Why the Smartest Store Owners in 2025 Are Building with Adobe Commerce.

There’s something strangely satisfying about watching a Shopify store cry for help. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against Shopify—it’s like the IKEA of e-commerce platforms. You walk in thinking it’s simple, but four hours later, you’re drowning in overpriced add-ons, and the Allen wrench has snapped in half.

That’s where the more seasoned businesses are beginning to raise an eyebrow and say, “Wait a minute… What’s this Adobe Commerce everyone keeps whispering about?” Well, allow me to unpack that whisper and turn it into a full-blown, espresso-fueled conversation—because as someone who has watched platforms evolve, rise, and sometimes explode in a blaze of PHP errors, I can tell you one thing: Adobe Commerce is not just another trend—it’s the power move.

And guess who’s been doing Adobe Commerce work before it was cool? Yep, Above Bits is a development team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with almost two decades of real experience and enough legacy migration stories to fill a small novel (or several therapy sessions).

Let’s break down what’s really going on in the world of e-commerce platforms in 2025—and why more intelligent, long-game-focused store owners are hopping off the Shopify ride and taking the Adobe Commerce express.

Shopify: The Rising Star That Hit a Low Cloud Ceiling

Shopify Plus hit the scene like a well-funded rocket. Easy onboarding. Beautiful themes. Snappy interfaces. Let’s be honest; Shopify’s branding is so polished it could sell sand to a beach resort.

But here’s the catch: once you start growing beyond the “startup phase,” it begins to feel like you’re running a marathon in a really comfortable but tight suit. Do you want to expand? That’s a $2,000/month minimum for Plus. Need a multi-storefront? Extra. Want to customize the checkout process? You’ll need to beg support and pray to the API gods. Hosting limitations? Yep. Database access? Nope.

Globally, Shopify powers over 4.5 million websites—but a surprising 81% of high-traffic e-commerce businesses (over $5M annual revenue) eventually migrate off it. Not because it’s bad—but because it’s too boxed in. Shopify’s approach is safe, clean, and… well, basic.

Meanwhile, Adobe Commerce developers in Charlotte—like the team at Above Bits—are dealing with the details, building platforms that integrate with Oracle, SAP, NetSuite, and other systems.

Adobe Commerce: The Quiet Powerhouse

Known initially as Magento, Adobe Commerce has spent the last 15+ years in the shadows of trendier platforms, quietly growing into an absolute behemoth. When Adobe acquired it in 2018, it injected more than branding. It added firepower—backed by Adobe’s digital experience, personalization, and analytics expertise.

Today, Adobe Commerce isn’t trying to be trendy. It’s trying to be scalable, customizable, and bulletproof for high-volume transactions. That’s a different game entirely.

The magic lies in the architecture. While Shopify operates as SaaS (Software as a Service), Adobe Commerce is an open-source monster (with an enterprise option) that can be self-hosted or cloud-hosted. You get full control over server environments, database queries, and the profound back-end logic that makes true enterprise commerce possible.

Above Bits, based in Charlotte, has been building with Magento since the buggy Magento 1 days—before Adobe bought it, before cloud hosting was fashionable, and definitely before Shopify even had a “Plus” badge. They’ve worked on setups for everything from fundraising platforms to fantasy sports microservices to auto parts catalogs integrated with NetSuite.

That kind of “seen it all” experience? That’s rare. And it’s invaluable.

The Hidden Costs of Shopify Plus That Nobody Brags About

We live in a time where appearances matter, and Shopify’s dashboard is a beauty. But here’s a global fact worth digesting: businesses spend an average of $437/month on third-party Shopify apps alone, not including marketing, customizations, and Shopify’s commission cuts on some payment gateways.

Your $2,000/month Plus plan could easily become $3,500 or more. And when you realize your “custom” solution is still running on shared SaaS logic, it’s a bummer.

In contrast, when businesses partner with Adobe Commerce developers in Charlotte, they usually own their infrastructure, avoid per-transaction commissions, and can scale server costs predictably. And yeah, Above Bits doesn’t charge crazy rates either—they’ve proudly supported projects ranging from $1,000 to over $300,000. There’s room for everyone.

A Real-World Wake-Up Call: Internationalization

One of the loudest complaints we hear from Shopify users attempting to scale globally is, “Why is it so hard to localize my site?” Multiple currencies? Sure. Localized pricing with tax zones? Maybe. Separate stores with geo-specific product listings and shipping rates? Now you’re talking workarounds, not features.

Adobe Commerce, by contrast, was built for this from day one. It handles multi-language, multi-currency, multi-store, and even multi-vendor with grace—and a touch of hardcore engineering.

