Adobe Commerce solutions now come in three packages. Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service is the multi-tenant software-as-a-service (SaaS) version. Adobe Commerce on Cloud is the single-tenant platform-as-a-service (PaaS) version, and the same application can run on-premises. Adobe Commerce Optimizer adds a storefront, catalog and merchandising layer on top of a commerce engine you already run.
Around these sit hosted services for search, recommendations, catalog data and payments. There's also a B2B module and a storefront built on Edge Delivery Services. This guide explains each piece, how it connects to Adobe Experience Cloud and which business problem it solves.
What are Adobe Commerce solutions today?
Adobe Commerce is Adobe's digital commerce platform for B2C and B2B selling, built on the Magento code base. Adobe still labels it "Adobe Commerce (Magento)" on its product pages, which helps when you search for older material. It sells three packages. Adobe calls the first two complete commerce solutions, and says the third "can be paired with any ecommerce transaction engine."
| Option | What it is | Who runs it |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service | Full commerce platform, always up to date | Adobe, multi-tenant SaaS |
| Adobe Commerce on Cloud | Full commerce platform you upgrade | Adobe hosts, single tenant |
| Adobe Commerce on-premises | The PaaS application, self-hosted | Your team or host |
| Adobe Commerce Optimizer | Storefront, catalog and merchandising layer | Adobe, multi-tenant SaaS |
| Magento Open Source | Free code base, separate product | Your team or host |
On top of these, Adobe sells add-ons. Its pricing page lists Adobe Commerce Intelligence for reporting, asset management, Payment Services and an order management integration with IBM Sterling.
The naming trips people up in meetings. When someone says "Commerce Cloud", ask which one they mean. Adobe's documentation uses "SaaS only" badges for the cloud service and Optimizer, and "PaaS only" badges for Adobe Commerce on Cloud and on-premises. Those badges are a quick way to tell whether a help page applies to you.
How do Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service, Adobe Commerce on Cloud and on-premises differ?
The main difference is who runs and upgrades the software. On the cloud service, Adobe updates everything continuously and you extend it through APIs and apps. On Adobe Commerce on Cloud, Adobe hosts a dedicated environment, but you plan upgrades and can change the PHP code. On-premises, your own team or host runs all of it.
| Area | Cloud Service (SaaS) | On Cloud (PaaS) |
|---|---|---|
| Updates | Automatic, versionless | Manual upgrades and patches |
| Hosting | Multi-tenant | Single tenant |
| Customization | Out-of-process only | PHP plus out-of-process |
| CDN | Managed edge CDN, or bring your own | Fastly included |
| Availability | 99.9% infrastructure and application | 99.99% infrastructure, 99.9% application with Managed Services |
| HIPAA | Not currently available | HIPAA-ready option |
| Storefront | Edge Delivery Services, no Luma | Luma, headless, or Edge Delivery Services with Optimizer |
On PaaS, Adobe's comparison counts six patch releases and one minor release a year, and you apply them. On the cloud service, Adobe sends a notice when updates are ready. You then get 30 days to test them in a sandbox before they reach production. That trade, control against upkeep, sits at the center of the choice.
The cloud service also changes how developers work. Customizations live outside the core, in App Builder apps, API Mesh, events and webhooks. Data model changes are limited to custom attributes. Our guide to hiring an Adobe Commerce cloud development company covers the build and operations side of each model in more depth.
What is Adobe Commerce Optimizer?
Adobe Commerce Optimizer is a SaaS layer that gives you a faster storefront, a flexible catalog and AI merchandising without replacing your cart and checkout. Adobe aims it at three groups:
- Merchants who want to keep their existing commerce backend and change only the storefront.
- Businesses whose cart and checkout run in a third-party system.
- AEM customers who want a simple way to manage a catalog from another commerce engine.
It ingests catalog data from many sources. That might be your current commerce platform, a product information management (PIM) system or an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Merchandisers then set up catalog views and policies, so one catalog can serve dealers, brands, regions or channels with different products and prices.
Adobe says Optimizer is designed for "over 250M SKUs and 30,000 price points per SKU." Its license also includes the Edge Delivery Services storefront, AI search and recommendations. When a shopper is ready to buy, the order goes back to your existing platform for checkout.
Picture a group with three brands on two older commerce engines. Rather than replatform everything at once, it could feed both catalogs into Optimizer. It could then launch new storefronts on top and leave checkout where it is. The engines can then be replaced later, one at a time, without another storefront rebuild.
For merchants on Adobe Commerce on Cloud or on-premises, a first-party Optimizer connector syncs catalog and pricing data across. Adobe presents it as a phased path toward SaaS without a full replatform. The base connector covers B2C catalogs, and a separate B2B connector handles shared catalogs.
How is Adobe Commerce different from Magento Open Source?
Magento Open Source is the free code base. Adobe Commerce is the licensed product built on it, with extra features, hosting options and Adobe support. Adobe describes Open Source as the code base it "officially contributes to and ensures compatibility for transition to Adobe Commerce."
Based on Adobe's documentation, these come only with Adobe Commerce:
- The B2B module, with company accounts, shared catalogs, quotes and purchase orders.
