Why so many online stores are migrating from Magento to Shopify
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5 min reading time
Is your online store running on Magento, but are you struggling with high costs, slow updates, or complex technology? You're not alone. More and more entrepreneurs—from small online retailers to large e-commerce players—are switching from Magento to Shopify. Why now? Firstly, Magento regularly requires mandatory upgrades, and support for some versions is nearing its end. Moreover, for many businesses, the technical and financial burdens of Magento outweigh the benefits. Shopify, on the other hand, is presented as a modern, easy, and scalable alternative. In this article, you'll read about the most important current reasons to migrate your Magento online store to Shopify, from technical challenges to cost and ease of use.
Technical challenges: updates, maintenance and performance
Magento has long been a powerful platform, but technical maintenance can be a headache. For example, Adobe (Magento's owner) announced at the end of 2022 that all Magento 2 versions older than 2.4.4 will no longer receive official support or security patches. In practice, if your webshop is still running on such an older version, you are at risk of security risks and must upgrade to stay protected. Moreover, every Magento version has a fixed end-of-life date. This constant pressure to update creates stress and additional work.
But it's not just about security patches. The Magento platform itself is technically complex. Daily management and customizations often require in-depth knowledge or a developer on hand. Hosting Magento also means taking care of servers, installing updates, and resolving any server issues yourself. This can be a challenge for businesses that want to grow quickly but are slowed down by the platform's complexity. Shopify takes away those concerns. Because Shopify is a SaaS platform, hosting, server management, and platform updates are completely taken care of for you. Your online store runs in the cloud on Shopify's servers, which ensure fast load times and scalability. Many entrepreneurs find that Shopify stores have fast load times out-of-the-box—beneficial for customer experience and SEO—without having to do any caching or server tuning themselves. In short, Shopify takes care of the technical side of things: no hassle with servers or versions, so you can focus on your business instead of IT management.
Costs: maintenance and financial considerations
Although Magento Open Source is "free" to purchase, in practice, it comes with significant costs. You have to pay for hosting (often a powerful server for good performance), hire a developer for maintenance and security updates, and possibly license fees if you use the commercial Adobe Commerce version. These costs can be quite high. Especially major Magento upgrades (for example, from 2.3 to 2.4) sometimes feel like a full-blown IT project, including the associated hours and invoices. A common complaint is that Magento updates are "expensive" and time-consuming. You're investing money in keeping the technology up-to-date, instead of in new features or marketing.
Shopify, on the other hand, uses a straightforward subscription model (fixed monthly fees) that includes hosting, security, and updates. You don't have to maintain your own server or worry about unexpected developer billing for patch hours. A major advantage of Shopify's SaaS model is that it eliminates the need for expensive updates like Magento . Shopify automatically ensures your store is running on the latest version, without any additional costs or downtime for you. This not only saves money, but also time and headaches. Furthermore, development costs can be lower because many features in Shopify are already built-in or available through apps, while Magento often requires customization.
Shopify pricing models
Shopify subscription
Costs per month
Key Features
Shopify Basic
€27
Ideal for small web shops, contains all basic functionalities
Shopify
€79
Suitable for growing companies, with more extensive reporting
Advanced Shopify
€289
For larger online stores with advanced features such as detailed reporting and lower transaction costs
Shopify Plus
On request
Enterprise solution with customization options and scalability for major brands
Another important reason to migrate is ease of use. Magento is flexible and powerful, but this versatility also makes the platform complex to use. Many daily tasks in Magento (such as adjusting a page, installing extensions, or connecting a new payment method) require technical steps or developer assistance. Shopify, on the other hand, is known for its intuitive, user-friendly interface . As a business owner, you can quickly make changes to your online store yourself without having to delve deeply into the code. Products, orders, and content are managed via a clear dashboard. This makes you less dependent on external experts for small changes – something that smaller businesses in particular appreciate.
Shopify also offers extensive support. With Magento Open Source, you often have to rely on community forums or expensive external agencies for support. Shopify offers 24/7 customer support for all its users and has a large, active community of users and developers. If you have a question or run into a problem, help is usually available quickly. This gives you peace of mind: you're not alone.
So do you wait, miss the boat or stay ahead of the competition?
The e-commerce world is changing rapidly. Platforms that were once the standard, like Magento, are proving less effective for many entrepreneurs due to high maintenance costs, mandatory updates, and complexity. Shopify presents itself as a modern alternative that eliminates these pain points: it's simpler, more cost-effective in the long run, and lets you focus on your business instead of the technology.
Curious about how such a migration works in practice? Contact one of our migration experts!
