Adobe Commerce vs Magento Open Source: Features, Cost And Support In 2026
Dominic Tarn
Head of Content
10.25.2026
Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source share the same core code, the same admin, the same database schema and the same release numbers. That is why the adobe commerce vs magento open source decision confuses so many merchants: on day one, the two can look identical.
The differences show up later. They show up when a marketing team wants to schedule a sale for midnight without a developer on call, when a B2B buyer asks for a negotiated quote, when a zero-day vulnerability hits and the question becomes who patches the servers, and when the finance team sees the license invoice. Adobe Commerce is a licensed product with extra modules, Adobe-run services, optional managed cloud hosting and vendor support. Magento Open Source is free software that you host, secure and extend yourself.
Below: how the editions got their names, the 2026 feature gap, release and support dates, licensing, Mage-OS and the now free Hyvä theme, and the upgrade path between them.
Adobe Commerce vs Magento Open Source At A Glance
Factor
Adobe Commerce
Magento Open Source
License cost
Annual license, quoted by Adobe, largely tied to company size and GMV
Full, with staging, preview and personalized content
Basic Page Builder (since 2.4.3)
Customer segments and related product rules
Yes
No, extensions required
Gift cards, reward points, store credit
Yes
No, extensions required
Live Search and Product Recommendations
Yes, Adobe SaaS services
No
Hosting
On-premises, Adobe Commerce on Cloud (PaaS) or Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service (SaaS)
Self-hosted on any compatible infrastructure
Vendor support
Adobe support during the support window
Community only
Extended support for older lines
Offered on some lines (2.4.6, 2.4.7)
Not offered
The Core Difference: A Licensed Product vs Free Software
Where The Names Came From
Magento launched its first general release in 2008 and shipped Magento 2 in late 2015. For most of its life it came in two editions: Community Edition (free) and Enterprise Edition (paid). The editions were later renamed Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce. Adobe bought Magento in 2018 for $1.68 billion, and in April 2021 it rebranded Magento Commerce as Adobe Commerce. Magento Open Source kept its name, which is why searches for magento vs adobe commerce usually mean the free edition against the paid one.
So “Magento Commerce,” “Magento Enterprise” or “Magento EE” in an older proposal means what is now Adobe Commerce, and “Magento CE” means Magento Open Source. People still search for magento commerce vs adobe commerce as though they were rivals, but they are one product under two names. If you want a fuller primer on the platform family, start with our guide to what Magento is and how its editions fit together.
What You Actually Pay For
Adobe Commerce is Magento Open Source plus a layer of extra modules (B2B, staging, segmentation, loyalty, returns and more), access to Adobe-hosted SaaS services such as Live Search, the option of Adobe-managed hosting, and support from Adobe. The open source core is the foundation for both. The magento open source vs adobe commerce question is really whether that extra layer is worth a license fee, or whether you would rather assemble similar capability from extensions and your own team.
Feature Gap: What Adobe Commerce Adds
B2B Module
The native B2B suite is the single biggest reason mid-market and enterprise wholesalers pick Adobe Commerce. It includes company accounts with divisions, users and role-based permissions, company hierarchies, shared catalogs with per-company pricing, quick order by SKU, negotiable quotes, purchase order approval rules and requisition lists. Adobe ships and patches it as a separate module line alongside the core. On the Pro plan of Adobe Commerce on Cloud, the B2B module is included.
Magento Open Source has none of this out of the box. You can get close with third-party B2B extensions, but you own the integration testing every time you upgrade. For a deeper look at who builds these setups, see our list of Magento B2B development agencies.
Page Builder
Page Builder is no longer an Adobe Commerce exclusive. Since version 2.4.3, basic Page Builder has been available in Magento Open Source, so both editions can build CMS pages and product content with drag-and-drop rows, columns and content types. What Adobe Commerce adds is the connection to its experience management tools: staged changes, previews and personalized content tied to customer segments.
Content Staging And Scheduling
Adobe describes content staging as exclusive to Adobe Commerce. It lets merchandisers schedule changes to products, categories, catalog price rules, cart price rules, CMS pages and CMS blocks, group them into campaigns, preview the store as it will look at a future date, and let the change go live and roll back on schedule. On Open Source, the same Black Friday switch usually means a developer and a deployment window.