- Features Adobe marks as exclusive, such as content staging for scheduled campaigns.
- The Edge Delivery Services storefront and its drop-in components, which don't support Open Source.
- Adobe-hosted cloud options, with Adobe's 24/7 support.
Some services reach both. Payment Services, for example, is offered for Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source, and PWA Studio supports both.
Open Source suits smaller teams that can run their own hosting, security patching and extensions. Because Adobe keeps the code base compatible with Adobe Commerce, moving up later is a path Adobe plans for. Once you need B2B depth, managed hosting or Adobe's newer storefront, you're in Adobe Commerce territory.
The common mistake is to treat the free license as the whole cost. Open Source stores still pay for hosting, security, extensions and the developers who keep them running. Compare total running costs, not license fees.
Which services come with Adobe Commerce, and what does each do?
Adobe surrounds the core platform with hosted services that run in Adobe's cloud and connect to your store. Adobe calls them Commerce Services. Some are included, some are add-ons, and availability depends on your package and market.
| Service | What it does | Problem it solves |
|---|---|---|
| Live Search | AI-ranked search, facets, synonyms, merchandising rules | Shoppers can't find products |
| Product Recommendations | AI recommendation units on pages | Low basket size |
| Catalog Service | Fast read-only catalog API | Slow product and category pages |
| Payment Services | Cards, wallets, PayPal, pay later, reporting | Fragmented payments and reconciliation |
| Data Connection | Sends Commerce data to Adobe Experience Platform | Commerce data stuck in one system |
| Product Visuals | Product image and video management on AEM Assets | Slow asset workflows |
| Commerce Intelligence | Data warehouse and dashboards, an add-on | Reporting across sources |
A few facts help when you compare packages. Adobe says Live Search is "included in your license" and replaces the standard search. Catalog Service comes automatically with Live Search and Product Recommendations. Adobe's storefront documentation says drop-ins read product data from it "up to ten times faster" than core Commerce GraphQL.
Payment Services has shipped with Adobe Commerce since version 2.4.7. Adobe notes that some features may not be available in every market. Product Visuals, powered by AEM Assets, is included natively with the cloud service, and full AEM Assets is the larger option. Adobe's product page also mentions 13 types of AI recommendations.
One difference catches PaaS teams moving to SaaS. Adobe's comparison notes that search index customization on the cloud service needs third-party solutions. If you've tuned search heavily on PaaS, check how that carries over.
Developer platform and extensibility
The last piece of the family is the developer platform, which matters most on the cloud service. Adobe lists these tools for building integrations and customizations:
- App Builder for secure, scalable apps that extend Commerce and connect third-party systems.
- API Mesh to combine several APIs into one GraphQL endpoint.
- Events and webhooks to trigger work in other systems when something happens in Commerce.
- Admin UI SDK to add pages and features to the Commerce Admin.
- Integration starter kit with reference integrations for back-office systems.
Apps built this way can be upgraded on their own schedule, without waiting for a core release. Adobe states it guarantees backward compatibility for customizations that follow this API-first model.
What does the B2B module add?
The B2B module turns an Adobe Commerce store into a trade portal for companies. It adds company accounts with roles, shared catalogs with company pricing, and negotiable quotes with reusable templates. It also adds purchase orders with approval rules, requisition lists, quick order and payment on account.
It's Adobe Commerce only, and Adobe's storefront documentation treats it as a separate license. On the cloud service, buyers use it through B2B drop-in components on the Edge Delivery Services storefront. For feature detail, fit, limits and rollout, read our full guide to Adobe Commerce B2B.
Which storefront options does Adobe Commerce support?
You have four broad choices: the classic Luma theme, PWA Studio, the Edge Delivery Services storefront or a custom headless front end. Which ones are open to you depends on your package.
| Storefront | How it works | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Luma | Server-side PHP theme | PaaS only, not on the cloud service |
| PWA Studio | React progressive web app toolkit | Built for Adobe Commerce or Open Source |
| Edge Delivery Services storefront | Document-authored pages plus drop-ins | Included with Cloud Service and Optimizer |
| Custom headless | Your framework on Commerce APIs | GraphQL, REST and API Mesh |
Luma is the classic theme, and Adobe states that the cloud service doesn't support it. PaaS stores can use the Edge Delivery Services storefront too, but they need an Optimizer license for the drop-in components.
The Edge Delivery Services storefront, which Adobe calls Adobe Commerce Storefront, is the storefront included with both SaaS packages. Adobe's product page claims Lighthouse scores of 90 to 100. A custom headless build still makes sense when you need a framework, an app or control that Adobe's blocks don't give you. Our guide to Adobe Commerce on Edge Delivery Services compares these options in detail.
How does Adobe Commerce connect to Adobe Experience Cloud?
Adobe Commerce connects to the rest of Experience Cloud mainly through Adobe Experience Platform (AEP). AEP passes commerce data to Real-Time Customer Data Platform (CDP), Customer Journey Analytics, Adobe Analytics and Journey Optimizer. Commerce also links to Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) for assets and content.
