WooCommerce v/s Prestashop: Which Platform Suits Your Store?

woocommercevsprestashop

If you are at the crossroads of picking an eCommerce platform, then you have come to the right place. Picking an eCommerce platform will decide the rest of online business campaign. It will decide the kind of options you can keep, the level of marketing you can do and even the level to which you can customize.

Here is a quick guiding process that will help you figure out that if a fight between WooCommerce v/s Prestashop to easily choose a platform that will suit the needs of your online store.

Prestashop

Prestashop is a PHP/MySQL based platform that is designed only for the purposes of running an eCommerce store. Its specialty has made it quite popular among users who are only interested in creating a well functioning user friendly online store.

Till date Prestashop has had about 3.8 million downloads on their website and a community of 600,000 members that is ever increasing. Prestashop is currently a platform of over 185,000 stores and can proudly boast about being used in over 160 countries.

Here is graph that will show you how the popularity of Prestashop has increased over the years.

As the graph below shows, Prestashop began its journey in France and has been widely accepted in its European domain.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce unlike Prestashop is a plugin of WordPress that can be used by users who have made a website on WordPress. However, just because WooCommerce is a plug-in does not mean that it has any less functionality as compared to Prestashop.

WooCommerce is not far behind Prestashop in this race it has had over 3.4 million downloads and serves as a plug-in for over 260,000 websites.

Here is a graph that shows its rise to stardom.

In terms of regional domains WooCommerce has become very popular in among Asian countries and even parts of Europe.

Both platforms have perks that make them a worthy competition. While Prestashop is a very popular eCommerce platform that online entrepreneurs seek, WooCommerce on the other hand is one of the most popular plug-ins that WordPress users prefer when they wish to set up an online shop.

Distinguishing Features:

Ease of Use

Prestashop:

Although it is believed that Prestashop is a simple to use platform with an intuitive panel.

However, handling Prestashop can easily become a messy affair for users who wish to customize their web store and add extensions. The smarty website template system is not every coder’s cup of tea.

It is slightly outdated and can easily make the lives of amateur coders a living hell.

WooCommerce:

WooCommerce is a dynamic landscape that can be very easily manipulated and handled by PHP coders. With little knowledge of coding, WooCommerce is actually a clay piece in the hands of avid coders.

You can create a fully functional online store in no time.

Customization

Prestashop:

Prestashop is a very stiff program when it comes to customization. Especially in terms of graphics it is best to stick to the templates provided by Prestashop. Customization by amateur coders will only make matters worse.

Therefore, entrepreneurs who are on the lookout for a one of a kind solution, Prestashop would not be the ideal choice.

WooCommerce:

When it comes to customization options, then WooCommerce wins the case hands down.

WooCommerce is a plugin that comes with endless possibilities. It gives you the opportunity to create stores with specific needs in specific ways. It is simple to use and a breeze for everyday coders.

Content Management System

Prestashop:

The biggest drawback of Prestashop in today’s age is its inability to include versatile content for the purposes of SEO optimization. This lack of a coherent content management scheme has made many developers move away from Prestashop.

WooCommerce:

In this case WooCommerce again wins by a landslide. As it is a WordPress plug-in, it gives your store the opportunity to integrate a well functioning blog into their website.

With a functional Content Management System in toe, WooCommerce is an instant favorite for entrepreneurs who wish to use their website content to generate traffic and promote their services.

Multiple Stores

Prestashop:

Unlike WooCommerce, Prestashop has the ability to handle multiple store themes. This option makes Prestashop a better option between the two.  It makes your website look bigger and more versatile.

WooCommerce:

As a plugin, WooCommerce has the specifications to work on a single theme. It does not allow users to create multiple stores.

Popular Websites

Prestashop:

Prestashop has served as a platform for popular E-commerce websites like designandfurniture.com, timefy.com, snkrs.com and many more. Here is a link for a list of Prestashop websites that give you an idea of the kind of online stores that can be made via Prestashop,http://www.prestashop.com/en/showcase

WooCommerce:

Currently websites like Bfore.co.za, designgrotten.dk and many more. The case study section of Woothemes features plenty of WooCommerce websites that can give you an idea of how a WooCommerce website pans out, http://www.woothemes.com/tag/case-study/

Brief Table Comparison

 

 

Comparison Features WooCommerce Prestashop
Popularity B+ A+
Website Appearance A A+
PCI Compliance Yes Yes
Ease of Use Very Easy Moderate
Facebook Likes 484 44,797
SEO Friendly A+ B+
Ease of Customization Very Easy Moderate
Multiple Store No Yes
No. of Extensions/ plug-ins 31,576+ plug-ins 25000+ Extensions

 

 

Final Resolution:

 

Both shopping platforms are equally challenging. However, WooCommerce with its versatile admin panel, ease of use and fluid upgrade process is the definite winner of the two.

Prestashop’s feature of multiple stores has made it sought for by many users, but unlimited inventory option in WooCommerce has made the need for multiple stores redundant.