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Key Insights in 60 Seconds
Everything you need to know about migrating from Magento or Adobe Commerce to Shopify — skim first, then dive into the playbook.
Magento 1 is fully unsupported since June 2020 — running it now means PCI non-compliance and a known security liability.
Shopify Plus is broadly competitive with Adobe Commerce on TCO for most mid-market merchants ($2–$50M GMV) once dev, hosting, and security are factored in.
Realistic timeline: 4–24 weeks — small catalogs ship in a month, complex B2B Adobe Commerce migrations take 4–6 months.
One-time cost: $5K–$150K+ — DIY for under-500-SKU stores starts under $1K; agency-led mid-market migrations average $20K–$60K.
SEO is the #1 risk — Magento's
/category/product.html URLs almost never match Shopify's flat /products/handle structure. Manual mapping is mandatory.Customer passwords don't transfer — Magento uses bcrypt with platform-specific salts that Shopify can't read. Plan a bulk re-invite flow.
What You'll Learn
1Honest Magento vs Shopify comparison
23-year total cost of ownership
3When to stay vs when to migrate
48-phase migration playbook
5SEO redirect strategy that works
6Real cost calculator (one-time)
Why Merchants Leave Magento
Key takeaway
Magento was the dominant open-source e-commerce platform of the 2010s. In 2026, it's a different story. Magento 1 reached end-of-life on June 30, 2020, and Adobe stopped issuing security patches that day. Magento Open Source 2 is still maintained, but you carry the full operational burden: hosting, security patches, PHP version upgrades, extension conflicts, and finding senior PHP devs in a market dominated by JavaScript and headless commerce.
Adobe Commerce (the paid SaaS-style version) solves some of those problems but introduces a license fee tied to GMV — typically $22K–$125K per year for mid-market merchants, with enterprise contracts running well above $250K. For most merchants under $50M GMV, the math no longer favors staying.
Rising Hosting & Ops Cost
Magento needs dedicated hosting ($300–$2,000+/month), regular security patches, and a sysadmin or DevOps engineer. Shopify bundles all of this into the subscription.
PCI Compliance Burden
On Magento, you're responsible for PCI DSS compliance — yearly audits, infrastructure controls, and incident response. Shopify is Level 1 PCI compliant by default.
Shrinking Developer Pool
Magento PHP devs are scarce and expensive ($120–$200/hr senior). Shopify's larger developer community offers a wider rate range and faster iteration.
Extension Maintenance Hell
A typical Magento store runs 15–40 extensions. Each PHP version upgrade or core patch can break compatibility, requiring paid updates and regression testing.
Magento 1 Is Unsafe
Five-plus years post end-of-life, Magento 1 stores are routinely compromised by known unpatched vulnerabilities. Magento 2 and Adobe Commerce are also actively targeted by Magecart-style card-skimming campaigns (CosmicSting in 2024 and SessionReaper in 2025 hit 100K+ stores) — but at least M2 still receives patches.
Slower Time-to-Market
New Magento builds take 3–6 months. New Shopify stores launch in days. For merchants competing on iteration speed, the gap is decisive.
If you're broadly evaluating platforms before committing, see our Shopify vs WordPress comparison — many of the same arguments apply to Magento, except the Magento gap is even larger on TCO.
Magento vs Shopify: An Honest Comparison
Key takeaway
Magento vs Shopify (2026)
| Dimension | Magento / Adobe Commerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self-hosted (you manage servers) | Fully managed, 99.99% uptime SLA |
| Annual platform cost | $0 (Open Source) – $40K+ (Adobe Commerce) | $468 (Basic) – $27,600–$30,000 (Plus: $2,300/mo on a 3-year term, $2,500/mo on a 1-year term) |
| Hidden ops cost | Hosting + dev + security patches + PCI | Bundled into subscription |
| PCI compliance | Your responsibility | Level 1 PCI DSS — built in |
| App / extension ecosystem | ~3,800 Magento Marketplace extensions | 12,000+ apps in the public Shopify App Store, larger active dev community |
| Native B2B | Strong (Adobe Commerce B2B module) | Included from Basic up since April 2026 (company profiles, up to 3 active catalogs, volume pricing, net terms); Plus adds unlimited catalogs + customer-level pricing |
| Customization ceiling | Unlimited (full code access) | Liquid + Functions + Hydrogen (headless) |
| Speed to launch | 3–6 months for new builds | Days to weeks |
| Developer pool | Shrinking, expensive senior devs | Large, growing, broader rate range |
When Magento still makes sense
Stay on Adobe Commerce if (a) you have $50M+ GMV with deeply integrated ERP/PIM/OMS, (b) your business model depends on per-customer custom catalog rules that Shopify Plus B2B can't replicate, or (c) your dev team is already 5+ Magento engineers deep with multi-year roadmaps. For everyone else — and that's the vast majority — Shopify is the more rational platform in 2026.
