PrestaShop vs. Shopify: A 2024 Comparison

PrestaShop vs. Shopify: A 2024 Comparison

Some of the most successful companies of this decade started during the Great Recession, i.e., Airbnb, Warby Parker, etc. Disney was founded in 1929, at the onset of the Great Depression. After reassessing their priorities and what is important to them, many feel there is no better time to start businesses. In actual business operations, specialists can outsource everything, be it inventory management, logistics, payment processing, customer support, or sales and marketing. Shopify and PrestaShop have been prominent in offering an infrastructure that can serve as the all-in-one backbone of an eCommerce business.

One is a relative newcomer, while the other is more established and seasoned. Both have great features that can be a specific fit based on the distinct needs of different business owners. Below, we look at PrestaShop and Shopify’s offerings, their core strengths, customer experience, and, of course, pricing.

What Does PrestaShop Offer?

PrestaShop

PrestaShop has increasingly become established as an open-source eCommerce solution. Businesses of many sizes can use the platform to build online stores, large or small, and then scale as they go. The company, founded in 2007, has a robust customer base that counts nearly 330,000 websites worldwide. Its adaptability is one of its standout features, as it seamlessly accommodates the needs of large enterprises and middle and small businesses.

PrestaShop is appealing because of its extensive array of default functionalities, totaling over 300. These built-in features cover aspects like payment methods, product listing, shipping logistics, and managing buyers and suppliers.

Furthermore, PrestaShop offers additional flexibility through various add-ons and themes, premium support options tailored to individual requirements, and a directory of agent partners for those seeking professional assistance. Plus, it extends a helping hand to those venturing into the online retail space by guiding store launches. Being an open-source platform, it empowers users to personalize and expand their online stores according to their needs.

Users can easily download PrestaShop for free, accessing key features such as inventory management, an intuitive online shopping cart, and robust reporting and analytics tools. Its order-management capabilities enable customers to establish accounts and track their purchase history effortlessly.

What Does Shopify Offer?

shopify

Shopify is an e-commerce platform that allows you to build an online store and sell products online from your website in person using a point-of-sale app. Whether you’re a beginner drop shipper or a growing direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand, Shopify is easy to use. It lets anyone create an online store and easily start selling their products or services. With its software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, Shopify handles all the technical backend and infrastructure, allowing store owners to focus on the creative front end and business operations.

shopify data infographics

Source: Mage Plaza

This hassle-free setup has made Shopify a popular choice for entrepreneurs looking to establish an online presence in the rapidly growing e-commerce market. Shopify is more than just a tool for building online stores; it’s an all-in-one commerce platform that supports businesses throughout their lifecycle, from startup to growth and optimization.

Shopify allows entrepreneurs to quickly test their business ideas by launching a minimum viable store. As your business expands, Shopify scales with you, offering hundreds of professional themes, advanced fulfillment options, and powerful marketing and financial insights through Shopify Plus. Managing an online store requires more than a great website and dashboard. Shopify’s robust app store offers integrations with tools like Slack, QuickBooks, and MailChimp, allowing you to create a customized commerce ecosystem tailored to your business needs.

This all-inclusive approach gives entrepreneurs everything they need to start, run, and grow an online business, making Shopify much more than just an e-commerce website builder.

What Are the Features of PrestaShop?

What Are the Features of PrestaShop?

Image source

PrestaShop offers many features that help automate and ease out day-to-day functionalities of your online store, like:

  • Cart Management: PrestaShop lets you manage multiple shopping carts and make unlimited product adjustments. It integrates with various payment providers and shipping carriers. Additional cart tracking modules can improve management.
  • Headless Commerce: PrestaShop supports REST APIs, allowing access to web services, managing multiple data sources, and extensive customization through coding. This makes for a flexible eCommerce setup.
  • Modules: PrestaShop offers many free and paid modules in categories like Product Page, Design & Navigation, Traffic & Marketplaces, Promotion & Marketing, Administration, and Shipping & Logistics.
  • International & Cross-Browser Support: PrestaShop supports payments in multiple currencies and location-based shipping rules. It offers content in various languages like English, Spanish, French, and Italian, aiding global business expansion.
  • Product Catalog: Manage a dynamic product list with features for exporting/importing products, searching, filtering, setting attributes, editing content, changing display languages, and applying bulk discounts.
  • Storefront Design: Access high-quality themes to match your brand image, with customizable features to enhance your store’s display. Popular free themes include Boomm, Revo Store, Boom, and Pro Business.

