Shopify vs Magento: which is the more cost-effective ecommerce platform?

Magento vs Shopify: costs compared transparently

A monthly fee is only part of the picture: below we break down what you pay now and what you pay in the long run. We cover the platforms’ technical differences in a separate comparison: Magento vs Shopify: a technical and business comparison.

1. Maintenance model and monthly fees

Shopify operates on a monthly SaaS model. The price is determined by the plan you choose (Basic, Grow, Advanced, Plus), and you pay regardless of whether you make changes or not. Basic B2B features have been included in all paid plans since April 2026, but unlimited and company-specific price lists, for example, require Shopify Plus. According to Shopify, Plus starts at €2,250/month on a 1-year term or €2,100/month on a 3-year term.

Magento Open Source is free software that you can use without any licence fees. Development, maintenance and hosting are separate costs, but using the platform itself costs nothing. Adobe Commerce does have a licence fee, which is negotiated with Adobe based on revenue and deployment model.

A third option is Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service, Adobe’s SaaS edition launched in 2025, where Adobe runs the infrastructure and upgrades. It has its own licence model with prices negotiated with Adobe and not published, so it is not included in the calculations below.

2. Expanding functionality

In Shopify, additional features are often purchased as monthly paid apps. For example, simple product organisation or customer segmentation may require a paid add-on, the cost of which recurs monthly. Many commercial extensions are also closed: they cannot be freely modified.

In Magento, extensions can be free, one-off or custom. The important thing is that once the functionality is built, it remains under your control. Development is an investment, not an ongoing expense.

3. Payment method surcharges and transaction costs

Magento is an open platform where you are free to choose a payment processor, such as Avarda, Klarna or Paytrail. Payment processes are built into the store so that the merchant owns the entire checkout, controls the appearance and logic, and can integrate several different payment services in parallel. Ready-made, more closed checkout solutions such as Klarna Checkout are of course also available.

Magento does not take a commission on payment transactions. You only pay the payment processor you have chosen and whose terms you have negotiated yourself. Finnish online bank payments also work without extra platform fees.

In Shopify, all payments go through Shopify Checkout. In Finland, Shopify Payments covers cards, Klarna and MobilePay, but online bank payments need a separate provider such as Paytrail. You have two options:

1. You use Shopify Payments (Shopify’s own payment service): card fees are 1.3-1.6% + €0.25 depending on your plan, and no additional commission is charged.
2. You use a third-party payment service, such as Paytrail or Avarda: Shopify charges an additional commission on transactions of 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced) or 0.2% (Plus), depending on your plan.

Not all payment services are equally ready on Shopify

Not all payment services are as ready on Shopify as they are on Magento. Avarda is a good example: it has published development versions of its own Shopify payments extension openly, but in October 2026 it was not available as a ready app in the Shopify App Store. The extension’s features and setup are worth checking with Avarda case by case.

When you use Avarda or another third-party payment service on Shopify, you pay Shopify an additional commission on all transactions not processed by Shopify Payments, on top of the provider’s own fee. On Shopify Plus the additional commission is 0.2%; on smaller plans it is 0.6-2%.

In Codaone’s experience, the Magento and Avarda combination offers full control over payment methods, and can even bring direct financial benefits, such as a contract-dependent credit from invoice and account-type payment methods.

Summary: on Shopify, payments are best handled through Shopify Payments as far as possible, because other payment services carry an additional commission. On Magento, you can choose and tender your payment provider freely. On Shopify Plus, however, the difference is smaller than often assumed: the additional commission is 0.2% of the sales that go through another payment service.

Klarna through Shopify Payments is part of Shopify Payments, so no third-party fee is added. When Klarna or another payment provider is connected to Shopify separately, Shopify adds the plan’s third-party fee: Basic 2%, Grow 1%, Advanced 0.6% or Plus 0.2%. The Magento + Klarna column uses Klarna’s public list price, and negotiated rates are often lower. On Shopify Basic, Klarna through Shopify Payments costs the same 2.99% + €0.35 as Klarna’s list price, so it is not shown separately.

