Alternative to Magento: Shopify, headless or custom
Looking for an alternative to Magento? Shopify, headless commerce or a custom storefront: when to choose which, without lock-in from an overweight platform.
At MG Software we recommend Shopify for stores that want to launch and grow quickly without technical overhead. For teams with development capacity, Saleor is an excellent open-source option with maximum flexibility. For enterprise projects with complex multi-channel requirements, we suggest Commercetools. We help you find the right balance between time-to-market, cost and long-term scalability.
Why do people look for alternatives to Magento, now branded as Adobe Commerce, is one of the oldest and most feature-rich open-source e-commerce platforms in the world. The Community Edition (Magento Open Source) is free to use, while Adobe Commerce Cloud carries licence fees starting around $22,000 per year for small businesses. The platform offers extensive product catalogue capabilities, multi-store management, advanced pricing rules, built-in B2B functionality and a large extension ecosystem via the Adobe Commerce Marketplace. Magento runs on PHP with MySQL or MariaDB and requires powerful server infrastructure with Elasticsearch or OpenSearch for catalogue search.?
Store owners seek Magento alternatives due to several pain points. The total cost of ownership is high: even the free Open Source edition requires specialised hosting of at least $100 per month for acceptable performance. Finding experienced Magento developers is increasingly difficult and their hourly rates are above average. Upgrades between major versions are notoriously complex and time-consuming, with extensions frequently proving incompatible. Page load times on Magento are slower than modern platforms without extensive caching and optimization. Adobe is increasingly focusing on enterprise customers, leaving SMBs questioning whether the platform still fits their needs.
Best alternatives
Shopify
Shopify is the most widely used hosted e-commerce platform in the world with over 4 million active stores. It provides a fully managed solution with no server management, automatic updates and an extensive app ecosystem of more than 8,000 apps. Shopify Plus for enterprise customers starts around $2,300 per month. The platform supports headless commerce via the Storefront API, international selling with Shopify Markets and advanced point-of-sale integration. Hydrogen, Shopify's React framework, enables custom storefront development.
Pros
- +Fully managed platform with no server administration, security patches or manual updates needed
- +Vast app ecosystem with over 8,000 apps covering virtually any functionality you might require
- +Shopify Payments integrates payments seamlessly with lower transaction fees than external gateways
- +Built-in internationalisation with Shopify Markets for currency, language and tax localisation
Cons
- -Monthly subscription costs plus transaction fees when using external payment providers
- -Less flexibility in product data models and checkout customisation compared to open-source platforms
- -Vendor lock-in: migration to another platform requires exporting all data and rebuilding themes
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the most widely used open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress, powering over 36% of all online stores worldwide. The plugin itself is free, though you pay for hosting, a theme and premium extensions. WooCommerce provides full flexibility in product management, payment integrations with over 100 gateways, tax calculation and shipping options. The WordPress ecosystem offers thousands of compatible plugins for SEO, marketing, CRM and more. WooCommerce is particularly strong in regions with diverse local payment method requirements.
Pros
- +Free core plugin with full source code access and unlimited customisability through WordPress
- +Largest ecosystem of all e-commerce platforms with thousands of themes and plugins available
- +No platform transaction fees at all, you only pay costs charged by your chosen payment provider
- +Enormous global community with extensive documentation, tutorials and professional support options
Cons
- -Performance requires attention: WordPress can become slow with large catalogues without proper caching
- -You are responsible for hosting, security updates, backups and maintaining plugin compatibility
- -Quality of themes and plugins varies widely, which can cause compatibility and stability issues
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is an enterprise-ready SaaS e-commerce platform that combines scalability with built-in features that cost extra on competing platforms. The Standard plan starts at $29 per month and the Enterprise plan offers custom pricing. BigCommerce distinguishes itself through built-in multi-channel selling via Amazon, eBay and social media, native B2B functionality, unlimited product variants and zero transaction fees regardless of payment provider. The platform supports headless commerce via its GraphQL Storefront API.
Pros
- +Zero transaction fees on all plans regardless of which payment provider or gateway you use
- +Built-in multi-channel selling via Amazon, eBay, Instagram and Facebook without additional apps
- +Native B2B features including customer-specific price lists, quote requests and company accounts
- +Unlimited product variants and SKUs without the constraints Shopify imposes on lower tier plans
Cons
- -Annual revenue thresholds per plan: exceeding them forces an upgrade to a more expensive tier
- -Smaller app ecosystem than Shopify with fewer specialised integrations for niche market segments
- -Theme customisation options are less flexible than WooCommerce or fully headless solutions
Commercetools
Commercetools is a MACH-certified (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) e-commerce platform that delivers the complete commerce backend through APIs. The platform provides product information management, order handling, cart, checkout, pricing and promotions as independent microservices. Commercetools runs on Google Cloud with global availability and auto-scaling. Pricing is based on API calls and GMV, so costs scale proportionally with your business growth.
