nopCommerce vs PrestaShop (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, PrestaShop grades higher than nopCommerce: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
PrestaShop grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PrestaShop
Open-source ecommerce software, free to self-host or sold hosted
Which one is for you
Pick nopCommerce if
- Fits if your team works in .NET and wants the source code
- Works for agencies building custom stores from plugins and themes
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a hosted store, as no hosted plan is listed
- Skip it if you can't run servers: install, updates and security are yours
- Watch out: premium support and the Web API plugin are paid, with prices not published
- Watch out: the project's own site blocked our check, so these facts come from its GitHub README
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
| 2.2GPAnopCommerceFair | 2.4GPAPrestaShopFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe software is free, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. Premium support and the Web API plugin are sold separately, with prices we couldn't read. | 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 | BFree and open source with no sales or product caps. You pay for hosting, and there's no hosted trial. | 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 | CRuns on .NET with a choice of SQL Server, PostgreSQL or MySQL, web farm support, plugins, themes and multi-factor sign-in. The REST API is a separate plugin. | 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 store rating on record. You install, host, update and secure it yourself, which assumes technical skill. | 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 | BWeb, running on Windows, Linux or Mac with Docker. A plugin and theme marketplace and a REST plugin connect other services. | 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 free .NET store you host yourself | 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: nopCommerce and PrestaShop. How we grade
Price against what you get
nopCommerce has no paid plan and scores 2.0 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 $26.81 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other online store builders on the chart, none scores higher than nopCommerce for less, and 2 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
At a glance
| nopCommerce | PrestaShop | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | €24 per month excl. VAT, billed annually (Hosted; €29 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 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 | nopCommerce | PrestaShop |
| Price read from | github.com | prestashop.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
nopCommerce
- There is no hosted plan on the pages read; you arrange hosting, installation, updates and security yourself.
- Premium support and the Web API plugin are separate paid products whose prices were not readable.
- The nopCommerce site and its documentation answered with a bot check, so facts here come from the project's GitHub README.
- The README says the core team gives professional support within 24 hours and has developed the product since 2008.
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
nopCommerce
- Runs where you choose
- Runs on .NET 10 on Windows, Linux or Mac, with Docker support and a choice of Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL or MySQL databases.
- Web farm support
- The README says it works across web farms and Azure, with all methods asynchronous, for stores that need to scale across servers.
- Plugins and themes
- A pluggable architecture and a marketplace for themes, plugins and integrations. Developers can write their own and sell them there.
- Web API plugin
- A REST plugin from the nopCommerce team covers backend and frontend methods, for connecting third-party services or mobile apps. It comes with source code.
- Multi-factor sign-in
- Multi-factor authentication is built in, alongside a store demo with both the customer front end and the admin area to try before installing.
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
nopCommerce
nopCommerce$0
Free, open-source software that you host and run yourself. Premium support, plugins and themes are priced separately.
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
nopCommerce
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, nopCommerce or PrestaShop?
As of Nov 12, 2026, nopCommerce is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $26.81 a month for PrestaShop. nopCommerce is free, and PrestaShop starts at €24 per month excl. VAT, billed annually (Hosted; €29 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, nopCommerce or PrestaShop?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both nopCommerce 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.