A Head-to-Head Look at Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce

By 2025, retail eCommerce sales are projected to account for over 21.5% of global retail sales worldwide. This translates to a massive online marketplace where customer experience is paramount. From user-friendly product discovery to secure and efficient checkouts, every touchpoint on your eCommerce store needs to be flawlessly optimized. But behind the scenes, a powerful platform is the engine driving this experience. So, choosing the right eCommerce platform is crucial for businesses of all sizes, as it lays the foundation for growth, scalability, and ultimately, success. Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce are two such platforms that enable businesses to simplify the selling process. This blog explores both platforms, comparing their core functionalities and highlighting the features of Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source (Magento Community vs Magento Commerce). By the end, you’ll be equipped to make an informed decision to choose the platform that best fits your business requirements.

Key Features of Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce

While Adobe Commerce offers a robust suite of features, it’s important to remember that Magento Open Source forms its foundation. This means you’ll find the core functionalities for building an online store on both platforms, including product creation, management, inventory control, basic customer accounts, and order processing. So, let’s understand the key features of Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce:

Catalog Management

Catalog management encompasses everything from creating detailed product descriptions to managing inventory levels and ensuring smooth product information updates. So, here’s a breakdown of how Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce handle catalog management:

Magento Open Source

Magento Open Source offers a robust set of features for managing your product catalog. Here’s a technical breakdown:

• Craft Compelling Product Descriptions: You can describe your products in detail using rich text formatting, upload high-quality images (including 360-degree views), and define key attributes like size, color, and material. Moreover, you can even create variations for products with different options (think a T-shirt in various sizes and colors).
• Categorize Your Products: Using this feature, you can categorize your products logically using a hierarchical structure. This makes it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for and browse related items.
• Digital Products: Sell downloadable products like ebooks or music files. Define download options and delivery methods for a seamless customer experience.
• Stay on Top of Inventory: Keep track of your stock levels and set up low-stock notifications. This ensures you avoid disappointing customers with out-of-stock items. Plus, you can bulk edit product information or import/export product data for efficient catalog management.
• Product Bundle Creation: Craft special bundled product sets (think gift baskets) with attractive pricing to entice customers and boost sales.

Adobe Commerce

Building upon the foundation of Magento Open Source, Adobe Commerce offers a significantly more advanced suite of features for managing your product catalog. Here’s how Adobe Commerce offers greater control and efficiency:

• Inventory Management Across the Globe: Manage stock levels across multiple warehouses, fulfillment centers, or even dropshipping suppliers. So, this ensures accurate inventory, avoids overselling, and allows for automated inventory transfers between locations to optimize stock distribution.
• Advanced Product Relationships: Create connections between products (like related items or upsells) to encourage customers to explore your offerings and potentially increase their order value.
• Inventory Management on Autopilot: Utilize features like inventory reservations, backorders, low stock alerts, and automated reordering. This ensures you never miss a sale due to stockouts and keeps your inventory levels optimized.
• PIM Integration: For businesses with complex product catalogs, Adobe Commerce integrates with Product Information Management (PIM) systems, allowing for centralized product information management.

Customer Management

Customer management is about understanding your customers, building relationships, and keeping them returning for more. Let’s see how Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce equip you to manage your customers effectively:

Magento Open Source

Magento Open Source provides the essentials for managing customer accounts:

• Create Customer Accounts: Allow customers to register accounts for a more convenient shopping experience. This enables features like saved addresses, order history tracking, and faster checkouts.
• Track Customer Activity: Gain insights into customer purchase history, allowing you to understand their preferences and buying habits.

Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce takes customer management to a whole new level with personalized service.

• All Magento Open Source Features PLUS: Adobe Commerce includes everything you get with Magento Open Source for customer accounts and basic management.
• Customer Segmentation: Group customers based on demographics or purchase history. This allows you to create targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with specific customer segments, increasing their engagement and conversion rates.
• Loyalty Programs: Implement loyalty programs to reward repeat customers with points, discounts, or exclusive offers. Moreover, this incentivizes them to keep coming back for more and boosts customer lifetime value.
• Targeted Promotions: Craft personalized promotions based on customer behavior. Offer discounts or special deals relevant to their interests and purchase history, driving targeted sales and increasing customer satisfaction.

