Platform Battle – PrestaShop vs Magento
Battle of the Platforms
This platform battle goes out to all of the medium to large sized business out there that are thinking about taking a walk on the open source side of E-Commerce.
Maybe you’re tired of the fees and bandwidth overages, or your business has simply outgrown the scalability of your current hosted solution. Many who are ready to say goodbye to their hosted platform wonder which solution is better, PrestaShop or Magento?
However, much like the debate of purchasing a Porsche vs. a Ferrari, each solution has its pros and cons, and determining which open source software is the best fit for a business truly depends on the requirements and budget of the owner.
The Porsche – PrestaShop
PrestaShop was founded in Paris, and is used in over 160 countries. To use the open source version of the software, download and install it on your web hosting account. This will give you access to the code, database, and control over your server. PrestaShop is reliable and maintenance costs are relatively low compared to Magento.
Simple Installation & Flexible Interface
Written in PHP and based on Smarty Template Engine
Finding a quality programmer is easy
SEO & Marketing Features Galore
9.5% of the Market Share
The Ferrari – Magento
Magento is owned by eBay and has a templating architecture that provides you with the ability to customize your store so it is exactly the way you want it. Magento has recently slimmed down their product line and phased out their hosted options (Magento Go and ProStores), leaving the Enterprise Edition ($15,000+) and Community Edition (Free).
Released in 2008 & Built to Scale
Written in PHP and utilizes elements of Zend Framework
Used by big name companies ( Nike, Ghirardelli, and Franklin)
25.6% of the Market Share
PrestaShop & Magento
Both solutions are feature rich, and have a massive community that is dedicated to the open source solutions. Concerned about page load time and overall speed? Make sure you have uninstalled any unnecessary modules, and invest in a quality template and server. Unlike Magento, PrestaShop will work on a shared server, but a dedicated server is best if you are expecting a large amount of traffic.
If you have a big budget and an in-house team that is dedicated to managing your site, then Magento will certainly do the trick. Setup fees and long-term, however, keep in mind that Magento can be quite pricey. Also, a good Magento developer can be hard to find, as it requires a developer that has a clear understanding of object oriented development and core software.
The Winner Is…
When considering which is the most reliable and affordable to setup/maintain – PrestaShop is the winner of this platform battle. PrestaShop is great for users who are not 100% familiar with code, and do not have an in-house development team. There are many great templates to choose from, and you can customize your store to fit the needs of your business.
Although Magento is a great option for open source E-Commerce, and it is trusted by many big name companies, don’t let the flashy Ferrari cloud your judgement. Magento is not the only option out there, and if you do not have the resources or budget for a Magento store, you might want to consider giving PrestaShop a try. If you want to ease into PrestaShop and not fully commit to a 3rd party hosting provider just yet, they offer a free cloud option.
Which solution do you think is best? Post your comments below.
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