What is PrestaShop? Who is it a good solution for?

Over 180,000 online stores currently run on PrestaShop. It is the fourth most popular e-Commerce platform worldwide, preceded only by Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento. What is PrestaShop? Where does its popularity come from? And who will it be a good option for? 

If you are planning to start selling online or migrate your store, choosing an e-Commerce platform is one of the most important (if not the most important) decisions you will have to make. Everything depends on it – the appearance of your store, its features, performance, security, development possibilities, and… the total long-term maintenance cost. And therefore, the success of your e-business. That’s why it’s worth getting to know the available options well, because a bad choice can cost you a lot.

That’s why in this article, we’ll tell you a bit about PrestaShop – one of the technologies we specialize in. Here you’ll learn:

•  what exactly this platform is,
•  what capabilities and limitations it has,
•  and who it will be the best choice for.

If you’re wondering whether PrestaShop is the right direction for your e-Commerce, you’re in the right place.

What is PrestaShop?

PrestaShop is an open-source e-Commerce platform (similar to Magento 2). This means that when you build your online store on this engine, you have access to its source code. You can therefore modify it freely and create an e-Commerce solution that fully meets your needs – all without having to pay for a license.

In practice, PrestaShop works like a CMS system for e-Commerce – it allows you to manage products, orders, customers, and payments in one place, while giving you tremendous freedom to customize the store to the specific needs of your customers and business.

Unlike solutions such as Shopify or Shoper, PrestaShop does not operate on a subscription (SaaS) model. You install this software on your own server, giving you complete control over your data, design, and store functionality.

On the other hand, open source also means greater responsibility. Why? Because you, as the owner or store manager, are responsible for matters such as hosting, updates, security, and system performance. That’s why it’s worth hiring specialists to implement and maintain a PrestaShop store. But more on that later.

History and development of PrestaShop

The company PrestaShop was founded in France in 2007. However, the software was created earlier, in 2005, as a student project, built with PHP and the Symfony framework. Today, PrestaShop is one of the leading e-Commerce technologies.

As you can see, over the last 20 years, this platform has gained a lot of popularity – and for good reason.

PrestaShop is constantly evolving. The platform is now available in 75 languages, and new updates and plugins appear all the time.

In June 2025, the latest version of the platform, PrestaShop 9, was released and has been adapted to PHP 8.4 and Symfony 6.4.This update introduced, among other things: a more user-friendly back-office interface, a new template (Hummingbird) perfect for mobile, refreshed APIs that allow you to create complex integrations with external systems.

Over the years, PrestaShop has built a large community – one that develops new solutions and is eager to help with problems. Official technical support for PrestaShop is also available, but it is a paid service. It’s worth keeping this in mind when planning your implementation budget.

Key features and capabilities of PrestaShop

One of PrestaShop’s most significant advantages is its flexibility. It’s a platform that can be adapted to almost any sales model – from a simple online store to an advanced B2B system with individual price lists and ERP integrations.

As you can imagine, this platform offers a pretty solid catalog of features that you can use to build a “tailor-made” online store.

Product and catalog management

PrestaShop offers extensive capabilities for managing a product catalog.
By default, you get:

• various product types – simple products, variants (size, color), bundles, and virtual products (e.g., e-books or online courses),
• advanced pricing rules – promotions, discounts, wholesale prices, or individual price lists for customer groups,
• full inventory control – including low-stock alerts, hiding unavailable products, and integrations with ERP systems,
• multi-level categories and filtering, allowing you to create straightforward navigation even in extensive catalogs.

For companies with a larger number of products, modules for bulk editing and data import, PIM integrations, and automatic stock and price updates will be handy.

But that’s not all! PrestaShop is, after all, open source. If you have more unusual needs, you can customize your product catalog management even further – by adding the right plugin or investing in custom-built solutions from scratch.

In the case of companies with extensive product catalogs – those above 1,000 SKUs – we typically recommend investing in a PIM system, meaning an external tool for managing product data. This is especially important for businesses selling across multiple sales channels.

Order and payment processing

The absolute foundation of every e-Commerce.

PrestaShop supports the entire online sales process – from the shopping cart to checkout and post-purchase service.

By default, the platform offers:

• configurable cart and checkout (one- or two-step),
• support for discount codes, coupons, and promotions,
  generation of invoices, credit notes, and returns,
• and full order tracking from the customer panel.
  

Here’s another “open source” note: in a PrestaShop store, you can add any payment method you want. All you need to do is integrate your e-Commerce with one (or several) popular payment systems.

