Choose Magento Open Source when its shared commerce foundation meets your requirements and your team or implementation partner can run the hosting and technical operations. Evaluate Adobe Commerce when you need its B2B capabilities or want the operational features of its managed cloud infrastructure. Compare the exact product, deployment and plan in the proposal—not just the edition names—and budget for the full cost of operating the store.
What is the difference between Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce?
Magento Open Source is Adobe’s freely available commerce codebase, managed as Composer packages. Adobe describes it as providing basic eCommerce capabilities. Adobe Commerce is a broader paid offering, not a single hosting setup: its options include on-premises Commerce, Commerce on Cloud infrastructure (PaaS), Commerce as a Cloud Service (SaaS), and Commerce Optimizer. The feature set, operational responsibilities and entitlements depend on which product and deployment you are considering.
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| Decision area | Magento Open Source | Adobe Commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Store foundation | Core capabilities include catalog, checkout and a website/store/store-view hierarchy with scoped settings for configurations such as catalogs, content, domains and languages. | Shares the core store foundation; additional capabilities depend on product, version and plan. |
| B2B features | Adobe’s documented B2B extension capabilities are tied to Adobe Commerce; a third-party extension or custom implementation needs separate evaluation. | The Adobe Commerce B2B extension can provide company accounts, shared catalogs, company-specific pricing, negotiated quotes, and B2B payment and shipping settings. Entitlement varies by offering and plan. |
| Hosting and operations | Self-managed: the merchant and its vendors arrange hosting, deployment and ongoing technical operations. | Varies by deployment. Commerce on Cloud infrastructure is a managed PaaS with pre-provisioned technology and deployment tooling; managed infrastructure does not take over every application responsibility. |
| Public price | Adobe describes the software as free; the cost of hosting and running a production store is separate. | A representative current license price is not stated in the Adobe product and cloud-plan documentation reviewed for this comparison. Request a quote for the exact offering. |
Adobe’s feature table is organized by minor version rather than serving as one exhaustive Open Source-versus-Commerce matrix. Check the exact product, version and entitlement in a proposal before treating a feature as included.
What capabilities are already shared?
Do not assume that Open Source cannot run a configurable online store. Adobe documents a common hierarchy of websites, stores and store views, with settings that can be scoped to support different catalogs, content, domains or languages. The shared foundation also includes core catalog and checkout functions.
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Start by mapping your requirements to that baseline. If the core platform already supports the way you sell, the next question is whether any additional requirement justifies a paid Commerce offering or a separately evaluated extension.
When does Adobe Commerce B2B matter?
The B2B capabilities documented by Adobe are associated with the Adobe Commerce B2B extension. With company support enabled, the documented configuration automatically enables shared catalogs, B2B quotes, and B2B payment and shipping methods. Shared catalogs support different pricing for different companies, while quotes let sellers and company buyers negotiate prices.
Quick Order and requisition lists can be enabled independently. Cloud-plan entitlement is not uniform: Adobe’s plan documentation lists the B2B module with Pro and as an additional-fee add-on for Starter. Confirm the B2B extension and its commercial terms for the specific offering in your quote; do not assume that every Commerce plan includes the same package.
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If you are considering Open Source plus extensions or custom development instead, compare the resulting workflow with your actual purchasing process. Account for integration, maintenance and support as well as the initial feature match; a marketplace listing alone does not establish that an extension is equivalent to a built-in capability.
What does Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure change?
Commerce on Cloud infrastructure is Adobe’s managed PaaS option. Its documented pre-provisioned stack can include PHP, MySQL or MariaDB, Redis or Valkey, message queues and search technologies. It also provides a Git-based workflow with automated build and deployment.
Adobe’s cloud architecture documentation describes Starter and Pro plans with multiple environments, Fastly CDN, monitoring and support, and differences in infrastructure features. Pro describes dedicated virtual infrastructure for staging and production. Because plan details can change and offerings differ, verify the current commercial proposal rather than assuming documentation for a plan maps to your contract.
Cloud changes who supplies and operates parts of the infrastructure; it does not remove the need to customize, integrate, test and operate the commerce implementation. Establish responsibility for each of the following before choosing:
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- Application patching and upgrades
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- Performance monitoring and incident response
- Custom code, integrations and application security
Is Magento Open Source free to run?
Adobe calls Magento Open Source a free eCommerce platform, referring to the software. A production store can still require paid hosting, implementation, integrations, extensions, security work, maintenance and specialist staff. An extension may also introduce recurring license or support costs.
Adobe’s reviewed Commerce product and cloud-plan pages do not state a representative current license price or pricing formula. Obtain a quote for the exact product and plan rather than relying on an unsourced sticker price. For a meaningful comparison, estimate the same lifecycle and scope for each option, including:
- License fees, where applicable
- Hosting and infrastructure
- Implementation and custom development
- Extension licenses and vendor support
- ERP, PIM, payment and shipping integrations
- Security work, upgrades and internal technical staffing
Can extensions make Open Source fit your requirements?
Adobe’s Commerce Marketplace includes free and paid extensions. Its Extension Quality Program combines automated checks and manual quality assurance, but that review is not a warranty that an extension will meet your needs or remain compatible indefinitely.
Before selecting one, verify its compatibility with your target version and edition, release history, vendor support terms, security posture and behavior alongside your other integrations. Include the cost of implementation, ongoing maintenance and upgrades in the comparison. Marketplace availability by itself is not proof of suitability.
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- List must-haves. Specify whether you need company accounts, customer-specific catalogs and pricing, negotiated quotes, purchasing workflows, or other merchandising capabilities.
- Identify what the shared foundation covers. Map current store, catalog, localization and checkout needs before adding paid features or extensions.
- Choose an operating model. Decide who will own infrastructure, application updates, deployments, monitoring and incidents. Compare self-managed Open Source with the specific Commerce deployment on offer.
- Inventory what must move or connect. Record extensions, custom code and ERP, PIM, payment and shipping integrations. Validate compatibility and the target deployment’s accepted customization approach.
- Compare lifecycle budgets. Use like-for-like assumptions for implementation, hosting, licenses, extensions, support, security, upgrades and staff. Request a current quote for Adobe Commerce.
- Confirm entitlements in writing. Check the product, version, plan and contract for each required feature, especially B2B capabilities and cloud services.
Which one is the better fit?
Magento Open Source is a stronger candidate when
- Your requirements fit the shared commerce foundation or can be met through carefully selected, supported extensions.
- You can provide or procure the technical capacity to host, deploy, maintain and secure the store.
- You prefer to assemble the operating stack and want to avoid paying for Commerce capabilities you do not need.
Adobe Commerce is a stronger candidate when
- Your business depends on the documented B2B workflows, and the required extension is included in the specific offering and plan you are considering.
- You value the managed PaaS infrastructure and deployment features of Commerce on Cloud infrastructure, and its responsibilities fit your operating model.
- The quote and lifecycle budget make sense for the features and operational services your implementation will actually use.
Neither label alone settles the choice: validate requirements against the exact deployment and commercial offer, then compare the complete operating cost.
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