Strategy

Why Choose Adobe Commerce powered by Magento vs WooCommerce

Posted by Pixafy Team

Adobe Commerce powered by Magento and WooCommerce are two of the most popular eCommerce platforms available — but which one is superior?

Depending on your use case, you may find that a simple eCommerce solution is fine for your needs. This is often the case for relatively basic, online-only service providers or B2C retail setups with drop-ship-only capability.

However, more complex eCommerce arrangements need highly customizable solutions. A very basic platform will be difficult to configure to address the challenges posed by B2B sales, hybrid B2B + B2C, or physical stores plus eCommerce combinations.

Managing inventory, warehousing and logistics means added layers of complexity. Depending on the products being sold, their weight and size, how many warehouses are involved and where, and other variables, you may require a solution that offers both a high level of configurability out of the box as well as further customization as needed.

Adobe Commerce/Magento and WooCommerce: Similarities

Adobe Commerce/Magento and WooCommerce are both open source eCommerce platforms that are self-hosted. Both can also be customized by altering the source code.

This allows companies with their own developers on staff or an outsourced web-dev team the freedom and flexibility to fully tailor their customers’ eCommerce experience.

However, most companies don’t have a full developer contingent available to build out, maintain, and continually update a customized Adobe Commerce/Magento or WooCommerce/WordPress eCommerce website.

This makes the out-of-the-box functionality of these platforms critical to allowing companies to start up online with a functional website and update and expand it over time.

Adobe Commerce/Magento and WooCommerce: Differences

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is an e-Commerce plug-in built for use with WordPress. WordPress supplies the CMS (content management system), which is required for WooCommerce functionality.

Costs of running a WordPress/WooCommerce store advertised as being cheap and having lighter hosting requirements so it can run on a smaller server, but this can change depending on how many other features you add.

Major drawbacks of WooCommerce

WooCommerce on its own isn’t a complete eCommerce solution, and you’ll have to build it on WordPress’ CMS. While WooCommerce is a free plug-in, your WordPress and hosting costs will vary depending on what other plugins and features you purchase to expand functionality. Plugins from different creators can conflict with each other, causing dysfunctionality on your website.

In addition, WooCommerce has some severe limitations when it comes to customization and functionality. Since it’s a plugin, not a platform, you can’t really go in and make it tailored to your needs. In addition, there’s only so much you can do with WooCommerce to scale up and support B2B sites at the multimillion dollar revenue level.

Adobe Commerce/Magento

In contrast, Adobe Commerce/Magento is an eCommerce platform with robust CMS capabilities, meaning you don’t need WordPress or anything else to build your store. Adobe Commerce/Magento is much more complex and has more intricate hosting needs with a more powerful server demand.

Adobe Commerce/Magento is a common choice for larger merchants, or smaller ones looking for scalability with ease and speed. Out-of-the-box functionality and features may satisfy your needs, or you may choose to expand on them through customization.

Pricing for Adobe Commerce/Magento is variable, based on annual Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and Average Order Value (AOV). It’s true that this platform is more likely to require developer expertise than WooCommerce to achieve your eCommerce goals. However, these extra costs typically pay off in superior customer experiences and can lead to higher revenues.

Adobe Commerce/Magento  is easier to scale, and allows you to manage multiple stores, warehouses, inventories, and customer groups from a single admin panel, with multi-language options, layered navigation and complex configurable products. Adobe Commerce/Magento is also listed in the Gartner Magic Quadrant as a leader in the industry.

If you want to learn more about building an online store with Adobe Commerce powered by Magento and connecting it with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution for streamlined functionality and user experience, contact Pixafy today.