At Above Bits, we recently saw a client ditch a Shopify Plus multi-storefront setup requiring six separate admin panels to manage content for Europe and Asia. Adobe Commerce consolidated all of that into one unified system—no extra monthly app fees, no switching logins, and no “how do I sync inventory across regions” headaches.

These issues often get buried in Shopify sales pitches, but trust me, once you’re running global fulfillment out of Charlotte, you’ll want something a little beefier than pretty charts and drag-and-drop page builders.

Let’s Talk Extensions And Real Customization

The Adobe Commerce ecosystem has matured to include over 3,000 vetted extensions, from advanced reporting to headless commerce integrations, and nearly all of them can be further customized to meet specific business logic.

Let’s say you’re running a complex subscription service with tiered pricing, regional delivery limits, and conditional promotional logic. You will need a mix of logic gates, customer group identifiers, and yes—custom APIs. Shopify might get you halfway there… with enough apps duct-taped together to form a low-code Frankenstein monster.

Meanwhile, Adobe Commerce lets you build these rules directly into the business logic, even manipulating shipping rules based on product attributes or splitting orders dynamically by vendor. This is where the Adobe Commerce developers in Charlotte at Above Bits thrive—especially when integrating with ERP systems or crafting something as specific as an order-splitting engine for perishable goods across state lines.

These use cases are increasingly common as businesses adapt to local sourcing and micro-fulfillment, and Shopify simply wasn’t architected for that depth of logic.

So, What’s the Catch with Adobe Commerce?

You knew this was coming, right?

Adobe Commerce is powerful, but it’s not a one-click install-and-play situation. It requires thoughtful planning, experienced developers, and sometimes, a willingness to embrace complexity. It’s not for businesses that want to be live yesterday unless you have a team like Above Bits that knows how to build fast and competently.

Another downside? Cost predictability. With Shopify, you always know what you’re paying, even if it’s high. Adobe Commerce gives you more flexibility but also requires more strategy: server management, extension compatibility, and upgrade paths must be considered.

Still, when done right (and affordably), Adobe Commerce can far exceed the ROI of any SaaS-based platform, especially if your business is complex or has high-volume needs.

Where Does This Leave Us?

It leaves us with a noticeable trend: smart store owners in 2025 are choosing power and control over polish and promises. Shopify may be the smooth operator, but Adobe Commerce is the industrial-grade engine. And when you’ve got the right pit crew—like the Adobe Commerce developers in Charlotte at Above Bits—you’re not just keeping up. You’re lapping the competition.

The Adobe Commerce Learning Curve: Not a Bug, But a Feature

Many Shopify fans like to poke fun at Adobe Commerce because of its steep learning curve. They’re not wrong. But here’s the twist: that curve exists because Adobe Commerce doesn’t pretend your business is a cookie-cutter store. It gives you depth and demands you understand your own operations.

When a business in Charlotte wants to set up a product configurator for custom furniture orders, they don’t need some half-working app from the Shopify marketplace. They must define their own rules for materials, finishes, shipping brackets, and post-order follow-ups. That’s where Adobe Commerce developers in Charlotte stand out—they build logic into the actual product experience.

I’ve seen this firsthand with Above Bits, which once built a dynamic shipping calculator tied to actual pallet weight, regional availability, and UPS zone surcharges. That calculator is not “available in the app store.” It’s Adobe Commerce flexing real-world muscle.

Major Retailers Are Quietly Switching Sides

Here’s a fun global tidbit: several high-volume retailers have quietly migrated off Shopify Plus and into Adobe Commerce over the last two years—especially those who need better B2B functionality. Names like HP, Rossignol, and Olympus use Adobe Commerce to power their digital storefronts. You’ll notice a pattern: these aren’t influencer merch stores or lifestyle brands. These are serious companies that deal with complex inventory and advanced customer journeys.

A 2024 Forrester report showed that 63% of B2B e-commerce brands with over 100 SKUs prefer full back-end control and a headless architecture platform. Shopify still doesn’t fully support that without relying heavily on Shopify Hydrogen or third-party JAMstack builders, which adds a layer of technical fragmentation.

In contrast, Adobe Commerce has had headless capabilities baked in for years, including robust GraphQL APIs and native support for Progressive Web Apps. At Above Bits, the team has already implemented Adobe’s PWA Studio in production environments for North Carolina-based retailers looking to create blazing-fast mobile experiences without reinventing the platform from scratch.

Cloud vs Control: Adobe Commerce’s Hosting Dilemma

Here’s where the debate gets spicy.