What Are the Features of Shopify?

What Are the Features of Shopify?

Here are some of the standout features of Shopify:

  • Shopify POS: Shopify POS allows businesses to sell products offline at physical locations, such as pop-up stores. It accepts card payments linked to Shopify inventory and records all transactions.
  • Centralized Dashboard: Shopify’s centralized dashboard combines in-store and online sales records, simplifying order management. It’s optimized for Apple devices and supports order customization, customer records, discounts, and loyalty rewards.
  • Business Strategy and Marketing: Shopify POS helps plan and create personalized marketing campaigns for in-store customers. Available in Lite and Pro versions, the Pro version includes features like in-store analytics and omnichannel selling.
  • Shopify Analytics: Shopify Analytics provides tools to track store performance, offering insights on customer activities, sales, and more. The dashboard displays key metrics and integrates with Google Analytics, providing detailed reports.
  • Abandoned Cart Reminders: Shopify’s abandoned cart emails help recover lost sales by reminding customers of products left in their carts. With Shopify’s advanced subscription, this process can be automated, saving time and increasing revenue.
  • Shopify Dropshipping: Shopify supports dropshipping, allowing businesses to buy from third-party suppliers and ship directly to customers. Apps like Oberlo make it easy to import products from AliExpress, eliminating the need for inventory storage.

PrestaShop vs. Shopify: Customization and Themes Options

One key aspect to consider when comparing PrestaShop and Shopify is their themes and customization options.

Since PrestaShop is an open-source platform, merchants have great control over how their online stores are customized. With various templates designed for particular aesthetics and industry verticals, like food, pets, home, and fashion, retailers can customize their storefronts to their exact specifications. With thousands of templates, PrestaShop gives you total control over your store’s appearance by letting you modify the underlying HTML or JavaScript code.

Because of this, PrestaShop provides pre-made themes that improve conversion rates and offer a distinctive style that complements the retailer’s items and brand identification.

On the other hand, Shopify offers over 170 free themes, while others range in price from $0 to over $400. These themes cater to users’ various needs and preferences and aim to enhance the overall user experience. Users can make custom adjustments to these themes, including changes to colors, fonts, and other design elements, through CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). This coding language empowers users to create a unique and personalized website.

Shopify’s Liquid feature also facilitates modifications to the website’s core code, ensuring compatibility across different screen sizes and mobile versions. Users can explore a list of free Shopify themes with attractive designs and a collection of top Shopify themes to find the best fit for their online store.

PrestaShop vs. Shopify: SEO Capabilities

PrestaShop and Shopify offer built-in features to assist in optimizing your store for search engines. PrestaShop includes a built-in SEO module, allowing you to tweak page titles and meta descriptions for improved optimization. Additionally, you can refine URL slugs and implement 301 redirects. Plus, PrestaShop automatically generates semantic structured data markup to enhance indexing.

On the other hand, Shopify also provides some SEO functionalities, such as customizable page titles and meta descriptions, canonical tags, and the option to customize URL slugs. However, third-party apps need to be installed for more advanced SEO capabilities like schema markup.

Overall, PrestaShop has a slight advantage over Shopify in terms of built-in SEO optimization features. Its SEO module simplifies the setup of crucial on-page optimizations. While Shopify offers decent SEO capabilities, you may need additional apps to match PrestaShop’s level of SEO proficiency.

PrestaShop vs. Shopify: Order and Shipping

cheapest shipping rates

When it comes to order management and shipping, PrestaShop and Shopify each offer a set of features to streamline the process.

PrestaShop seamlessly integrates with major carriers like UPS, FedEx, and DHL. If your preferred carrier isn’t listed, fret not! You can manually add them through the Dashboard by navigating to Shipping > Add new carrier.

Setting up shipping preferences in PrestaShop is easy. You can customize handling options (such as free shipping or discounts) and select your preferred carriers, along with pricing and order-based choices.