- Data Connection sends storefront behavior, back-office events such as orders and shipments, and customer profiles to AEP. Journey Optimizer can then, for example, send an abandoned cart email.
- Audience Activation sends Real-Time CDP audiences back into Commerce, where they drive cart price rules, related product rules and dynamic blocks.
- AEM Assets powers Product Visuals and links images and videos to products and categories by SKU or other attributes.
- AEM Sites can author storefront content, although Adobe says Optimizer doesn't require it.
- Brand Visibility has a Commerce integration that Adobe says supports product discovery on AI-native channels.
If your marketing team already runs Real-Time CDP, plan Data Connection early. The CDP use cases depend on Commerce data reaching AEP.
In a real team, this is where commerce and marketing meet, with the commerce team owning the events and their quality. The marketing team owns the audiences and campaigns built on them. Agree early who fixes a broken event, or campaigns will quietly fail. Our guide to Adobe Real-Time CDP explains the CDP side.
Which Adobe Commerce solution fits your business problem?
Match the package to the problem you want to solve, not to the longest feature list. Most buyers start from one of a handful of situations.
| Your situation | Likely starting point |
|---|---|
| New build, want minimal upkeep | Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service |
| Heavy PHP customization you must keep | Adobe Commerce on Cloud or on-premises |
| Commerce engine is fine, storefront and search are weak | Adobe Commerce Optimizer |
| Several commerce backends, one brand experience | Adobe Commerce Optimizer |
| Trade buyers with contract prices and approvals | A full package plus B2B |
| Regulated health data | Adobe Commerce on Cloud, HIPAA-ready option |
| Small store, own hosting, tight budget | Magento Open Source |
If two rows apply and pull in different directions, decide which matters more over the next three years. Heavy PHP customization and minimal upkeep, for example, rarely sit well together. If you want both, plan to rebuild some customizations as apps, so a later move to the cloud service stays possible.
Two cautions apply. A move from PaaS to the cloud service isn't a simple upgrade, because PHP customizations have to be rebuilt out-of-process. Adobe lists a bulk data migration tool and a migration assessment tool to help.
And Adobe doesn't publish prices. Every package on its pricing page leads to a "Get pricing" request, so you'll only see real numbers in a quote. What drives the total is usually catalog and site complexity, integrations, storefront work and the add-ons you choose.
What should you do next?
Write down the problem you want to solve. Then shortlist one or two Adobe Commerce solutions before you talk to Adobe or a partner. That keeps the sales process focused on your needs, not on a demo script.
- List the customizations and integrations you must keep.
- Decide whether you want Adobe to run upgrades for you.
- Note your storefront plans, and whether Luma is still in use.
- Check regulatory needs, such as health data.
- Ask Adobe which services and add-ons your quote includes.
- Get implementation estimates for the package you prefer.
When you're ready to brief implementers, start from our Adobe Commerce RFP template. Then use the Adobe Commerce partner list or our partner advisor to find firms to invite.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Adobe Commerce the same as Magento?
Adobe Commerce is built on the Magento code base, and Adobe still labels it Adobe Commerce (Magento) on its product pages. The free edition is called Magento Open Source. Adobe Commerce adds licensed features such as B2B and content staging, Adobe-hosted cloud options, Adobe's newer storefront and Adobe support, so the two are related but not the same product.
What is the difference between Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service and Adobe Commerce on Cloud?
Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service is multi-tenant SaaS that Adobe updates automatically, and it only allows out-of-process customization through APIs, events and App Builder. Adobe Commerce on Cloud is single-tenant PaaS on dedicated infrastructure, where your team applies upgrades and patches and can still change the PHP application. The cloud service doesn't support Luma, while on Cloud does.
Do I need Adobe Commerce Optimizer if I already use Adobe Commerce?
Not necessarily. Optimizer mainly helps merchants who want Adobe's storefront, catalog views and AI merchandising on top of an engine they keep. If you run Adobe Commerce on Cloud or on-premises and want the Edge Delivery Services drop-ins, Adobe's storefront documentation says you need an Optimizer license for them. On the cloud service, the storefront is already part of the license.
Does Adobe publish Adobe Commerce pricing?
No. Adobe's packages and pricing page describes each package but every option leads to a request for pricing. Expect the quote to reflect your package, the add-ons you choose and the size and complexity of your business. Implementation, integrations and ongoing support are separate costs, so budget for partner work alongside the Adobe license itself.
Is Live Search included with Adobe Commerce?
Adobe's Live Search documentation describes it as a lightweight SaaS service that is included in your license, and it replaces the standard Adobe Commerce search. Adobe also bundles Catalog Service with both Live Search and Product Recommendations. On the cloud service, Adobe notes that deeper search index customization needs third-party solutions, so check this if you've tuned search heavily.
Can Adobe Commerce run on-premises?
Yes. Adobe documents on-premises projects as hosted on infrastructure the customer manages, and it groups them with Adobe Commerce on Cloud under its PaaS label. Adobe notes that Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure isn't available in China or Russia, where only on-premises deployments are supported. Self-hosting means your team owns security, scaling and patching.