Shopify wins the hosting game if you want everything managed—hands-off, zero stress, and no root access to anything. Great for new business owners, but not so great for scaling.

Adobe Commerce, by default, can be hosted anywhere: DigitalOcean, AWS, Hetzner, your cousin’s basement server (don’t do that)—you get the idea. This flexibility allows developers to configure server resources for maximum performance. But with that freedom comes responsibility. You’ll need proper server maintenance, patching, and optimization.

The above Bits typically configure Adobe Commerce sites using AlmaLinux 9, which is fine-tuned with LEMP stacks and CloudFlare integration. It’s not plug-and-play, but the payoff is in speed, security, and control.

And let’s talk about cost. A Shopify Plus store with several apps and moderate traffic can quickly cost over $3,000/month. Meanwhile, hosting Adobe Commerce on a powerful VPS (with help from experts like Adobe Commerce developers in Charlotte) often costs under $400/month. Add a bit for DevOps; you’re still far from Shopify’s pricing balloon.

The Truth About Checkout Customization

If there’s one part of the e-commerce journey where Adobe Commerce mops the floor with Shopify, it’s the checkout.

Shopify’s default checkout is locked. You can customize colors, fonts, and minor behaviors, but unless you’re on Shopify Plus, you cannot make profound modifications. Even then, changes are limited.

Adobe Commerce? It’s your playground. Multi-step checkout? One-step? Are embedded delivery instructions by product type? Is it a loyalty points engine that shows discounts in real time? Go wild.

One project Above Bits tackled in Charlotte involved splitting orders based on temperature-sensitive SKUs—items above 80°F required cold shipping, while others didn’t. The checkout dynamically adjusted shipping options on the fly with no third-party tools. That’s the kind of logic you can build into Adobe Commerce—and precisely why enterprises love it.

It’s more work. It’s more technical. But again: that’s the point.

The Myth of Open Source Being “Too Expensive”

I know what you’re thinking. “Sure, Adobe Commerce sounds great, but open-source stuff always ends up costing more in the long run.” Let’s unpack that myth.

Yes, Adobe Commerce has an upfront investment. You’ll likely pay experienced developers (like those at Above Bits) to build, configure, and optimize your store. But once it’s done? You own it. There’s no $2,000/month ransom to keep it running.

And unlike Shopify, where your store is essentially leased, Adobe Commerce lets you own the codebase, including all customizations, integrations, and databases. You’re not trapped if you ever want to move hosting, change DevOps teams, or expand functionality.

It’s not cheap.” But it is affordable, especially when considering the platform’s lifespan and flexibility. And in Charlotte, where Above Bits has helped both local and national businesses build Adobe Commerce platforms, affordability is a core part of their DNA—they never push projects beyond what clients truly need.

The Developer Ecosystem: Fewer, But Better

Here’s something rarely discussed: the Adobe Commerce developer community is smaller than Shopify’s, but that’s a good thing.

Shopify’s popularity means it attracts all kinds of developers, from rockstars to weekend warriors. The quality gap is wide. With Adobe Commerce, it’s harder to fake expertise. There’s a technical barrier that filters out the fluff. The result? Higher-quality developers, more substantial documentation, and a community that really knows their stuff.

Above Bits has been in this space since Magento 1, meaning its team has literally grown with the platform. They’ve built everything from custom themes to shipping engines, extension integrations, and even entire migration frameworks. They don’t just understand the code—they understand Adobe Commerce’s philosophy.

That matters when you’re planning long-term growth. Good e-commerce development isn’t about fast fixes—it’s about building a foundation that doesn’t crack under pressure.

Shopify Might Be the Trend—Adobe Commerce Is the Strategy

Trends come and go, and Shopify isn’t going anywhere soon. But more and more store owners are realizing that the startup-friendliest platform isn’t necessarily the most strategic one.

If your business model involves international expansion, complex shipping rules, B2B personalization, or ERP integrations, or if you simply want to grow without limitations, Adobe Commerce offers that power level. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s unstoppable when you’ve got the right developers.

And yes, we’re talking about developers like the Adobe Commerce developers in Charlotte at Above Bits. They’ve seen it all, built through it all, and fixed what others left broken. They don’t sell hype—they build platforms that last.

So before you re-up that Shopify Plus invoice, consider whether you are still renting your store… or ready to own it.

Looking to explore real Adobe Commerce potential without paying Silicon Valley prices? Check out the dedicated team of Adobe Commerce experts at Above Bits, your seasoned professionals in Charlotte!. Your future self will thank you.