Magento vs. Adobe Commerce: Choosing the Best E-Commerce Solution

Ecommerce platforms are the backbone of any successful online business, providing the essential tools needed to build, manage, and grow an online store. These software solutions enable businesses to handle everything from inventory management and product listings to processing payments and engaging with customers. As digital commerce continues to expand, selecting the right ecommerce platform is more important than ever for achieving business goals and staying competitive.

Leading ecommerce platforms like Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source offer a wide array of features designed to streamline ecommerce operations and enhance customer engagement. Whether you’re launching a new online business or looking to upgrade your current system, understanding the capabilities of these platforms is key to making an informed decision. By choosing the right ecommerce platform, businesses can ensure smooth day-to-day management, effective inventory control, and meaningful customer interactions that drive growth.

The evolution of ecommerce platforms has been marked by rapid innovation and increasing sophistication. In the early 2000s, open-source ecommerce solutions like Magento emerged, quickly gaining popularity for their flexibility and scalability. Magento Open Source became one of the most popular ecommerce platforms, empowering businesses to customize their online stores to fit unique business needs.

In 2018, Adobe recognized the potential of Magento and acquired the platform, rebranding its commercial edition as Adobe Commerce. This move brought advanced features and seamless integration with the Adobe Experience Cloud, further enhancing the platform’s capabilities. Today, both Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source stand out as leading ecommerce platforms, each catering to different business needs—whether it’s the robust, enterprise-level features of Adobe Commerce or the adaptable, open-source nature of Magento Open Source.

Magento Open Source is a free version, open-source e-commerce platform designed for businesses that want full control over their online store’s development and customization. Also known as Magento Community, it is ideal for startups and small businesses seeking independence and customization, but it lacks the advanced commerce functionalities, analytics, and B2B features available in the enterprise solution.

Key Features:

• Flexibility and Customization. Open-source code allows developers to create unique features tailored to business needs.
• Large Developer Community. Access to forums, Slack groups, and meetups for support and ideas.
• Extensive Marketplace. Thousands of third-party extensions and themes.
• Cost-Effective. No licensing fees, but hosting and development costs are required.
• Basic Security Features. Provides fundamental security protections, but lacks the advanced options of the enterprise solution.
• SEO Optimization. Supports basic SEO tools to help improve search engine rankings.

Ideal for startups and small businesses, Magento Open Source provides a cost-effective entry point to e-commerce.

Adobe Commerce, previously known as Magento Commerce, is a premium e-commerce platform offering advanced features, enterprise-level support, and seamless integration with Adobe’s ecosystem. Adobe Commerce Magento is a comprehensive e-commerce solution, and many agencies hold partnerships and certifications to deliver expert development, implementation, and support.

Key Features:

• Advanced Tools. AI-powered live search, business intelligence, and loyalty programs.
• Scalability. Built for high-traffic sites with enterprise needs.
• Cloud Hosting. Adobe Commerce Cloud is a cloud based platform that ensures PCI compliance, performance monitoring, and DDoS protection with managed, scalable infrastructure.
• Comprehensive Support. Official support, technical documentation, and service-level agreements (SLAs).
• Additional Features. Includes advanced business intelligence, B2B capabilities, and other extra features that contribute to better scalability and enterprise-level performance.
• Advanced Marketing Tools. Offers sophisticated marketing and personalization capabilities, surpassing the basic tools in Magento Open Source.
• Advanced Security Features. Provides regular patches and protections against vulnerabilities, crucial for larger and rapidly growing businesses.
• SEO Optimization. Enhanced digital marketing and SEO optimization tools for improved search engine rankings.

Adobe Commerce is best suited for large businesses and enterprises seeking a feature-rich platform with robust support.

As we said above, Magento was launched in 2008 as an open-source e-commerce platform. Adobe acquired Magento in 2018, rebranding its commercial edition as Adobe Commerce while continuing to offer Magento Open Source. The Magento Enterprise Edition was the paid version designed for larger organizations with advanced needs and additional features.

This acquisition integrated Magento into Adobe’s ecosystem, offering tools like Adobe Sensei for AI-driven insights and Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) for enhanced content management. The relationship between Magento and Adobe Commerce is rooted in their shared development history, with Adobe Commerce built upon Magento and further integrated with Adobe's suite for larger businesses.

Both platforms share core functionality, but Adobe Commerce offers advanced tools designed for larger businesses.

Magento Open Source:

• Core Features. Order management, catalog management, basic SEO tools.
• Extensions. Requires third-party modules for additional functionality.
• Basic Analytics. Relies on Google Analytics or similar tools.
• Basic Security Features. Provides essential security, but not the advanced protections of Adobe Commerce.
• Magento Community. Also referred to as Magento Community, it lacks the advanced commerce, analytics, and B2B features of the enterprise solution.

Adobe Commerce:

• Advanced Tools. AI-driven product recommendations, loyalty programs, and enhanced analytics.
• B2B Functionality. Tailored features for wholesalers and large-scale operations.
• Seamless Integration. Sync with Adobe’s marketing and content tools like AEM.
• Advanced Marketing Tools. AI-powered personalization and campaign management.
• Advanced Security Features. Regular security patches and vulnerability protection.

