HikaShop vs PrestaShop (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HikaShop and PrestaShop share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan, and HikaShop starts cheaper, at about $5.59 a month against about $26.81 a month.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
HikaShop grades higher on value for money. PrestaShop grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HikaShop
Ecommerce extension for Joomla and WordPress sites
PrestaShop
Open-source ecommerce software, free to self-host or sold hosted
Which one is for you
Pick HikaShop if
- Fits if you already have a Joomla or WordPress site and want to add a shop
- Makes sense if you want a cheap yearly licence for one site
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't run Joomla or WordPress, as it works only inside them
- Tight if you stay free: guest checkout, wishlist and personal email support are paid
- Watch out: paid editions cover one site for one year, and extending costs €40 or €70 a year
- Watch out: prices are in euros, and EU buyers without a VAT number pay tax at checkout
Pick PrestaShop if
- Fits if you want to own your store's code and data outright
- Works for developers building custom stores, or sellers in Europe who want VAT and GDPR tools hosted
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you've never set up a website, as PrestaShop says it takes technical knowledge
- Watch out: the free Classic version still needs hosting, a domain and any paid modules, with no costs given
- Watch out: the 14-day Hosted trial takes payment details at sign-up, and prices are in euros before VAT
- Pricey if you need expert help, as paid support starts at €90 for an hour of analysis
- Not for you if you want a phone app to run the shop, as it's web only
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHikaShopFair | 2.4GPAPrestaShopFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AEssential is €60 a year for one site, about €5 a month, under 60% of the category's $20 cheap start. Business is €120 a year. | CClassic is free, but you pay for hosting, a domain and any paid modules, and the listing has no figure for those. So we go on Hosted: €24 a month on yearly billing, in euros and before VAT (€29 monthly). That's the ordinary middle, and no PrestaShop fee on sales is listed. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Starter edition is free with unlimited products and orders, variants, inventory and tax rules. One site could run on it, with forum support. | BThe Classic software is free to download with unlimited products, and one person could run a shop on it for years. Hosting isn't free, though, and the 14-day Hosted trial takes payment details at sign-up. |
| Features | CCatalog, inventory, international selling and marketing tools. Guest checkout and wishlist need Essential, and the API and mobile app need Business. | CCheckout in 20 currencies across 190 countries, Google and social ads, eShip labels, Klaviyo email and SEO controls cover the basics. Past that you're adding from 3,200+ themes and modules, and the paid ones cost extra. |
| Ease of use | DNo rating on record. You need your own Joomla or WordPress site on your own hosting, and the vendor says it supports MySQL only. | CNo store rating on record. Hosted takes the server off your hands, but PrestaShop says installing and customizing a store takes some technical knowledge, and the free Classic route means running your own server. |
| Platforms and integrations | CRuns inside Joomla or WordPress only, with Stripe and PayPal links. The mobile app is Business only. | BWeb only, but with PayPal, Stripe, Klarna, Klaviyo, Google, Facebook, Instagram and Hostinger, 3,200+ themes and modules, and open code you can change freely. No phone or desktop app. |
| Best for | a shop inside an existing Joomla or WordPress site | custom stores you own, especially in Europe |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HikaShop and PrestaShop. How we grade
Price against what you get
HikaShop starts at about $5.59 a month and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PrestaShop starts at about $26.81 a month and scores 2.3.
PrestaShop scores higher, and starts $21.22 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other online store builders on the chart, 5 score higher than HikaShop for less, and 3 score higher than PrestaShop for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- PrestaShop is open source, according to its own site.
- HikaShop also covers templates and inventory.
At a glance
| HikaShop | PrestaShop | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €60 per year for 1 site | €24 per month excl. VAT, billed annually (Hosted; €29 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Starter edition: free, with unlimited products and orders, variants and inventory, payment and shipping plugins, tax rules, currencies and coupons, and forum support. | Classic: the open-source PrestaShop software, free to download and run on your own hosting, with unlimited products. Hosting, a domain and paid modules cost extra. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of Hosted; payment details are taken at sign-up |
| Web | ||
| Made by | HIKARI Software | PrestaShop |
| Price read from | hikashop.com | prestashop.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HikaShop
- It runs only inside Joomla or WordPress and needs your own hosting; the vendor says it supports MySQL only.
