Let Me Be Honest From The Start
I don't have a horse in this race. I build on both PrestaShop and WooCommerce regularly, and I'll recommend whichever one actually makes sense for your situation. What I won't do is pretend one is universally better than the other—because that's just not true.
I'm writing this because I'm tired of seeing comparison articles written by people who've clearly never built a real store on one (or both) of these platforms.
My Experience With Both
I've built around 30+ stores on WooCommerce and about 15 on PrestaShop. My biggest PrestaShop project handles over 1,000 orders daily for a major South African electronics retailer. My most complex WooCommerce build was a multivendor marketplace with a custom consolidated shipping system.
So yeah, I've seen what both can do when pushed to their limits.
When I Recommend WooCommerce
**You're already on WordPress.** If you have an existing WordPress site with content, blog posts, and SEO value, WooCommerce slots right in. You're not starting from scratch.
**You need lots of customization options.** The WordPress plugin ecosystem is massive. Whatever you need—memberships, subscriptions, bookings, courses—there's probably a plugin for it.
**Your budget is tighter.** WooCommerce itself is free, and there are quality free plugins for most basic needs. You can get a functional store running for less upfront.
**You want to manage it yourself.** WooCommerce's interface is generally more intuitive for business owners who want to handle day-to-day operations without a developer.
When I Recommend PrestaShop
**You're dealing with large catalogues.** PrestaShop handles thousands of products more gracefully than WooCommerce out of the box. I've seen WooCommerce stores with 5,000+ products start to struggle without significant optimization.
**Multi-currency/multi-language is critical.** PrestaShop was built for international commerce. These features are native, not bolted on.
**You need robust inventory management.** Stock management, supplier integration, warehouse coordination—PrestaShop's backend is built for this. It's why I used it for the Geewiz project.
**Performance is non-negotiable.** PrestaShop is generally faster out of the box for e-commerce specifically. It's purpose-built, whereas WooCommerce is a plugin on a blogging platform (let's be honest about that).
The Uncomfortable Truths
About WooCommerce:
About PrestaShop:
What About Shopify?
I knew someone would ask. Shopify is fine for simple stores where you don't need much customization. But you're locked into their ecosystem, you pay transaction fees on top of subscription fees, and the moment you need something custom, you're hitting walls.
For South African businesses specifically, Shopify's payment gateway options are more limited and more expensive than what you can do with WooCommerce or PrestaShop + PayFast.
My Recommendation Framework
**Go WooCommerce if:** You're a small-to-medium business, you value flexibility, you have (or want) a strong content marketing strategy, and you're comfortable with ongoing maintenance.
**Go PrestaShop if:** You're a medium-to-large operation, you have substantial inventory, you sell internationally, and performance is critical.
**Go Custom if:** Neither platform fits, you have very specific requirements, and you have the budget to build and maintain something bespoke.
Let's chat about your specific situation
One More Thing
Don't let anyone tell you that you chose the "wrong" platform after your site is built. Both platforms run successful businesses. What matters more than the platform is how well it's implemented, how it's maintained, and whether it actually serves your customers well.
The best platform is the one that gets out of your way and lets you focus on running your business.