Is Prestashop Worth It? Its Pros and Cons Discussed
Overwhelmed by the abundance of ecommerce platforms? Looking for a simple but effective solution?
PrestaShop is an industry veteran. This free ecommerce platform enables business owners to create and grow online stores effectively. In this article, we’ll discuss what are the pros and cons of PrestaShop, whether it can handle global customers, what integration capabilities it has, and more.
Intro
What is PrestaShop?
PrestaShop is an open-source ecommerce platform that popped up on the scene in 2007. It’s still widely used today – more than 250,000 are powered by it.
Available in more than 75 languages, PrestaShop also supports numerous currencies. In addition, the platform offers 6,000 themes and modules.
If you compare it to WooCommerce, you’ll easily see why PrestaShop is not the most popular solution out there.
But don’t let that fool you.
With more than 15 years of ecommerce experience, the team behind PrestaShop has managed to create a great solution with a lot to offer.
PrestaShop Pros
The easiest way to determine whether PrestaShop is the right tool for you is to check out its advantages.
Budget-Friendly Options
That one is pretty self-explanatory. PrestaShop’s basic version is available for everyone, no matter their budget. True, this limits you to the default theme, however, if you tweak the code a bit, you still get something unique.
Of course, you can always pay for additional themes and plugins to enrich the Basic Edition. That’s still pretty budget-friendly, as the marketplace has lots of free and low-cost options on that front.
Easy to Use
Once set up, PrestaShop is pretty intuitive. It comes with pre-installed starter modules, so even if you’re new to the ecommerce world, you’ll still do fine. The user-friendly interface is also a huge bonus. You can also add plugins to make your life easier.
Now, if you have some coding knowledge, using PrestaShop is a breeze. You can easily customize it to fit your purpose via the source code.
Flexible and Scalable
PrestaShop is an open-source platform, which means its code is available for users to modify to fit any needs. If you have the necessary technical knowledge, you can create an outstanding online shop and provide your customers with a one-of-a-kind user experience.
In addition, the PrestaShop Marketplace offers more than 4,000 plugins you can install to get more features. From specific design options and administration tools to niche additions, the modules have something for everyone.
Reliable Payment Options
PrestaShop offers integrations with several big payment providers, including, but not limited to:
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- PayPal
- Amazon Pay
- Revolut
- Stripe
- SumUp
The ecommerce solution also has its own direct payment option – PrestaShop Checkout. Thanks to the free PCI-compliant SSL certificate that you get, your online business will be able to safely handle and store delicate client data.
Multilingual and Multi Currency Options
In order for your online shop to succeed, it must be made available to a global audience. PrestaShop is available in more than 75 languages, which covers a pretty wide customer base.
The platform also supports multiple currencies, including:
- USD
- EUR
- GBP
- SAR
- AED
And many more.
You can add and configure new currencies according to your needs.
PrestaShop Cons
As any platform out there, PrestaShop has some weaknesses as well. Let’s see if they are a deal-breaker.
Limited Features
The thing about PrestaShop is that it’s a basic solution. Sure, it comes with pre-installed modules, but they are also just the basic ones. For any additional tools, you’ll need to get more plugins.
Some, unfortunately, can be quite expensive. That’s hardly ideal if your budget is really tight. When compared to OpenCart, for example, PrestaShop definitely lacks in some areas.
Support Is Credit-Based
One of the main disadvantages of PrestaShop is the support part.
Most ecommerce solutions offer free support, albeit limited, for their free plans. PrestaShop does too, but you’ll need to pay. The prices, unfortunately, are pretty steep.
For example, you’ll have to pay:
- €249 for tech support
- €248.99 for migration and updates
- €90 for the performance pack
Security Issues
The PCI-compliant SSL certificate is neat, but it’s not all you need. In fact, it’s a pretty basic feature.
If you want – and trust us, you do – more security tools, you’ll have to pay. PrestaShop charges €720 for additional safety measures, status reports, file cleanups, security flaws overview, and the like.
Additional Investments Needed
We’ve already covered the support and some of the plugins, but that’s not all. You’ll also need to invest in web hosting and a domain name. That means additional costs for you.
The good news, however, is that a good PrestaShop hosting provider will solve three of the aforementioned issues – setup, support, and security.
Ecommerce Hosting with ScalaHosting
We have outlined three key areas you need to focus on. We’ll tackle them one by one.
ScalaHosting’s VPS plans give you access to our cloud management platform, SPanel. It’s integrated with the best-known auto-installer – Softaculous. Thanks to it, you’ll be able to install and use PrestaShop in a matter of minutes.
That’s the setup out of the way.
SPanel also comes with SShield. The advanced security tool monitors your website for safety issues and online attacks and stops 99.998% of them before they even reach your server.
Your security is guaranteed.
To make things easier for our clients, our dedicated support team is available 24/7. They can be reached via chat and email and are ready to help with any issues without additional charges.
Our support team is always ready to provide expertise.
Shoot us a message today, and we’ll tell you more about our services!
Wrap Up
PrestaShop has tackled 15 years of ecommerce challenges and has grown to become one of the most reliable online shopping solutions. As any free platform, it does have its weak points. Thankfully, they are nothing that a good hosting provider can’t make up for.
FAQ
Q: What are the disadvantages of PrestaShop?
A: PrestaShop has four main disadvantages. As it comes with limited features and some of its plugins are costly. The platform also charges for support, and the prices are steep. It’s lacking on the security front, which you’ll also need to spend money on. Last but not least, you’ll need to pay for hosting and a domain name.
Q: Do you have to pay for PrestaShop?
A: PrestaShop is open-source, which means it is free to download and use. However, you will have to pay for hosting, support, modules, themes, and more. When you draw the line on the additional investments you need to make, PrestaShop might not fit a tighter budget.
Q: Is PrestaShop still being used?
A: PrestaShop has been in the industry for 15 years and currently powers more than 250,000 online stores. According to the official website, it was the most popular open-source ecommerce solution in Europe and Latin America in 2021. So, safe to say that PrestaShop is still being used regularly.