Customer Segments And Related Product Rules
Adobe Commerce can build dynamic customer segments from attributes, cart contents and order history, then target price rules, banners and content at those segments. It also has rule-based related products, up-sells and cross-sells, so merchandisers can define logic such as “show accessories from the same brand under $50” instead of linking products by hand. Open Source has manual related products and basic customer groups only.
Gift Cards, Reward Points And Store Credit
Gift cards (physical, virtual and combined), reward points, store credit, gift registries and multiple wishlists are built into Adobe Commerce. Returns management (RMA), private sales and events, and admin action logs are also Commerce-only. Each exists as a third-party extension for Open Source, but each is another vendor to track at upgrade time.
Live Search And Product Recommendations
Live Search and Product Recommendations are SaaS services that run on Adobe’s side and connect to an Adobe Commerce store. Live Search replaces the standard catalog search with AI-driven faceting and result re-ranking that reacts to shopper behavior in the session. Product Recommendations uses machine learning on behavioral data to drive “customers also viewed” style units. Both were originally marketed as powered by Adobe Sensei; Adobe has since folded the Sensei brand into what it now calls Adobe AI. Adobe states that Live Search is included in the Commerce license. Open Source stores rely on OpenSearch for search out of the box, or on paid third-party search and recommendation tools.
Adobe Commerce Cloud Infrastructure
Adobe Commerce on Cloud is a managed PaaS with Starter and Pro plans. Both include the full Commerce feature set, Commerce Reporting, Fastly CDN with image optimization, and 24×7 monitoring. Fastly WAF covers production. Pro adds a three-node high-availability production cluster on dedicated infrastructure, New Relic monitoring on staging and production, the B2B module, and a technical advisor through launch. In March 2026, Adobe said it has no end-of-support or end-of-life plans for the Cloud PaaS offering.
Since June 2025 there is a third option, Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service, a SaaS edition where Adobe handles scaling, upgrades and patching. Open Source has no Adobe-run hosting at all; you pick your own provider, which we cover in our Magento hosting guide.
Support And SLA
An Adobe Commerce license includes access to Adobe support for releases inside their support window, including quality fixes, security patches and on-call help for critical issues. Cloud customers also get infrastructure monitoring. Magento Open Source has no vendor support. Help comes from the community, your agency or your in-house team.
Release Cadence And Security Patches
How Releases Work In 2026
Both editions follow the same release calendar. Adobe ships one full feature release per year, in May, and each new 2.4.x line gets three years of standard support. Security patches arrive at least once a year for every supported line, with isolated security patches released between them for faster fixes. In 2026 Adobe also moved to date-based labels for security builds, so the October 2026 fix for 2.4.9 is labeled 2.4.9-2026-oct rather than a -p number. Critical hotfixes for zero-day issues go to everyone on a supported version.
That last point matters. In September 2026, Adobe issued an emergency fix for CVE-2026-75650, an unauthenticated remote code execution flaw that was exploited against live stores. It affected Adobe Commerce 2.4.4 through 2.4.9 and Magento Open Source 2.4.6 through 2.4.9, and Adobe told merchants to patch and then rotate their encryption key and every credential tied to it. The October 2026 bulletin (APSB26-153) followed with fixes for 11 more CVEs, five rated critical.
Current Versions And Support End Dates
The table below uses Adobe’s published lifecycle dates. Adobe’s lifecycle page is written for Adobe Commerce; extended support applies to Adobe Commerce, not Open Source.
Release line
General availability
End of standard support
Adobe Commerce extended support
2.4.9
May 12, 2026
May 31, 2029
To be announced
2.4.8
April 8, 2025
May 31, 2028
To be announced
2.4.7
April 9, 2024
May 31, 2027
May 31, 2028
2.4.6
March 14, 2023
August 11, 2026
August 31, 2027
The October 2026 security release shows how this plays out. Adobe shipped patched builds for Adobe Commerce 2.4.4 through 2.4.9, but for Magento Open Source only 2.4.7, 2.4.8 and 2.4.9 received them. If you run Open Source on 2.4.6 or older today, you are outside Adobe’s patch coverage. Adobe has also published the first 2.4.10 alpha (October 13, 2026), which points to a 2.4.10 general release in the usual spring window.
The 2.4.9 line raises the platform requirements: PHP 8.5, MariaDB 12.3 or MySQL 8.4, OpenSearch 3 and Valkey 9 as the cache backend. Plan the infrastructure upgrade together with the application upgrade, whichever edition you run. You can check every date on Adobe’s lifecycle policy page.
