Foreword
The e-commerce world is buzzing with change, and people have started referring to Adobe’s latest SaaS commerce offering as “Magento 3.” But here’s the catch: Adobe isn’t calling it that. So why is the name catching on? And more importantly, should we be using it?
Adobe Commerce has undergone a massive transformation. Since its acquisition of Magento in 2018, Adobe has gradually moved away from Magento’s open-source, self-hosted model toward a cloud-native, SaaS-based solution. This shift has brought with it:
These updates represent a fundamental change in how Adobe envisions digital commerce. In short, this isn’t Magento 2.5, it’s something entirely different.
Despite Adobe’s move to rebrand and streamline under the “Adobe Commerce” umbrella, the Magento brand still resonates especially with developers, agencies, and businesses that grew up with Magento 1 and Magento 2.
People have started calling the new version of Adobe Commerce “Magento 3” because it helps make sense of the big changes. While it’s not an official name, it’s a quick and easy way to show that this isn’t just a small update, it’s a completely new direction. Unlike Magento 2, which was built as one big system with everything connected, the new version is built for the cloud and separates the front-end from the back-end, which is a big shift in how it works.
It’s a major upgrade in terms of technology and performance. Since Adobe hasn’t given this version a new name, the community is using “Magento 3” as a simple way to discuss it.
There are also reasons to be cautious. Calling it “Magento 3” could cause:
Still, it’s worth noting that the Magento name isn’t going away, the open-source version is still alive, and Adobe continues to support the Magento Association and community.
If you’re a developer, partner, or agency, calling it “Magento 3” can be a helpful shorthand to explain the scale of change, just be sure to clarify it’s not an official term. For those involved in marketing or selling Adobe Commerce solutions, it’s best to stick with Adobe’s official terminology to stay consistent with their branding.
For merchants, it’s important to understand that moving to the new SaaS version isn’t a simple upgrade from Magento 2; it’s a complete re-platforming effort that requires careful planning and execution.
