Magento headless vs Shopify Plus: the choice is (never) the platform
Catalog, integrations, margins, in-house team. The platform is the last variable to decide. A guide for eCommerce founders and CTOs.
Every month a founder writes to us: 'We're evaluating whether to move to Shopify Plus or stay on Magento headless. What do you think?'. The honest answer is: we don't know, because the question is wrong.
The platform is the last variable. First come: catalog complexity, number of sales channels, ERP/PIM/WMS integrations, margin per order, size and seniority of the technical team, 24-month roadmap.
Shopify Plus wins when: a linear catalog, small team, time-to-market is metric number one, no complex B2B logic. You lose control, you gain speed.
Magento headless wins when: deep catalog with articulated pricing rules, B2B/B2C together, custom integrations on legacy ERPs, solid in-house team. You gain control, you pay in complexity.
The real risk isn't picking the wrong platform — it's picking the right platform for a company that doesn't exist yet. Design the 24-month operating model first, then choose.
Every signal comes from a real project.