- Paid editions include one year of updates and support for one website; extending costs €40 per year on Essential and €70 per year on Business.
- Prices are listed in euros, and EU buyers without a valid VAT number pay a tax rate added at checkout.
- The REST API, mobile app and affiliate program are limited to the Business edition.
PrestaShop
- Classic is free to download, but hosting, a domain and any paid modules or themes cost extra; the offers page gives no figures for those costs.
- PrestaShop says installing and customizing a store takes some technical knowledge, especially to set it up on a server.
- Hosted is priced in euros excluding VAT, and its legal tools are built around European rules such as GDPR.
- Paid technical support is sold separately, from €90 for an hour of analysis and up to four hours of work.
Key features
HikaShop
- Catalog and inventory
- Categories, characteristics, variants, options and custom fields, with stock tracking, for small or large catalogs.
- International selling
- Languages, currencies, zones and tax rules, with more than 90 payment gateways listed on the homepage.
- Marketing tools
- Coupons and discounts, affiliate programs (Business edition) and email-marketing integrations.
- Built-in statistics
- A dashboard shows revenue, orders, average order value and top products.
- Customization
- Views, checkout, fields and emails can be overridden without forking the code.
- Marketplace and auctions
- HikaMarket (multi-vendor), HikaSerial and HikaAuction are sold as separate extensions.
PrestaShop
- Open-source store software
- Download PrestaShop free, install it on your own server and change any part of it, with unlimited physical and virtual products and product packs.
- PrestaShop Checkout with PayPal
- Take payments in 20 currencies across 190 countries, including PayPal installments, with Stripe, Klarna and other payment providers also offered.
- Google, Facebook and Instagram ads
- PrestaShop Marketing runs automated ads on Google networks, and PrestaShop Social syncs the catalog with Facebook and Instagram.
- Shipping and marketing automation
- eShip for PrestaShop prints labels and handles shipments, and PrestaShop Automation connects Klaviyo for targeted email campaigns.
- Marketplace and SEO tools
- Add from more than 3,200 themes and modules in the PrestaShop Marketplace, and manage custom URLs, meta tags, canonical URLs and redirects.
Plans
HikaShop
Starter$0
Unlimited products and orders, variants, inventory, payment and shipping plugins, tax rules and coupons, with forum support.
Essential€60
per year for 1 site
Adds custom fields, product options, guest checkout, multicart, wishlist, AI Commerce (UCP and MCP) and personal email support. Priced in euros.
Business€120
per year for 1 site
Adds the REST API, the HikaShop mobile app, an affiliate program, product filters and comparison, and prices per user group and zone. Priced in euros.
PrestaShop
Classic€0
Open-source PrestaShop 9 that you download and host yourself, with PrestaShop Checkout, ad tools, shipping and the Marketplace built in.
Hosted€24
per month excl. VAT, billed annually (€29 billed monthly)
Installed and hosted by PrestaShop, with automatic VAT calculation, GDPR and cookie tools, and support by email, chat or phone 6 days a week.
Ways to pay less
HikaShop
No public discounts listed.
PrestaShop
- Annual discount
Hosted billed annually saves 17%
The Hosted offer costs €290 a year excluding VAT, shown as €24 a month, against €29 a month without commitment.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HikaShop or PrestaShop?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HikaShop is cheaper to start with: about $5.59 a month, against about $26.81 a month for PrestaShop. HikaShop starts at €60 per year for 1 site, and PrestaShop starts at €24 per month excl. VAT, billed annually (Hosted; €29 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, HikaShop or PrestaShop?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both HikaShop and PrestaShop have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.