Choosing an eCommerce platform is a big decision. The right platform frees you to focus on growth, campaigns, optimisation, customer experience, and unlocking your next nice problems. However, the wrong one turns every small change into a dependency, a ticket, and a delay.
Shopify Plus and Adobe Commerce sit in the same enterprise space, but they’re built on very different principles.
Shopify Plus is fully hosted. Infrastructure, security, updates and performance are handled for you, so your team can focus on improving the storefront instead of maintaining it.
On the other hand, Adobe Commerce gives you complete control over how you do things: hosting, code, architecture, checkout logic, catalogue rules. If your business has unique requirements or complex processes, Adobe lets you shape the platform around them.
This article breaks down how that difference affects cost, customisation, delivery speed, performance during peak traffic and the ongoing workload attached to each platform.
How each platform actually works day to day
Before comparing pricing or features, you need to understand how the platform works behind the scenes – because that affects how fast you can make changes, who needs to be involved, and how much effort goes into keeping the site running.
Shopify Plus – fully hosted enterprise platform
Shopify Plus runs on Shopify’s infrastructure. Shopify controls hosting, applies security updates and maintains platform performance. This means that you don’t plan upgrades or manage servers.
Shopify defines Plus as a fully hosted, fully managed enterprise environment. In practice, that means if traffic surges on Black Friday, Shopify scales automatically to accommodate!
Plus, when Shopify pushes a platform update, it applies without slowing you down. Or, if you need to launch a new landing page quickly, you publish it without waiting for a deployment window.
However, control can be limited. You move inside Shopify’s framework, and some custom logic has limits. You can customise the experience, but you can’t rewrite how the platform works at a structural level.
Areas like checkout logic, URL structure, and certain backend workflows follow Shopify’s rules. If your business needs unconventional logic or very complex workflows, you may find yourself designing around the platform rather than shaping it to fit your exact process.
Adobe Commerce – full code and infrastructure control
Adobe Commerce gives you full ownership of your platform, allowing you to design eCommerce around your business instead of shaping your processes to fit a platform. You decide how pricing works, how your catalogue logic is structured, and how the checkout behaves – including region-specific rules, customer-specific pricing or complex B2B workflows like account approval or purchase order uploads.
Adobe positions Commerce as a platform that supports deep modification of business logic and architecture, giving you the freedom to build exactly what you need rather than relying on apps or workarounds .
This means you are granted true freedom to build a bespoke website that is designed exactly for your business – but it also means you’re responsible for keeping everything running smoothly. Because you control hosting, performance and updates, managing the platform requires either internal technical capability or a long-term development partner.
Adobe Commerce can deliver exceptional performance and tailored user experiences, but those results depend on how well your environment is configured and maintained .
In short: Adobe gives you the power to build anything – as long as you’re ready to own it.
Understanding the true cost beyond the licence fee
The cost isn’t just the license price, but rather the hours you spend maintaining the platform, the people you need to operate it and how often you rely on development to make changes.
Shopify Plus – predictable cost and low maintenance
Shopify Plus pricing starts at around US $2,300 per month, which includes hosting, platform updates and security. Shopify manages infrastructure and upgrades at the platform level, so you don’t budget for server administration, patching work or upgrade projects.
In real terms, this means your ongoing spend can go towards unlocking your next nice problems – like improving conversions and increasing your sales, rather than maintenance.
When Shopify ships an update, it applies automatically; there’s no upgrade cost and no internal planning cycle. You avoid technical debt because the platform moves without your intervention.
Adobe Commerce – higher cost and more ownership
Adobe Commerce licence fees begin at about US $22,000 per year, and the total annual cost can exceed US $100,000 when hosting, development and maintenance are included. Adobe Commerce gives full control, but with that control comes responsibility for hosting, patches and upgrades.
You need to budget for release cycles, performance tuning and developer time. If your site uses heavy customisation or you run multiple stores, maintenance consumes more of your budget.
Over time, the price you pay isn’t just for the license – as you need to pay your team to develop, maintain and upgrade the platform, too.
Customisation and Flexibility
The ability to customise a platform determines how well it can support your business model. It decides whether you adapt the store to fit the platform, or the platform adapts to fit you.
Shopify Plus – limited by design, faster to configure
Shopify Plus gives you customisation through themes, apps, APIs and Shopify Functions. The platform has a large app ecosystem and a simpler configuration path, because most added functionality comes from enabling apps or using existing extensions rather than building features from scratch.
This means that you can push changes fast, because you don’t need to wait for engineers for most changes. If you want a new landing page, you publish it. If you want to adjust layouts or copy, you update it directly. The platform is built to let you execute changes quickly and focus on trading rather than modifying the platform itself.
However, Shopify Plus is limited by its depth. It gives you flexibility in how the store looks and behaves on the surface, but not in how the platform works at a structural level.
If you need to change checkout logic or create pricing rules based on complex business conditions, you will likely reach the edge of what Shopify allows.
Adobe Commerce – high customisation, more technical work
Adobe Commerce allows full customisation at code level. You can change catalogue logic, pricing rules, checkout flow and how multiple stores operate from one admin environment.
Adobe Commerce is designed to support complex workflows, including B2B features and multi-store setups where different regions follow different rules.
You have control over how the platform behaves. If your business requires unique pricing logic per customer group, or different catalogues per region, you build that directly into the platform. If checkout needs additional steps or approval processes, you rewrite the checkout logic to match.
However, because these changes involve code, you need development resources to implement and maintain them. Essentially, Adobe Commerce will support complexity – you have to support the platform.
