Adobe Commerce vs Shopify

Adobe Commerce uses tailored pricing based on your volume and complex feature needs. You must speak with sales to accurately estimate the required investment. This approach suits large enterprises needing custom structure. Shopify has clear starting tiers from $0 up to $399 per month for Advanced plans. The top Plus plan pricing is also publicly available at $2,300/month. Shopify’s transparent tiered pricing simplifies initial budgeting for SMBs. However, Shopify charges third-party transaction fees if you do not use Shopify Payments. For most users, Shopify's predictability is a huge win for planning.

Adobe Commerce guarantees resilience during high-demand events like flash sales and holidays. It can reliably process over 200,000 orders in one hour during peak traffic. Its store architecture is optimized for top Google Lighthouse scores, boosting organic traffic. Shopify is also highly scalable, especially with the Plus plan for high volume merchants. Shopify focuses on speed, keeping stores within 50 milliseconds of every shopper. For mission-critical global events, Adobe Commerce provides explicit, assured performance.

Adobe Commerce accelerates B2B sales with complex features like automated approvals and quick-ordering. Sellers can negotiate quote requests entirely online within the robust platform. Shopify offers strong wholesale features, including flexible pricing, discounts, and custom payment terms. It helps tailor offers efficiently for business customers. For highly complex workflows and digital self-service, Adobe Commerce leads the B2B market.

Shopify is famous for its immense app store, supporting over 13,000 different plug-and-play integrations. This makes adding peripheral features fast, easy, and usually affordable for merchants. Adobe Commerce emphasizes an API-first, composable architecture for integration and extension. Developers integrate using comprehensive APIs and specific starter kits. While Adobe Commerce achieves superior technical depth, Shopify provides unparalleled breadth and speed.

Shopify offers a quick setup flow, often enabling a live storefront launch in minutes or days. It provides a simple path from idea to selling products online right away. Adobe Commerce implementation involves a lengthy consultation and custom integration process first. Its composable nature demands significant upfront development and architecture planning. If speed and minimized friction are paramount, Shopify is the faster choice.

Both platforms are secured and confirmed as PCI DSS Level 1 compliant to protect all payment data. Adobe Commerce is also SOC 2 compliant and undergoes regular penetration testing. Crucially, Adobe Commerce offers dedicated HIPAA-ready solutions as an add-on for the PaaS cloud plan. Shopify does not advertise this specific level of enterprise health compliance.

Adobe Commerce uses real-time data to power 13 specific types of AI-driven product recommendations. It leverages AI for highly personalized search and dynamic category merchandising. Shopify uses AI (Shopify Magic) for content creation and useful business insights. It also supports sophisticated audience targeting tools. Adobe Commerce offers a natively integrated suite aimed specifically at boosting AOV.

Adobe Commerce provides 24/7 technical support for professional issue resolution and troubleshooting needs. This enterprise commitment is often a requirement for large merchant accounts. Shopify reviews often report unresponsive customer support and slow issue resolution. Difficulty contacting personnel and inconsistent escalation are recurring user complaints. If support reliability is critical, Adobe Commerce has the upper hand.