Whether you’re launching a new online shop or looking to upgrade an existing e-commerce site, Magento (now Adobe Commerce) and WooCommerce are two options with strong customization features available, particularly through a la carte extensions.
We evaluated both tools and scoured user reviews to help you pick the best choice for your business based on things like price, ease of use and integrations. (Spoiler alert: You’ll find some major differences when comparing Magento vs. WooCommerce.)
Ease of use
Above Average
On Wix’s Website
On Squarespace’s Website
AI powered tools
Easy to use drag-and-drop builder
On Web.com’s Website
On Shopify’s Website
Magento vs. WooCommerce snapshot
Magento
There are two options for implementing Magento:
Magento open-source platform: While the price (or lack thereof) may seem attractive, open-source software can be difficult to set up and is typically less user-friendly than traditional software tools. While it’s advertised as free, many user reviews indicate that the need for outside plug-ins can cause the price to skyrocket. There will also likely be additional costs associated with hosting your website.
Magento’s Adobe Commerce: Adobe Commerce customizes pricing based on the scale of your business — it uses your annual gross merchandise value and average order value to develop a pricing plan for you.
You can choose between two plans for Adobe Commerce: Commerce Pro and Managed Services. Both come with the application, support and tools. But with Managed Services, you get additional support to minimize risk and interruptions to your site. Either option is suitable for established companies looking to scale, especially those with multiple storefronts or various sales channels.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce isn’t a platform — it’s a plug-in you can incorporate into an existing WordPress site. The plug-in itself is free, but there may be other costs involved with setting up and managing an e-commerce WordPress site.
If you’re launching a WordPress site from scratch, you need to choose a website host. Based on the providers recommended by WooCommerce, expect to pay between $11.99 and $45 per month for a basic hosting plan. Introductory pricing promotions may be available, but it’s also smart to plan for long-term costs, especially if you may need to upgrade to a plan with more features as your store grows.
You may also choose to add different extensions to upgrade your WooCommerce store. Some of the most popular extensions include product add-ons (such as gift wrapping or personalization) for $79/year, shipment tracking for $59/year and USPS or UPS shipping method for $109/year each.
Verdict: WooCommerce stands out for pricing transparency
WooCommerce is the winner for small businesses on a tight budget. Every plug-in or extra feature has a published, fixed cost. So while you may incur extra costs for hosting and those extra extensions, it’s easy to predict and customize based on your needs and budget. Budgeting could be difficult with Adobe Commerce’s custom pricing model, or with Magento Open Source and its potential need for tech expertise or other website hosting costs.
Templates and website editor
Not every e-commerce business has a developer on hand to update product pages every time there’s an update or launch. Here’s how Magento and WooCommerce compare in terms of ease in setting up and editing your online shop.
Magento’s Adobe Commerce
Adobe Commerce has limited options for templates for e-commerce stores. You can browse all kinds of third-party add-ons in the Adobe Commerce Marketplace, but there are currently only 10 theme pack options available. Prices range from $0 to $499. Because Adobe Commerce is built with an enterprise-level audience in mind that likely has IT teams to handle the technical nature of the tool, that audience may be less likely to use templates since they need a larger level of customization.
Sampling of themes available for Adobe Commerce
However, once your site is up and running, there’s drag-and-drop features for page building. The tool can handle text, images, video, sliders and promo banners in adjustable page layouts.
Drag-and-drop functionality in Adobe Commerce
WooCommerce
WooCommerce has a much more robust collection of shop themes. Currently, there are 88 templates to choose from, with features depending on your template. A variety of shop categories are available, including bookings and accommodations, restaurants, brick-and-mortar stores and even affiliate sales.
Selection of themes for WooCommerce
Most themes cost $59 to $99, but unlike Magento, that fee is billed annually rather than as a one-time cost. A few options are free. Within these available themes are block themes, which are designed for non-developers. They allow you to customize your shop with a visual editor instead of coding. We recommend filtering selections by block themes if you want to launch a shop with minimal technical skills.
Remember that WooCommerce is a WordPress plug-in. So another option is to explore WordPress themes that already have a WooCommerce shop built in.
Verdict: WooCommerce’s theme selection makes it easier for non-coders
Even though WooCommerce is limited to WordPress, it’s easier to start an online store thanks to a wider selection of themes to choose from. That way, you can find the features you’re looking for that are already coded and easy to customize. For small-business owners who don’t want to hire a web developer, the annual fee is likely much less than what you’d spend on getting professional help.
Setup and ease of use
There’s a big difference in ease of use between these two e-commerce tools: Reviewers say Magento isn’t as user-friendly when it comes to setting up an online store, whereas users find WooCommerce makes it easy to launch. We based our analysis on verified user reviews from online tech marketplace Capterra and the level of technical support available from both vendors.
Magento
Magento’s average ease of use rating on Capterra is 3.7 out of five stars. Reviewers cite difficulties in setting up an online store using Magento. While users note the ability to customize as a pro, the major drawback is the amount of time it can take a non-coder to set up basic shop features.
As your business scales, there are lots of extensions and personalization options available, but many users agree that it takes experienced developers to implement some of those updates.