In Poland, these include BLIK, Przelewy24, PayU, and BNPL (deferred payments).

Multilingual support and international sales

PrestaShop stands out for its robust support for international selling.

This platform lets you manage multiple language versions of your store from a single admin panel.

You can:

• set different languages, currencies, and taxes for individual markets,
• define separate prices and shipping zones,
• tailor content to the recipient’s country (e.g., translated descriptions, local regulations).

This is a significant convenience for companies that want to expand internationally. They can manage all their sales from a single panel. They don’t need to log in to separate Polish, Czech, or French stores. They also don’t need to apply changes or new features to each store individually. They can do it globally, which speeds up work and saves money.

Personalization of design and UX

It’s no secret that your store’s appearance directly impacts conversion. You’re unlikely to buy from a store that looks like it’s from the days of Windows ’98. You want your e-Commerce to look good while also being functional and intuitive for users.
PrestaShop gives you complete freedom in this area.

You can:

• use one of the free themes, which you can easily adapt to your needs and branding (the cheapest option),
• purchase one of the thousands of premium themes available on the PrestaShop Addons marketplace (the mid-range option),
• create a dedicated graphic design that meets all your visual and functional needs (the most expensive option).

Remember!

If you use ready-made templates, be sure to check their performance and code quality. Many themes – especially the free ones – can have significant shortcomings in this area.

Building your store on a low-quality template, even if it looks visually impressive, can cost you a lot → a slow store, lost customers, technical errors, and low sales.

Modules and integrations

PrestaShop is an open-source solution that, in its base version, is… well, basic. But its true beauty lies in the fact that you have an entire ecosystem of modules you can use to trick out your store like a car for a Tokyo Drift race.

On the official PrestaShop marketplace, you’ll find extensions for almost everything (everything that matters in e-Commerce, that is): payments, shipping, marketing automation, SEO, analytics, or integrations with external systems. Yes, you need those too.

Your online store must be an integral part of your business, which is why you connect it with your ERP, WMS, PIM, CRM, marketplaces, logistics providers, payment intermediaries, and all other tools you use in your operations. And ready-made PrestaShop modules let you do this faster and cheaper.

And what if you can’t find the solution you need in the PrestaShop extensions catalog? You can build it from scratch and seamlessly integrate it with your store. After all, you have an open API at your disposal.

Remember!

Just like with templates, you need to be careful with ready-made modules. On PrestaShop Addons, you’ll find many high-quality extensions – but some should be burned at the stake, because while they promise the world, their code quality makes them practically useless.

Therefore, as with any ready-made solution, thoroughly check the modules you decide to use. You don’t want to spend hours patching something (and paying for it) that was supposed to make your implementation easier and faster.

SEO and marketing

PrestaShop is well prepared for SEO and marketing activities.

In its basic version, you’ll find:

• friendly URLs, automatic XML sitemaps, and meta tags,
• control over page indexing (noindex, canonicals),
• a built-in Google Analytics / GA4 module,
• and the ability to create promotions, coupons, and cart rules.

You might think “Not much” or “That’s standard.” But remember that PrestaShop is open source with an extensive catalog of ready-made modules. So without significant problems, you can expand your store with:

• a blog and content marketing,
• loyalty programs,
• product recommendations,
• an intelligent search engine (e.g., ElasticSearch, Algolia),
• or integrations with email and marketing automation systems.

Customer management and B2B sales

And what if you want to build a B2B e-Commerce platform on PrestaShop? Go for it!
This engine has quite extensive capabilities in this area – it allows you to create customer accounts, discount groups, order history, and favorite product lists.

And if you have more specific needs, you can use ready-made modules (or build your own) to extend your store with advanced B2B functionalities such as:

• hidden prices visible only after logging in,
• individual price lists and discounts,
• bank transfer payments with deferred terms,
• quick CSV orders or cart repetition,
• quote and inquiry generation,
• and many, many more.

All this makes PrestaShop a popular choice among wholesalers, manufacturers, and distributors. These companies often need an online platform tailored to their sales model, but for some, Magento may be too big and too expensive.

Security and GDPR compliance

Data security is a key aspect of e-Commerce. No surprise here – after all, we have an entire set of legal regulations obligating us to take exceptional care of this area of online business operations.

PrestaShop has built-in protection mechanisms that help with this. You can, among other things:

• manage user permissions,
• encrypt passwords and data,
• handle SSL certificates,
• and implement GDPR-compliant modules (right to be forgotten, data export).