Should You Migrate? Take the 60-Second Quiz
Key takeaway
Answer five quick questions to get a personalized recommendation before you invest anything in a migration project.
Magento → Shopify Readiness Quiz5 questions, ~60 seconds
Question 1 of 5
Which version of Magento are you on?3-Year Total Cost of Ownership
Key takeaway
The sticker price hides the truth. A Magento Open Source license costs $0 — but a real 3-year operational picture for a mid-market merchant ($2–10M GMV) tells a very different story:
Estimates derived from public Shopify pricing, Adobe Commerce mid-market quotes (publicly reported ranges), and typical agency rates ($120/hr).
$0
Magento OS license
$22K+
Adobe Commerce / yr (entry)
$4.7K
Shopify Advanced / yr
$27.6K
Shopify Plus / yr (3-year term)
For most merchants, the headline savings come from three categories Shopify bundles in: hosting, security/PCI, and platform maintenance. These three eat the majority of any Magento merchant's operational budget. For deeper plan analysis, see our guide to choosing the right Shopify plan and our Shopify pricing breakdown.
What Data Migrates (and What Doesn't)
Key takeaway
Magento → Shopify Data Transfer Matrix
| Data Type | Method | Reliability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Products + variants | Migration app | High | Custom attributes map to Shopify metafields |
| Product images | Migration app | High | Verify resolution; Magento often stores low-res copies |
| Categories → Collections | Migration app | Medium | Magento's nested categories flatten in Shopify |
| Customers | Migration app | High | Passwords excluded (security) |
| Orders (historical) | Migration app | Medium | Read-only after import; can't re-trigger fulfillment |
| CMS pages + blog | Migration app or manual | Medium | Magento blog modules vary; export HTML |
| URL redirects | Manual CSV upload | Critical | No automated tool maps Magento URLs to Shopify cleanly |
| Reviews | Review-app native import | Medium | Use Judge.me / Yotpo built-in Magento importer |
| Customer passwords | Cannot migrate | — | Bulk account-invite flow required post-launch |
| Multi-store views | Shopify Markets | Partial | Or split into multiple Shopify stores |
| Tier prices / B2B pricing | Shopify B2B catalogs (Basic and up) | Medium | Rebuild pricing rules manually; 3 active catalogs below Plus, unlimited on Plus |
| Custom Magento modules | Find Shopify app or rebuild | Low | Most custom code must be replaced |
The migration apps that handle Magento well are LitExtension (broadest coverage, mature Magento connector) and MigrationPro (strong on custom attributes and metafield mapping). Shopify's free Store Migration app does not support Magento — it's built for Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Etsy, and Square.
After you've created your store on Shopify, review your existing store and decide what data and content you want to move over to Shopify. A migration can be a good time to purge old, low-performing content, and give your site and business a fresh appearance.
Customer passwords cannot be migrated
Magento stores password hashes with bcrypt + SHA-256 + platform-specific salts. Shopify uses a different hashing scheme and cannot import them under any circumstances. This is a security feature, not a bug. Plan a bulk account-invite flow: email customers immediately after DNS cutover with a one-click "set your password" link.
