Due to the growing demand for online business and the increase in the number of merchants going online, many E-commerce platforms are available today. Among the various E-commerce platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, etc., Magento and Shopware are considered the biggest competitors.
Both the content management system (CMS) platforms share a lot of similarities though. They both are open-source platforms, which means you can get customized solutions according to your preference and scale the store as your online business grows. Many communal events such as “Magento Live” and “Meet Magento” have Shopware equivalents.
Shopware is an older platform that has dominated the E-commerce business in Germany with a growing European user base. Magento, on the other hand, has a large presence in the worldwide E-commerce business, with a market share of about 12%, and is utilized by many well-known and top brands.
Let us understand both of them in detail.
Shopware
Shopware originated in the year 2000 in Germany and since then, it is presiding in the E-commerce industry in Germany, Europe, and now across the globe. With a market share of around 6%, it is one of Germany’s top E-Commerce platforms. It is an open-source platform with the latest version of Shopware 6 which keeps updating regularly. These updates are easily installable. This platform allows you to quickly and simply tap into your progress potential while focusing on improving the client experience.
Magento
Magento was developed in the year 2008 in the USA which is written in PHP and is an open-source platform. With over 2 lakhs live websites and 12% of the global market share, Magento is one of the most popular online store-building platforms in the E-Commerce business. Among the numerous platforms in today’s E-commerce markets, Magento is known as the “Industry standard.” It is incredibly popular all across the world, with the majority of users concentrating in the United States.
Shopware VS. Magento: Comparison
Usability, performance, pricing, SEO capabilities, etc. are the most important factors to consider while picking an E-Commerce CMS. Let us go through all the comparison factors between the two platforms.
1. Usability
Customer traffic on any E-commerce website depends upon how much ease the platform provides while shopping or surfing on it. The platform should be user-friendly and all the operations should be less complex.
- Shopware – Shopware features a straightforward user interface that makes it simple to get started for everyone, including non-technical merchants.
- Magento – In comparison to Shopware, Magento has a more complex user interface because it offers thousands of distinct configurations. Magento installation and customizations may necessitate the assistance of a developer.
2. Cost
In order to grow the business and achieve more profits, pricing is the most essential factor when selecting any E-commerce platform. Both Shopware and Magento’s basic versions are free and their advanced versions are paid.
- Shopware – When compared to Magento, Shopware’s professional edition is more affordable and ideal for businesses of all sizes. It is easier and more economical to manage and navigate; hence Shopware is more likely to meet the needs of small and medium business owners.
- Magento – When it comes to starting a business, Magento is a big-ticket item. This platform is only suitable for large businesses with a large enough budget to cover the charges of its advanced edition.
3. SEO
SEO is the best way to drive traffic to your site. Any platform would not be effective if it doesn’t let your website appear at the top in the search engines, irrespective of how attractive or functional it is.
- Shopware – All the SEO settings in Shopware have been established automatically, although they can still be modified if necessary. As a result, even shop owners who aren’t SEO experts can benefit from these automatic configurations.
- Magento – Every option in Magento’s SEO capabilities has to be configured manually to make use of its SEO potential. And dealing with such a wide range of settings necessitates a significant amount of time and effort.
4. Performance
The user experience and conversion rates of an E-commerce site are highly influenced by its performance and page load speed. Both Shopware and Magento are capable of handling online stores with thousands of orders every day. But compared to Magento, the response time of Shopware is considered faster for every web page.
5. Customer Support
In terms of customer support, Shopware has a dedicated support system that definitely outweighs Magento.
Reason for Shopware being more preferred in Europe
Both platforms are good to use depending on the business requirements. Both Magento and Shopware allow you to change the underlying code to meet your website’s needs. Both Shopware and Magento demand that online merchants have some technical or coding skills. Shopware is a better choice if you wish to operate your online business in Europe or in a German-speaking country, while Magento is a better choice if you are an enterprise company.
However, in recent years, Shopware has gained power as a viable alternative to Magento, which is more expensive and complex. Many web store owners have decided to switch from Magento to Shopware. Customers also migrate to Shopware from other platforms like as osCommerce, PrestaShop, and many more. Here are some features of Shopware 6 which make it popular than Magento:
- Shopware provides GDPR-compliant ready web stores – Shopware supports the new data protection regulation and hence provides E-commerce store owners with the tools they need to make the necessary changes to comply with GDPR.
- Shopware is headless ready – Shopware is headless ready, the trend of headless is getting popular in the European market, which helps the website with speed, security, cross-device useability, and beautification of websites Resulting in high click and conversion rates.
- Better Checkout process
- Useful actions log
- Media manager feature
- Shopping world feature for storytelling
- Free text fields
Conclusion
In this blog, we have seen all the points indicating the features of two E-commerce platforms – Shopware and Magento. By comparing their specifications, we can conclude that Shopware is gaining more popularity in Europe and also globally due to its astonishing features.
If you are looking to develop your E-commerce store, want to rebuild your site, customize it, or want to migrate it to Shopware, then iCreative Technologies is here to help you. We are now an official Shopware partner and with our years of experience, we can build a fabulous site as per your requirements to help you grow your online business. Contact us right away.
Jainesh Shah
Jainesh Shah is a CEO and Co-Founder of iCreative Technologies Inc. iCreative Technologies is a digital eCommerce agency mainly serving B2B clients across the globe. With over 15 years of experience in technology and business, he is helping his client thrive in this competitive era. He is specialized in eCommerce consulting, creative thinking, generating new business ideas, and delivering end products to market in the digital space. He is working with the vision to help his partner agencies and Clients to grow in their respective businesses.