On the other hand, if Shopify is your platform of choice, you can access four courier shipping options: UPS, USPS, FedEx, and DHL Express. Moreover, Shopify Shipping offers discounted shipping labels, providing a cost-effective solution for your shipping needs.

Once you’ve chosen a carrier, you can configure shipping rates according to your preferences: free shipping, flat rates, or region-specific charges. The Advanced Shopify plan unlocks additional features like third-party calculated shipping rates. This feature allows you to display real-time courier prices to customers during checkout, enhancing transparency and convenience.

PrestaShop vs. Shopify: Supported Payment Gateways

Both PrestaShop and Shopify offer a wide array of payment gateway options to accommodate merchants’ diverse needs.

PrestaShop comes pre-equipped with integration capabilities for more than 50 payment gateways and methods, including popular choices such as Stripe, PayPal, Skrill, and Authorize.Net. It also allows for incorporating local payment methods tailored to specific countries. With frequent updates, PrestaShop ensures a continuously expanding selection of payment modules and integrations, enhancing merchant flexibility.

In contrast, Shopify features its proprietary payment gateway, Shopify Payments, supporting credit and debit cards. Additionally, it offers integration with over 100 external payment gateways and methods through various apps, including Stripe, Amazon Pay, and PayPal. It’s essential to note that transaction fees may vary depending on the selected payment gateway.

Overall, both platforms offer robust payment solutions. While Shopify distinguishes itself with its in-house payment gateway, PrestaShop provides flexibility for accommodating niche local payment methods. Ultimately, the choice between them depends on individual merchants’ specific needs and preferences.

PrestaShop vs. Shopify: Hosting

With PrestaShop, you must choose a hosting company and install the software yourself. This means features like PCI compliance, SSL certificates, bandwidth, storage space, CDN, updates, maintenance, and uptime depend on the host you select. Some hosts may offer PCI compliance and free SSL certificates, while others might not. Bandwidth and storage limits vary by host, and you are responsible for managing updates and maintenance. Uptime reliability will depend on your host’s capabilities.

On the other hand, Shopify includes hosting as part of your monthly subscription. It guarantees PCI compliance, provides a free SSL certificate, and offers unlimited bandwidth, storage space, and a CDN. Updates and maintenance are included, and Shopify ensures 99.9% uptime.

This all-inclusive hosting package from Shopify is especially helpful for newcomers to e-commerce or website building. It handles all the technical aspects, allowing you to focus on running your business.

PrestaShop vs. Shopify: Pricing

PrestaShop vs. Shopify: Pricing

PrestaShop does not charge monthly or transaction fees for sales on its platform. However, themes usually cost around $100, and plugins often start at $50. Integrating with your stores on eBay or Amazon will cost $289 and $299, respectively.

Any cost associated with website setup, domain hosting, or SSL certification for web security is all the business’s responsibility to set up. You will also have to find your merchant account provider and set up a payment gateway at an additional cost.

On the other hand, Shopify does not apply a one-size-fits-all pricing policy. The company has multiple pricing plans depending on the size of its business. The logic is to offer a price that accommodates small companies’ growth-drive value on the platform and pays a more applicable rate as the businesses grow.

Shopify Lite PlanStarter PlanBasic Shopify PlanShopify PlanAdvanced Shopify Plan
Monthly Pricing$5$29$79Links to online stores with brick-and-mortar locations?
Payment processing Fee2.90% + $0.302.90% + $0.302.90% + $0.302.90% + $0.30
Transaction Fee*2%2%1%0.50%
Limits on ProductsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Data StorageUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Blogging FunctionalityIncludedIncludedIncluded
Employee Accounts2515
*no transaction fees are applicable if businesses decide to use Shopify Pay.Up to 4Up to 5Up to 8
ReportingProfessionalAdvanced
*There are no transaction fees applicable if businesses decide to use Shopify Pay.    

Shopify also offers a Shopify Plus plan to enterprise customers, for which pricing is available after discussion with the company.

PrestaShop vs. Shopify: Security Features

Security is a top priority for online stores. Customers need to feel confident about sharing their information. Let’s compare PrestaShop and Shopify in terms of security.