The 8-Phase Migration Playbook
Key takeaway
Migration Phases at a Glance
| Phase | Duration | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Audit & freeze | 3–5 days | Document everything, lock new development on Magento |
| 2. Shopify environment | 2–4 days | Spin up trial, choose plan, install theme |
| 3. Catalog migration | 1–3 weeks | Run migration app, validate SKUs, fix metafields |
| 4. Customer + order import | 3–7 days | Import customers, last 12–24 months of orders |
| 5. Theme + custom rebuild | 2–6 weeks | Replace Magento extensions with Shopify apps + Liquid |
| 6. SEO redirect map | 1–2 weeks | Crawl Magento, map every indexed URL, upload CSV |
| 7. UAT + parallel run | 1–2 weeks | Test orders, payments, integrations, mobile |
| 8. DNS cutover + monitor | 1 day + 30-day watch | Switch DNS, watch Search Console daily |
1
Phase 1 — Audit & freeze
Document every Magento extension, custom module, integration, and indexed URL. Freeze new development on Magento — every change made during migration becomes work to redo on Shopify. Export a full database backup as your safety net.2
Phase 2 — Stand up Shopify environment
Sign up for Shopify using the $1/month trial. Choose plan based on catalog depth and GMV, not on whether you sell B2B — core B2B is included from Basic up (Advanced for most; Plus for unlimited B2B catalogs, customer-level pricing, deposits, or $2M+ GMV). Install your theme from the Shopify Theme Store and customize before importing data — empty stores are easier to design.3
Phase 3 — Catalog migration
Run LitExtension or MigrationPro to import products, variants, images, and categories. Magento custom attributes map to Shopify metafields — define the metafield schema first. Validate every SKU: prices, variants, images, descriptions. Fix mismatches before going further.4
Phase 4 — Customers + orders
Import customer profiles (names, emails, addresses) and 12–24 months of historical orders. Imported orders are read-only — they exist for customer service reference, not for re-processing fulfillment or refunds. Keep a full Magento export for accounting and audit purposes.5
Phase 5 — Theme + custom rebuild
For each Magento extension, decide: replace with a Shopify app, replicate with Liquid + Shopify Functions, or drop because Shopify handles it natively. Custom Magento modules (your bespoke PHP code) must be rebuilt — this is typically the longest phase. Need help? Hiring a Shopify developer covers what to look for.6
Phase 6 — SEO redirect map
Crawl your live Magento site with Screaming Frog (or Sitebulb / Ahrefs) and export every indexed URL. Build a spreadsheet mapping each old URL to its new Shopify URL. Upload as a CSV via Settings → Apps → URL Redirects. This single step protects months of organic traffic.7
Phase 7 — UAT + parallel run
Keep Magento live while you test Shopify. Place real test orders across product types and shipping methods. Verify every integration (ERP, 3PL, accounting, email marketing). Test mobile UX, page speed, and checkout abandonment flow. Run for at least 5 business days.8
Phase 8 — DNS cutover + monitor
Switch your domain's DNS to point at Shopify. Trigger the bulk customer account invite within an hour. Monitor Google Search Console daily for the first 30 days — fix every 404 with an additional redirect. Decommission Magento only after 30 days of clean operation.SEO Migration: Protect Your Rankings
Key takeaway
Magento URLs commonly look like /electronics/phones/iphone-15.html or /catalog/category/view/id/42. Shopify URLs are flat: /products/iphone-15 and /collections/phones. Without explicit redirects, every indexed Magento URL becomes a 404 the moment you switch DNS — and Google notices within days.
The redirect process is unglamorous but mechanical:
1
Crawl your Magento site
Use Screaming Frog (free for under 500 URLs, otherwise ~£199/yr), Sitebulb, or Ahrefs Site Audit to extract every indexed URL — products, categories, CMS pages, blog posts, filtered category URLs, and pagination.2
Build the URL mapping spreadsheet
Two columns: old_url, new_url. For products, the mapping is one-to-one. For categories, map each Magento category to its Shopify collection. For CMS pages, map to your new Shopify pages. Filtered category URLs (faceted navigation) usually consolidate to the parent collection.3
Upload as 301 redirects in Shopify
Go to Settings → Apps → URL Redirects (or use the bulk CSV upload feature). Test 10 random redirects manually before DNS switch.4
Preserve meta titles and descriptions
Export your Magento meta data and re-apply it to Shopify products and pages. Don't change URLs and meta data simultaneously — too many variables to debug if rankings drop.5
Submit new sitemap to Google
After cutover, add the Shopify property to Google Search Console and submit yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing for top 20 pages.6
Monitor and fix 404s daily
Search Console → Pages → Not Found shows every URL Google still tries to fetch. For the first 30 days, add a redirect for each one within 24 hours. After 30 days, weekly reviews are sufficient.URL redirects can be used to redirect traffic from one web page to another. When you change a URL on your Shopify store, you can create a URL redirect to ensure your customers can still find what they're looking for.
