Online Store Comparison 2021 – 2022
Without a doubt, e-commerce is becoming more important due to its potential reach and the exponential growth opportunities for a business. If a corporate website was already essential, an online store is even more critical for those who do not want to sell only in physical stores or simply want to sell their products online. Woocommerce vs Prestashop vs Shopify, an online store is the best showcase we can find. Given these circumstances and now decided to set up an online store, we come to the next question: Which online store manager is the best?
Prestashop vs Woocommerce vs Shopify in the Trenches
In this article, we will try to clarify the positive and negative points of each platform by analyzing the following points:
Cost of the Online Store
The first point is necessary, as depending on the budget we have, the type of online store we want to build, and our coding knowledge, one platform may be better suited than another.
- Prestashop: It is the most expensive CMS and perhaps the most complex. We start from the premise that all the CMS we will mention are free, but the modules that provide us with ease and/or functionality may be free or not. In the case of Prestashop, almost all modules that add functionality or design to the website are paid, so this could be a downside depending on the budget we have.
- Shopify: We have many free apps to set up our online store, although we also have paid ones, but most are freemium (free with a paid version). Shopify is a great option for a small online store, with a very affordable cost. However, we also have fewer functional advantages compared to the other two rivals.
- Woocommerce: Depending on the type of store we want to create, Woocommerce might be the best option. Most of the plugins are free, although many offer a premium version. There are also plugins that are paid. It is a platform with a large community, so if we have any doubts, we can easily find solutions by doing a quick search on Google.
Ease of Management
If you are a beginner or have limited knowledge, this is a key factor in the short, medium, and long term. The ability to manage your own online store is important if you want to make changes quickly and cheaply. If you have to request changes or it takes too long to make them, this will increase both costs and time.
- Prestashop: Prestashop is a very powerful tool and has many useful built-in functionalities, but it is also the most complex to manage. Warning! I don’t want to scare anyone. Eventually, everything can be learned and managed well, but at the end of the day, this is a comparison. We can say that, out of the three CMS, Prestashop is the most complex, both for making changes and for managing orders, returns, payment gateways, etc.
- Shopify: The simplicity of this CMS is practically universal. It is simple in managing orders, changes, etc. However, it is true that it falls short in other areas and does not have as many functionalities.
- Woocommerce: Perhaps the most balanced of the three, Woocommerce offers simplicity and many functionalities, although not as many as Prestashop, which for a small or medium store is more than enough.
SEO Positioning
One of the key factors and the most talked-about is SEO positioning, the advantages and disadvantages of each platform. We are quite clear on this. Any of the three can be positioned, but it is true that some make it easier than others.
- Woocommerce (The King): We know that Woocommerce is ultimately a plugin that turns WordPress into an online store. It allows for great customization and adding new content very simply. It enables OnPage optimization easily. We can say that in this regard, it is the clear winner, without losing sight of good technical optimization to make the site fast and ensure a good user experience.
- Shopify: It may be the one I like least in this regard, although optimization is quite simple, it does not reach the level of Woocommerce or Prestashop. We have SEO apps that make the work easier, and I insist, any of the three platforms can be positioned.
- Prestashop: OnPage optimization can be quite tedious, but it’s worth it. The SEO and e-commerce modules are paid and may be a little more cumbersome, as they don’t help as much as in Woocommerce. However, starting from Prestashop 1.7, with the change in the core of Prestashop, the speed of this platform improved considerably, making it, in my opinion, the fastest CMS. If you want to read more about technical SEO, here is an article on technical SEO audit.
Possibilities and Potential
In this regard, I will stick with two platforms: Prestashop and Woocommerce. There is a large community around them and they continue to grow constantly. Updates come frequently and they are capable of supporting a large number of URLs.
Regarding Shopify, it is true that it is also growing and is an exclusive platform for e-commerce, but I still find it a bit immature. I have no doubt it will end up being a great platform, but I believe it is still a little behind for now.
Performance and Speed
We already mentioned this a bit in the SEO positioning point, as it is one of the main pillars of SEO.
- Prestashop: In terms of performance and speed, Prestashop is capable of handling many URLs effectively. With the update in version 1.7, it improved significantly, becoming the leader in this area.
- Shopify: A platform that is fast as long as it is a simple online store without too much load and URLs. It is also worth mentioning that the platform is not the only factor; the server and how the store is set up also play a role.
- Woocommerce: The summary of this point in Woocommerce is simple. Powerful, as long as you don’t overload it with too many plugins, images, videos, etc.
Security
In this regard, all three platforms have plugins / modules / security apps and, practically, strong security will depend more on the hosting where your website is located.
If you still can’t decide and have doubts about which platform fits best for your business, don’t hesitate to request more information from us.