Magento Open Source requires technical expertise for setup and maintenance, while Adobe Commerce simplifies operations with cloud hosting and built-in support. The availability of development resources is an important factor when choosing between platforms, as more complex solutions may require greater investment in skilled developers. Additionally, technical resources are essential for customization, ongoing support, and scalability.

Magento Open Source is best for developers and businesses with in-house tech teams.

• Free to use, but costs include hosting, domain registration, and development.
• Average total cost: $1,500–$5,000/year depending on store size.
• As the free version, it appeals to smaller businesses seeking flexibility and control.

Adobe Commerce is user-friendly for enterprises, thanks to Adobe’s managed solutions.

• Licensing fees start at $22,000/year for small businesses, scaling up for larger organizations. The required licensing fee significantly impacts the total cost of ownership.
• Additional costs uncluding managed hosting, integrations, and enterprise support.
• Businesses with higher gross merchandise value (GMV) may require more advanced plans and higher budgets to support their sales volume.

Magento Open Source benefits from a vast global community, while Adobe Commerce offers premium enterprise support. Reliable technical support not only maintains operational continuity but also enhances customer satisfaction by providing seamless service and assistance.

Migrating to Adobe Commerce offers several benefits, particularly for growing businesses:

• Enhanced Performance. Managed cloud hosting improves speed and reliability.
• Scalability. Handles high-traffic stores with ease.
• AI Integration. Advanced analytics and live search optimize user experience.

When deciding between Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce, consider:

1. Budget. Do you have the resources for licensing and enterprise-level support?
2. Technical Expertise. Can your team manage a self-hosted platform?
3. Business Scale. Are you running a small business or a high-traffic enterprise?
4. Feature Needs. Do you need advanced tools like AI recommendations or B2B modules?
5. Business Strategy. Ensure your platform choice aligns with your company’s long-term business strategy and adaptability.

Choose Magento Open Source if:

• You’re a small business with a limited budget.
• You need complete control over customization.

Choose Adobe Commerce if:

• You’re a growing enterprise requiring scalability.
• You need advanced tools and enterprise-level support.

Of course, a small business is interested in further scaling. Learn how to smoothly migrate from Magento in this article.

An e-commerce platform’s performance and reliability heavily depend on the hosting environment. Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce have specific hosting requirements to ensure smooth operations, fast loading speeds, and robust security. This section outlines the key hosting requirements, evaluates various hosting solutions, and provides tailored recommendations for e-commerce businesses.

Both Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce demand powerful Magento Cloud Hosting that can handle their resource-intensive nature. Here are the core requirements to consider:

Server Performance

• High CPU capacity and memory (RAM) to handle large catalogs and heavy traffic.
• Fast SSD storage for quick data retrieval and faster page load times.
• Support for technologies like PHP 8.1, MySQL 8, Elasticsearch, and Redis.

Scalability

• The ability to scale resources up or down based on traffic spikes, particularly during sales events or seasonal campaigns.

PCI Compliance

• Essential for secure payment processing to protect customer data and maintain trust.

Security Features

• Protection against DDoS attacks, malware, and unauthorized access.
• Regular backups and data encryption to ensure business continuity.

Uptime and Reliability

• A minimum uptime guarantee of 99.9% to minimize disruptions and revenue loss.

Server Management

• Magento Open Source requires manual server management and infrastructure setup, while Adobe Commerce Cloud offers a managed hosting solution that takes care of server management, scaling, and security automatically.

Finding the right hosting environment is critical to support the performance and growth of your e-commerce store. Below is a comparison of popular hosting options:

Shared Hosting

• Pros: Cost-effective, beginner-friendly.
• Cons: Limited resources, unsuitable for high-traffic websites.

Best for: Small stores with minimal traffic.

Dedicated Servers

• Pros: Full control, dedicated resources, high security.
• Cons: Expensive, requires technical expertise to manage.

Best for: Established businesses with consistent, high traffic.

Cloud Hosting

• Pros: Scalability, flexible pricing, high performance.
• Cons: Requires careful configuration and management.
• Best for: Growing e-commerce stores needing reliable scalability and global reach.

Every online business is unique, and choosing the right ecommerce platform starts with a clear understanding of your specific business needs and goals. Factors such as your target audience, product range, sales channels, and revenue model all play a role in determining the best fit.

By aligning your ecommerce platform choice with your business needs, you can ensure a seamless customer experience, efficient ecommerce operations, and a solid foundation for future growth.

At Scalesta, hosting isn’t just about powerful servers—it’s about providing a complete, worry-free solution. Our managed hosting goes beyond delivering exceptional speed and reliability. With 99.9% uptime, proactive monitoring, and automated 30-day backups, we ensure your website is always fast, stable, and secure.

Our expert team of DevOps and SysOps engineers takes care of every aspect of your infrastructure, so you can focus on growing your business without getting bogged down by technical challenges. From optimizing performance to safeguarding your data, we’ve got you covered.

Let us handle the heavy lifting while you concentrate on what truly matters: your business success. Contact our team, tell us about your business, and we'll find the best solution for you.

Is Magento Open Source free?
Yes, but hosting and development costs apply.

Does Adobe own Magento?
Yes, Adobe acquired Magento in 2018.

Can I switch from Magento Open Source to Adobe Commerce?
Yes, migration is possible and offers enhanced features and support.

What is Adobe Commerce Cloud?
It’s the cloud-hosted version of Adobe Commerce, offering managed services and scalability.