If you’ve ever heard people use “Adobe Commerce” and “Magento” interchangeably, or you’ve found yourself Googling “Magento Vs. Adobe Commerce” when trying to evaluate a new platform, you’re not alone. Unless you’ve been in the ecommerce space for a while or have been with Magento or Adobe for a few years, understanding if and how Adobe Commerce and Magento are similar can be a little tricky. 

If you’re evaluating platforms and you’ve begun to question what might work best for you, this guide aims to fully break down the similarities and differences between Adobe Commerce and Magento ecommerce platforms to ensure you end up with the right solution for your business. 

A Quick History Lesson 

Before getting into our comparison, we should first explain how we got here to begin with. Now referred to as Magento 2 or Magento Open Source (formerly Magento Community Edition), depending on the version used, Magento was developed by Varien Inc. and launched in 2008 as a PHP-based ecommerce platform. 

Magento gained popularity among ecommerce businesses for its flexibility and scalability. In its first few years, Magento was awarded “Best of Open Source Software Awards” and “SourceForge Community Choice Awards” multiple times. By 2010, eBay owned a 49% ownership stake–and then 100% by 2011–in the company and later sold to a private equity fund in 2015 after the breakup of eBay/PayPal the year prior. 

Enter the confusion: In 2018, Adobe acquired Magento, which integrated it into its Experience Cloud suite. Adobe then rebranded this enterprise-tier product as Adobe Commerce while retaining the free Magento Open Source version that users can fork and extend the functionality of by adding new plug-in modules created by a large community of developers. 

Today, we have Magento Open Source, the free, self-hosted and highly customizable edition of Magento, and Adobe Commerce, which is essentially Magento Enterprise, a premium, paid edition of Magento managed by Adobe and offering additional Adobe tools, which we will further explain next!

Key Differences: Adobe Commerce vs. Magento Open Source

Now that we’ve clarified the need for an explainer article like this, it’s time to review the major differences between these Magento/Adobe versions. Here’s everything you need to know about these two similar yet different-enough platforms:

1. Target Audience: Magento is self-hosted and ideal for small to mid-sized businesses with basic needs and technical resources, while Adobe Commerce targets enterprises requiring advanced features, scalability, hosting, and dedicated support. 

2. Features and Capabilities: Magento Open Source offers core ecommerce functionality such as product management, checkout, and basic SEO, while Adobe Commerce provides access to the rest of Adobe’s tools, such as their product recommendation and live search engines, advanced B2B tools like quotes and company accounts, integrated analytics/reporting, drag-and-drop content tools/page builders, and access to Adobe’s Commerce Marketplace for premium apps and integrations. 

3. Cost Structure: Adobe Commerce is an enterprise-level tool that offers license-based pricing. An annual fee is tailored to your business’s size and needs. Magento is free to download because it is open-source. Your costs here will depend on whether you need hosting (if going the Magento route), extensions, development, etc. 

4. Support and Security: Since Magento is open source, there isn’t any direct support line; instead, the help you need will be found in a vibrant community of users and developers on forums, blogs, and other online spaces. Adobe, on the other hand, offers 24/7 support, SLAs, guides, and more. 

5. Scalability: Adobe bills Commerce as being able to support “limitless growth” with the ability to process over 200,000 orders per hour and offers both B2B and B2C features that can handle multiple stores, millions of SKUs, thousands of catalogues, and complex product types. On the other hand, Magento can be built to scale but is usually better suited for small to mid-sized businesses with smaller catalogues and fewer regions. 

Adobe Commerce offers enterprise power, while the open-source version of Magento is a great, budget-friendly starter platform. 

The Main Similarities 

Now that we understand how these two products differ, let’s quickly review the features offered by each option.

First, the platform's Magento and Adobe versions have shared DNA, as they are built on the same core Magento codebase. Due to this, their level of customizability is the same, meaning that you can extend their functionality via extensions, modules, and APIs–Many of which are fully compatible between both platforms. 

Both versions are pretty developer-friendly, as they use a PHP-based modular architecture. You can customize themes, integrations, and functionalities to your liking. Both versions also include key features like catalogue management, shopping cart functionality, and basic marketing tools. 

Which Platform is Right for You?

The winner of the Magento vs. Adobe Commerce battle hinges on a few key criteria based on your online store’s needs and the size of your business:

• Choose Magento Open Source if:

• You’re a small to medium-sized business with a limited budget.

• You have in-house technical expertise or an ecommerce agency on your side to handle development.

• You need a foundational ecommerce setup that you want to customize yourself.

• Choose Adobe Commerce if:

• You’re scaling rapidly or operating globally.

• You need advanced B2B or omnichannel tools like Analytics, Marketo, Experience Manager, Adobe Sensei/AI-powered features, etc. 

• Security, compliance, support, and future-proofing are important, and you don’t want to ensure everything is done correctly yourself.

However, one final thing to note is that when selecting an ecommerce platform, it’s important to align your choice with 3-5-year goals—don’t underestimate your future scalability and security needs. Magento’s open-source platform might fit your needs today, but integrating into Adobe Commerce Cloud might make more sense for you tomorrow. 

Conclusion

The Adobe Commerce vs. Magento debate isn’t about which platform is “better” but about which aligns with your business goals. Magento Open Source remains a cost-effective, flexible solution for SMBs with technical resources, while Adobe Commerce empowers enterprises with advanced tools, scalability, and Adobe’s ecosystem. 

Still unsure? As an Adobe Bronze Partner, the team at Blue Badger can help you select the right platform for your needs. Contact us today to learn more.