Item: Magento Open Source
Rating: 8
Author: Shahed Nasser

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Magento Open Source to develop e-commerce online stores for our clients in different areas and sectors. As Magento has many features out of the box, it makes creating an online store that has the basic, common features easy. We also use Magento for e-commerce stores that require some custom development, as Magento's architecture makes it easier.

Pros and Cons

Many out-of-the-box features
Easily find plugins, especially with famous third-party services
Built on well structured architecture

It can be hard for developers to learn and use
As there are many features in it, it can become "bloated" sometimes if not managed well.
Non-technical savvy users might need some training to understand how it works, especially the admin side.

Return on Investment

We haven't went live with the store yet.

Alternatives Considered

PrestaShop and WooCommerce

Magento vs PrestaShop
Magento is good for big-scale projects that require a lot of features or a lot of custom development. PrestaShop is a good, lightweight platform that can handle most e-commerce use cases. When it comes to which is easier to use, especially for non-tech savvy users, PrestaShop is definitely easier to use. When it comes to the number of add-ons, Magento has more open-source ones. Also, Magento is better for custom development.

Magento vs WooCommerce
WooCommerce would be better in my opinion for smaller e-commerce online stores or stores that have a simpler use case. WooCommerce can become a bit of a mess when you start adding all the different plugins, as you'll probably need them since it lacks a lot of features. Magento would definitely be a better choice when looking at security, best practices, and easy integration with many add-ons.

Key Insights

Do you think Magento Open Source delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Magento Open Source's feature set?

Yes

Did Magento Open Source live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Magento Open Source go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Magento Open Source again?

Yes

Other Software Used

React, Laravel PHP Framework, InVision

Likelihood to Recommend

Magento is best suited for big projects, meaning e-commerce sites that can handle a lot of traffic, that need a lot of features, that need custom features without breaking the system, and that need durable systems.

Magento is least suited for small projects, meaning e-commerce sites that are very simple and don't require that many features. Online stores that just have the basic buy and checkout features. It's also not suitable if you're not ready to hire expert developers to handle any issues or changes to the system that you need.

Going Big? Go Magento!

Overall Satisfaction with Magento Open Source