Licensing And Total Cost
How Adobe Commerce Is Priced
Adobe does not publish a price list. Licenses are quoted privately, and the quote depends mostly on the size of the business, with gross merchandise value (GMV) as the main input. The deployment model (on-premises, Cloud PaaS or the SaaS edition) also changes the number, because the Cloud plans bundle hosting, CDN and monitoring. As your GMV grows, renewals can move you into a higher tier. Figures quoted online are estimates, so get a real quote.
What Open Source Really Costs
Magento Open Source has no license fee, but it is not free to run. You pay for hosting, a CDN and WAF, monitoring, extensions to replace Commerce-only features, the developer time to integrate and upgrade them, and ongoing security patching. A store that needs B2B, loyalty, gift cards, advanced search and staging can end up with many paid extensions and a sizable maintenance retainer. Compare three-year totals, not the license line alone.
Cost line
Adobe Commerce
Magento Open Source
Platform license
Annual, quote-based
None
Hosting, CDN, WAF
Bundled on Cloud plans; your cost on-premises
Your cost
Commerce-style features
Included
Paid extensions plus integration time
Search and recommendations
Adobe services included with license
OpenSearch, or a paid third-party tool
Security patching
Applied by you or your partner; Adobe-managed on SaaS
Applied by you or your partner
Vendor support
Included
None
Mage-OS: The Community Fork
Mage-OS is a community-owned distribution built on the Magento Open Source codebase. It came out of community concern in 2021 about the long-term future of Open Source, and the Mage-OS Association was incorporated in Poland in 2022 as a non-profit, governed by an elected board with its finances published openly. Mage-OS states clearly that it is not affiliated with Adobe.
The project is active in 2026. Mage-OS 3.6.0, released October 14, 2026, is based on Magento 2.4.9 and ports Adobe’s October security patch. The 3.5.0 emergency release in September ported the fix for the exploited CVE-2026-75650 flaw. Mage-OS says Magento extensions remain compatible, and it adds its own improvements and fast packaging of security fixes. For merchants who want a community-governed path that does not depend entirely on Adobe’s priorities, it is a credible option.
When Open Source Plus Extensions Is Enough
The Hyvä Factor
The biggest change in the Open Source math came in November 2025, when Hyvä made its frontend theme free and open source under OSL 3.0 and AFL 3.0. Hyvä replaces the heavy Luma frontend with a lightweight Alpine.js and Tailwind CSS stack and is widely used to improve Core Web Vitals on Magento stores. The theme now costs nothing. Hyvä still sells add-ons: Hyvä Checkout (€1,000), Hyvä UI component library (€250 per store), the Hyvä Commerce bundle aimed at Open Source merchants, and Hyvä Enterprise, which adds compatibility with Adobe Commerce-only features. A fast Open Source storefront is now cheaper to build than it was two years ago.
Good Signs Open Source Will Work
Your catalog and order volume fit comfortably on well-tuned self-managed hosting.
You sell mostly B2C, or your B2B needs are limited to customer group pricing and a few wholesale accounts.
You have an in-house developer or a retained agency who will apply every security patch promptly.
You need two or three Commerce-style features (for example gift cards and reward points), not ten.
Marketing can live without scheduled content changes, or can work with a developer for big campaigns.
Signs You Are Outgrowing It
You are stacking paid extensions to rebuild B2B, segmentation, staging and loyalty, and upgrades now take weeks of regression testing.
Your buyers need negotiated quotes, purchase order approvals and company hierarchies.
Your security or compliance team wants a vendor with support obligations and managed infrastructure.
Upgrade Path From Open Source To Adobe Commerce
Because Adobe Commerce is a superset of Open Source, you do not need to replatform. On an on-premises or self-hosted Composer install, the move is a package swap on the same version line. After signing a license and getting Commerce repository access keys, your team backs up the codebase and database, removes the magento/product-community-edition metapackage, requires magento/product-enterprise-edition using Adobe’s composer-root-update plugin, runs composer update, and then runs the standard setup upgrade and reindex steps. The Commerce modules install and create their own tables on top of your existing data.
The practical work sits around that swap:
Test every third-party extension against the Commerce modules, and remove extensions that duplicate features you now get natively (gift cards, reward points, B2B).