The Magento `.html` extension trap
Magento URLs often end in
.html by default. Shopify URLs never do. This is the single most common missed redirect — a Magento store with 5,000 products has 5,000 .html URLs that need to redirect to .html-less Shopify equivalents. Use a regex pattern in your spreadsheet generator and double-check sample redirects before bulk upload.Payments, Vaulted Cards & Subscriptions
Key takeaway
Magento merchants typically run Stripe, Braintree, Authorize.Net, or PayPal as the primary gateway. On Shopify, you have two real choices: keep your existing gateway as a third-party provider (subject to Shopify's extra transaction fee, which shrinks as you move up plans), or switch to Shopify Payments to waive those fees. The decision affects card-on-file customers, recurring billing, and chargeback history.
Keep Your Gateway vs Switch to Shopify Payments
| Factor | Keep Stripe / Braintree / PayPal | Switch to Shopify Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Extra Shopify fee | 2% (Basic) → 1% (Grow) → 0.6% (Advanced) → ~0.2% (Plus) | 0% — waived |
| Card vault continuity | Easier — same gateway, same tokens | Requires PCI card-data migration |
| Subscriptions support | Full (existing flows preserved) | Shopify Subscriptions or Recharge |
| Chargeback history | Preserved with old gateway | Resets — 30–60 day stricter underwriting |
| Best for | Subscription merchants, contract gateway rates <2% | High-volume B2C, fresh starts, simpler ops |
Vaulted card tokens
Card tokens are gateway-specific. Stripe tokens don't work on Braintree and vice versa. To preserve cards, request a PCI-compliant card data migration from your old gateway to your new one — Stripe, Braintree, and Adyen all support this with NDAs and 2–6 week lead times.
Subscriptions (Recharge, Bold)
Magento subscription extensions don't migrate. Re-create subscription products in apps like Recharge or Shopify Subscriptions, then have your old gateway push card tokens directly to the new platform. Never ask customers to re-enter card details — churn spikes 15–40%.
Transaction fees
On third-party gateways, Shopify adds an extra fee on top of the gateway's own rate: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, and roughly 0.2% on Plus. Shopify Payments waives that fee entirely. For most merchants, the math favors switching to Shopify Payments unless you have a contract gateway rate well below 2%.
Chargeback & dispute history
Chargeback history doesn't transfer. New gateway = fresh risk profile. Expect 30–60 days of slightly stricter underwriting on Shopify Payments while your store builds processing history.
If you sell subscriptions, plan this first
Subscription merchants should scope the gateway and card-vault migration before any other migration work. A failed card transfer means churning your entire active subscriber base. Talk to your gateway's migrations team in week one — not week eight.
Tax, Email Marketing & Inventory During Parallel Run
Key takeaway
Tax / VAT / OSS compliance
Magento usually runs Avalara, TaxJar, or Vertex. On Shopify, you have native Shopify Tax (US, EU, UK, CA included), or you can keep Avalara/TaxJar via their official Shopify apps. EU merchants must reconfigure OSS / IOSS reporting from scratch — registration data doesn't transfer. Plan a 1–2 week tax cutover with your accountant.
Email marketing (Klaviyo, Mailchimp)
Subscriber lists, consent timestamps, and historical purchase data must export from Magento and re-import into your ESP via Shopify connector. Re-create flows (welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase) — Magento triggers don't map. Klaviyo's Shopify integration automatically syncs available historical orders from your new Shopify store; pre-Shopify Magento order history needs a one-time CSV import.
Inventory sync during parallel run
If both stores accept orders during UAT, oversells happen fast. Either freeze inventory on Magento before cutover, or use a real-time sync tool (Stock Sync, Skubana, or your ERP's webhook layer) to mirror stock both ways. The safer path: hard-freeze Magento checkout 24 hours before DNS switch.
Accounting + ERP (NetSuite, QuickBooks)
Your finance team needs continuous reporting across the cutover. Map Shopify's order/refund/payout webhooks to your existing NetSuite/QuickBooks/Xero connector before cutover. Reconcile the first 30 days of post-launch transactions manually as a safety net.
