PrestaShop review: open-source ecommerce platform. See self-hosted vs Hosted pricing, key features, and alternatives like Shopify and WooCommerce.
PrestaShop is a free, open-source ecommerce platform that has powered online stores since 2007, giving merchants a self-hosted option built on PHP and Symfony. Because the core software is open source, store owners keep full control over their code, data, and hosting environment rather than depending on a single SaaS vendor for uptime and pricing decisions.
Founded in Paris and still headquartered there as PrestaShop SA, the company has built a large ecosystem around the core platform: a marketplace of paid modules and themes, a network of certified agency partners, and a managed hosting product for merchants who want the openness of PrestaShop without running their own servers. The platform reports more than 250,000 active stores and a community of over a million members globally.
At its core, PrestaShop provides catalog management, multi-store and multi-language support, built-in SEO controls, and integrations with major payment and shipping providers, all customizable through PHP-based modules and themes. Merchants who need capabilities beyond the free core can add paid modules from the Addons Marketplace covering areas like checkout optimization, marketing automation, shipping rules, and social commerce.
Compliance tooling for VAT calculation and GDPR/cookie consent is built into both the Classic and Hosted editions, and the platform includes tools for scaling a single install across multiple stores or currencies. For merchants who prefer not to manage servers, PrestaShop Hosted bundles installation, hosting, and support so the technical maintenance burden shifts to PrestaShop while the merchant retains most of the customization options of the open-source edition.
The PrestaShop Classic edition is free to download and self-host indefinitely, with merchants paying only for their own hosting infrastructure and any paid modules or themes they choose from the Addons Marketplace. PrestaShop Hosted, the managed option, starts at roughly 24 dollars per month billed annually, about 29 dollars per month with no commitment, and includes 50GB of hosting, store installation, and compliance tooling.
Larger retailers can move to a custom-priced PrestaShop Enterprise edition, which industry pricing guides estimate can start in the low thousands of dollars per month with a minimum contract term, reflecting dedicated infrastructure, account management, and enterprise-grade support. Across all tiers, the total cost of running a PrestaShop store also depends heavily on which paid modules, themes, and agency services a merchant chooses to add.
The Classic core platform is free and open source to download and self-host; PrestaShop Hosted and Enterprise are paid managed options.
A managed edition that bundles hosting, installation, and support for merchants who don't want to run their own servers, starting around 24 to 29 dollars per month.
No, the self-hosted core does not charge a percentage fee on sales; costs come from hosting, modules, and optional paid services.
PrestaShop is built with PHP and the Symfony framework.
Yes, migration is common and supported by third-party tools and PrestaShop's certified agency partners.
PrestaShop reports more than 250,000 active online stores and over a million community members worldwide.
Yes, multi-language and multi-currency support are built into the core platform.