Magento Vs OsCommerce: Which Platform Should You Choose?
Last Updated | July 17, 2023
Table of Contents
As an eCommerce merchant, you know that different vendors have different needs and priorities. The platform that works perfectly for a certain eCommerce store may not necessarily be the perfect choice for you. This leads to the search for the perfect eCommerce platform and it is probably what brought you to this article today.
Magento and OsCommerce: Which is the best Platform for eCommerce?
Both Magento and OsCommerce are powerful eCommerce platforms, and after reading this blog and weighing the pros and cons for both of them according to your specific requirements, you should be able to decide which platform will be the better choice out of the two for you.
Magento Vs OsCommerce: Factors To Take Into Consideration
As mentioned before, you will have to take the following factors into consideration in order to decide the platform that will be the best choice for you. These factors should also help you determine whether you should go for a Magento 2 development company, an OsCommerce development company, or freelancers to help you set up your store and manage it.
The Hosting
Do you have dedicated hosting servers? Magento needs a VPS or a dedicated server to be able to run your eCommerce store smoothly and OsCommerce does not. OsCommerce stores are able to function with any reliable hosting facility that can support good MySQL as well as the PHP scripting language.
Read also: Magento vs AEM: Which is Good for Businesses?
The Installation
Installation is an integral factor because no one wants a platform that’s difficult to install and implement. Installing Magento can be a complicated task. But you can make it easy for yourself as well. It simply depends on how you choose to install it.
Manual installation takes time and skill. However, you can opt for a one-click installation if you go for a host that makes it possible. OsCommerce can also be installed similarly.
You simply have to download OsCommerce and then upload it onto the webserver. How easy you find the installation depends on your technical expertise and whether you decide to do it yourself or hire an OsCommerce or Magento customization company to do it for you.
The Ease of Use
Whether you find a certain platform easy or difficult may depend on your technical skills and experience with that particular platform. If you are familiar with programming, development, and design, you may not find Magento difficult. Having said that, Magento is not known for being user-friendly.
If you are new to the platform and development in general then it may overwhelm you unless you hire a Magento 2 development company to build your store for you and a Magento optimization services company to help manage it. On the other hand, even though OsCommerce a little outdated, it is relatively simpler and easier to use.
Read Also Shopify Plus vs Shopify Advanced
However, simplicity brings limitations because there are things Magento can do that OsCommerce cannot.
Magento and OsCommerce: Which is SEO Friendly?
Both the platforms are SEO friendly but Magento has its advantages over OsCommerce. This is because Magento is built especially keeping search engine optimization in mind and has built-in SEO features and techniques. For OsCommerce, on the other hand, one has to install plugins and extensions for SEO in order to optimize rankings and further build upon the functionality of your eCommerce store.
The Integrations: Magento and OsCommerce
Both platforms work equally well with various other platforms, applications, and devices. Whether you need to integrate with payment gateways, ERPs, CRMs, or anything else, you should not face any issues with OsCommerce or Magento.
The only difference you may find is that you may have to wait a little longer if you want to integrate OsCommerce with a system, device, or platform using newer technology because OsCommerce does not get updated as frequently as Magento.
Magento and OsCommerce: Which is Cost Effective?
Magento and OsCommerce are both initially free of cost even though technically, Magento costs more in terms of hosting and is definitely more resource-intensive. However, OsCommerce needs more extensions to be able to function closer to the likes of Magento. Magento does offer another paid version called Magento Enterprise, which has more advanced features and functionality but obviously costs a lot more as well.
The Customization
Magento has made a name for itself and is known for being able to handle the most complex of customizations. However, for Magento customizations, you will either need a skilled team, or you will need to hire a Magento customization company to manage and customize your store according to your requirements.
OsCommerce, on the other hand, is much less advanced and but has a well-built community of developers that keep adding custom features every now and then. This has enabled OsCommerce to have more than 7000 free extensions for customizations. However, you have to try your luck and search for what you need.
Read also: Magento Vs Hybris: Which eCommerce Platform Is Best?
The Backend
Although OsCommerce has a decent backend structure, it still does not have as many features as the Magento platform. Magento has superior quality backend architecture and offers advanced management tools and functions as well as dedicated editing tools to make things easier.
The Appearance
You can modify each and every detail of your Magento store if you manage to get the right professional assistance from a good Magento development company. The downside is that you probably wouldn’t be able to make any big changes yourself unless you have the experience and are familiar with Magento. It is also possible to modify the appearance and design of the OsCommerce platform but it’s definitely a complicated and tedious task.
The Cart
Both are eCommerce platforms, and both of them provide cart facilities to their customers online. However, in this case, OsCommerce is the easier and less complicated answer because the Magento cart can tend to be much slower because of the load and the sheer volume of customizations.
Magento vs OsCommerce: Which is the Better Choice?
I’m sure you know it by now. There is very little room for a difference in opinion. But let us still put it out there and also tell you why. Magento is the better choice when being compared to OsCommerce. It simply lets you build more reliable stores with predictable traffic and excellent SEO features.
Here are some factors that explain why Magento is the better choice:
Large Community
Magento has a huge well-knit community of developers, enthusiasts, and business owners that are always ready to help those in need. So if a certain Magento developer is in trouble, the community is known to show its magic and help out the developer within no time.
Magento Support
Magento offers round-the-clock premium support services to its customers through live chat, phone, email as well as the community. OsCommerce, on the other hand, offers support services on its forum via an inquiry form or system.
Multiple Store Management
Magento enables its users to be able to manage multiple stores from a single backend. This makes managing more than one store very easy. OsCommerce only lets you build one store and manage it.
Mobile Capability
Magento offers an amazing mobile experience and is known for creating responsive and intuitive stores. The Magento mobile version is free of cost whereas the OsCommerce mobile version has to be downloaded and then added to your eCommerce store.
Payment Gateways and Options
Magento enables facilitates its users with all possible payment options and also offers product summaries, discounts and promotions, coupons, and other advanced features. OsCommerce does not have as many payment options.
FAQs:
Magento Vs OsCommerce, what did you choose?
After learning everything about Magento and OsCommerce, you already know what we think. But what decision did you arrive at?
Is Magento a better choice?
Yes, Magento is a better choice because it has a large community. Also, the Magento support team is available around the clock and can be accessed through email, phone, and chat. Additionally, as a dedicated eCommerce web development platform, Magento brings in massive customization options and built-in functionalities to create and manage a successful eCommerce store.
Can Magento support multiple payment gateways?
Yes, Magento can support nearly all major payment gateways. In addition, it allows the store owners to add discount coupons and deals.
Is it a good idea to convert an online store to an eCommerce mobile app?
The rapid rise of mobile commerce means that an increasing number of online stores are looking to switch to mobile apps. In fact, convert the Shopify store to a mobile app is one of the most sought-after development queries amongst the Shopify store owners.
That’s because mobile apps enable online stores to collect and analyze customers’ preferences more closely and use them to create more interactive marketing campaigns. This all results in better sales and increased revenues.
READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Magento vs Shopify: A Complete Comparison
Magento vs Woocommerce: What is the Best to Use?
Magento vs Prestashop: Which is the Best eCommerce Platform?
Bigcommerce vs Magento 2: Which one is best for my online start-up Business?