B2B Edge Cases
Key takeaway
Magento B2B → Shopify B2B Mapping
| Magento B2B Feature | Shopify Equivalent | Plan Required |
|---|---|---|
| Company accounts + buyers | Native B2B company profiles and company locations | Basic and up |
| Tier pricing / volume discounts | B2B catalogs with tailored pricing, volume discounts, quantity rules | Basic and up (3 active catalogs) |
| Customer-specific catalogs (per company) | Direct catalog assignment to a company or company location; unlimited catalogs | Plus |
| Net 30 / payment terms | Native net payment terms, payment reminders, vaulted cards, ACH (US) | Basic and up |
| Deposits / partial payments | Deposit requirements, partial payments, payment requests per fulfillment | Plus |
| Quick order / SKU pad | Quick order lists, built into all 10 Horizon themes | Basic and up |
| Requisition lists / quote requests | No one-to-one equivalent — draft orders plus sales-rep workflow | Basic and up |
| Light wholesale (single price tier) | Native B2B catalog with volume pricing — wholesale apps now optional | Basic and up |
For a deeper look at Shopify's B2B capabilities, see our Shopify B2B & wholesale guide.
Migration Costs & Calculator
Key takeaway
Use the calculator below to estimate your project. The ranges are based on real Shopify Partner agency quotes and merchant-reported migration costs from 2025–2026.
Magento → Shopify Migration Cost Calculator
Estimate one-time migration cost (excluding ongoing Shopify subscription). Based on real merchant projects in 2025–2026.
Low = stock theme + a few extensions. High = custom modules, B2B, multi-store.
Estimated migration cost27,309
Timeline~6 weeks
Migration app$199
Theme + setup$350
Custom rebuild (Liquid + apps)$20,000
SEO redirects + URL mapping$2,300
PM / QA / contingency (20%)$4,460
* Estimates exclude ongoing Shopify subscription ($39–$2,300+/mo), payment processing fees, and post-launch optimization. Real Adobe Commerce → Shopify Plus projects often exceed these figures for stores over 25K SKUs.
Beyond the one-time migration, budget for ongoing Shopify costs:
- Subscription: $39/mo Basic, $105/mo Grow, $399/mo Advanced (or $29/$79/$299 on annual billing), and for Plus $2,500/mo on a 1-year term or $2,300/mo on a 3-year term. See the official Shopify pricing page.
- Payment processing: 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow, and 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced with Shopify Payments (US online rates).
- Apps: $100–$500/month for a typical mid-market stack (reviews, email, search, loyalty, subscriptions).
- Theme: $0 for Horizon (Shopify's 2025 flagship, ideal for most Magento migrants up to 5,000 SKUs) or Dawn, or roughly $320–$400+ one-time for a premium theme from the Shopify Theme Store. For 10,000+ SKU catalogs with deep faceted navigation, premium themes like Impulse, Prestige, or a custom Horizon child theme typically pay back within 60 days through better filter UX.
DIY vs Agency: Choose Your Team
Key takeaway
DIY vs Shopify Partner agency
DIY (you or in-house team)
- Under 500 SKUs and stock theme
- No B2B / wholesale requirements
- Comfortable with CSV imports + Liquid basics
- Project budget under $5K total
- Acceptable to take 6–10 weeks instead of 4
- Migration app: LitExtension or MigrationPro
Shopify Partner agency
- 5,000+ SKUs or complex variants
- B2B, multi-store views, or ERP integrations
- Adobe Commerce origin
- Custom Magento modules to rebuild
- Project budget $15K–$150K+
- Need single accountable owner end-to-end
Agency rates: $90–$250/hr depending on country and seniority. Mid-market migration projects typically run 100–500 hours.
If you're hiring, our guide on how to hire a Shopify developer covers vetting questions, red flags, and freelancer vs agency tradeoffs in depth.
Risk Management & Cutover Day
Key takeaway
Six pitfalls account for the majority of Magento → Shopify migrations that go sideways. Read them as a pre-mortem — for each one, write down how you'll prevent it before scheduling cutover.
Treating it as a data dump
A migration is a re-platform, not a copy-paste. Theme rebuild, app replacement, and process redesign take more time than data transfer.
Skipping the URL redirect map
Magento's deep, category-based URLs don't exist on Shopify. Without 301 redirects, indexed pages 404 and rankings collapse for 3–6 months.
Underestimating B2B complexity
Core B2B — company profiles, up to 3 active catalogs, volume pricing, net terms — is included from Basic up since April 2026, so the plan question is depth: unlimited catalogs, per-company pricing and deposits are the Plus lines. Magento requisition lists have no exact twin.
Migrating during peak season
Never cut over within 6 weeks of Black Friday, holiday peaks, or product launches. Plan for Q1 or summer.
Forgetting integrations
ERP, PIM, accounting, 3PL — every integration must be re-wired. Shopify uses different APIs and webhook formats than Magento.
No customer communication plan
Customers will need to reset passwords. Send a pre-migration email and a post-launch invite to avoid a wave of support tickets.
