PrestaShop and Shopify are similar online commerce platforms, but not that similar! Find out which one is best for your business.
Are you thinking of selling your first products online? Want to migrate products from your website or social media network to a better online commerce platform?
Either situation is valid and viable. In this article, we will compare the online commerce platforms Prestashop and Shopify.
We also asked our web developers about which solution is the most intuitive and adaptable for different businesses, because at MD3 STUDIO we are up to any web challenge. See portfólio.
At first glance, PrestaShop and Shopify look very similar. Both PrestaShop and Shopify allow you to build and customise an online shop, add and merchandise products, accept payments, manage and complete orders and give customers online shopping cart functionality. Overall, PrestaShop and Shopify are all-inclusive platforms.
Shopify is a fully hosted platform available on a paid subscription basis. In other words, Shopify hosts the online shop and handles security, updates and maintenance for the subscription fee you pay to access the software.
PrestaShop, on the other hand, is an open-source platform.
Open-source software, PrestaShop provides access to the code, allowing you to edit and adjust it according to your customers' needs.
While PrestaShop may have more to offer when it comes to customisation and international selling, there are two areas where Shopify wins in the PrestaShop vs. Shopify comparison
Over the past few years, we have been developing online shops for our clients on both Shopify and Prestashop platforms.
The biggest challenge we face is that every customer wants to adapt their online shop to their brand's visual identity (and that's a good thing!).
Clients want their online shops to stand out from the rest, they want plug-ins for stock management, invoicing, restrictions for certain countries, image capture blocking, among many other functions, and this implies a lot of design and programming adaptation work.
It is tempting to opt for a Shopify type solution as it is an out-of-the-box solution and has a very low learning curve for the shop user, however the amount of subscriptions and monthly expenses that are required for a growing online shop are enormous. A Prestashop solution may seem more expensive in the short term, however the return on initial investment is easily achieved as the business grows and lasts longer.
Ricardo Ferreira, web developer
Several variables can be considered to make the best decision on which option to choose: Prestashop or Shopify.
If you are an early stage business, with little turnover and want to get online quickly you can opt for Shopify. It is quick and easy to start an online shop with many themes and modules available, but paid.
However, if you expect to grow to a considerable size and turnover it may be better to opt for Prestashop which allows for greater customisation and scalability as well as having no online shop fees.
Making the transition from one system to another is something that should not be done and for that reason the initial choice is important.
João Santos, web developer
Whatever the decision: Prestashop or Shopify (and, also, Woocommerce), we have the right team to meet the different web development challenges in creating branded, appealing and scalable online shops. Get in touch.
This article was written by Inês Paraíso, marketing & communication manager at MD3 STUDIO.
She looks for new opportunities to show our work, including on internal social networks. She is also a partner of our clients in their online communication with the creation of content in Portuguese and English. She is very fond of writing and has a gift for putting ideas into words. In fact, she says that words are always magic and have the power to reveal worlds!
This article was written by Ricardo Ferreira, web developer at MD3 STUDIO.
Ricardo is passionate about front-end and back-end and brings any challenge of our designers and, of course, clients to life. In fact, in a short time he responds to professional challenges that have never been overcome before. He loves felines and is pro for finding the best memes whether they're about cats or not. Live your sense of humour!
This article was written by João Santos, a web developer from MD3 STUDIO.
When João dives into work, whether it's front-end or back-end. He is focused on the different tasks and is quick to solve problems or respond to our client's challenges, always with the greatest calm.
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