Marketing & Promotions

Marketing and promotions help attract new customers, engage existing ones, and ultimately drive sales. Here’s how Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce help create successful marketing and promotional campaigns:

Magento Open Source

Magento Open Source provides the essentials for basic marketing and promotions. You can create basic coupon codes and promotions to incentivize purchases. However, you have limited control over targeting and rules for these promotions.

Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce takes marketing and promotions to the next level. Think of it as a full-fledged marketing agency at your fingertips:

• A/B Testing Power: Conduct A/B testing to optimize your promotions. Also, experiment with different offers, layouts, and messaging to see what drives the most conversions and refine your marketing strategy for maximum impact.
• Built-in Email Marketing Tools: Design and send targeted email marketing campaigns directly from your Adobe Commerce dashboard. Moreover, create personalized email blasts based on customer segments or purchase behavior, fostering stronger customer engagement.
• Advanced Promotion Rules: Craft complex promotions with advanced rules. Offer free shipping on orders above a certain amount, bundle products for discounts, or create time-limited flash sales – all with precise control over targeting and execution.

Search & Merchandising

Search and merchandising are crucial for a seamless customer experience. They enable customers to find the products they’re looking for quickly and efficiently, ultimately leading to more sales. Let’s explore how Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce approach these aspects:

Magento Open Source

The platform provides the essentials for product search. The Keyword Search feature enables customers to search for products using keywords in the search bar.

Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce includes everything you get with Magento Open Source for basic keyword searches. In addition, it offers the following features:

• Advanced Search Features: Customers can refine their search results using facets and filters. So, this allows them to search by brand, color, price range, or other product attributes, leading them to the products they desire faster and with less frustration.
• Faceted Navigation: Facilitate easy product browsing with faceted navigation on category pages. Customers can filter products based on various criteria, making it easier for them to explore your offerings and discover relevant items.
• Merchandising Tools: Take control of how products are displayed on your storefront. Visually arrange products by category, brand, promotions, or any other criteria to showcase your offerings strategically and influence customer buying decisions.

Order Management & Fulfillment

It is important to ensure orders are processed efficiently, shipped promptly, and customers receive their purchases as promised. Here’s how Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce help you manage orders and fulfill them flawlessly:

Magento Open Source

Magento Open Source provides the basics for handling orders:

• Manage Orders: View, track, and manage customer orders placed in your store.
• Process Payments: Securely process customer payments through various payment gateways.
• Track Order Status: Keep customers informed by updating order status throughout the fulfillment process.

Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce includes everything you get with Magento Open Source for order management, payment processing, and order status tracking.

• Advanced Order Management Dashboard: Gain real-time visibility into all your orders with a comprehensive order management dashboard. This allows you to monitor order status, identify potential issues, and optimize fulfillment processes for maximum efficiency.
• Automated Workflows: Automate repetitive tasks like order processing updates, shipping notifications, and inventory adjustments. This frees up your time to focus on other critical tasks and improves overall operational efficiency.
• Dropshipping Support: Integrate seamlessly with dropshipping suppliers for a streamlined fulfillment process. Moreover, this allows you to offer a wider product range without managing physical inventory yourself.

Payment Processing

This feature allows customers to pay for their purchases securely and ensures you receive your funds smoothly. So, here’s how Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce approach payment processing:

Magento Open Source

This platform enables you to connect your store with various payment gateways to accept customer payments through popular methods like credit cards and PayPal.

Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce offers a wide range of secure payment options.

• Wider Range of Payment Gateways: Connect your store with a broader selection of payment gateways, allowing you to offer a wider range of popular and regional payment methods to cater to a global customer base.
• Enhanced Fraud Prevention Tools: Protect your business from fraudulent transactions with advanced fraud prevention tools that identify and block suspicious activity.
• Recurring Payment Options: Offer subscription plans or recurring billing for products or services with ease. This caters to businesses that operate on a subscription model or offer installment plans.

