions and individual transactions. Depending on the plan you choose, Shopify's transaction fees range from 2.4 to 2.9 percent plus 30 cents per transaction. If you plan on selling numerous products, you seriously need to take these costs into account.
Another major drawback to consider when comparing Magento vs. Shopify is the proprietary coding that the eCommerce platform is built on. Essentially, this means that if you want to delve into the back-end, you are going to need someone who really knows what they’re doing. This may seem like a non-issue to some, but it can eventually increase maintenance costs and cause delays in updating your store.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud
One of the lesser-known platforms is Salesforce Commerce Cloud, a cloud-based eCommerce platform that launched as "Demandware" in 2004. One of the key benefits of SCC is its deep integration with Salesforce's CRM platform. This gives users access to powerful tools like AI-powered personalization and advanced customer insights.
Benefits of Salesforce Commerce Cloud
The biggest advantage that SCC offers over its competitors is that it requires much less time to develop extensions because the platform is completely cloud-based. Salesforce Commerce Cloud itself is hosted on high-performance servers, so no separate hosting is needed when using the platform.
Drawbacks of Salesforce Commerce Cloud
One major downside of SCC is the cost of the platform. Salesforce Commerce Cloud prices are relatively high when compared to its competitors. If your business is a startup or relatively small, Salesforce Commerce Cloud might not be the right choice for you.
WooCommerce
For WordPress users, WooCommerce offers a customizable and cost-effective way to run an online store. It’s especially suitable for startups and small businesses. With the right configuration, it can support mid-sized operations as well.
Benefits of WooCommerce
One key benefit of WooCommerce is its flexibility. Thanks to its modular system with numerous plug-in options, WooCommerce makes it easy to fully customize your online store's look and features. WooCommerce also offers extensive community support so that users always have a place to go for answers.
Drawbacks of WooCommerce
Compared to Magento, WooCommerce isn't the most scalable solution. As businesses grow, WooCommerce may require additional server resources and careful maintenance to keep up with increased traffic.
Volusion
The last Magento competitor on our list is Volusion, a service focused on providing a full toolkit for clients who want hosted solutions. Volusion gives the user control over everything business-related, such as sales, marketing, and merchandise.
Benefits of Volusion
In comparison to its competitors, Volusion excels in eCommerce operations and integrated marketing features. Although your marketing strategy matters more than the tools, having the right tools does matter. Volusion has almost any marketing tool you could want, and they're seamlessly integrated into the platform. Regarding eCommerce operations, Volusion helps clients with back-end tasks like inventory management, warehouse communications, and logistics.
Drawbacks of Volusion
Pricing is the biggest deterrent to choosing Volusion over other eCommerce platforms. There are several levels of fees that stack up rather quickly. Users need to pay monthly, transaction, credit card, and add-on fees.
Another Volusion pitfall is its blog, CMS, and analytics feature set. Unlike competitors, Volusion doesn’t even give you the option to have a blog on your website. If you go the suboptimal route of creating a “blog.yourstore.com” subdomain using WordPress/Drupal for your content, Volusion still fails in easy analytics implementation.
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Platform
The first thing you should consider when searching for an eCommerce platform is the price. Whether you’re a small business just getting started or an established company that is moving online, you need to know exactly what you’ll be paying.
Be sure to consider integrations and plug-ins when looking at Magento 2 alternatives. Most platforms, such as BigCommerce, have plenty of tools to help you run your business, but it's also important to ensure that the platform is capable of integrating with third-party solutions like payment processors, CRMs, and ERPs.
Security and customer service are frequently overlooked features of an eCommerce platform, but they should also be key factors when deciding which platform to use. No one wants to enter their credit card information on a website that doesn’t seem secure, so it’s crucial to know what security is provided.
Given the increasing number of mobile shoppers, mobile responsiveness is a key consideration as well. You want to be sure that your store looks and functions well on all devices. Omnichannel capabilities are another emerging factor, and it's beneficial to choose a platform that will empower you to sell your products across multiple channels.
Lastly, you should look at the scalability of each platform you consider. All business owners hope their companies will grow in the future, but you may not know to what extent. Nonetheless, it’s important to seek a platform that can scale alongside your business.
Budget and Value Considerations
Before deciding on an eCommerce platform, carefully evaluate what you’ll need to pay at present and in the future as you grow and expand. Occasionally, you’ll be charged for additional services, but you shouldn't find yourself paying extra for the bare minimum features of an eCommerce platform.
The pricing structure is always important to keep in mind as well. For example, Shopify's transaction fees can make it a costly choice for businesses that sell products in large volumes, even if the subscription fee is attractive. Platforms like Salesforce Commerce Cloud, meanwhile, have high upfront costs but might save your business money in the long run as it scales.
It’s important to realize that each of the services mentioned in this article is targeted at a different type of business. When micro/small businesses compare Magento vs. Shopify, they often choose Shopify because of its low monthly fee. For midsize to larger companies, Magento and BigCommerce are the top choices. Both offer very competitive prices for the features they include. Salesforce Commerce Cloud has relatively high prices and is preferable for large-scale enterprises and corporations.
Conclusion
Finding the right eCommerce platform requires careful consideration of both current needs and future growth potential. Each above-mentioned platform offers unique benefits, but the best choice depends on your specific business goals, budget, and operational needs. With a clear understanding of your priorities and resources, you can confidently choose the platform that will support your growth trajectory.
When you’re ready to take the next step, contact our team for a tailored consultation on selecting the best eCommerce solution for your company. We’ll help you find the platform that’s just right for you! If you need help optimizing an existing site, sign up for our free website performance audit.
