Magento Open Source is free and self-hosted. Adobe Commerce is a paid enterprise edition with custom pricing that scales with order volume.

Who is Adobe Commerce built for?

Mid-market and enterprise merchants and agencies that need deep customization, large catalogs and B2B features.

Does Adobe Commerce have native AI?

Yes, through Adobe Sensei within Experience Cloud, alongside marketplace extensions that add AI features.

Do I need developers to run Adobe Commerce?

In practice, yes. It is complex enough that most stores rely on developers or an agency to set up and maintain it.

How is it different from Shopify Plus?

Adobe Commerce offers more raw customization but far more complexity, while Shopify Plus is a hosted platform that is faster to launch.

null review | TIERSAI

Platform · ecommerce

Enterprise commerce platform built on the Magento codebase

est. 2008United States4,000 appsAI ecosystem: medium1 AI tools fit

Visit →business.adobe.com/products/magento/magento-commerce.html

The verdict

Adobe's enterprise commerce platform, built on Magento, with a free open-source edition and a paid Adobe Commerce tier. Built for complex, high-volume stores.

What it is

Adobe Commerce is the enterprise platform built on the Magento codebase, sold to mid-market and enterprise merchants that need deep customization, B2B features and ties to Adobe Experience Cloud. Magento Open Source remains a free, self-hosted edition for teams with developers. It is flexible but complex and costly, aimed at large catalogs rather than small stores. Extensions skew technical and developer-installed rather than one-click apps.

Strengths

Very flexible for complex, large-catalog and B2B requirements that simpler platforms cannot meet
Magento Open Source is free and self-hosted for teams that have developer resources
Ties into Adobe Experience Cloud for enterprises already in the Adobe stack

Trade-offs

High complexity and cost; in practice it needs developers or an agency to run
Slow and heavyweight to set up compared with hosted SaaS platforms
Extensions skew technical, so non-developers cannot self-serve most AI features

Best for

Large stores and agencies that need maximum customization, B2B depth and large-catalog handling

Not for

Small businesses or beginners who want a quick, low-maintenance store without developers

AI tools that fit

Scored on how well each tool actually works with — integration depth, workflow fit, and real adoption. Higher is better.

Klaviyo

Email Marketing Automation

7.0

See the full AI tool guide for →

The AI ecosystem

A large extension marketplace plus Adobe Sensei AI inside Experience Cloud. Extensions are mostly developer-installed rather than one-click consumer apps.

Public APIZapierAdobe Commerce Marketplace

Pricing

Magento Open Source is free (self-hosted); Adobe Commerce is custom enterprise pricing, typically high four to six figures annually depending on GMV.

Magento Open Source

Custom

self-hosted
open-source
developer-driven

Adobe Commerce

Custom

enterprise license
Adobe Experience Cloud
B2B

What people build with it

enterprise storeb2b commercelarge catalogsheadless commercecomplex integrations

Frequently asked

Is Magento free?: Magento Open Source is free and self-hosted. Adobe Commerce is a paid enterprise edition with custom pricing that scales with order volume.
Who is Adobe Commerce built for?: Mid-market and enterprise merchants and agencies that need deep customization, large catalogs and B2B features.
Does Adobe Commerce have native AI?: Yes, through Adobe Sensei within Experience Cloud, alongside marketplace extensions that add AI features.
Do I need developers to run Adobe Commerce?: In practice, yes. It is complex enough that most stores rely on developers or an agency to set up and maintain it.
How is it different from Shopify Plus?: Adobe Commerce offers more raw customization but far more complexity, while Shopify Plus is a hosted platform that is faster to launch.