Starting a webshop begins with an important decision: which e-commerce platform will you use? WooCommerce, Magento, and PrestaShop are the three most popular open-source solutions. Each platform has its own strengths and limitations. In this article, we help you make the right choice.

Market position and popularity

Platform E-commerce Market Share Active Stores
WooCommerce 39% 6.5+ million
Magento 9% 250,000+
PrestaShop 6% 300,000+

WooCommerce is the absolute market leader, but that doesn't mean it's always the best choice for your situation.

Platform overview

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that transforms your website into a full-fledged webshop.

Core features:

  • Open-source and free
  • Runs on WordPress
  • 6,000+ extensions available
  • Unlimited products
  • Built-in payment gateways

Best for:

  • Small to medium webshops
  • Starting entrepreneurs
  • Existing WordPress users
  • Shops with <10,000 products

Magento (Adobe Commerce)

Magento is an enterprise-level e-commerce platform, now part of Adobe.

Core features:

  • Open-source version available
  • Extremely scalable
  • Multi-store functionality
  • B2B capabilities
  • Powerful API

Best for:

  • Large webshops
  • Enterprise businesses
  • B2B e-commerce
  • International expansion
  • Shops with complex catalogs

PrestaShop

PrestaShop is a dedicated e-commerce CMS, popular in Europe.

Core features:

  • Open-source and free
  • E-commerce focused
  • Active European community
  • Built-in e-commerce features
  • Multilingual and multi-currency

Best for:

  • Medium-sized webshops
  • European webshops
  • Shops that want to start quickly
  • Standalone e-commerce (no CMS needed)

Ease of use comparison

Aspect WooCommerce Magento PrestaShop
Installation 15 min 30-60 min 20 min
Learning curve Low High Medium
Daily management Easy Complex Medium
Adding products Very easy Medium Easy
Theme customization Easy Complex Medium

Performance and scalability

Aspect WooCommerce Magento PrestaShop
Products Up to 10,000 500,000+ Up to 50,000
Orders/day 100-500 10,000+ 500-2,000
Visitors/day 10,000 1,000,000+ 50,000
Hosting needed Shared/VPS VPS/Dedicated Shared/VPS
RAM requirement 512MB-2GB 4GB-16GB 1GB-4GB

Cost comparison

Initial costs

Cost Item WooCommerce Magento PrestaShop
Software Free Free/€20,000+* Free
Theme €0-100 €100-300 €80-200
Essential plugins €0-300 €0-500 €0-400
Setup/Development €500-2,000 €5,000-50,000 €1,000-5,000

Annual costs

Cost Item WooCommerce Magento PrestaShop
Hosting €100-500 €1,000-5,000 €200-800
Plugin updates €0-200 €0-500 €0-300
Maintenance €0-1,000 €2,000-10,000 €500-2,000

Total cost of ownership (first year)

Shop Size WooCommerce Magento PrestaShop
Starter €200-500 €7,000-15,000 €500-1,500
Medium €1,000-3,000 €15,000-40,000 €2,000-6,000
Enterprise €5,000-15,000 €50,000-200,000 €10,000-30,000

When to choose which platform?

Choose WooCommerce if:

  • You already have a WordPress website
  • Your budget is limited
  • You have less than 5,000 products
  • You're not technically inclined
  • Content marketing is important to you
  • You want design flexibility

Choose Magento if:

  • You have a large product catalog (10,000+)
  • You want to manage multiple stores
  • You combine B2B and B2C
  • You have budget for development
  • You plan international expansion
  • You need complex integrations

Choose PrestaShop if:

  • You want a dedicated e-commerce solution
  • You sell in Europe
  • You have a medium budget
  • You don't need WordPress
  • You want out-of-the-box e-commerce
  • You sell in multiple languages

Our recommendation

Situation Recommendation
Starting webshop, limited budget WooCommerce
Medium webshop, Europe focus PrestaShop
Large webshop, enterprise Magento
Existing WordPress site WooCommerce
B2B e-commerce Magento
Fastest online WooCommerce

Getting started

All three platforms are available at Theory7:

Still unsure? Contact our team for personal advice on which platform best suits your webshop!

Need help?

Can't figure it out? Our support team is here for you! Submit a ticket through the customer portal and we'll usually help you within a few hours.