Magento vs Shopify 2019: 10 Most Important Evaluation Criteria to Consider- Part 1

It's either one or the other: you're either planning to set up your eStore or to port it to a new platform. So, the question “haunting” you right now must be: "In a Magento vs Shopify 2019 debate, which one's the most suitable for my e-commerce website?"

For, it's a “no-brainer”:

There's no such thing as “the best” eCommmerce platform, but "the best suited one for one's specific e-commerce feature needs". For his/her particular niche specifications and business requirements.

In this respect:
 

• on one hand, you have the “all-in-one” Shopify, a hosted e-commerce solution, famous for its ease of use and high level of convenience for novice e-store owners
• … basically, if you have no coding skills or a dedicated web development team and it's a small-medium size store that you have in mind, Shopify empowers you to set it up quick and easy
• while on the other hand you have powerful Magento shipping with a heavy load of extensions and advanced eCommerce features, perfectly equipped to power complex, large eCommerce stores
   

A simple, intuitive UI vs a rich collection of built-in robust features. Ease of use vs a high level of customization... A paid e-commerce solution or a free, open-source one, but with auxiliary costs (e.g. hosting)?

Now, here are the 10 most important criteria to properly evaluate the 2 e-store creation and management solutions.

Note: with each factor that you'll consider, do keep in mind to always look at those results against your own feature requirements, priorities, and limitations.
 

1. Basic Web Store Functionality

From checkout modules to shopping carts, to product pages, both e-commerce platforms provide you with the essential functionality that you need to get your store up and running.

And still, there are differences that you'll most likely identify when evaluating them based on this criterion:
 

• Shopify is easier to use; thanks to its simple, conveniently intuitive user interface, you can create your new e-Store, unlock and leverage all that basic functionality in no time
• Magento goes far beyond the basic functionality that you need to get everything set: it provides you, right out of the box, with all those advanced features that, in case of Shopify, you can benefit from only after you've first added the corresponding extensions
   

2. Available Themes and Templates

Any Magento vs Shopify 2019 comparison would reveal to you that: both e-commerce platforms are “spoiling” their users with their rich theme and template collections.

And I'm talking here about responsive templates, as well (both free of charge and... with a price tag on).

In this case: how do you rank them differently?

First of all, although Shopify provides fewer free themes than Magento, they're considerably more modern, more visually appealing, compared to Magento's free themes...

Furthermore, there's also another factor that sets them apart: while Shopify provides premium themes starting from $80, Magento's premium themes are way cheaper (starting from... $1)

3. SEO Capabilities

This is one of the categories in this “duel” where... there's no winner.

Both Magento and Shopify ship packed with extensive SEO-friendly features, that you can power your e-store with and... give your rankings a boost.
 

4. Magento vs Shopify 2019: Supported Payment Gateways

A category from this “competition” of the 2 most popular e-commerce platforms where Shopify seems to outshine its... competitor.

It supports +70 payment gateways, while Magento could only reach that record via integrated 3rd party apps.
 

5. Ease of Use 

Another aspect where Shopify steals the spotlight away from its “rivaling” platform. 

Although both of them ship with well-designed, intuitive user interfaces, Shopify:
 

• provides you with a wizard to help you set up your e-store in no time; no web development experience needed
• is a fully-hosted, fully-managed e-commerce solution; unlike Magento, that requires you to find your own hosting and to approach it with some level of technical expertise in order to set up your store...
   

END of Part 1.

Stay tuned, for I have 5 more important criteria to share with you.

Criteria that will allow you to run an accurate  “Magento vs Shopify 2019” evaluation and to identify the most suitable e-commerce platform for your specific needs and priorities...


Image by suju from Pixabay.