"No CTO ever got fired for choosing Shopify "
I hear this constantly in the ecommerce industry. I hear it so much that people think it's actually true.
But is it?
It's baby logic wrapped in a sales pitch.
Businesses hemorrhage money on app costs that could have funded custom development. Companies hit Shopify's walls and face expensive migrations after betting everything on "one size fits all."
The pattern I see most: businesses adding app after app, only to discover they're spending more than hosting, plus developer costs, plus upgrades would cost on Magento.
The notion that one platform solves everyone's problems is, in fact, a myth. And it's time we stopped pretending otherwise.
I'm tired of Shopify claiming they solve everyone's problems.
"Just add an app."
"We scale with you."
"Why complicate things?"
Is Shopify the right choice 51% of the time or 90% of the time? Their marketing suggests 100%. My 30 years of experience says closer to 60%.
The other 40% of businesses need something Shopify may be able to deliver, but at what cost and complexity? How many apps do you need to add? What limitations will you run into? What if the vendor goes away?
With each new app you add complexity and cost. With each new app you add another vendor to manage. With each new app you have to worry about - will they be here tomorrow?
Did you know your data is helping your competitors on Shopify? Shopify uses everyone's data to help everyone else. That's great for the mom and pop startup, but is it great for you? When you're successful, your insights become part of the platform's collective intelligence that benefits all merchants - including your competition.
When you own your code, your insights stay yours. Your competitive advantages don't get shared with the platform to benefit your competition.
This is why platforms like Shopware focus on giving you control. Shopware's powerful built-in Flow Builder lets you create custom functionality without a developer or app. You own the logic, control the experience, and avoid vendor dependency.
This is what code ownership actually delivers - the ability to build what you need instead of hunting for apps that almost fit your requirements.
And by the way, I'm equally tired of hearing "Why did Adobe buy Magento if it's so good?" and "Magento is dying." Adobe continues growing Magento. They wouldn't invest billions in a dying platform. But it doesn't fit the narrative that SaaS is always the answer.
Platforms have become religions instead of tools. Shopify evangelists preach simplicity. Magento defenders preach flexibility.
I know this firsthand. I was a Magento zealot for years. Magento did everything for everyone all the time. Then Shopify came along. Now Shopify does everything for everyone all the time.
Are both true? Of course not.
Both miss the point: The right platform depends on your specific business reality, not marketing promises.
Shopify keeps you renting forever - "rent to rent." You pay monthly fees with no path to ownership or platform independence.
Shopware offers "rent to own" - start on their cloud, migrate to self-hosted when you outgrow their limitations or want full control.
Adobe provides the best of both worlds with "own to rent" - take your owned Magento code and rent Adobe's infrastructure when you need enterprise-level hosting without losing code ownership.
Magento and @shopware offer everything - flexibility, ownership options, and growth paths. Shopify offers one thing: simplicity at the cost of control.
The lines are blurring because the baby logic of "SaaS vs On-premise" doesn't match business complexity.
Start asking:
Shopify works great when you fit their box. When you don't, app costs escalate and limitations frustrate.
Magento works great when you have technical resources. When you don't, complexity overwhelms and updates terrify.
Shopware is the new kid on the block in the US market. I've been talking to Shopware vendors firsthand and hearing great things about simplicity of execution, fast go-to-market, and user Proof of Concepts that prove business needs before you commit.
None of these platforms is wrong. Each serves different business realities.
The key is matching your specific needs to the right solution. That's why I developed a B2B decision matrix with up to 114 data points for my ecommerce advisory work - because platform decisions are too important for guesswork.
The best platform isn't the one with the best marketing. It's the one that matches your business reality three years from now.
Baby logic says find the perfect solution. Adult logic says find the right trade-offs.
Stop letting platform evangelists make your decision. Start making it based on your business math, your team capabilities, and your growth trajectory.
If you're tired of baby logic platform advice and want adult analysis based on real data, let's talk. I help businesses make platform decisions using a comprehensive decision matrix that goes beyond marketing promises.
Are you making platform decisions with baby logic or adult analysis? Share your experience in the comments or reach out directly for a platform strategy discussion.