How Much is an Adobe Commerce (Magento) Website Going to Cost?

02/13/2022

Adobe Commerce, formerly known as Magento, is a widely-used ecommerce platform and a great choice for mid-and large-sized companies. 

As a licensed Platform as a Service (PaaS) product, Adobe Commerce comes with a completely managed server environment so all hosting is included. It can be highly customized to meet unique business needs and gives developer’s full access to the core code as well as git repository to extend and build upon the foundational code. 

Adobe Commerce includes a straightforward and intuitive admin panel that makes handling the complexity of a custom website much simpler for website managers.

How much does an Adobe Commerce website cost?

The total cost of ownership with Adobe Commerce is driven by the size and scope of your website along with the level of customizations needed in development (nearly all companies need some form of customizations). In addition to up-front development costs, it also requires quarterly system upgrades.

Typical Adobe Commerce website development costs include:

  • Initial website build
  • Post-launch support and system upgrades
  • Extensions
  • Adobe Commerce license fees

Here's how Adobe Commerce stacks up against other ecommerce platforms, when it comes to pricing and everything in between, in our Ecommerce Platform Comparison Guide.
 

Adobe Commerce website cost breakdown: website build, post-launch support system, extensions, license fees


Initial build, from scoping to launch

Costs for the initial development phase of an Adobe Commerce website can vary widely depending on feature customization, design/UX complexity, system integrations, etc. The scoping, design, and build phase of a custom Adobe Commerce project usually range from $60 - $175,000. 

The three biggest drivers of cost on a new build are: 

  1. How custom/unique is your theme. Are you trying to reinvent the commerce experience? 
  2. Are the system integrations with standard systems (so there will be marketplace extensions available) or something totally custom that needs to be built. Because there is full core code access — anything CAN be built. 
  3. What is your business model — is your online selling model super unique, requiring a custom checkout or custom subscription flows?
Post-launch support and system upgrades

Custom Adobe Commerce websites usually need some development support post launch. At a minimum, there will be quarterly platform upgrades. Most clients also are doing continual feature improvements and development to expand and grow the platform. The web is never done, you’ll continue to see new and novel ways to expand your ecommerce platform once it is in place. Expect to spend between $25-40,000 per year in post-launch development support.

Extensions

Adobe Commerce has a 12-year head start on the depth of its marketplace. There is a large library of third-party extensions available in the Adobe Commerce marketplace. Fees vary by extension and are usually one-time costs. For many unique features or system integrations, this is where we start to see if it’s already been built (so you don’t have to build it).  We recommend a budget of around ~$1,500 for a typical project. 

Adobe Commerce platform license fee

Adobe Commerce is a cloud-hosted enterprise product so there are additional licensing costs. Adobe Commerce looks at several factors when it comes to its pricing model, and this will vary depending on your business size and unique needs. As Adobe Silver Partners, we can introduce you to the correct team at Adobe to get pricing information. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. 

What’s included in Adobe Commerce platform with no additional cost?
  • Servers and Infrastructure (Hosting): This is 100% included in your license fee with Adobe Commerce, but all infrastructure is cloud-based and the responsibility of Adobe.
  • Transaction Fee: Unlike Shopify, Adobe Commerce pricing is not intertwined with transaction or credit card fees. Typically it will use established payment gateways and digital payment solutions. There is a new Adobe Commerce payment gateway available if that is preferred, but in general Adobe Commerce is not “in the middle” of your transactions the way many other SaaS platforms are structured.
Is there a free Adobe ecommerce platform? 

Yes, Adobe offers a free version of their ecommerce platform called Magento Open Source but there are many differences between them. Read more in Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source.

Final thoughts

We coined the phrase “Differentiate through Development” and it especially holds true for the Adobe Commerce websites we build. 

We’ve found Adobe Commerce is a wonderful fit for businesses that have unique selling scenarios or complex UX requirements. Adobe Commerce continues to be an excellent choice for clients who need to “bend” the technology to support their unique business. Adobe Commerce can support these clients in ways no other platform can. 

If you have any other questions about Adobe Commerce, please reach out to us.