Cutover Day: Downtime, Rollback & Stakeholder Roles
DNS propagation typically takes 5–60 minutes globally if you pre-lower your TTL to 300 seconds 48 hours before cutover. Shopify provisions SSL certificates automatically within 1–24 hours after the domain is connected. Schedule cutover during your slowest commercial hour (often Tuesday 2–4 a.m. local) and have the rollback plan printed.
Stakeholder Roles by Phase
| Role | Owns | Peak phase |
|---|---|---|
| Project Manager | Timeline, vendor coordination, status reporting | All phases |
| Lead Developer / Agency | Theme rebuild, app config, integrations | Phases 3–7 |
| SEO / Marketing | URL map, redirects, Search Console, ESP migration | Phases 6, 8 |
| Finance / Accounting | Tax setup, accounting connector, payout reconciliation | Phases 2, 8 |
| Operations / 3PL | Inventory freeze, fulfillment routing, shipping rules | Phases 7, 8 |
| Customer Support | Pre-launch email, password-reset comms, day-one tickets | Phase 8 |
| Executive Sponsor | Go/no-go decision, rollback authority, budget sign-off | Phases 1, 7, 8 |
The 3-step rollback plan
Step 1: Keep your Magento environment fully running and pointed at a temporary subdomain (e.g.,
legacy.yourdomain.com) for at least 30 days post-cutover. Step 2: If a critical issue surfaces in the first 24 hours, revert DNS to Magento — propagation back is also fast because TTL is already low. Step 3: Document the failure, fix on Shopify, re-cut over the following week. Two cutovers is annoying; permanent damage to revenue is worse.Migration Readiness Checklist
Key takeaway
Pre-Cutover Project Management Checklist
1Full Magento database + media backup stored off-site
2Shopify plan selected and billing confirmed
3Theme installed and customized; all key templates reviewed
4Migration app run; SKU count matches Magento ±1%
5Customer import complete; test invite email sent successfully
6Last 12–24 months of orders imported (read-only)
7Metafield schema documented and validated for custom attributes
8URL redirect CSV prepared for every indexed Magento page
9Meta titles + descriptions preserved for top 100 pages
10Payment gateway live; test transaction processed end-to-end
11Subscription card tokens transferred (if applicable)
12Tax setup verified for every region you ship to
13Email marketing (Klaviyo/Mailchimp) connected; flows tested
14ERP / accounting connector live; test order syncs correctly
15Inventory frozen on Magento (or real-time sync verified)
16DNS TTL lowered to 300 seconds at least 48 hours prior
17Pre-cutover customer email scheduled (T-7 days)
18Bulk customer account-invite drafted and ready to fire
19Search Console property added; sitemap submission queued
20Rollback plan printed; named owner for every workstream
The Bottom Line
Key takeaway
Magento earned its reputation. But the operating environment in 2026 — escalating PHP dev rates, security patch fatigue, and Adobe Commerce license inflation — has tipped the math decisively for most merchants. Shopify isn't just cheaper; it's faster to operate, safer by default, and easier to staff.
The single decision that defines your migration's success is whether you treat the SEO redirect map as a checklist item or as the highest-priority deliverable. Done well, organic traffic recovers in weeks; skip it and you'll be rebuilding rankings for months.
Your next step by scenario
Magento 1 storeMigrate now — Magento 1 has been unsupported since 2020 and is a known security liability. Start with the readiness checklist and SEO redirect map.Readiness checklist
Magento OS 2, mid-marketPlan a structured 6–12 week project with a Shopify Partner agency or senior developer.Hiring guide
Adobe Commerce + B2BScope the plan, not the badge — company profiles and payment terms come with Basic and up; check whether catalog count and per-company pricing push you to Plus.Shopify B2B guide
For the broader migration picture across all platforms (WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Etsy), see our broader Shopify migration playbook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Three forces drive the shift: rising Magento maintenance costs (hosting, patches, senior PHP devs), Adobe Commerce license fees ($22K–$125K/year for mid-market), and a shrinking talent pool. Shopify bundles hosting, security, PCI compliance, and updates into a flat subscription. For most merchants under $50M GMV, the total cost of ownership math now favors Shopify decisively.
