Shopify vs. Magento: Which Platform Is Easier to Migrate To?

In the rapidly evolving world of e-commerce, choosing the right platform can make or break your online business. While Shopify and Magento (now Adobe Commerce) are both powerful and widely-used platforms, businesses often find themselves needing to replatform—either due to scalability, maintenance issues, or ease of use. One major question business owners and developers ask is:
"Which platform is easier to migrate to—Shopify or Magento?"

In this blog, we’ll break down the key differences between Shopify and Magento from a migration perspective—including setup, data transfer, customization, cost, and more—to help you make an informed decision.

1. Understanding the Platforms

Before we dive into migration, let’s briefly look at what each platform offers:

Shopify

• A hosted SaaS (Software as a Service) platform

• Beginner-friendly with drag-and-drop customization

• Requires no server management

• Ideal for small to medium businesses

• Comes with a subscription-based pricing model

Magento (Adobe Commerce)

• Open-source and self-hosted, or available as a cloud solution (Adobe Commerce)

• Offers extensive customization capabilities

• More suitable for large-scale or enterprise businesses

• Requires technical knowledge and server management

2. Ease of Migration: Shopify Wins for Simplicity

When it comes to ease of migration, Shopify is generally easier and faster to migrate to compared to Magento. Here's why:

Shopify Migration Benefits:

• Automated tools like Store Importer and third-party apps (e.g., LitExtension, Cart2Cart) simplify the process

• No need to worry about server configuration or hosting

• Clean and intuitive admin interface for post-migration management

• Dedicated Shopify migration support is widely available

Migrating to Shopify is often a plug-and-play process for most standard e-commerce stores. Developers and store owners can move product data, customer information, and order history without needing to write custom scripts.

 Magento Migration Challenges:

Migrating to Magento is more complex and requires a technical team familiar with:

• Database mapping and scripting

• Theme and extension compatibility

• Server setup and maintenance

• Manual customization for checkout, shipping, and payment systems

Due to its complexity, Magento migration is usually slower, more expensive, and riskier, especially for small or mid-sized businesses with limited technical resources.

3. Data Migration Comparison

Shopify:

• Supports migration of products, customers, orders, categories, and images via built-in or third-party tools

• Most apps handle data mapping automatically

• Minimal downtime during migration

Magento:

• Requires manual or scripted data mapping

• High risk of errors or data mismatch

• Needs testing across environments to ensure data integrity

Unless you’re dealing with extremely complex product structures or highly customized systems, Shopify handles data migration more efficiently.

4. Theme and Design Migration

Shopify:

• Doesn’t allow direct theme transfer from other platforms

• Offers a large library of customizable themes

• Custom themes can be rebuilt using Liquid (Shopify’s templating language)

• Faster front-end development turnaround

Magento:

• Custom themes are harder to migrate

• Requires PHP and XML coding

• Theme recreation is time-consuming and labor-intensive

• Suitable for custom enterprise-level UI/UX designs

For most businesses, Shopify’s approach to design is easier and faster to implement post-migration.

5. App and Extension Compatibility

Shopify:

• Centralized App Store with thousands of plug-and-play integrations

• Easier to re-integrate apps after migration

• Lower risk of compatibility issues

Magento:

• Offers powerful but complex third-party modules

• Many extensions require manual setup or developer support

• Higher potential for compatibility conflicts during migration

Shopify offers a smoother post-migration experience in terms of third-party tools.

6. Cost of Migration

Shopify:

• Lower initial migration costs

• Subscription-based pricing covers hosting, SSL, and updates

• Less need for ongoing development support

Magento:

• Higher upfront development and setup costs

• Self-hosting means you pay for servers, SSL, security patches, etc.

• Continuous developer involvement is usually necessary

Unless you need high-level custom functionality, Shopify is more cost-effective to migrate to and maintain.

7. Post-Migration Maintenance

After migration, Shopify offers:

• Automatic updates

• 24/7 customer support

• Low maintenance overhead

Magento requires:

• Regular manual updates

• Server management

• Dedicated developer support

If you're looking for a hands-off, scalable, and user-friendly environment post-migration, Shopify is the clear winner.

Final Verdict: Shopify Is Easier to Migrate To