The functional gap between Magento Open Source (free) and Adobe Commerce (licensed) is real, and it shows up where you’d expect: in the features enterprises need most.
What you get with Adobe Commerce that you don’t with Open Source
- Content staging and preview workflows.
- Customer segmentation, dynamic blocks, and related product rules.
- Page Builder (the drag-and-drop CMS interface).
- Reward points, gift cards, and store credit.
- Adobe’s support and ticketing system.
- B2B feature suite as a free add-on.
- Customer attribute management at scale.
- Advanced reporting and business intelligence.
What both versions share
The underlying e-commerce engine, product catalog, cart, checkout, payment integrations, and order management are functionally identical. The same theme system, the same extension architecture, the same developer experience — they’re the same codebase with different feature flags.
Support: the most underrated difference
With Magento Open Source, when something breaks, your options are: your in-house team, a paid system integrator, the community forums, or Stack Exchange. With Adobe Commerce, you have a support contract and ticketing system. For mission-critical e-commerce, that contract is often the most valuable thing you’re paying for — not the additional features.
Reference
Adobe’s side-by-side comparison →
Adapted from the Adobe Commerce Primer, slide 13. Last reviewed May 2026.