Companies + multi-buyer roles — Adobe Commerce native vs Open Source extensions?

Both reach roughly the same destination — the path is different.

Adobe Commerce B2B (native): ships a Companies module with a parent → child → buyer hierarchy, role-based purchase thresholds (e.g. Buyer can place orders up to $5k, Approver up to $50k, Company Admin unlimited), and an approval workflow that routes a pending order through the right approver before it’s placed. Cost: rolled into the Adobe Commerce license at $30k+/yr.

Magento Open Source: covered by extensions — Mageworx Companies ($299 + 12mo support), Aitoc B2B Suite (~$899), or BSS Companies (free + paid tiers). Combine with Aitoc Quote Workflow ($299–$799) to fill the approval gap. Total: $1–3k one-time vs $30k+/yr for AC.

The honest trade-off: AC ships a more polished UI, vendor-supported upgrades, and 24/7 SLA. OS extensions cover ~85% of the feature set at 5% of the cost — the remaining 15% is mostly "nice-to-have" admin polish. For most wholesale stores under $10M GMV, OS + extensions is the right call.