Pros
- +Full MACH architecture with independent microservices that scale and update individually
- +API-first design provides maximum freedom to connect any frontend or customer touchpoint
- +Enterprise-grade scalability on Google Cloud that auto-scales with traffic spikes seamlessly
- +Future-proof architecture that prevents lock-in through open standards and best-of-breed integrations
Cons
- -High implementation costs: you build the entire frontend and integration landscape yourself
- -Requires an experienced development team with knowledge of API architecture and modern frontends
- -Pricing model based on API calls can become unpredictable at high traffic volumes
Saleor
Saleor is an open-source, API-first e-commerce platform built with Python (Django) and GraphQL. It provides product management, order processing, payment integrations, inventory management and a store administration dashboard. Saleor Cloud offers a managed version with pricing starting at $295 per month. The GraphQL API makes it straightforward to build a headless frontend with React, Next.js or any other framework. Saleor has accumulated over 20,000 GitHub stars and benefits from an active open-source community.
Pros
- +Fully open-source with transparent code, no licence fees and complete customisability
- +GraphQL API provides a powerful and efficient way to query data for headless frontend development
- +Modern tech stack with Python, Django and PostgreSQL that integrates well with existing backend teams
- +Active community with over 20,000 GitHub stars and regular feature releases and improvements
Cons
- -Requires a development team for implementation, customisation and ongoing frontend maintenance
- -Smaller plugin and integration ecosystem compared to Magento, Shopify or WooCommerce platforms
- -Saleor Cloud pricing is relatively steep for small stores that are just starting with limited budgets
Comparison at a glance
Shopify offers the fastest time-to-market with a fully managed ecosystem. WooCommerce delivers maximum flexibility for WordPress users without platform fees. BigCommerce combines SaaS convenience with zero transaction fees and native B2B features. Commercetools provides enterprise-grade MACH architecture for complex multi-channel commerce. Saleor delivers a modern open-source alternative with GraphQL and full source code access.
What to consider when switching?
- Technical team available to build a headless frontend versus needing a turnkey solution
- Importance of open-source and source code access versus a fully managed SaaS platform
- Budget for licence fees, hosting and development at initial launch and on an ongoing basis
- Need for B2B functionality, multi-channel selling and international market expansion
- Complexity of your product catalogue and the number of product configurations and variants
Which alternative does MG Software recommend?
At MG Software we recommend Shopify for stores that want to launch and grow quickly without technical overhead. For teams with development capacity, Saleor is an excellent open-source option with maximum flexibility. For enterprise projects with complex multi-channel requirements, we suggest Commercetools. We help you find the right balance between time-to-market, cost and long-term scalability.
Frequently asked questions
Why are stores migrating from Magento to Shopify?
The primary reason is lower total cost of ownership. Magento requires specialised hosting, a dedicated developer for maintenance and complex upgrade projects. Shopify eliminates these costs with a fixed monthly fee that covers hosting, security and updates. Additionally, Shopify offers faster time-to-market: changes that take days in Magento can often be implemented within hours on Shopify thanks to the extensive app ecosystem and intuitive admin interface.
Is Magento Open Source still free in 2026?
Yes, the Magento Open Source edition is still free to download and use. However, you pay for hosting, an SSL certificate, extensions and development hours. The actual costs for a production store on Magento Open Source range from $200 to $2,000 per month depending on hosting requirements, number of extensions and complexity of customisations. Adobe Commerce Cloud is the paid variant with additional enterprise features and licence fees.
Can I migrate my Magento products to Shopify?
Yes, Shopify provides an official Magento migration tool that transfers products, customers, orders and SEO redirects. For complex catalogues with many attributes, configurable products and custom options, we recommend a specialised migration tool such as LitExtension or Cart2Cart. Plan the migration carefully: export all data first, test in a staging environment and verify that all URL redirects work correctly before going live.
Which Magento alternative is best for B2B stores?
BigCommerce offers the strongest native B2B functionality as a SaaS platform, with customer-specific price lists, quote requests and company account management built in. Commercetools is ideal for complex B2B scenarios requiring custom API integrations with ERP and CRM systems. Saleor provides B2B capabilities through its flexible GraphQL API. Shopify Plus supports B2B via Shopify B2B, though the functionality is less deep than BigCommerce or Commercetools.
How long does a migration from Magento to another platform take?
Migration duration depends on complexity. A straightforward store with hundreds of products and standard functionality can be migrated to Shopify within four to six weeks. Complex Magento installations with thousands of products, custom modules and ERP integrations require two to four months for a complete migration to a headless platform. Always plan an overlap period where both systems run in parallel for verification and thorough testing.
Is WooCommerce suitable for large stores with thousands of products?
WooCommerce can handle large catalogues provided you invest in quality hosting and optimization. Dedicated servers or managed WordPress hosting from providers like Kinsta or Cloudways are essential for catalogues exceeding 5,000 products. Object caching with Redis, database optimization and a CDN for images are critical. For catalogues above 50,000 products we recommend a headless approach or a platform like BigCommerce or Commercetools.
What are the advantages of headless e-commerce over Magento?
A headless approach separates the frontend from the backend, allowing you to build the shopping experience with modern frameworks like Next.js or Remix for superior load times and flexibility. Frontend updates no longer require backend deployment. You can connect multiple frontends to the same commerce backend: a website, mobile app and in-store kiosk. This is particularly valuable for businesses that want to serve multiple sales channels from a centralised system.
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