Blog / WooCommerce vs Prestashop: What is the best eCommerce platform?

WooCommerce vs Prestashop: What is the best eCommerce platform?

by SW Team

The first decision to make when creating an online shop is to choose the e-commerce platform which will be used. WooCommerce and PrestaShop are two of the most popular options on the market. Both offer complete solutions for creating and managing an online shop, but they have different features and advantages, which we will discuss in this blog to help you make an informed decision. But, before we talk about the features and differences of each one, first let's introduce them with a definition.

WooCommerce is an e-commerce platform based on WordPress, as it is a free plugin of this CMS. It is easy to use and has a large community of developers who offer a variety of extensions and add-ons to customise your online shop. This platform is completely free, but some extensions and add-ons may have a cost.

PrestaShop is another popular e-commerce platform that is used all over the world. It is a complete solution for creating and managing an online shop. This platform is free and offers a variety of features and tools to customise your online shop. Also, it has a large community of developers who offer add-ons and extensions, which for this platform are called modules.

WooCommerce and PrestaShop Comparison

1. Usability and installation

Starting with the installation, both WooCommerce and PrestaShop are easy to install. There are various ways to do it, the first is by downloading them from their respective websites, and then uploading and installing them manually, which may be a little complicated for some people. The other way, you will have to see if your hosting provider offers you the option to install them in just few clicks. For example, in SW Hosting you can install WordPress and PrestaShop in a few clicks from the SWPanel, the only "manual" thing you should do, is to enter the WordPress, to its plugin repository, to finish installing the WooCommerce.

In terms of usability, PrestaShop has an intuitive and easy-to-use user interface, making it a good choice for those looking for a simple and direct e-commerce platform. In addition, the platform offers a wide variety of functionalities and features. It is worth highlighting that PrestaShop makes easy to find the settings for your shop, which means, that the configuration categories can be easily found from the main navigation menu.

On the other hand, WooCommerce has a steeper learning curve compared to PrestaShop. However, once you get over this curve, WooCommerce is a scalable and flexible platform that offers a wide variety of plugins and extensions to add additional functionality to your online shop. But, if you are already familiar with WordPress, then the process becomes more intuitive from the start, but it still doesn't offer the same facility to find the shop settings as PrestaShop does.

2. Scalability

PrestaShop is a highly scalable platform that adapts to your needs as your business grows. The platform has a wide variety of modules and add-ons that can add additional functionality to your online shop as your business expands. In addition, PrestaShop is designed to handle large amounts of traffic and orders, making it a good choice for those who are looking for a platform that can handle their growing business volume.

On the other hand, WooCommerce is also a scalable platform, but it may require a little bit more work to adjust to the needs of a growing business. The platform offers a wide variety of plugins and extensions that can add additional functionality to your online shop, but perhaps you should contact or hire a developer to help you adjust it as your business grows.

In terms of the ability to handle large amounts of traffic and orders, WooCommerce can also require a little bit more work compared to PrestaShop. However, the platform is highly customisable and can be adapted to your business needs.

3. Functions and Features

Both WooCommerce and PrestaShop offer a wide variety of features to create a successful online shop. But, let's take a look at what features they specifically have:

  • Shop customisation: WooCommerce offers a wide variety of themes and designs to customise the look and feel of your online shop. In addition, you can further customise your shop with extensions. Regarding PrestaShop, from the very beginning you have, without the need to install additional modules or extensions, a wide range of functionalities that meet the basic needs of an online shop, including customisation. If you need a specific function, keep in mind that behind this platform there is a community of developers who can add or provide it.
  • Product management: In the case of WooCommerce, it offers a wide variety of product management tools, including the ability to add products, set prices and create product variations. However, when it comes to customising the purchasing process and managing customers in several languages, it is necessary to install plugins, as this platform was not designed exclusively for creating an online shop, so there are many occasions when plugins are needed for certain product management. On the other hand, PrestaShop, since it is a CMS created specifically for the creation of online shops, has a wide variety of tools for product management that come by default. Its product management includes the ability to add products, set prices, customise the checkout process, manage customers in several languages, create product variations, etc.
  • Customer management: In this case, PrestaShop has a point in its favour, as it already includes a CRM in order to provide a minimum control of customer relations. In contrast, WooCommerce relies on plugins for each functionality.
  • Invoicing, payments and shipping: Both platforms offer a wide range of payment and shipping options for your online shop. However, to apply shipping costs according to the amount of the purchase and shipping zone with WooCommerce you need to install plugins. In the case of PrestaShop, by default you have the payment by transfer and cheque, but there is a module that you can install to add more payment methods. Regarding the invoicing, PrestaShop has this function by default, and WooCommerce you need to install a plugin for this function.
  • Statistics and reports: The WooCommerce platform offers more basic reports to help you understand your sales performance. On the other hand, PrestaShop has a complex and intuitive dashboard and more complete statistics to help you analyse how your business is doing and what decisions to make.

4. Security

Security is one of the most important concerns when it comes to e-commerce platforms, as sensitive customer data such as personal and financial information is handled.

Both WooCommerce and PrestaShop take the security of their platforms very seriously and offer protective measures to ensure the safety of customer and online shop owner information.

WooCommerce has a community of developers working on detecting and fixing potential security vulnerabilities. It also offers security options, such as SSL encryption, to protect sensitive customer data during transactions.

PrestaShop offers advanced security measures, such as two-step verification and protection against brute force attacks. In addition, it has an automatic update tool to keep the platform updated and protected against potential vulnerabilities. Keep in mind that this platform is also known for its security and complies with the security standards for the e-commerce industry.

Conclusion

Both platforms offer complete solutions for creating and managing an online shop, but they have their differences. When deciding which is the best option for your business, it is important to consider usability, scalability, features and pricing, as there are certain modules and extensions, for each of the platforms, that have to be paid for.

WooCommerce is a good option for those who are looking for an easy-to-use, scalable platform and is ideal for small shops that do not expect large growth in the short term. While PrestaShop is the best option for those who are looking for a complete, easy-to-use and scalable e-commerce platform. With its useful features and tools, flexible customisation and affordable pricing, PrestaShop is the ideal platform for creating and managing an online shop.

 




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