Security

Security is paramount for any online store. It protects your customer data, keeps your platform safe from malicious attacks, and fosters trust with your customers. Here’s a breakdown of how Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce approach security:

Magento Open Source

The platform provides core security features, however, the overall responsibility lies with you:

• Regular Security Updates: Magento releases security patches regularly. However, applying these updates promptly becomes your responsibility. This requires technical expertise and ongoing vigilance.
• Community Support: The Magento Open Source community offers resources and support for security best practices. However, relying solely on community support can be time-consuming and might not provide the most up-to-date solutions.

Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce takes security to a whole new level. Imagine a high-security bank with a dedicated security team and cutting-edge technology. So, here’s how Adobe Commerce strengthens your store’s security:

• Regular Security Patches from Adobe: Adobe proactively releases regular security patches and updates, ensuring your platform remains protected against evolving threats. This frees you from the burden of manually monitoring and applying updates.
• Enhanced Security Features: Adobe Commerce offers additional security features like intrusion prevention systems and advanced user access controls. As a result, these features provide a more robust defense against security vulnerabilities.

Scalability & Performance

As your business grows and attracts more traffic, your platform needs to keep up. Here’s how Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce handle scalability and performance:

Magento Open Source

While Magento Open Source is a good starting point, its scalability relies on manual intervention and technical expertise.

• Scalability Requires Server Upgrades: To handle increased traffic or product volume, you’ll need to upgrade your server hardware or hosting plan. However, this can be a complex and ongoing process requiring technical expertise.
• Limited Performance Optimization: Optimizing performance for peak traffic requires advanced technical knowledge and configuration of your Magento Open Source installation.

Adobe Commerce

With a highly scalable architecture and the option for automatic scaling in the cloud, Adobe Commerce empowers your online store to handle explosive growth seamlessly.

• Highly Scalable Architecture: Adobe Commerce boasts a highly scalable architecture. This means the platform can adapt to accommodate significant increases in traffic, product volume, and data without compromising performance.
• Cloud-Hosted Option with Automatic Scaling: With the cloud-hosted option for Adobe Commerce, scaling becomes automatic. Moreover, the platform scales resources up or down to meet your needs in real time, ensuring your store remains performant even during peak traffic periods. This eliminates the need for manual server upgrades and frees you to focus on running your business.

Content Management System

A Content Management System allows you to create and manage the web pages and content on your online store. So, it’s essential to craft a captivating website that informs, engages, and ultimately converts visitors into customers.

Magento Open Source

It allows you to create basic web pages like “About Us” or “Contact Us” with text and images. Moreover, these pages remain unchanged unless you manually edit them.

Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce includes everything you get with Magento Open Source for creating static pages.

• Powerful Built-in CMS: Adobe Commerce boasts a robust built-in CMS that empowers you to create and manage a wide variety of content. Also, this includes dynamic content like blog posts, landing pages with integrated products, and informative articles – all without the need for additional extensions.
• Drag-and-Drop Functionality: Build engaging and visually appealing web pages with a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. This makes content creation intuitive and accessible, even for users with limited technical experience.

B2B Features

For businesses selling to other businesses (B2B), specific functionalities are essential for smooth transactions and efficient workflows. So, here’s how Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce cater to the needs of B2B customers:

Magento Open Source

Magento Open Source doesn’t offer functionalities like company accounts, custom pricing for business customers, or shared catalogs. Therefore, it is ideal for B2C and D2C businesses.

Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce offers a comprehensive suite of B2B features, including:

• Company Accounts: Create dedicated company accounts for your B2B customers, allowing them to manage multiple users, purchase history, and preferred billing methods within their organization.
• Shared Catalogs: Define shared catalogs with specific products and pricing for different business customers. This streamlines order placement and ensures businesses see products and pricing relevant to their needs.
• Custom Quoting & Ordering: Enable B2B customers to request quotes and place custom orders directly through your online store. This facilitates complex B2B transactions and improves efficiency.

Integrations

Integrations allow you to connect your online store with other tools and services to enhance functionality and automate tasks. Here’s how Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce approach integrations:

Magento Open Source

Magento boasts a vast marketplace with thousands of extensions developed by third-party vendors. Moreover, these extensions can add various functionalities to your store, from marketing automation tools to accounting integrations. CedCommerce integration solutions offer streamlined multistore management, making it possible for sellers to scale their business.