PrestaShop relies on add-ons and some custom work to beef up security. Users can tweak settings to hide certain files from prying eyes, and handy tools like Security Pro and Google Authenticator provide an extra layer of protection. Choosing a secure hosting plan, like the one from Hostinger, adds another level of defense against things like DDoS attacks.

On the other hand, Shopify offers security features baked into all of its plans. Each plan includes a free SSL certificate to keep things encrypted and secure. If you use Shopify Payments, you get fraud analysis tools to keep the checkout process safe and sound.

Shopify doesn’t mess around with security, either. It’s certified as Level 1 Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliant, meeting all the big standards for handling payment info.

Both platforms offer extra apps like Ultimate Trust Badges and Locksmith to beef up security further. While Shopify makes security easy with its built-in features and hosting, PrestaShop gives you more control over customizing your security setup.

PrestaShop vs. Shopify: Customer Experience and Support

Prestashop is a very bare-bones operation. Setting up a basic business on the platform is straightforward, but a more elaborate setup would require technical development expertise. There are no recurring expenses that companies would need to pay PrestaShop, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have any. They may have to hire a code to manage continually and further develop their online store on the platform. This is necessary because they have to troubleshoot development problems arising from the conflict in code with that of PrestaShop.

On the other hand, Shopify has a very intuitive setup process that allows customers to set up stores quickly and seamlessly on their own. There are many plugins and themes to choose from, but you never feel overwhelmed. There’s always just the right amount of technicality that one can resolve. Overall, getting an online store up and running on Shopify is much easier than on PrestaShop.

Another aspect of the customer experience is the support option. PrestaShop has chat, email, and phone support available, as well as a community forum that can assist on any issues customers run into. However, support is not always free. Presta Online Assistance offers free assistance via tutorials, guidelines, and FAQs. However, it’s more detailed, Presta Technical Assistance, is a 15-minute call with a Technical Specialist that you can utilize for any inquiry and can cost as high as $1,399.

Shopify offers the same omnichannel support 24/7 and an online community to assist with any inquiries. Furthermore, the company provides text and email support in 19 different languages.

Conclusion

Although starting and managing a business is no easy feat, it has never been easier. Online marketplaces and platforms make operating an eCommerce business much more feasible. Social media eliminates many intermediaries, and lets entrepreneurs reach directly, making marketing much more targeted and effective. Individuals no longer need to buy bulk technologies to store data or hire consultants to advise on and manage multiple payment options and plans. These tasks are much smoother, quicker, and offered at a fraction of the costs and magnitudes higher in quality and versatility.

Shopify and PrestaShop are two platforms that offer great marketplace and eCommerce businesses and tools for integration with the right partnerships, online presence and branding, and a tremendous customer experience. One is more seasoned and polished, while the other packs an incredible punch in tools and offerings. Both offer unique strengths and can be suited for different business owners based on their strengths and needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What are the key differences between PrestaShop and Shopify regarding ease of use?

    PrestaShop requires technical knowledge for setup and management, including self-hosting and manual updates, making it ideal for tech-savvy users or those with developer resources. Shopify, however, is user-friendly with a simple setup process that handles hosting, updates, and security, making it suitable for beginners or those seeking a hassle-free experience.

  2. How do PrestaShop and Shopify compare in terms of customization options?

    PrestaShop offers extensive customization through its open-source platform, allowing template modifications and access to over 3,000 modules, though it may require coding skills. Shopify provides a more user-friendly customization experience with over 139 themes and a drag-and-drop interface, making it easier for users without technical expertise to design their stores.

  3. What are the differences in pricing between PrestaShop and Shopify?

    PrestaShop is free to use but requires budgeting for hosting, domain registration, and SSL certificates, with potential transaction fees. Shopify uses a subscription model with plans that include hosting, SSL certificates, and updates, offering a predictable pricing structure. Transaction fees may apply if not using Shopify Payments.

  4. How do PrestaShop and Shopify compare in terms of support and security?

    PrestaShop relies on community forums and documentation for support, and security is dependent on the hosting provider. Shopify offers 24/7 customer support through live chat and email, with built-in security features like SSL certificates and PCI DSS compliance and automatic updates to enhance security without user intervention.

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