Remember!

On the PrestaShop Addons marketplace, you’ll find many ready-made modules that will help you: implement advanced banners for managing cookies, introduce two-factor authentication (2FA), and store backups in the cloud.

As in every previous case, choose wisely – the quality of “off-the-shelf” solutions varies. Same as with any open-source software.

PrestaShop is not just a ready-made online sales system that you take off the shelf, pop into a CD-ROM drive, and use to install a complete store. It is a flexible e-Commerce platform that you can adapt freely to your business needs. What you get “in the box” is only the beginning. The real magic lies in the add-ons you install on top of your base version (both the ready-made ones and those built specifically for you).

The basic version offers everything a small or medium-sized store needs, and thanks to modules and an open API, you can create a fully automated (and customized) enterprise-class system.

PrestaShop gives you as much as you want to extract from it (and as much as you can afford). The more your e-Commerce grows, the more you can do.*

*Remember, however, that the development of your platform must be well thought out and properly planned. Otherwise, you’ll dig yourself into technical debt that will sabotage your plans for world domination. 😉

Who is PrestaShop for?

There is no e-Commerce platform that suits everyone. And if any platform advertises itself that way, it’s simply lying. PrestaShop will not be the perfect choice for every company. For some, it will be a rocket that launches their business to a cosmic level (of sales). For others, it will be a ball and chain, dragging the company down.

When is PrestaShop a good choice? What companies will benefit from implementing their store (B2B or B2C) on this platform?

1. Medium-sized and slightly smaller businesses with growth ambitions that

• have 1,000–50,000 SKUs in their product catalog and plan to expand it further,
• sell (or want to sell) in multiple markets and therefore need support for various currencies and languages,
• wish to modify online sales processes and the frontend layer to suit their needs.
  

2. Companies that want complete control over their data and costs

• want to host the system on their own server and have the freedom to change it,
• don’t want to pay licensing fees,
• want the ability to switch providers at any time without having to start from scratch.
  

3. Stores with non-standard processes that

• have specific pricing rules and want to translate them into online sales,
• need advanced configurators to sell efficiently online,
• must integrate their store with many external systems,
• have unusual workflows, e.g., in packing, order fulfillment, or returns.
  

4. B2B companies, wholesalers, and brands with distributor networks that

• need to implement functionalities specific to business-to-business trading – individual price lists, pricing hidden behind login, deferred payments, or quick orders,
• want to integrate their platform with ERP and WMS systems that serve as the company’s source of truth.
  

5. Businesses are ready to implement an open-source platform, meaning they

• have a tech team capable of handling maintenance, updates, security, and performance of the sales system (or they are willing to use an external e-Commerce agency),
• and have an adequate budget for implementing and maintaining their e-Commerce (check how much a PrestaShop store costs).

As you can probably see, PrestaShop is for those who want to tailor the platform to the business, not the business to the platform. They have ambitious development plans and want full control over their operations. And they can simply afford it. After all, Presta is not the cheapest solution on the market. The good news, however, is that it’s not the most expensive either. 😉

So, who is PrestaShop NOT a good option for?

• For tiny stores that have a minimal product catalog, a minimal implementation budget, and no technical background (in such cases, a SaaS solution like Shopify will work much better).
• For enterprise-level companies with large volumes of documents, extensive product catalogs, advanced customization needs, and an extensive technological ecosystem requiring complex integrations (in which case a solution like Magento will be a better choice).

Is PrestaShop for you?

Now that you know whether PrestaShop is for you, let’s move on to the advantages and disadvantages of this platform. Because yes, it does have its drawbacks (like every other solution).

And we’re not going to sugarcoat things or convince you that Presta is perfect – because, as we’ve already said, we don’t believe in perfect platforms. We do, however, believe in those who are more or less suited to specific businesses.

So let’s see whether PrestaShop is a good fit for your business. Let’s explore…

Advantages and disadvantages of PrestaShop

Let’s start with the positive aspects of this e-Commerce platform.