Adobe Commerce

• Integration with Adobe Experience Cloud: Adobe Commerce integrates seamlessly with other Adobe Experience Cloud products like Adobe Marketing Cloud and Adobe Analytics. This allows you to leverage powerful marketing automation tools, gain deeper customer insights, and personalize the customer experience across all touchpoints.
• Pre-built and Supported Integrations: Adobe Commerce offers a selection of pre-built and supported integrations with various third-party tools and services such as CedCommerce. This ensures compatibility and simplifies the integration process.

Support

When evaluating these platforms, the level and type of support available is a critical consideration, especially if you have limited expertise in website design and eCommerce. Both versions offer robust third-party module support features and actively support Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce through their paid offerings.

Magento Open Source

Level of Support: Community-based

• Official Support: Magento Open Source does not offer official technical support from Magento or Adobe. There is no dedicated customer success care or official technical assistance for this version.
• Community Support: Support primarily comes from the Magento community, which includes developer communities, guide libraries, and community forums where users can seek help and advice. The community is large and active, offering a wealth of shared knowledge and experience.
• Additional Support Options: For those without experience in website design, partnering with a web design agency might be beneficial. These agencies can develop your e-commerce site and offer ongoing support.
• Events and Networking: Magento Open Source users can also attend Meet Magento community events and participate in various Slack groups and discussion forums for support and networking.

Adobe Commerce

Level of Support: Comprehensive and Professional

• Technical Support: Adobe Commerce offers extensive technical support for its users, including customer success care, cloud onboarding support, and 24/7 global support.
• Proactive Solutions: Users benefit from proactive support solutions such as a dedicated account manager and round-the-clock technical assistance to troubleshoot all store-related issues.
• Paid Plan and SLAs: Adobe Commerce’s support is available under a paid plan from Adobe, which includes service-level agreements (SLAs) to ensure timely and effective support responses.
• Community Access: Adobe Commerce users also benefit from access to the same Magento community as Open Source, leveraging the collective knowledge and expertise of developers and agencies familiar with both platforms.

Technical features of Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce

Now that we’ve explored the core functionalities of Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce, let’s understand the technical features that make each platform unique:

Magento Open Source

Adobe Commerce

Themes: Choose from a vast selection of pre-designed themes available in the marketplace. These themes can be customized to a certain extent, allowing you to modify colors, fonts, and layouts. Customization Options: With some technical knowledge, you can modify the core code of Magento Open Source to achieve more tailored store design and features. However, this approach requires significant development expertise. Developer Tools: Magento Open Source offers a robust set of developer tools, including an API and command-line interface (CLI). These tools enable developers to build custom functionalities and integrations to extend the platform’s capabilities.

Page Builder: Build visually appealing and dynamic web pages with Adobe Commerce’s intuitive drag-and-drop Page Builder. Moreover, this user-friendly interface lets you create custom layouts, integrate product elements, and design unique landing pages without writing code. Elasticsearch Integration: Experience lightning-fast search functionality with built-in Elasticsearch integration. This enables your customers to find the products they’re looking for quickly and efficiently. Headless Commerce Capabilities: Adobe Commerce supports headless commerce architecture. This allows you to decouple your front-end storefront from the back-end commerce engine. So, this provides greater flexibility for building custom shopping experiences across various touchpoints, like mobile apps or kiosks.

Conclusion

Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce are both platforms with powerful features that can be the foundation of your thriving online store. So, choosing the right one depends on your business’s needs.

Magento Open Source is ideal for startups and smaller businesses with a manageable product catalog. It’s completely free to use and offers a vast marketplace of extensions for adding functionalities. However, it requires more technical expertise to fully customize and maintain.

Adobe Commerce caters to businesses with a larger product catalog and complex requirements. It provides advanced features like a user-friendly page builder, robust security, and seamless integration with other Adobe products. While it comes with a cost, it offers features like headless commerce for ultimate flexibility and scalability.

Ultimately, the best platform depends on your specific situation. At CedCommerce, we offer expertise and integrations for both Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce to streamline your operations and enhance customer experience. Connect with us today to discuss your eCommerce goals and become a successful seller.