Shopify Plus vs Magento (Adobe Commerce): Agility vs. Complexity

In the world of large-scale eCommerce, many brands must decide between traditional solutions like Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) or modern, growth-oriented platforms like Shopify Plus .

Both are benchmarks in high-performance projects, but their philosophies, structures, and execution speed are very different. In this article, we show you why Shopify Plus provides greater operational agility and how this can translate into business results.

Opposing models

Shopify Plus was born with a focus on simplifying the complex . As a SaaS platform, it offers automatic updates, a managed global infrastructure, and an interface that allows marketing and eCommerce teams to operate autonomously from day one.

Adobe Commerce, for its part, is an open-source solution with a high degree of customization, but also complexity. It requires specialized technical teams or agencies for its operation and scalability, which can increase time and costs.

Bottom line: Where Adobe offers technical flexibility, Shopify Plus offers speed of implementation and autonomy.

Key advantages of Shopify Plus over Adobe Commerce

Unparalleled time to market

Many Shopify Plus implementations allow for launches or new marketplaces to open within weeks, while Adobe Commerce projects often require longer lead times, especially for complex customizations and integrations.

Lower and more predictable costs

Shopify Plus offers a fixed monthly fee that includes up to 10 environments and very low sales commissions, along with priority support and full access to advanced features, providing predictability and allowing for scaling without surprises. This can offer greater predictability in TCO compared to Adobe Commerce, which includes licensing, hosting, and ongoing technical maintenance.

Native B2B included

Shopify Plus includes built-in B2B features: per-customer pricing, exclusive catalogs, customized payment terms, and a shopping cart, all managed from the admin and without external apps. Adobe Commerce does offer B2B features, but these are activated through specific extensions and require advanced technical configuration after enabling additional modules. This increases complexity, technical dependency, and operational costs.

Infrastructure without limits

As a SaaS platform, Shopify Plus offers a global, fully managed infrastructure ready to scale without any technical configuration. Adobe Commerce, on the other hand, typically requires dedicated servers and ongoing technical maintenance. Shopify Plus scales frictionlessly. Adobe Commerce scales with technical effort.

Integrated AI

Shopify Plus includes AI tools like Shopify Magic and Sidekick in the admin and shopping experience: product description generation, automated chat responses, personalized storefront recommendations, and predictive content that improves conversions. All without the need for external apps or advanced configuration.

Updates every 6 months

With Shopify Editions, Shopify releases over 150 feature enhancements every six months, with no action required from the customer. Updates are automatic, with no downtime, maintenance, or technical dependencies, constantly improving the platform.

Simple maintenance

Shopify Plus automatically manages updates, security, scalability, and support, while Adobe Commerce processes are manual and require constant developer intervention.

Optimized checkout

Shopify Plus offers one of the highest-converting checkouts on the market, optimized for mobile, fast, and with no technical customization required. Adobe Commerce requires technical work to achieve a similar experience.

Global scalability

Shopify Plus is ready to operate in multiple countries, languages, and currencies from a single platform, with centralized management and guaranteed global performance.

Business focus

Shopify Plus allows teams to focus on sales and marketing, while Adobe Commerce requires constant technical support for maintenance and scalability.

When is Shopify Plus the best option?

• When you prioritize speed in launching new stores or markets.
• If you are looking for greater predictability in operating costs.
• When the marketing team needs real autonomy without technical intervention.
• If you plan to operate in multiple markets (languages, currencies) in an agile manner.
• If you want to scale without relying on full-time developers.

Many brands that chose Shopify Plus did so with a clear goal: simplify for growth. And they succeeded.

Conclusion

Adobe Commerce was a key solution for years, but today, agility, efficiency, and a seamless user experience are strategic.

Shopify Plus represents this evolution: a platform designed to sell more, scale quickly, and operate without technical restraints .

Thinking about migrating from Adobe Commerce to Shopify Plus ?

At LOP, we help you do this with a strategy designed to scale from day one.

We are certified Shopify Plus partners and eCommerce specialists with 25 years of experience in digital media.

Contact us and learn how we work: https://lop.global/pages/contacto