Every time there is talk about Magento Community vs. Magento Enterprise the very first impulse is to go for the free edition. When it comes to picking an e-commerce platform such as Magento it is essential to choose the right one that fits your needs instead of settling with something that is free and has least features. Many would be in a dilemma about which platform to consider for their needs. This article will help you decide which one to choose among Magento Community and Magento Enterprise.

Just as the saying goes ‘You do get what you pay for’- there is something additional and unique that is offered in Magento Enterprise which is not available in the free Magento Community. That difference or uniqueness is highlighted here to make choosing easier.

Magento Community: This is an ideal platform for mid-market merchants who are in need of good control of the environment. If you want custom code and need to leverage extensions then Magento Community is the best option to meet the requirements. Basic features are offered for free. Anyone who is new and wants to try out how Magento works can make use of this edition.

Magento Enterprise: Apart from having all features of Magento Community, this platform is best for more advanced features, it offers bug-free and better codes. It is ideal for top-end merchants and manages enterprise capabilities. This is considered 80% faster than Magento Community. When Magneto enterprise works instantaneously Community takes 10 – 20 minutes to respond to the same function. This is built to handle bulky product catalogs. Though not all difference between Magento Community vs. Magento Enterprise Edition is highlighted, some of the very important ones are considered in the below table:

  • Features Magento Enterprise Magento Community
  • Robust Rollback/ Backup features Weak
  • Scalability Based Architecture
  • Increased Tax Calculation system
  • Manage customer attributes Weak
  • Gift wrapping option
  • Marketing Segmentation Features
  • RMA system Weak
  • Advanced Search Capabilities (Solr)
  • Auto Generated Coupons
  • Full Magento Support
  • Community Support

Good planning and assessment is essential before you take a step to decide the right software. Magento Enterprise costs a good amount that cannot be afforded by everyone plus the advanced features of this version will not be introduced to Magento Community anytime soon. This means a very smart decision has to be taken considering the needs and budget. If Magento Community can serve your needs, there is no need for a second thought!