When an enterprise brand outgrows its platform, the shortlist often comes down to three names: Shopify Plus, Adobe Commerce and Salesforce Commerce Cloud. All three can run a large, complex business. They differ in how they do it — how much they include, how much you build, and how big a team you need to run them.
This guide compares them on the questions that decide most selections, and sets out when each tends to fit. It is a starting point for your own evaluation, not a substitute for testing your hardest requirements on each.
The three platforms in one paragraph each
Shopify Plus is an all-in-one platform. Hosting, storefront, checkout, admin and a large app ecosystem are included, and Shopify runs the infrastructure and upgrades. You extend it with apps, Shopify Functions and checkout extensibility, and you can take it headless with Hydrogen. See our Shopify Plus development page.
Adobe Commerce is the commercial edition of Magento. It gives you control of a highly flexible codebase, with native B2B, multi-site and a rich data model for complex catalogues and pricing. It is offered on Adobe’s cloud infrastructure, self-hosted, or as a newer SaaS edition, Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service. See our Adobe Commerce page.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud — now branded Agentforce Commerce — is Salesforce’s enterprise commerce suite. Its B2C product (formerly Demandware) is built for large retailers running many brands and regions, and it connects closely to Salesforce’s CRM, service, marketing and data products. Storefronts are built on Salesforce’s reference architecture or its headless Composable Storefront. See our Salesforce Commerce Cloud page.
Side by side
| Shopify Plus | Adobe Commerce | Salesforce Commerce Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | All-in-one SaaS | Open-core; cloud-hosted, self-hosted or SaaS edition | Enterprise SaaS suite |
| Who runs upgrades | Shopify | You or your partner (less so on the SaaS edition) | Salesforce for the platform; you for your storefront code |
| Storefront | Themes, or headless with Hydrogen | Themes or headless (GraphQL APIs) | Reference architecture or headless Composable Storefront |
| Checkout | Shopify checkout, extended through checkout extensibility | Fully customisable | Customisable within the platform |
| B2B | Native: company accounts, price lists, payment terms | Native module: company accounts, shared catalogues, quotes, approvals | Separate B2B commerce product on the Salesforce platform |
| Multi-brand and multi-region | Markets in one store; expansion stores for separate brands | Multiple websites, stores and store views in one installation | Built for many brands and regions on one platform |
| Ecosystem | Very large app ecosystem | Large extension marketplace and developer community | Salesforce partner ecosystem and integrations |
| Typical team | Smallest | Largest: developers to build, host and upgrade | Specialist developers and Salesforce skills |
| Time to launch | Usually shortest | Usually longest | Usually long, depending on scope |
| Pricing | Published starting price plus variable fees | Quoted per contract | Quoted per contract |
Pricing and features change, so confirm current details with each vendor.
When Shopify Plus tends to fit
- Speed matters. You want to launch, open new markets and run campaigns without a long build.
- A smaller team. Merchandisers and marketers do much of the work in the admin; you do not want to run infrastructure.
- D2C and B2B on one platform, using Shopify’s native B2B features.
- A rich app ecosystem, so common needs are installed rather than built.
When Adobe Commerce tends to fit
- The data is the hard part: large or highly configurable catalogues, customer-specific and contract pricing, and complex rules across regions.
- Deep back-office integration with ERP, PIM and OMS, where you need control over how data moves.
- Several sites from one installation, each with its own catalogue, currency and language.
- A team or long-term partner who can build, host and upgrade a codebase you control.
When Salesforce Commerce Cloud tends to fit
- Large, multi-brand, multi-region retail, with many storefronts sharing a platform.
- An existing Salesforce estate — service, marketing, CRM and data — where connected customer data is a priority.
- Enterprise governance: many teams and regions working on one platform under shared processes.
- Budget for specialist skills, in-house or through a partner.
The costs that decide it
Licence fees are the easiest number to compare and rarely the biggest. Over three to five years, add up:
- The build: storefront, checkout, integrations and data migration.
- The team to run and improve the platform, and the partners you rely on.
- Hosting, upgrades and security, which vary most between the three.
- Third-party services — search, content, reviews, tax, payments — and the integrations between them.
- The cost of change: how quickly and cheaply you can launch a new market, brand or feature.
What about composable platforms?
If none of the three fits, or you want to own every part of your architecture, composable platforms such as commercetools are worth a look. They bring the most flexibility and the largest build. We compare that route in commercetools vs Shopify Plus, and explain composable commerce in what is commercetools?
How to decide
- Write down your requirements: catalogue, pricing, markets, brands, B2B, integrations and the team you will have.
- Weight them before you look at platforms, so the weights are not bent to fit a favourite. Our free Platform Selection Scorecard does this for you.
- Ask each vendor to demo your hardest requirement, not their best feature.
- Compare total cost over three to five years, not licence fees.
- Plan the migration — data, URLs and redirects — before you sign. Our platform migration service covers this, and our Magento to Shopify Plus migration checklist shows the level of detail involved.
Get an independent view
Our advisory team runs platform selection workshops that start from your requirements and end with a recommendation, a cost comparison and a migration outline. We also compare platforms for B2B in the best B2B ecommerce platforms.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better: Shopify Plus, Adobe Commerce or Salesforce Commerce Cloud?
None is better in general. Shopify Plus tends to win on speed to market and running cost, Adobe Commerce on flexibility for complex catalogues and pricing, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud on large multi-brand retail operations connected to the wider Salesforce suite. The right choice depends on where your complexity sits and the team you have.
Is Salesforce Commerce Cloud now called Agentforce Commerce?
Salesforce has rebranded its commerce products under the Agentforce Commerce name, announced in 2025. The underlying B2C and B2B commerce products continue, and many buyers and partners still refer to Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
Is Adobe Commerce the same as Magento?
Adobe Commerce is the commercial edition of Magento, which Adobe acquired in 2018. Magento Open Source remains the free, self-hosted edition. Adobe Commerce adds features such as native B2B and is offered on Adobe's cloud infrastructure, self-hosted, or as a SaaS edition, Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service.
How do the costs of Shopify Plus, Adobe Commerce and Salesforce Commerce Cloud compare?
Shopify publishes a starting price for Plus with variable fees. Adobe Commerce and Salesforce Commerce Cloud are quoted per contract, typically linked to revenue or order volume. For all three, the build, integrations and team usually cost more than the licence over several years, so compare total cost of ownership and confirm current terms with each vendor.