PrestaShop – advantages

• No licensing fees – it’s open-source software, so you don’t pay a monthly subscription or commission fees like in SaaS solutions.
• Complete control over your store and data – you have access to the code, hosting, and integrations, which allows you to build a solution perfectly aligned with your business strategy.
• Flexibility and scalability – you can implement both a simple B2C shop and a complex B2B platform with individual price lists and sophisticated integrations.
• A vast ecosystem of modules and integrations – you can use thousands of ready-made extensions available on the PrestaShop Addons marketplace.
• Ideal for companies with non-standard processes – you can fully customize the checkout, purchase path, or sales rules to your needs and the needs of your customers.
• Ready for international sales – Presta supports multiple languages, currencies, and VAT rates, making it easy to expand your cross-border sales.
• Strong SEO capabilities – you have complete control over URLs, meta tags, XML sitemaps, and content structure.
• Robust support for B2B – you can implement many features specific to B2B sales: customer groups, hidden prices, payment terms, individual price lists, and quick orders.
• Active community and availability of specialists – PrestaShop has gathered thousands of developers and agencies who know this technology inside out. They contribute to forums and are eager to help – support you can rely on.
• Possibility to integrate with any system – thanks to the open API, you can integrate your store with ERP, CRM, WMS, marketplaces, marketing automation, and any other tools you need.
• Ability to create a unique UX/UI – PrestaShop offers many themes you can use. But you don’t have to… You can also design your store entirely from scratch, aligned with your brand.

That’s enough praise for now. Let’s talk about the shortcomings of this e-Commerce platform.

PrestaShop – disadvantages

• No central technical support – responsibility for maintaining your sales platform lies with your developers or (if you don’t have them) your implementation partner.
• Higher technical complexity – creating, maintaining, and developing the store requires support from developers or an e-Commerce agency.
• Greater risk of errors during updates – mainly if your e-store includes many modules or custom solutions.
• Inconsistent module quality – not all plugins are well-made; some may cause conflicts. You need to be cautious.
• No simple “click and it works” model – the configuration and implementation of your store will take much more time than with a SaaS solution.
• More operational responsibilities: you must handle hosting, backups, testing, and security. It’s open source – there is no software provider taking care of these for you.
• Need for regular updates and audits – you must maintain your store regularly to avoid security and performance issues. No one will do this for you; this isn’t SaaS.
• Longer “time to market” – implementing a store takes much longer than on ready-made subscription platforms.

By building your e-Commerce on PrestaShop, you gain flexibility and complete control. However, you give up simplicity, peace of mind (because you must handle technical matters yourself), and low initial costs.

PrestaShop is not for everyone. But where e-Commerce is a key sales channel that needs to be integrated into business processes, this platform delivers a solid return on investment.

How much does a PrestaShop store cost?

It depends. 😡 We don’t want to mislead you by throwing random numbers into the air – that’s not what this is about. So we won’t give you a specific amount, because many factors influence it: the scale of your business, the level of customization you need, the scope of functionalities you want to implement, your customers’ needs, and the specifics of your processes.

Suppose we tell you that implementing a PrestaShop store costs 100,000 PLN, and you want a store with 50 custom modules, a complex configurator, an additional B2B platform, and cross-border sales. In that case, your budget will blow up much faster than you expect (much quicker).

PrestaShop is an open-source platform. So you don’t pay for the software license itself. The costs you will incur appear at the level of:

• store implementation and configuration,
• purchasing paid modules or themes,
• hosting and technical maintenance,
• ongoing development and integrations with external systems.

In practice, this means that the PrestaShop budget is scalable – you can start with a small store and a relatively low budget, and then grow your platform with additional functionalities, gradually increasing the costs.

Remember!

PrestaShop allows you to manage costs consciously. You decide which features to implement right away and which to develop in stages. Your e-Commerce investment grows alongside your business rather than outpacing it financially.

As you can guess, we won’t give you a specific implementation amount. However, if you want to understand all the cost components of PrestaShop – from implementation to maintenance and development – read our article: How much does a PrestaShop store cost?.

Summary

PrestaShop is a solid, flexible, and mature e-Commerce platform that has been evolving for years, giving businesses great freedom to build and expand their online sales.

However, it’s not a solution “for everyone,” but for those who want to influence how their store looks and works. For companies that need more than a ready-made template and want to adapt the technology to their business, not the other way around.

Like any open-source system, PrestaShop requires a fair amount of work – you need to take care of hosting, security, updates, and ongoing development. In return, however, it offers complete control, no licensing limitations, and the ability to build truly advanced, tailor-made solutions.

It’s precisely this independence and flexibility that have kept the platform among the top e-Commerce solutions in Poland and worldwide for years.

If you’re thinking about a store that you can develop step by step, adapting it to the changing needs of your business – and you don’t want to invest in building a fully custom platform – PrestaShop is a choice worth considering.