As the song says, breaking up is hard to do. But sometimes it’s best to cut ties and move on. That’s a decision many of our customers are coming to. They’re making decisions to either stick with Magento or move to Shopify.
Here’s how the two platforms break down:
Magento is highly customizable, offering a great deal of flexibility. That customization is built out by the web developer. These options make for a very robust website but one that requires a significant amount of attention to keep current and stay secure. Post launch, quarterly upgrades are issued by Magento and installed by in-house IT or the web developer.
Unleaded’s highly competent staff of Magento-certified developers constantly keep abreast of updates from Magento and other sources to assure that our clients’ sites get the benefit of the latest technology for optimal performance and security.
Since Magento sites reside on clients’ choice of host. (Unleaded offers Magento hosting.) Private hosting puts security in the hands of the host, making it extremely important that attention be paid to vulnerable access points such as blogs, external links, and social media content. As well, certain types of businesses like gambling and cannabis dispensaries (which Shopify doesn’t allow) prefer Magento and its privacy.
Shopify sites reside on a proprietary cloud-based server operated by Shopify. Shopify provides automatic updates and manages all Shopify site security. That means there is no need to make security updates. Your team can focus on keeping your site content timely, concentrating on better conversion rates.
Hosting on Shopify requires that you accept Shopify’s terms of service. That means Shopify can take down your site if it thinks your site is in violation: dispensaries or gambling plus more.
Shopify’s security is excellent and maintenance needs minimal, resulting in lower long-term expenses. It’s flexible enough to allow a fair degree of customization and has a good checkout and payment system that suits most needs.
Magento lends itself to much more customization than Shopify, but it requires more maintenance, too. Since it resides on private host server(s), content is only accessible to authorized users, preferable to clients seeking overall control of operations and security.
Are you building a new eCommerce site? Unleaded’s expert developers are here to help you choose the platform that’s right for your enterprise.
Are you already on Magento? This is a good time for clients on Magento 1.x platforms to decide whether to upgrade to Version 2 or migrate to Shopify as support for Magento 1 has expired.
Let us do a cost/benefit analysis of which platform best suits your eCommerce business. Simply give us a call at 720.221.7126 or visit our website, unleadedsoftware.com, for a look at the many ways Unleaded Digital can drive your eCommerce business in today’s changing world.