Prestashop vs Magento

What is the difference between Prestashop and Magento? Which platform will satisfy my needs? Which one will serve me as best as possible? If you find yourself wondering about at least one of these questions, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll share the main information you should know before selecting the base for your online store.

Both Prestashop and Magento are completely open-source software types. Don’t google it, we’ll explain everything: this means that code is open allowing users to view and change it. Following this method, developers are able to use code to correct mistakes, create own program version, and even elaborate an existing one.

In other words, it is possible to customize the system according to specific needs. If you want to improve functionality or add some features, there is no need to apply to the platform developer. Due to the code level access, a qualified programmer in your team will implement anything you want.

Although both platforms require some skills to create a robust online shop with great performance, Magneto is a much more complicated system. It is recommended to have tech-challenged people on your team. Nevertheless, this is extremely powerful and flexible platform with unlimited capabilities.

Speaking about Prestashop, it is a good option for beginners and merchants with little web development experience who plan to do all the work related to the site independently. Create an online store of your dream without the license fees or revenue percentages. Friendly interface and convenient admin panel make the process of work easy. Due to the intuitive understanding of the program, Prestashop management is not difficult especially in comparison with Magento.

Both platforms provide enough features to develop and manage a good online store. But it is important to choose a system according to your demands.

PrestaShop is a robust solution for eCommerce that has plenty of built-in features needed to create a successful marketplace. So, you’ll need minimum additional modules. To add, Prestashop offers integrations that will enable you to export products listings directly to eBay, Amazon, Google Shopping and other popular marketplaces.

However, Magento is an advantageous platform in this criteria. The system’s out-of-the-box functionality cannot be compared with any other solution currently available on the eCommerce market. Having chosen Magento, you will be impressed by the platform’s feature list, which includes:

• Administration permission system roles and users;
• Persistent Shopping;
• Automated email marketing reminder;
• Analytics and Reporting;
• Private sales;
• Related products, up-sells and cross-sells, etc.

Many merchants choose Magento because of one significant feature – Multiple Websites development. The point is that you can run several projects and manage it from one panel which makes work much simpler and very convenient.

Prestashop is free to download and use. There are two available editions:

• a cloud-based eCommerce system;
• a downloadable platform.

Magento Enterprise is considered to be a quite expensive option but it suggests greater functionality. Believe us, there are no alternatives in the field of eCommerce. You may choose one of two enterprise pricing packages:

• Magento Commerce Starter – from $2,000 per month.
• Magento Commerce Pro – from $3,417 per month.

Also, you have a chance to start 30-day free trial to test the system or use Magento Community Edition, that is free. 

Prestashop is aimed at small and medium-sized companies who are interested in a convenience and easy-to-use solution. The system allows you to save time and money on services and support.

Magento is the perfect solution for middle and large businesses and business that is planned to be extended in a short period of time and in future at all. And the platform’s great scalability guarantees great conditions for an online store development.

In both cases, support is charged. Only Magento Enterprise plan includes official technical support. Speaking about Prestashop, it offers various levels of Support Packs (pricing from $249) with a dedicated support team.

Anyway, free access documentation, videos, tutorials, and webinars will help you a lot. Moreover, you can find a solution for your problem on the Internet forums. The shopping cart communities are huge, so you can be sure that in case of emergency, you will definitely find a solution. A lot of problems are addressed by third-party developers who constantly provide regular updates and corrections. Troubleshooting is guaranteed in both cases.

Both shopping carts provide excellent SEO optimization features. However, Magento has more benefits in this question than its competitor. There are a lot of SEO options available in the system’s out-of-the-box, including edits of robot.txt,  meta tags for products and home pages, images optimization and so on.

Anyway, SEO options of Prestashop will serve you well, too. For example, it has Advanced functionality Premium SEO module which provides automatic filling in of meta tags and social meta tags, automated URL rewriting, etc.

To sum up, both global platforms are the great solutions for developing a successful marketplace. They have some pros and cons but still are considered to be one of the best solutions in the field of eCommerce.

Although Magento developers prefer this platform due to its flexibility and extended features, Prestashop’s popularity is growing, too. The last one is often chosen by small and medium-sized marketplaces because of its ease to use and low pricing. Therefore, large enterprises with great sales capabilities and high annual revenue pick the powerful Magento.

As we have already pointed out, the major difference is functionality that is more advanced in Magento. So, Prestashop loses to its competitor in this criteria. Anyway, the platform’s capabilities are enough to develop a good website.

Having found out the basic comparison points, set up your goals, estimate sales capabilities, think about future development, budget and only then pick the platform for your online store. We hope that our article helped you to make the right choice. Good luck!