PrestaShop — Free, open-source (OSL-3.0) ecommerce platform for self-hosted online stores, with paid managed hosting and marketplace add-ons layered on top.
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
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Best for: merchants who want full code-level control of an open-source store without per-transaction platform fees
Pricing: Free to self-host the open-source Classic version; managed hosting and marketplace modules are priced separately and not published as static numbers.
- PrestaShop's core Classic software is free and open source, licensed under OSL-3.0.
- PrestaShop also offers a paid managed hosting plan and a marketplace of paid modules and themes.
- It holds a 4.3-star rating from 332 reviews on Capterra.
- Capterra sub-scores: Value for Money 4.4/5, Features 4.2/5, Ease of Use 4.2/5, Customer Service 3.9/5.
- PrestaShop's GitHub repository has over 9,200 stars and 96,000+ commits.
Limitations: Self-hosting means the merchant handles server management, security, and PCI compliance unless paying for managed hosting.; Reviewers' most common complaint is frequent bugs around updates.; Customer service is the lowest-rated category on Capterra.
Top alternatives: WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento (Adobe Commerce), BigCommerce, OpenCart — full list
What is PrestaShop?
PrestaShop is an open-source ecommerce platform written in PHP that merchants install and self-host to run their own online store, rather than renting a hosted SaaS platform like Shopify. Because the core Classic version is free and open source (OSL-3.0), merchants own their store's code and data outright and can customize it without platform-imposed limits or per-transaction revenue share. PrestaShop's marketplace offers thousands of modules and themes covering payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, Alma), shipping integrations, SEO and marketing tools, and multi-channel selling (Facebook and Instagram storefronts), most sold separately from the free core. For merchants who don't want to manage their own servers, PrestaShop also offers a managed hosting plan where it runs the technical infrastructure. This self-hosted, modular model trades the convenience of a fully-managed SaaS platform for full control over customization, hosting choice, and long-term cost — at the price of taking on server management, security patching, and PCI compliance responsibility unless a managed plan is purchased.
PrestaShop is an open-source ecommerce platform, licensed under the Open Software License 3.0, that merchants self-host to build and fully own an online store's code and data. The core Classic software is free to download and install; PrestaShop also sells a managed hosting plan where it handles infrastructure, and a marketplace of paid modules and themes (payment integrations like Stripe, Klarna, and Alma, plus shipping and marketing tools) covers features not in the free core. It holds a 4.3-star rating from 332 reviews on Capterra, with reviewers citing strong value for money (4.4/5) but weaker customer service (3.9/5) and frequent bugs around updates. Its GitHub repository has 9,200+ stars and over 96,000 commits.
Standout feature: A fully open-source (OSL-3.0) core with thousands of community modules and themes, and no mandatory revenue share on sales, unlike hosted SaaS platforms.
Biggest weakness: Capterra reviewers' most common complaint is frequent bugs and problems around updates, and Customer Service is the lowest-rated sub-category at 3.9/5; self-hosting also means merchants absorb hosting costs, security patching, and PCI compliance themselves unless they pay separately for the managed hosting plan.
Pros
- Core platform is free and open source (OSL-3.0) with no license fee or mandatory revenue share.
- Thousands of community modules and themes cover most ecommerce needs.
- Merchants fully own their store's code and data, unlike hosted SaaS platforms.
- Active open-source community with 9,200+ GitHub stars and a public Slack.
Cons
- Self-hosting means the merchant is responsible for server management, security patching, and PCI compliance unless they pay for managed hosting.
- Capterra reviewers' most common complaint is frequent bugs and problems tied to updates.
- Customer service scores lowest of any category on Capterra (3.9/5), and many useful modules cost extra on the marketplace.
PrestaShop pricing
Free · verified from the vendor's pricing page
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Classic (self-hosted) | Free | Free, open-source (OSL-3.0) download; merchant provides and manages their own hosting and installation. |
| Managed hosting | Custom | PrestaShop manages the technical infrastructure; exact pricing requires contacting sales or starting sign-up, and wasn't published as a static number on the pages fetched. |
What reviewers say
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