Migrate data from those extensions into the native modules where you can, for example existing gift card balances.
If you are moving to Adobe Commerce on Cloud, plan a hosting migration as well; Cloud projects use their own git-based deployment process.
Train merchandisers on staging, segments and the B2B admin so the license pays for itself.
If your store is on an old version, upgrade to a supported 2.4.x line first. Our list of Magento migration services covers firms that handle version upgrades and edition changes.
Which Should You Choose
Choose Adobe Commerce If…
You run a B2B or hybrid business that needs company accounts, shared catalogs, quotes and purchase order workflows.
Your marketing team schedules frequent campaigns and needs staging, previews and segment-targeted content.
You want Adobe-managed hosting with a CDN, WAF and monitoring included, or a SaaS model where Adobe handles upgrades.
You need vendor support and the option of extended support on older release lines.
Your GMV is high enough that the license is a small share of revenue.
Choose Magento Open Source If…
You want full control of code and hosting with no license fee.
Your needs are mainly B2C, and a handful of extensions covers the gaps.
You have reliable development capacity for patching and upgrades.
You want a fast Hyvä storefront and are comfortable assembling search, loyalty and checkout from separate tools.
You prefer a community-governed route, in which case Mage-OS is worth evaluating too.
If you are still deciding whether Magento is the right platform family at all, our Magento vs WooCommerce comparison looks at the open source alternative on WordPress.
Who To Hire For Adobe Commerce And Magento Open Source Projects
The edition you choose shapes who you should hire. For licensed builds, Cloud projects and B2B rollouts, start with our list of top Adobe Commerce agencies, which focuses on teams with deep Commerce module and Cloud experience. For Open Source builds, Hyvä frontends and general development, our ranking of Magento development companies and experts covers firms across budgets and regions.
If your store is already live and the priority is patching, upgrades and uptime, look at Magento support and maintenance companies. Ask any shortlisted partner how quickly they applied the September 2026 hotfix for their clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Magento Open Source Still Supported By Adobe?
Yes. Adobe still releases Magento Open Source on the same schedule as Adobe Commerce, and 2.4.9 shipped for both editions on May 12, 2026. Security patches cover supported lines only. In October 2026, Open Source 2.4.7, 2.4.8 and 2.4.9 received patched builds. Open Source does not get the extended support that Adobe has offered on some Adobe Commerce lines.
Is Magento Commerce The Same As Adobe Commerce?
Yes. Magento Commerce (and before that, Magento Enterprise Edition) was renamed Adobe Commerce in April 2021. Older documentation and job posts still use the earlier name.
How Much Does Adobe Commerce Cost?
Adobe does not publish pricing. The license is quoted per merchant and depends mostly on company size and GMV, plus the deployment model you choose.
Does Magento Open Source Include Page Builder?
Yes. Basic Page Builder has been part of Magento Open Source since version 2.4.3. Adobe Commerce adds staged changes, previews and segment-based personalized content on top of it.
Can I Upgrade From Magento Open Source To Adobe Commerce Without Rebuilding?
Yes. On a Composer-based install, you swap the Open Source metapackage for the Adobe Commerce metapackage on the same version, run the update and setup steps, and test your extensions. Moving to Adobe Commerce on Cloud adds a hosting migration, but your catalog, customers and orders carry over.
Is Mage-OS A Replacement For Adobe Commerce?
No. Mage-OS is a community distribution of the Open Source codebase. It ships security fixes quickly and adds community improvements, but it does not include Commerce-only modules such as B2B, content staging or customer segments.
Conclusion
The adobe commerce vs magento open source choice is not about which platform is better, since they share the same core. It is about who carries the work. With Adobe Commerce, you pay a quote-based license to get B2B, staging, segmentation, loyalty, Adobe AI search and recommendations, managed hosting options and vendor support. With Magento Open Source, you keep the license budget and take on hosting, patching and feature assembly yourself, a trade that the free Hyvä theme and the active Mage-OS project have made more attractive.
Whichever you pick, stay on a supported line. With 2.4.9 supported until May 2029, 2.4.6 out of regular support since August 2026, and an exploited remote code execution flaw patched in September, release discipline matters more than edition choice for most stores. Start on Open Source if your needs are simple, and switch to Adobe Commerce when the feature gap starts costing more than the license.