Adobe Commerce does offer a library of technical documentation resources, many aimed at a skilled, developer audience.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a WordPress plug-in, so you’ll either need a WordPress site to get started or be prepared to launch one. When you add WooCommerce to your site, you can pick from existing themes and customize from there. On Capterra, WooCommerce’s ease of use rating averages 4.3 out of five stars. Many users say that it’s easy to set up a shop in a short period of time.
Once you activate the plug-in, you’ll navigate the setup process with an onboarding wizard. The program asks you questions about your type of store, products and commerce goals, and then gives you a setup checklist with everything you need to build that store.
However, as your shop needs more features, some users complain that you may need third-party plug-ins, which can add to the cost, are often poorly coded and maintained, and can cause your site to crash.
Verdict: WooCommerce is better for beginners
Judging Magento vs. WooCommerce strictly by ease of use, WooCommerce wins when it comes to setup and maintenance. You’ll only need basic online skills to launch an online shop, and the provided onboarding wizard helps you make sure you’re not missing any important details. Magento is for large companies with the budget to hire a developer to scale its capabilities.
E-commerce tools
Magento and WooCommerce approach e-commerce tools slightly differently: Magento focuses on scalability at a large level, while WooCommerce offers user-friendly features.
Magento
For established businesses that need to scale their e-commerce presence, Magento has many features that create a customized online selling experience for different brands and global locations.
Most notably for medium-sized and enterprise businesses, it’s easy to update code across multiple brands. On top of that, Magento has AI integrations that can increase conversions with timely, personalized offers. It also offers omnichannel personalization so that every storefront uses data to deliver a custom experience across platforms.
For payments and order management, Magento offers a free payment services plug-in for Adobe Commerce that allows customers to pay using various methods.
The page builder has the ability to create, preview and schedule new product updates before they go live.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce offers tools to sell any type of product, including physical items, bundles, downloads, subscriptions, gift cards and scheduled appointments. But if you need to scale your e-commerce website, you can upgrade to Woo Enterprise, which is a separate service that gives you hands-on support.
WooCommerce has the ability to integrate AI marketing tools to tailor content and offers based on user history. However, these features are offered by third-party companies and can range in cost depending on what types of customization you want.
It also comes with built-in features like secure payments and easy order management.
The downside is that major customization does require extensions that could potentially add to the cost of running your e-commerce store.
Verdict: Magento has more native e-commerce features
When looking at e-commerce features, both Magento and WooCommerce have similar functionality. However, Adobe Commerce by Magento offers more of those features within the tool itself, while WooCommerce relies more on third-party extensions for many e-commerce functions. Magento also stands out as the better option for enterprise-level companies managing multiple brands under one platform.
Add-ons, apps and integrations
Customizing your online store requires extensions and integrations with the core e-commerce tool. And there’s quite a difference when comparing Magento vs. WooCommerce add-ons.
Magento
The Adobe Commerce Marketplace offers more than 4,400 extensions for Magento. The largest categories include content and customizations, payments and security, and marketing. Over 1,000 of the extensions are free, while others come with an annual subscription fee.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce has over 800 extensions available, including payments, shipping and conversion add-ons. Over 90 of these are free, particularly those that integrate with major platforms.
Verdict: Magento wins on integrations
Magento has many more extensions than WooCommerce, including more free options, making it the clear winner in terms of both options availability and budget.
Summary: WooCommerce stands out for small businesses
WooCommerce is the best overall option in terms of both ease of use and affordability, which makes it well suited for small and medium-sized businesses on a budget that want to DIY their e-commerce site. But Magento does have its place in some situations.
When should you choose Magento?
Magento is best for medium-sized or enterprise businesses that have the resources to invest in developing a customized shop on Adobe Commerce. It’s particularly well suited for companies that manage multiple online brands and want to streamline behind-the-scenes functionality across storefronts.
When should you choose WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is better suited for small businesses launching a single online shop. The easy set-up process makes it accessible to non-technical owners, as long as you’re willing to operate your store on WordPress.
Ease of use
Above Average
On Wix’s Website
On Squarespace’s Website
AI powered tools
Easy to use drag-and-drop builder
On Web.com’s Website
On Shopify’s Website
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Is WooCommerce better than Magento?
WooCommerce is a better fit than Magento for small businesses that need an easy setup with user-friendly templates to choose from. But Magento could be a better pick for larger companies that are ready to scale across multiple storefronts or brands.
What are the disadvantages of WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is a WordPress plug-in, so you need to commit to that platform in order to use WooCommerce.
What are the disadvantages of Magento?
The main disadvantage of Magento is that it’s not very user-friendly for non-developers. Adobe Commerce’s resources include a library of technical documentation rather than instructions designed for a non-technical audience. While Magento’s open-source platform is free, it usually requires hiring a developer to launch and maintain an e-commerce site.
Can you migrate a Magento store to WooCommerce?
No, you can’t directly migrate a Magento store to WooCommerce. Instead, you must launch a WooCommerce store from scratch to recreate your Magento shop. Then you can manually migrate your e-commerce data from Magento to your WooCommerce site.
What is the best e-commerce platform?
To choose your e-commerce platform, you need to look at your must-have features as well as ease of use. According to our research, Shopify is the best platform for small businesses while Shift4Shop is ideal for search engine optimization (SEO). Explore all of our best e-commerce platforms to find the tool best suited to your needs.