Item: Magento Open Source
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Magento Open Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

In our organization, we primarily use Magento Open Source as an eCommerce framework. The main business problem it solves is providing a robust, scalable platform for clients who need full control over their online store without the high licensing costs of enterprise solutions. My team’s scope is to support our vendors. We help them get the core installation and server configurations right, which is often a pain point. Then we assist with configuring the store itself, mostly by ensuring integrations, like SAP CDC GConnector, work seamlessly.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Flexibility: The platform allows deep, granular customization.
Excellent REST and GraphQL APIs for seamless integrations.
A huge marketplace of extensions saves development time.

Cons

Performance and Scalability: Getting a store to perform requires a lot of server customization and optimizations.
Steep Learning Curve, both as a final user and as a developer.
Some nice-to-have functionalities (like a page builder) are delegated to third-party modules.

Return on Investment

Higher initial investment is required due to the learning curve required to master the product.
Zeroed licensing costs.
Control over platform costs.

Usability

For an experienced developer who has invested the time, the backend is a powerful and logical tool. It offers comprehensive control over a vast array of complex functionalities, such as multi-site management, promotions, and product attributes, making it highly usable for those with technical expertise. However, for a non-technical user or a merchant coming from a simpler platform, the usability is very poor. The admin interface is dense, overwhelming, and not intuitive. Simple tasks often require navigating through multiple menus, and the terminology can be confusing.

Alternatives Considered

Shopify, WooCommerce and SAP Commerce Cloud

Shopify is a closed ecosystem; the moment a client has a complex, custom workflow or needs to integrate with a legacy ERP system, Shopify’s app-based model falls short. WooCommerce just does not scale like Magento, and its architecture is not made for enterprise-scale e-commerce. SAP Commerce Cloud is a very close competitor, but it comes with licensing costs and sometimes can be overkill. It's, however, perfect if the customer already has something SAP in their ecosystem.

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

Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Airtable

Likelihood to Recommend

Magento Open Source is an excellent choice for businesses that need a highly customizable and scalable solution and (most of all) have the technical resources to support it. It's ideal for mid-to-large-sized businesses with complex product catalogs that require complete ownership and control, particularly those with complexities such as multi-country/multi-currency stores.

Magento Open Source Feature Ratings

Comments

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If you have someone who can develop on it do it.