PrestaShop v Shopify, which one better for your business?

When it comes to choosing an ecommerce platform, PrestaShop and Shopify are currently two popular choices among online store owners. Both have their pros and cons, so it’s important to do a PrestaShop vs Shopify comparison to determine which is the best option for your business.

 
What is PrestaShop?

PrestaShop is an open source e-commerce platform that allows users to create and manage online stores. It is free and open source software, which means that users can download, use and modify it according to their needs. Furthermore, there are a large number of modules and themes available for users to customize their store.

 
PrestaShop pros and cons

 

Pros of PrestaShop:

  • It is an open source platform, which means it is highly customizable and allows for greater flexibility to suit your business needs.
  • PrestaShop offers a wide variety of e-commerce features and functionalities, including options to manage multiple stores, multilingualism, multiple currencies, inventory management, among others.
  • You can access a large number of free and paid themes and templates to customize your store design.
  • PrestaShop offers a large number of modules and add-ons to enhance the functionality of your store.
  • It is a free e-commerce platform, which means you don’t have to pay a monthly subscription fee.

 

Cons of PrestaShop:

  • PrestaShop can be more difficult to use for those unfamiliar with programming or web development. It requires a bit more technical knowledge and experience to set up and maintain the platform.
  • Compared to other e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, PrestaShop does not offer live customer support.
  • Instead, it relies on a community of users to help resolve technical issues.
  • Some users have reported security and stability issues with PrestaShop. Some users have reported security and stability issues with PrestaShop. It is important to take extra security measures to protect your online store.

 

What is Shopify?

It is an ecommerce platform that provides users with the ability to create and manage online stores to sell products and services. The platform is designed so that users can create an online store without any technical knowledge in programming or web design. Shopify offers a wide range of customizable templates and themes.

 

SHOPIFY PROS AND CONS

 

Shopify Pros:

  • Shopify is an easy-to-use ecommerce platform, which makes it ideal for those who have no programming or web development experience.
  • It is a hosted platform, which means you don’t need to worry about setting up servers, software updates, etc.
  • It offers a wide variety of e-commerce features and functionalities, including options to manage multiple stores, multilingualism, multiple currencies, inventory management, among others.
  • You can access a large number of free and paid themes and templates to customize your store design.
  • Shopify has a large number of modules and add-ons (called apps) available to enhance the functionality of your store.

 

Shopify Cons:

  • Shopify’s monthly subscription plans can be more expensive compared to other e-commerce platforms.
  • Unlike PrestaShop, Shopify is not an open source platform, which means it is less customizable. While it is possible to add additional features and functionality using apps, some of these may come at additional costs.
  • While Shopify offers live customer support, some users have reported that the quality of support can vary depending on the subscription plan.
  • Shopify charges a transaction fee for each sale made through a payment method other than Shopify Payments, which can increase the cost of payment processing.

 

PrestaShop v. Shopify: Support and Customer Service

When it comes to support and customer service, Shopify and PrestaShop have some notable differences.  Shopify offers 24/7 support in multiple languages, including English, Spanish and French. You can access support via live chat, email or phone. In addition, Shopify has an extensive knowledge base and online resources, including user forums and video tutorials. PrestaShop, on the other hand, offers online support through a FAQ section and user forum, but does not have phone support. While there is an active community of PrestaShop users who can help you with technical questions, if you need professional assistance, you will need to contact one of their support partners, who offer paid services. Overall, Shopify seems to have an advantage in terms of support and customer service, with a variety of support options and a broad knowledge base.

 

PrestaShop v. Shopify: Pricing and plans

PrestaShop is a free and open source e-commerce platform, which means you can download, install and use the software without having to pay a fee every month. However, you will need to pay for web hosting and a domain name, let’s say $50/month. Shopify, however, offers a range of monthly plans that include web hosting, domain name and SSL security. Plans start at $35 per month for the basic plan and go up to $300 per month for the advanced plan. There is also a Shopify Starter plan that starts at $10 per month, but does not include a full online store. While PrestaShop is technically free, you should consider the cost of any add-on modules you wish to add to enhance the functionality of your store. In general, PrestaShop modules can cost between $40 and $200 each.