Magento 2 Vs Prestashop – Best eCommerce Platform

Magento 2 has been around for a while and is among the top-rated CMS available for eCommerce platforms. Similar to Magento 2, Prestashop is another Open-source CMS that has been gaining a lot of popularity for quite some time. Both of these platforms are dedicatedly created to support eCommerce platform development and are quite similar in most ways. But when it comes to developing a website for eCommerce, selecting the ideal development solution is one of the most important aspects of any business. We at Agento Support are professionals in Magento 2 development and have delivered satisfying solutions for our global clientele. Today we’re here to discuss the differences between Magento 2 vs Prestashop. So without wasting more time, let’s dig into the content. 

In our previous blog, we’ve discussed why Magento is the best platform for eCommerce but is it better than Prestashop also? If yes, then in what ways, let’s find out: 

Introduction to Magento 2 

Magento, a popular Open-source eCommerce building platform, is written in PHP and supports multiple PHP-based frameworks like Laminas and Symfony. More than 250,000 currently active websites or 12% of overall websites are based on the Magento platform. Magento credits the platform’s usability and customization power for its success. 

Introduction to PrestaShop 

Prestashop is a similar platform, launched in 2007 in France, and is based on PHP frameworks and relies on MySQL for database support. Over 300,000 websites are currently active and are based on Prestashop. Furthermore, this platform is available in 60 different languages. Looking at the numbers, it looks like Prestashop is popular but wait, as Magento covers a total of 29% of the market just in the eCommerce industry as compared to Prestashop which acquires 12.3% of the total eCommerce websites. 

It seems like we’re already in the comparison zone now, so let’s start the Magento 2 vs Prestashop section formally.

Magento 2 Vs Prestashop – A Detailed Comparison 

1. Predefined Features

Features in Magento are just more than any ordinary CMS would offer. It is highly robust in nature and offers full customization, allowing developers to create and mold the Platform as per their needs. 

Prestashop is not so behind in the feature list as it also offers more than 100 templates and plugging facilities using which any user without any technical knowledge can create an eCommerce platform. If you are looking to build a platform just for local customers or if you want to start a small eCommerce business, we suggest you go for Prestashop as it is much easier.

If you have an enterprise and are looking to expand your business abilities, go for Magento 2 development, you might hire Magento 2 developer, but this platform will offer you a more robust and flexible platform that will help you in scaling the solution beyond your imagination globally. 

2. Performance  

For some time, Magento has been lacking in the performance sector due to the size of the CMS. Magento has a powerful, yet very large backend system in terms of size that if not resolved, will lead to slower websites. Merchants and users are already dealing with this issue for quite some time. 

On the other hand, Prestashop is precise in terms of performance as it does not have a heavy backend system like Magento. It allows merchants to offer seamless interaction to their users. 

3. Support

When we talk about Magento 2 vs PrestaShop, the support feature has its own importance. Magento, being older and more popular than Prestashop, has a larger community base. Moreover, it has an extensive and official Magento 2 Support team that offers user manuals and documentation and regularly updates as well as offers support to its user base continuously. 

Prestashop, on the other hand, does not have an official support team, hence, users had to depend on the manual and documentation more. They also need to depend on the community base for their issue to get resolved.

4. Security

Both Magento and Prestashop are equal in terms of security and offer various measures to optimize the security of a website. All the standardized CMS security measures are taken care of in both of these CMS, making sure that they offer robust security. 

Even though they both offer such security measures, you still need to exert a lot more time and money to make sure that there’s no loophole in security.

5. Pricing

Pricing strikes immediately the mind when Magento 2 Vs PrestaShop comes to mind. Being open-source, both of these platforms are free. You still need to pay if you’d like to add extra features to your platform. You’ll be able to create a basic website with both of these platforms but to add uniqueness to your platform, you need to pay some money. 

If you are going to spend money, Magento’s enterprise version is a better option as it offers a lot more features than any other platform.

6. Extensions

Extensions are developed and integrated to boost the working performance of eCommerce websites. Both PrestaShop and Magento 2, allow you to add and customize functionalities to your store.

Magento offers both paid and unpaid Magento extensions for complex store developments. There are over 5000+ Magento extensions that can be integrated with the eStore backend. They are developed on different factors to boost sales, improve customer experience, and much more. 

PrestaShop has a collection of 10,000 themes, graphics, and modules that can be added with a few clicks. Such feature-rich modules boost your eCommerce business. 

7. Themes

Themes play a vital role while creating the store design. Similarly, extensions and plugins add unique functionalities to the store. There are default themes present in both eCommerce platforms which can be purchased while designing the store, rather than creating it from the scratch. 

Magento offers an official theme directory, but it has very limited themes present. A theme in Magento 2 offers a consistent look and feel using different layouts, designs, styles, and much more. To get the best for your eStore, you can opt to select premium themes for your Magento 2 store. They surely make your store beautiful and feature-rich. 

PrestaShop offers over 3200 ready-made themes for users. You can even buy themes from third-party providers. Both these platforms are open-source, users can customize them according to the brand and can build a customized website design from scratch.

8. SEO Capabilities and Marketing

Both these eCommerce platforms have a wide range of features to optimize SEO. Features including URL modification, adding canonical tags, and 301 redirects are supported. 

Magento offers out-of-box SEO capabilities. It is a great tool that is equipped with different default functionalities and even helps to optimize search engine rankings. In addition, Magento 2 SEO provides options to manage promotions, content and Meta tags. 

PrestaShop also offers in-built SEO features to improve the rankings of your store, drive traffic and engage more prospects.

Wrapping Up

Magento and Prestashop, both of these platforms are excellent choices for eCommerce development. The final selection depends on your requirements though. You need to audit your business and its processes before selecting any platform. On the basis of your requirement, go for a suitable platform. As per our theory, If you are starting a new project start with Prestashop and consider it as an MVP of your actual product. If successful, go for Magento to expand your business globally. Still, if you feel confused, get in touch with Agento Supports’ experts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How much does Prestashop Cost? 

Prestashop is completely free software that helps SMBs and large enterprises to start and maintain their own eCommerce store. 

Q2. Is Magento free to use?

Yes, Magento is also an Open-source and free platform. However, for better functionality, it also offers a priced model named enterprise version. Although this model costs more but is very effective in the longer run.

Q3. Is Magento any good?

If you are looking for an Online Retail store with a high level of functionality, features, and security, and can afford that level of customization, then Magento is the best choice in the market.