Speed to Market & Ongoing Change
How quickly you can launch your store, and how easily you can update it afterwards, affects revenue. If you trade in seasonal cycles or rely on promotions, delays cost money.
Shopify Plus – quicker launch, faster iteration
Shopify Plus builds move fast because most decisions happen in configuration, not code. Agencies report enterprise build timelines of around eight to sixteen weeks.
For you, this means the store goes live sooner, and revenue starts sooner. You update pages, adjust layouts and launch campaigns directly from the admin-without scheduling a development sprint. When trading conditions change, you act immediately.
This makes it perfect for businesses that need to adapt quickly!
Adobe Commerce – longer build, more adaptability
Adobe Commerce projects take longer because you are shaping the platform to fit your business model. Enterprise builds typically run sixteen to thirty-two weeks, depending on integrations and customisation.
For you, this means the project has a longer runway – but with more personalised and high-quality results. You get deeper features and a platform designed around your processes. It also means more project governance and more internal involvement, because every change passes through development, testing and deployment.
Adobe Commerce supports teams that prioritise control, even if that means a longer timeline.
Performance, Conversion & User Experience
Performance affects conversion. If pages lag or checkout hesitates, users leave. When traffic spikes – especially during promotions – the platform either absorbs the load or it cracks.
Shopify Plus – managed infrastructure helps conversion during heavy traffic
Shopify Plus runs on Shopify’s managed infrastructure, so the platform handles scaling and stability at peak load. Shopify publishes data showing 29% better total cost of ownership and 42% lower implementation cost compared to Adobe Commerce.
Shopify also highlights case studies where brands improved load speed and conversion after moving from Adobe Commerce to Shopify Plus.
It’s no surprise, as with Shopify Plus, pages stay fast, even when traffic spikes. The checkout remains stable because scaling is handled at platform level, not by your team. Plus, fewer outages and faster load times lead to higher conversion, especially during peak trading.
Adobe Commerce – strong performance potential, but you build it
Adobe Commerce performance depends on your hosting setup, your engineering decisions and how well the codebase is maintained. LitExtension notes that Adobe Commerce can deliver high performance, but results vary depending on configuration and optimisation.
For you, that means performance is not automatic. If the stack is optimised and monitored, the platform performs well and supports complex workflows without issue. When utilised correctly, Adobe Commerce is a true powerhouse.
However, if maintenance falls behind or hosting isn’t tuned correctly, performance slows and conversion drops. You have power, but you are responsible for keeping that power stable.
Multi-Store, International and B2B
Different regions often need different prices, tax rules or product availability. The platform you choose determines whether you can manage that in one system or whether you need workarounds.
Shopify Plus – works when stores follow the same rules
Shopify Plus lets you manage multiple storefronts and markets from one admin. You can set currency, language and tax handling per region. LitExtension confirms Shopify Plus supports multi-store, but variations in pricing or catalogue logic often require apps or additional tools.
This works well when every market uses the same catalogue and the same pricing structure. You make one update and apply it everywhere. Less admin, fewer decisions, quicker launches.
If markets need different product ranges or pricing logic, Shopify Plus does not adjust those rules at platform level. You maintain those differences through apps or separate store setups.
Adobe Commerce – built for regional differences and B2B
Adobe Commerce lets each storefront run with different catalogues, pricing and checkout behaviour, all from one backend. KiwiCommerce confirms Adobe Commerce supports unique pricing and catalogue structures per region.
This reduces admin when markets operate differently. You update data once and decide which store uses which version. No apps, no duplicate catalogues. Adobe Commerce also includes B2B capability such as customer-specific pricing and purchase order workflows without plugins.
Risk, Maintenance and Operational Burden
An eCommerce platform carries ongoing operational work: updates, hosting, security patches and performance monitoring. The question is who carries those responsibilities – you, or the vendor.
Shopify Plus – platform maintenance handled by Shopify
Shopify Plus manages hosting, platform updates and security patches itself. Shopify positions Plus as stable and reliable – this is because infrastructure, releases and maintenance are handled at platform level.
This reduces the amount of technical work your team needs to manage, so you can focus on tasks like product launches, improving conversion and unlocking your next nice problems!
You can rest easy knowing that operational risk – downtime, upgrades, patching – sits with Shopify.
Adobe Commerce – technical responsibility sits with your team
We’ve established that Adobe Commerce gives full control of hosting and code. With that control, comes maintenance. Shero Commerce notes that delaying updates or patches increases cost later because technical debt builds up.
This requires internal technical capability or a dedicated development partner. Your team manages updates, performance and hosting decisions. When the platform evolves, you plan the release, test the changes and deploy them. A well-maintained Adobe Commerce stack performs well, whilst a neglected one becomes more expensive to support.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap! Overall, Shopify Plus and Adobe Commerce both support enterprise eCommerce, but they push you toward two very different ways of operating.
Shopify Plus reduces development time and weight on your devs’ shoulders, so you launch faster and spend more time trading. Meanwhile, Adobe Commerce gives you full control over how the platform behaves, so you can design complex pricing, catalogues and workflows – although it takes more manpower, and time, to setup and maintain
The right choice depends on how your business works, and what works best for your business! If you prioritise consistency, speed and ease of deployment, then Shopify Plus is a clear winner.
However, if you want complete control over your platform, variation, structure and deeper logic, then Adobe Commerce will let you build exactly what you need.
The best choice is the platform that supports how your business already operates.
Need help deciding?
If you’re stuck between Shopify Plus and Adobe Commerce, let’s make it easy.
Book a quick chat: https://www.actuate.agency/get-in-touch/