*The Shopify Plus + Avarda column includes Shopify’s 0.2% additional commission. Shopify and Klarna figures are public list prices (Shopify’s Finnish pricing, October 2026). Avarda figures are based on Codaone’s implementation experience, as Avarda does not publish its prices: card commission has typically been 0.5-1.0% and bank button fees €0.20-0.35 per transaction. Paytrail figures follow its public M price list. In Magento stores, the payment provider is freely chosen, and the platform does not take a share of payment transactions.

Example: annual transaction costs if sales are €1,000,000 per year

In the example, €1,000,000 of annual sales is split into 12,000 payment transactions (average order about €83): 6,000 card payments (€500,000), 3,600 invoice or instalment payments (€300,000) and 2,400 bank payments (€200,000). Per-transaction fees are calculated only for the transactions of that payment method: for example, card payments with Shopify Plus + Klarna via Shopify Payments cost 2.19% x €500,000 + €0.35 x 6,000 = €13,050. Every column covers the same €1,000,000 of sales. In the Shopify Plus + Shopify Payments column, cards go through Shopify Payments, invoices through Klarna in Shopify Payments and bank payments through Paytrail (€0.50 x 2,400 + 0.2% x €200,000 + €59/month x 12 = €2,308), because Shopify Payments does not support Finnish online bank payments. The difference between Magento + Avarda and Shopify Plus + Avarda is Shopify’s 0.2% additional commission, or €2,000 a year. The same €2,000 separates the Magento + Klarna column from Klarna connected to Shopify Plus as a separate provider. Through Shopify Payments, Klarna is cheaper on Plus, because Shopify’s Klarna price is 2.19% + €0.35.

4. Hosting and maintenance

With Shopify, hosting is included in every plan and you cannot manage or optimise it yourself. Shopify scales capacity automatically, but you cannot influence the server environment, caching or location.

With Magento, you choose your own hosting and maintenance level. This brings freedom, but also requires expertise or a partner. Well-built hosting costs more upfront, but allows for optimised performance, capacity and security.

5. Development costs

Shopify development is often quick in the early stages, because ready-made themes and apps cover a lot, but it comes with limitations when it comes to scalability and customisation. In larger implementations, costs quickly increase to the Plus level.

With Magento, development requires specialist Magento expertise, but it gives you full control and ownership. There are no licence fees or vendor lock-in, and development is done in stages.

Shopify is often thought of as a ready-made solution. In reality, Shopify Plus customers are already at a stage in their business where ready-made solutions are no longer enough. Customisation, integrations and in-house development are essential in both environments, and the hourly rate for a developer is typically the same in both: around €100/h.

The sample table below illustrates how Magento Open Source and Shopify Plus compare in terms of total annual costs across different business categories. The estimate includes licences, add-ons, development, maintenance and payment method costs. Shopify Plus is calculated with the fixed licence on a 1-year term.

Background of the calculation

• Shopify Plus licence: from €2,250/month on a 1-year term = €27,000/year (Shopify’s public Finnish pricing, October 2026). On a 3-year term €2,100/month = €25,200/year.
• Magento Open Source version in use
• App costs: Shopify stores estimated at €200-400/month in total depending on size (€2,400-4,800/year)
• Magento add-ons: calculated as one-off purchases or as part of development. The Hyvä theme has been free and open source since November 2025.
• Development costs: based on Codaone’s customer implementations
• Hosting: Magento €300-900/month depending on size
• Payment method costs: Magento with Avarda (1.00% cards, €0.25 bank buttons, €0 invoice/account, based on Codaone’s implementation experience). Shopify Plus with Avarda: the same costs plus Shopify’s 0.2% commission on all transactions, because Avarda does not go through Shopify Payments.
• Payment method breakdown: card 50%, invoice/instalment 30%, bank buttons 20%. €1 million turnover = 12,000 payment transactions per year, €3 million = 36,000 and €7 million = 84,000. The bank button fee is calculated only for bank payments (20% of transactions).

