Do you want to put into place your online store, but don’t know which platform to use? No need to panic, you are not alone. In this article we will be comparing two open-source CMS (Content Management Systems) that are among the most frequently used for the creation of e-commerce websites: PrestaShop and WooCommerce. We will cover everything about these two platforms in terms of simplicity of use, price, features, plug-ins and themes, and customer support. Let’s go!
PrestaShop or WooCommerce: the basics
First of all, it is important to briefly present these two platforms and to mention that they are both excellent choices for use in creating your e-commerce website.
PrestaShop and WooCommerce are free open-source CMS that are easy to use, and among the most popular ones used around the world. These two options give you access to all the features necessary to put in place your online store, whether it be for the creation of your site, the publication and sale of your products, getting secure payment, or inventory management.
PrestaShop is a self-contained open-source e-commerce platform that you host yourself. WooCommerce, on the other hand, is an e-commerce plug-in that you add to a WordPress installation.
Now that we have presented the two solutions, let’s compare them in detail.
PrestaShop vs. WooCommerce
Let’s start with a presentation of the characteristics of WooCommerce, a WordPress e-commerce plugin. To use WooCommerce, you need to first install WordPress, then download the WooCommerce plugin.
1. PrestaShop vs. WooCommerce: price
WordPress is an open-source CMS that you can install for free, just as with the WooCommerce plugin, which can be downloaded for free as well.
You will only need to pay for a domain name as well as a web hosting plan. If you do this at Gandi, you can have web hosting starting at only €7.90 excl. VAT. If you choose a WordPress hosting at Gandi, profit from a free domain, 2 mailboxes of 3GB storage each, and an SSL certificate included.
Choose my WordPress hosting at Gandi
Like WordPress, PrestaShop is a free and open-source CMS. It is therefore free to install.
However, just like WooCommerce, the amount that you will need to spend depends on the domain name and hosting that you choose, since both are necessary to the creation of your online store.
At Gandi, get your PrestaShop hosting starting at €9.90 incl. VAT per month. With your PrestaShop hosting, register your domain name for free and get 2 email mailboxes with 3GB storage each and an SSL certificate included for free.
Choose my PrestaShop hosting at Gandi
Conclusion
➜ Tie
There is no difference in price between WordPress and PrestaShop, as they are both free. The price will depend on your choice of hosting and domain name registration.
2. PrestaShop vs. WooCommerce: comparing usage
Let us now talk about how easy these tools are to use.
WooCommerce is oriented towards users that are not professional developers, an important characteristic that means it is easy to use.
The downloading and installation is an absolute breeze! By choosing Gandi, the installation of WordPress only takes a couple minutes, and Gandi will do what is necessary to link your domain name to your hosting and then to WordPress for you. All that you need to do is to then install the WooCommerce plugin to WordPress.
Installing WordPress for my online store
The WordPress interface is very intuitive and you will get a feeling for how to use it in no time at all. The same is true for WooCommerce, its interface will allow you to show your products online, manage inventory, handle payment, etc. without difficulty.
Is PrestaShop easy to use, or at least as easy as its competitor?
Concerning its installation, nothing really differentiates the two. You just need to choose your PrestaShop hosting at Gandi and your domain name. Then, Gandi will handle the installation and linking of your domain name to your hosting, and then to PrestaShop.
Install my online PrestaShop store
The PrestaShop interface is also very intuitive. It is a little bit different than that of WordPress, though neither is really any easier to use than the other, it’s mainly a question of personal preference. There is one difference worth noting, however, and that is that the WordPress community is better developed, and so you will have a greater chance of finding tutorials to help you if needed.
Conclusion
➜ Advantage WordPress
The automatic installation and highly intuitive interface allows getting started with both PrestaShop and WooCommerce very quickly. We just note that there is a high quantity of help and tutorial documentation available for WordPress, which can definitely be an advantage if needed.
3. PrestaShop vs. WooCommerce: themes and plugin comparison
Other than the price of the tool and its ease of use, the possibilities of WooCommerce in terms of themes and plugin are crucial. These characteristics will determine the design and look of your online store and so its attractiveness.
Concerning the themes, WordPress is definitely the CMS that offers the largest catalog. A large variety of free themes are available for use by your WooCommerce store and can offer you everything that you need. You may then modify the look of the theme that you have chosen as you wish. If you need specific options, you also have the possibility of buying special themes. Finally, it is also possible to directly modify the code of the website.
The number of plugins available for WordPress is considerable. You will find plugins for working on the design of your website and its management. There is a plugin for every feature you can imagine: marketing, SEO, data analysis, menus, widgets, forms, etc.
See our selection of plugins that we recommend for your website
Additionally, thanks to WooCommerce, you can manage your products, inventory, delivery, payment, promotions, etc. with ease.
Moving on to the design side of PrestaShop, you have access to a large catalog of themes that are specially designed for an online store. You have access to a wide range of free themes from which to choose, though you can also purchase special themes if you want. Nevertheless, the selection is somewhat limited in comparison with WooCommerce.
Just like WooCommerce, PrestaShop themes give you the possibility of modifying them as you wish, including even changing their source code if you want to personalize them even more.
You will have all the tools you need for the design of the page, the management of your PrestaShop online store, its menus, widgets, product insertion, inventory management, delivery, payment, SEO, etc.
You also have many plugins at your disposal in order to personalize the features of your site. However, the catalog of plugins is smaller than that of WordPress, notably in that which concerns free plugins, which means that it is often necessary to purchase special plugins in order to add an even greater level of customization.
Conclusion
➜ Advantage WordPress
For beginners or those on a tight budget, the comparison of the two gives the advantage once more to WordPress, which offers more free plugins than PrestaShop.
4. PrestaShop vs. WooCommerce: comparison of customer support cost
Unlike Gandi and its customer support by chat and ticket system, WooCommerce does not have dedicated support. As it is a free and open-source content management system, WordPress can not put into place a team of technicians to serve as customer support teams.
However, you can count on an omnipresent community of over 3 million members. Whether it is WordPress documentation, community-based forums, FAQs, or even online video tutorials, you will find what you are looking for without any problem.
Don’t worry, the WordPress community will help you in all circumstances and you will never feel left to figure it out all by yourself.
How is PrestaShop’s customer support versus that of WordPress?
Like WordPress, PrestaShop does not have a dedicated customer support team for free. Unlike the former, however, with PrestaShop you can purchase customer support. It is possible to have assistance for any problem you encounter, however it will cost you €248.99 excl. VAT for their customer support service.
Conclusion
Advantage WordPress
If you do not want to pay for customer support, you can make use of the PrestaShop community just like you would with WordPress. However the PrestaShop community is much smaller than WordPress’, so it would be more difficulty to find answers to your questions.
Final Comparison
PrestaShop and WooCommerce both have their advantages and disadvantages. Whichever you choose, you will be able to put in place an attractive online store and to manage all aspects of your e-commerce website.
Nonetheless, keep in mind that thanks to the WordPress community that is omnipresent around the world, WooCommerce has a slight advantage in terms of options and support.
All that remains is for you to make your choice and get started on your e-commerce adventure! With Gandi, choose your WordPress or PrestaShop hosting and benefit from the automatic installation of the CMS, with a domain offered, 2 email mailboxes of 3GB storage each, and an SSL certificate.
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