Prestashop vs Woocommerce: which to choose?

Created in 2007, PrestaShop is currently one of the most widely used e-commerce CMSs in the world. Its open source nature and ability to meet the needs of e-tailers via a comprehensive range of modules and plugins have earned it a solid reputation. Flexible and inexpensive, PrestaShop has now been adopted by over 300,000 sites.

As far as WooCommerce is concerned, it's in fact a completely free plugin that's backed by the most popular CMS on the market, namely WordPress. Unlike PrestaShop or Shopify, WordPress isn't a native e-commerce solution. With its advanced functionalities, WooCommerce enables you to customize your online store in every aspect (design, SEO, etc.). Note that this solution is particularly well suited to smaller online stores.

Now that you know the specifics of PrestaShop and WooCommerce, let's take a look at the main criteria you need to analyze when making your decision.

PrestaShop and WooCommerce can be installed simply by downloading their software from their official websites. Installing WooCommerce is considerably simpler, as the operation can be carried out directly from your WordPress dashboard. What both CMSs have in common is that they are relatively easy to install, and each has a start-up wizard. In the case of PrestaShop, this wizard accompanies you right through to the creation of your first item, and every step in the configuration and customization of your online store.

WooCommerce and PrestaShop offer significantly different user experiences, but each has its own undeniable strengths. With PrestaShop's Starter Wizard, you can customize every aspect of your e-commerce site: product creation, images, descriptions, variations, shipping options and more.
As for WooCommerce, if you're familiar with the classic WordPress editor, you shouldn't have any trouble designing your website. If required, you'll also have a full-featured product editor at your disposal.

In the final analysis, while both CMS offer advanced product configuration options, their main difference lies in their interface. What's more, the setting options and functionalities available are just as numerous on one as on the other.

WooCommerce and PrestaShop are both open-source software. As a result, they each represent an excellent opportunity to create or redesign your online store, even on a limited budget.

With WooCommerce, if you already have a WordPress website, all you need is hosting and a domain name. To customize your online store and extend its functionality, you can purchase themes and extensions.

On the PrestaShop side, the cost of add-ons is slightly higher than for WooCommerce. For both CMS, you'll have access to free and paid themes and templates.

Whether in terms of visual identity, design or functionality, PrestaShop offers a high level of flexibility to its users. One of its major assets is its ability to support you as your online business evolves, according to your needs. This high level of scalability is reflected in key areas such as your product catalog, payment methods and delivery options. This high degree of customization of your e-commerce site is also reflected in WooCommerce.

Since PrestaShop and WooCommerce are open source solutions, their respective performance and loading speed depend on your hosting platform. To put it plainly, if you're going to be able to manage thousands of products with both CMS, you'll need to choose a reliable, well-dimensioned hosting solution.