A practical guide to evaluating Magento against modern headless commerce — when migration makes sense, what the process involves, and how to avoid the common pitfalls of re-platforming.
Magento (now Adobe Commerce) has been a major player in e-commerce for over 15 years. It powers large catalogs, complex B2B workflows, and multi-store operations that simpler platforms can't handle.
But Magento is also slow, expensive to maintain, and increasingly difficult to hire for. If you're running a Magento store and feeling the pain, you're not alone.
This guide helps you evaluate whether migrating to headless commerce makes sense for your business, and how to execute the migration without disrupting operations.
Magento's PHP-based architecture generates pages server-side for every request. Even with Full Page Cache (FPC) and Varnish, typical performance:
| Metric | Magento (optimized) | Headless (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| Time to First Byte | 800ms–2s | 50–200ms |
| Full page load | 3–6 seconds | 0.5–1.5 seconds |
| Lighthouse Performance score | 30–50 | 85–100 |
| Core Web Vitals pass rate | ~40% of pages | ~95% of pages |
In 2026, Google's Core Web Vitals directly impact search rankings. Magento stores consistently underperform on these metrics, costing organic traffic.
Magento's "free" open-source edition is deceptively expensive:
| Cost category | Magento Open Source | Magento Commerce (Adobe) |
|---|---|---|
| License | Free | ₹15L–₹50L+/year |
| Hosting (capable enough) | ₹3L–₹8L/year | ₹5L–₹15L/year |
| Developer costs | ₹10L–₹30L/year | ₹15L–₹40L/year |
| Extension licenses | ₹2L–₹5L/year | ₹1L–₹3L/year |
| Security patches and updates | ₹2L–₹5L/year | Included (partially) |
| Annual total | ₹17L–₹48L | ₹36L–₹1Cr+ |
Magento requires specialized developers who command premium rates due to scarcity. The Magento developer pool is shrinking as developers move to modern frameworks.
Magento's security track record is concerning:
The number of developers actively working with Magento is declining. Those who remain are expensive because demand exceeds supply. This creates a bottleneck: when your developer leaves, finding a replacement takes months.
Modern technologies (React, Next.js, Node.js) have a developer pool 10–50x larger, making hiring easier and faster.
"Headless" means separating the frontend (what customers see) from the backend (commerce engine). Instead of Magento generating the storefront, a modern frontend framework connects to a commerce API.
Traditional Magento:
[Customer] → [Magento: UI + Logic + Data] → [Database]
Headless:
[Customer] → [Next.js Frontend] → [Commerce API (Medusa/Saleor)] → [Database]
| Engine | Open source? | Best for | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medusa | Yes | Custom commerce, B2B, complex pricing | Excellent. Our primary choice for most projects. |
| Saleor | Yes | GraphQL-first, multi-channel | Strong for teams that prefer GraphQL. |
| Shopify Hydrogen | No (SaaS) | Brands already on Shopify | Good if you want Shopify's ecosystem with custom frontend. |
| commercetools | No (SaaS) | Enterprise, global operations | Expensive but powerful for enterprise needs. |
Catalog analysis:
Feature audit:
Integration mapping:
Data migration scoping:
Design the new system:
Build in this order:
Automate the migration with scripts that can run repeatedly:
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| SEO traffic loss | Comprehensive 301 redirect map, verified before launch. Monitor Search Console daily for 30 days. |
| Data accuracy | Run migration scripts 3+ times before launch. Compare product counts, prices, and key fields. |
| Feature gaps | Detailed feature audit in Phase 1. Prioritize: launch with parity on critical features, improve on others. |
| Customer disruption | Pre-launch email to customers. Clear communication about any changes (new login, updated URLs). |
| Conversion rate dip | Expected for 1–2 weeks as users adapt. Monitor closely. Ensure checkout UX is at least as good as before. |
| Magento (stay) | Headless (migrate) | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | ₹20L–₹40L (maintain) | ₹15L–₹30L (build + migrate) |
| Year 2 | ₹20L–₹40L (maintain) | ₹3L–₹8L (maintain + improve) |
| Year 3 | ₹20L–₹40L (maintain) | ₹3L–₹8L (maintain + improve) |
| 3-year total | ₹60L–₹1.2Cr | ₹21L–₹46L |
| Performance | 3–6s load time | <1s load time |
| Developer pool | Shrinking | Growing |
| Flexibility | Limited by Magento | Unlimited |
The migration pays for itself within 12–18 months through reduced maintenance costs alone — before counting the revenue impact of faster page loads and better developer velocity.
Magento was the right choice for many businesses at the time they chose it. For some, it still is. But for growing businesses hitting performance walls, struggling with maintenance costs, or unable to hire Magento developers, headless commerce isn't just an upgrade — it's a strategic necessity.
The migration is a significant investment, but one that pays dividends in performance, cost, flexibility, and developer velocity for years to come.
Considering a Magento migration? Book a free discovery call — we'll assess your current setup, estimate the migration scope, and help you decide the right timing. Read more about why we build headless and how we approach custom e-commerce.
If this guide resonated with your situation, let's talk. We offer a free 30-minute discovery call — no pitch, just honest advice on your specific project.
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