PrestaShop Vs Shopify: Which One Is Better?

We all desire to have an awesome eCommerce site. PrestaShop vs Shopify is a very common match-up. Let’s find out who will gain the victory in the end.

PrestaShop Vs Shopify: Which One Is Better?
PrestaShop Vs Shopify:

What are they?

Shopify gives business owners a simple and secure way to sell their products online. It was founded in 2004 by Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake.

PrestaShop is a free, open-source e-commerce solution. It started in 2005 as a student project within the EPITECH IT School in Paris, France.

Pricing comparison

For most site owners the price matters. We have to choose a great option while still staying within our budget. Let’s review the cost for both.

Shopify

Shopify has 3 plans basic($29), Pro – the most popular plan($79) Unlimited($179)

You also have to remember the CC rates. The bigger the plan the cheaper the rates will be for you.

The bigger the plan the cheaper the shipping label discount. Basic plan(Up to 50% off) Pro(Up to 55%) Unlimited (Up to 60% off).

Extra features that you will get with the $79 plan that you won’t get with the $29 plan.

  • Gift cards
  • Professional reports
  • Abandoned cart recovery

Extra features with the $179 plan.

  • Advanced report builder
  • Real-time carrier shipping

What is the best plan for you?

It depends on your needs. I would recommend the pro plan, but if you’re trying to save money then get the basic plan.

PrestaShop

PrestaShop is free, but you have to pay for hosting. SiteGround is very cheap and it’s the best PrestaShop hosting. I know what you’re saying, wow only $3 a month for hosting and that is it. Even though all you have to do to start is host your site. With PrestaShop, you are going to end up spending a lot on future developments. They make a profit by selling high-priced modules. The modules can be anywhere from 45, 150, 300, and up. Some of the things you are going to want like a newsletter module, Paypal payments modules, shopping cart modules, form modules, SEO modules, conversion rate booster modules, etc. Anything that you might want down the line will cost you.

Which one will save you more money?

It depends. You are either going to pay $29 or $79 a month or you are going to pay over $45 or over 100 dollars for every module. For me personally, the PrestaShop price is better because all that you’re paying for is hosting. I’m talking about just the initial price. You don’t have to buy modules, but I know that you will.

Start PrestaShop with SiteGround at 60% off.

Let’s talk more about modules/plugins.

Modules help you customize the look, feel, and functionality of your website. An example of a module would be a Twitter follow button.

Shopify

Shopify has a way bigger option of free modules that you might want so that’s a huge plus. But some modules you do have to pay a monthly fee for. For example, the Collection Filter module costs $3.99 a month. Some are more and some are less.

PrestaShop

While PrestaShop does have some free modules most of their modules are a bit pricey. There is no running away from it. Most likely you are going to end up paying for some of their modules or services. You are going to end up paying for an SEO module. You are going to pay for a blog module that gives your store blog capabilities, which is very helpful. These two together could cost you 200 to 300 dollars.

One good thing about PrestaShop is that you will only pay a one time fee for their premium modules and not a monthly fee.

Shopify features

  • 14 Day Free Trial
  • Secure shopping cart -256-bit SSL
  • Sell on your social media accounts
  • Abandoned checkout recovery
  • 70 payment gateways
  • Translate in 50+ languages
  • Integrate with Dropshippers or Fulfillment Centers
  • Unlimited products
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • 24/7 support
  • Full blogging platform
  • Shopify Mobile – update your store or inventory.
  • Fraud analysis

PrestaShop features

  • Receive an email for each sale that you require on your shop.
  • Receive inventory reports
  • Easy customization
  • Developer friendly
  • One Page Checkout
  • Product Reviews
  • Affiliates Program
  • Customer Registration
  • Digital products
  • Edit Customers
  • Low Stock Alert
  • Mobile User Interface

Popularity

PrestaShop

Powering over 250,000 online stores.
Average monthly searches on Google – 201,000
Twitter Followers – 23.6K
Facebook likes – 69,704

Shopify

Shopify currently powers over 175,000
Average monthly searches on Google – 368,000
Twitter Followers – 174K
Facebook likes – 1,254,802

They both have fantastic themes.

On their website, Shopify offers an awesome mix of free and premium themes for around $100 and up for your online store. There are also Shopify themes that you can buy from other websites as well such as Template Monster, Theme Forest, etc. On the PrestaShop website, there are a lot of beautiful themes ranging from $35 to $145.

Search engine optimization

When it comes to trying to rank well in Google, Bing, and AOL, they both get the job done. They both have modules that you can purchase that will enhance your SEO capabilities. One thing I like about Shopify is that it has dedicated servers.

Support

It’s hard to compare support when they both have the same thing. They have the same things that you would expect like detailed tutorials and documentation. They have phone support, ticket support, and they have forum support. The edge that Shopify has over PrestaShop is their live chat support.

My honest recommendation

Out of these two, I would have to go with Shopify, and here is why. PrestaShop lacks some features that you have to pay for. You are going to end up buying modules that cost a grip that you shouldn’t have to buy. I also like the fact that Shopify is on dedicated servers, which makes your site go faster. They have a 14-day trial, huge supply of free plugins, and I love the sell on social media features. A Facebook store will definitely increase profits. Start your business today! I think you should get the feel of it.

Try it! (Free 14 day trial no Credit Card required.)

PrestaShop could be the best choice for you: It will only take 5 minutes, start today at 60% off with SiteGround.

Quote – Making a profitable e-commerce store is hard work. I love the fact that Shopify clients help each other in our forums. I love the fact that everyone feels like we are in this together and that we all will succeed together.”- Scott Lake, co-Founder, Shopify