It depends on catalog size and customizations. Under 500 SKUs with stock Magento and no B2B can ship in 3–4 weeks using a migration app. Mid-market stores (5,000–25,000 SKUs, custom modules) typically take 10–16 weeks with an agency. Adobe Commerce migrations with B2B and ERP integrations realistically run 4–6 months. Theme rebuild and integration work — not data transfer — drive the timeline.
One-time costs range from under $1,000 (DIY, small catalog, stock theme) to $150,000+ (Adobe Commerce to Shopify Plus with B2B and headless). Mid-market merchants typically spend $15,000–$60,000 with a Shopify Partner agency. Use the calculator above for your scenario. Add ongoing Shopify subscription ($39/mo Basic up to Plus at $2,500/mo on a 1-year term or $2,300/mo on a 3-year term) on top of one-time migration fees.
Without a URL redirect map, organic traffic can drop significantly and take months to recover. Magento URLs include category paths and `.html` extensions; Shopify uses flat `/products/handle`. Crawl your Magento site (Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Ahrefs), build an old-to-new URL map, and bulk-upload 301 redirects before DNS cutover. With a clean map, most stores recover within weeks and often outperform pre-migration traffic.
Yes — and since April 2, 2026 you don't need Shopify Plus. Company profiles, up to 3 active catalogs with tailored pricing, volume discounts, quantity rules, net payment terms are included on Basic, Grow and Advanced. Plus adds unlimited catalogs, per-company catalog assignment for customer-level pricing, deposits, partial payments and payment requests per fulfillment. Magento's requisition lists have no one-to-one equivalent — you rebuild them with draft orders plus the quick order lists that ship in Horizon themes.
Native B2B no longer decides it — it ships from Basic up. Choose Advanced ($399/mo, $299/mo annual) if you're under $2M GMV and 3 active B2B catalogs cover your buyers. Adobe Commerce stores needing unlimited catalogs, per-company pricing, deposits, custom apps with Function APIs or the Checkout Branding API still land on Plus ($2,500/month on a 1-year term, $2,300/month on a 3-year term).
Most Magento extensions have direct Shopify app equivalents (often from the same vendors). Custom modules and bespoke PHP must be rebuilt — Shopify uses Liquid and Shopify Functions, not PHP/XML layouts. Audit each extension and categorize: (a) replace with a Shopify app, (b) replicate with Shopify Functions, or (c) drop because Shopify handles it natively. Plan 30–50% of project budget for custom rebuild work.
Migrate directly to Shopify. Magento 1 has been end-of-life since June 30, 2020, with no security patches. Upgrading to Magento 2 is essentially a re-platform itself — different data structure, themes, and extensions. The cost gap between M1→M2 and M1→Shopify is small, but Shopify cuts ongoing operational cost and removes future upgrade pain. Skip the M2 detour entirely.
Import the last 12–24 months for customer-service reference via your migration app (LitExtension, MigrationPro, or Cart2Cart). Imported orders are read-only — you cannot re-process refunds or fulfillments through Shopify. For accounting and audits, keep a complete Magento export (CSV or database backup). Most merchants find 12 months of reference data sufficient; longer histories add cost without much business value.
Yes — universally. Magento stores password hashes with platform-specific salts that Shopify cannot read or convert. After migration, use Shopify's bulk account-invite feature (Customers → select all → Send account invite) to email each customer a one-click setup link. Send a pre-migration email a week before cutover, then trigger the invite immediately after DNS switch. Done well, it feels like a normal security upgrade.
About This Article
Written by
Shopify Developer & E-Commerce Writer
9+ years with Shopify since 2017
Front-end developer specializing in Shopify since 2017. Experienced in building custom Liquid themes, optimizing storefront performance, and integrating third-party apps. Writes in-depth, data-driven e-commerce guides based on hands-on experience with real merchant stores.
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Shopify Migration: Steps, SEO & Costs by Platform
How to migrate to Shopify from WooCommerce, Wix, Magento, BigCommerce or Etsy — a step-by-step move that protects your SEO, with real costs and timelines.
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Shopify to WooCommerce Migration: Honest Costs, Playbook & Trade-Offs
Objective playbook for migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce — TCO comparison, data transfer matrix, 8-phase playbook, SEO redirect strategy, and replacements for Shop Pay, apps and checkout.
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WooCommerce to Shopify Migration: An Honest Playbook for Store Owners
Decision-grade guide to moving from WooCommerce to Shopify — readiness quiz, real cost calculator, data-fidelity matrix, migration-method comparison, SEO preservation playbook, and a post-launch checklist.
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