Before you pay for a Magento to Shopify migration, check whether the things you want fixed are coming from Magento or from the theme sitting on top of it. In a lot of cases it’s the theme, the extensions and the hosting, and all three can be fixed without moving platform.
Reliant is a good example. They didn’t leave Magento. They kept the platform, rebuilt the frontend on Hyvä, and turnover went up 141%. Then they had to hire a merchandiser and an SEO manager to keep up, and started talking about a new warehouse.
Some migrations to Shopify are the right call, and we build on both platforms. This guide is about working out which camp you’re in before you spend the money.
Is Magento the problem, or is it your theme?
Ask an eCommerce manager why they want to leave Magento and the answers sound like platform problems. The site’s slow on mobile. Every patch breaks an extension. A banner change takes a fortnight. Nobody wants to touch checkout.
Look a little closer and most of those trace back to something you can change without moving house.
| What you’re fed up with | What’s usually causing it | Fix without leaving Magento |
|---|---|---|
| Slow on mobile | The Luma theme, heavy extensions, under-sized hosting | Hyvä frontend, extension audit, hosting review |
| Every patch breaks something | Old or unmaintained extensions, custom code | Remove what’s unused, replace what’s abandoned |
| Small changes take weeks | A theme that’s hard to work on | Hyvä rebuild with a simpler frontend |
| Checkout feels dated | Default checkout plus bolt-ons | Checkout rebuild |
| Running costs feel high | Hosting, licence choice, retainer spent on fixes | Review edition, hosting and how retainer hours are used |
If most of your list sits in that table, a migration would fix those problems by throwing out everything underneath them too. Your catalogue structure, integrations, URLs and years of search rankings all go in the skip with the bits that were actually broken.
What does a Hyvä rebuild change?
Hyvä replaces the Luma frontend that most Magento 2 stores still run on. The back office stays where it is. So do the catalogue, the ERP connection and the checkout logic your team already understands. Customers get a fast site, and your team carries on working the way it does now.
The licence used to be a line on the quote. Hyvä made its theme free and open source in November 2025 (Amasty has a good summary of what changed), so the cost now is the build. We’ve broken down what a Hyvä build costs if you want the detail.
Helmet City shows what that looks like. They stayed on the same platform with the same catalogue and back office. We took four seconds off the load time and conversion went up 16%. Then, on the retainer, they finally got the on-site search they’d wanted for years, and along with clearer sizing and smarter cross-sells, conversion climbed another 9%. If you’re still on Luma, our Hyvä vs Luma comparison covers whether the switch is worth it for you.
What does a Magento to Shopify migration involve?
A move to Shopify or Shopify Plus is a bigger job than most quotes make it look. You’re paying for:
- a new build, with every extension’s job either replaced by an app or rebuilt
- a full data migration of products, customers and order history
- redirects for every URL you’ve ever published
- new connections to your ERP, stock, delivery and marketing tools
- retraining for everyone who uses the admin
Google’s own guidance on site moves says to expect temporary ranking fluctuation during a move, and to keep redirects in place for at least a year. That’s fine if you plan for it. It’s painful if nobody told you.
Then there’s the running cost. Shopify Plus starts at £1,950 a month on a one-year term.
How do the two routes compare?
| Hyvä rebuild on Magento | Move to Shopify Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | None on Magento Open Source | From £1,950 a month |
| Hosting | You pay for it | Included |
| Frontend build | Yes | Yes |
| Data migration | None | Full |
| Redirects | None needed | Every URL |
| Integrations | Stay as they are | Rebuilt or replaced |
| Team retraining | Minimal | Full |
| Search ranking risk | Low | Temporary fluctuation expected |
Neither column is wrong. The point is to compare like with like, over three years rather than one, before you sign anything.
When is Shopify the right call?
Shopify wins when your catalogue is simple, your team is small and nobody wants to look after a server. It also wins when the platform you’re on has properly hit a wall. We’ve written up Shopify’s biggest limitations as well, so you can see both sides.
When we moved Robinsons of Bawtry onto Shopify from another platform, conversion went from 0.8% to 1.6%. Three weeks after launch they had more orders than they could keep up with, which is a far better problem than the one they came in with.
When does Magento keep winning?
Magento keeps winning when you’ve got complex pricing, trade and retail customers on one catalogue, deep ERP integration or tens of thousands of SKUs. Moving that lot to Shopify is possible. It’s rarely cheap, and some of it ends up as custom apps you then have to maintain.
What should you check before you ask for a quote?
- Run your best-selling product page through PageSpeed Insights on mobile and note the result.
- Ask your agency how many extensions are installed, and how many are still doing anything.
- List every system the store connects to, and who looks after each connection.
- Write down the five things you most want fixed, in plain words.
- Check which Magento version you’re on and when Adobe stops supporting it.
If the first two come back slow and lots, the platform probably isn’t the problem. If your list of five is mostly about speed, checkout and how long changes take, a rebuild will usually cover it. If it’s mostly about things Magento can’t do for your business model, that’s when a migration makes sense.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify cheaper than Magento?
Sometimes. Shopify Plus includes hosting but adds a monthly fee from £1,950, and some Magento extensions become paid apps. Magento Open Source has no licence fee but you pay for hosting and more development time. Compare the total over three years, including the migration itself.
Will I lose search rankings if I move to Shopify?
You should expect some movement. Google says rankings can fluctuate during a site move, and that larger sites take longer to settle. Mapping every old URL to its new home, and keeping those redirects for at least a year, keeps the dip short.
Can I keep Magento and just get a faster site?
Yes. A Hyvä rebuild replaces the frontend and leaves your catalogue, integrations and back office alone. Reliant and Helmet City both took this route.
How long does a Magento to Shopify migration take?
It depends on the size of the catalogue, how many integrations need rebuilding and how much custom functionality you rely on. Get it scoped against your actual data and extension list rather than a template estimate.
Is Hyvä free now?
The Hyvä theme has been free and open source since November 2025. Hyvä Checkout, Hyvä Enterprise and Hyvä Commerce are still paid products.
How we can help
Send us your extension list and the five things you most want fixed. We’ll tell you which ones a platform move would solve and which ones a Hyvä rebuild would, and if a rebuild covers it we’ll say so. Prefer to see your own numbers first? Our Free CRO Review runs your live speed data and shows you the first five issues.