6. Start-up costs and the 3-year overview

An ecommerce project is not just about annual costs. A significant part of the total investment is made even before the store opens. The initial investment includes, among other things, the deployment project, visual design, technical configuration, integrations and testing.

In this calculation, based on Codaone’s implementation experience, the start-up cost of a Magento store is lower than that of Shopify Plus: €20,000-40,000 against €25,000-60,000 for Shopify Plus, depending on turnover. The initial investment grows on both platforms when a fully customised look and a wide range of features are the goal. Shopify offers a ready-made, sleek and modern look that is easy to build on, but with more limited room for customisation. Finished Magento features incur no monthly fees, and the development work stays with the company.

The figures are indicative estimates based on Codaone’s experience and implementations. The costs in the table are shown annually, and the Total 3 years column is calculated by multiplying the annual costs by three and adding the initial cost. Magento start-up costs include, among other things, a customised layout, integrations and checkout solutions. The Shopify Plus start-up includes deployment, theme changes and a basic product data transfer. On both platforms, the need for development continues after launch too, especially at the Shopify Plus level.

Over three years, Magento costs €79,400 less at €1 million, €68,200 less at €3 million and €80,000 less at €7 million turnover. A 3-year Plus contract would lower the Shopify figures by €5,400. If Shopify applies a variable platform fee at higher turnover, the real Plus cost can be higher than calculated.

Basis for the calculation

• Magento start-up cost: typically includes UI/UX design, configuration, platform architecture and integrations (WMS, TMS, ERP). Scales with the size of the project. Larger implementations also include PIM, CDP or headless architecture.
• Shopify Plus start-up cost: ready-made themes and components speed up the start. In large projects, though, integrations are done just as much, and budgets rise here too.
• Hourly rate: the average level of implementation on both platforms requires expert work, where the hourly rate is practically the same.

7. Alternative cost calculation when the development need is minimal

The table below illustrates how Magento Open Source and Shopify Plus compare when the store has already launched and no major development work is planned. At this stage, the cost structure is mainly weighted towards maintenance, payment method fees and any licences.

The annual costs in the table are shown individually (per year), and the Total 3 years column is calculated by multiplying all the annual costs by three and adding them together. This model helps to visualise how costs build up over time. The review does not include start-up costs. Shopify Plus is calculated with the fixed licence: if higher turnover moves the store to a variable platform fee, the Plus cost can be higher than calculated.

8. Conclusion: which one costs less?

Total cost depends above all on development and maintenance needs, not only on licence or payment fees. With assumptions based on Codaone’s implementation experience, Magento costs less in this article’s calculations at all three turnover levels: by €19,400-24,800 a year, and by €68,200-80,000 over three years including start-up costs. The largest single difference is the Shopify Plus licence, which Magento Open Source does not have. The result reverses if a Magento store needs roughly €19,000-25,000 more development a year than assumed here, or if the needs are so standard that Shopify’s ready-made features work almost as they are. Shopify Plus can then come out cheaper, especially at higher sales volumes.

The Shopify Plus figures use the flat licence. According to Shopify, more complex, higher volume businesses switch to a variable platform fee based on their revenue and business model, and the threshold and rate are not published. At the €3 million and €7 million examples, the real Plus cost can therefore be higher than calculated.

Magento pays off especially when the business needs flexibility, B2B processes such as quotes, deep integrations, Finnish payment methods without platform fees, or control over infrastructure and data location. Development done on Magento stays with the company, and there is no platform licence and no platform commission on payments. The figures are indicative: ask for a quote for both options based on your own needs.

Why Magento powered by Codaone?

Codaone specialises in Magento ecommerce and we have implemented dozens of large, sustainable and business-oriented solutions. For us, Magento is not just a technology: it is a platform on which to build a competitive advantage.

Our customers choose us when they need:

• Technical expertise that extends from architecture to usability
• A partner who manages integrations, maintenance and development
• Understanding that ecommerce is not a one-off project, but a continuous growth environment

If you want to build an ecommerce platform that lasts beyond the campaign days, let’s discuss further.