In the spring of 2018, Adobe acquired Magento. Since then, Magento has over 142,000 websites using it. Magento has been a top e-commerce platform in most countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, and 169 other countries.
Magento offered free open-source before the buy-out. The question still remains if it will remain a free open-source platform with Adobe. But don’t worry, there are free open-source option alternatives to Magento.
The future of open-source Magento is unknown.
Most users of Magento editions prefer open-source software because typically open-source provides a large variety of plug-ins and extensions. Whether or not Adobe will keep Magento open-source is a mystery.
However, in the past, Adobe has utilized open source technologies within its own commercial software. In last year’s acquisition statement, Adobe did not mention open source. The focus seemed to be on the cloud business that Magento had expanded. Perhaps Adobe will maintain the open-source platform as long as it makes money since it is a business.
Alternatives to Magento
These marketplace platforms have designs and layouts that are built for increasing conversion rates and generating more sales. Each has unique features that offer a multi-vendor e-commerce store with a professional look and good user experience.
Most of these do not have a lead over Magento in any website category, including Lifestyle, E-commerce & Shopping, Home & Garden, and Computers Electronics & Technology.
Spree Commerce is an open-source software that is free to download. Users may choose to pay monthly fees for additional features such as a merchant account, hosting, security, etc. – Unlike Magento, it works on Linux devices.
Woocommerce is a free open-source software. In the past, it was more for SMBs, but as a platform, it has matured because it can now serve larger retailers. WooCommerce has outshined Magento CE. It is a fully customizable eCommerce platform built on WordPress which is great for those who love DIY.
This flexible, community-driven, modular software has hundreds of extensions available. WooCommerce is leading in most countries with over 817,000 e-commerce websites worldwide.
Opencart, a free open-source platform, offers a much simpler UI and is easy to set up. The admin panel is easy to navigate. Extensions can be downloaded; the design can be changed; products can be added easily.
Key Features of OpenCart:
- Requires the additional purchase of a domain name.
- Works well for small businesses.
- OpenCart has a large number of extensions to offer, but not as many as Magento.
- It allows access to order history but can be complex for beginners.
VirtueMart is a free open-source software. Unlike Magento, VirtueMart does not have an independent shopping cart, but an eCommerce addition. Over 42,000 websites use VirtueMart in the world.
We know finding the right eCommerce Software for your organization can be tricky, let us help. Meticulosity is a Certified Magento Partner Agency. Visit us online to learn more.
