OpenCart vs PrestaShop (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, OpenCart and PrestaShop share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan, and OpenCart has no paid plan to buy, against about $26.81 a month for PrestaShop.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
OpenCart grades higher on features. PrestaShop grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan 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 OpenCart if
- Fits if you already have web hosting and want no software fee
- Works for sellers who need several storefronts from one admin
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a hosted store, as you run it yourself
- Pricey if you need help: a version update starts at $300, a bug fix at $100 and a backup is $50
- Watch out: extensions and themes come from third parties, and many cost extra
- Skip it if you want the hosted OpenCart Cloud priced up front, as that goes through ScalaHosting
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
| 2.4GPAOpenCartFair | 2.4GPAPrestaShopFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree to download with no monthly fee, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. Many marketplace extensions and themes are paid. | 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 | BA free download with no caps on products or categories. You pay for your own hosting. | 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 | BMulti-store admin, an unlimited catalog, 36 payment methods, multi-currency, 40+ languages, coupons and an affiliate system. The listing shows no gap in the core store job. | 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, update, secure and back up the store yourself, or pay someone to. | 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, with a marketplace of over 13,000 modules and themes for shipping, payments, marketing and accounting. | 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 PHP store on your own hosting | 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: OpenCart and PrestaShop. How we grade
Price against what you get
OpenCart has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PrestaShop starts at about $26.81 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and OpenCart starts $26.81 a month lower. Of the other online store builders on the chart, none scores higher than OpenCart 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
- OpenCart also covers digital downloads.
At a glance
| OpenCart | 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 | OpenCart | PrestaShop |
| Price read from | opencart.com | prestashop.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
OpenCart
- You install, update, secure and back up the store yourself or pay a host or partner to do it.
- Dedicated support is sold per job: a version update starts at $300, a bug fix at $100 and a one-time backup is $50.
- OpenCart Cloud, the hosted option, is signed up for through ScalaHosting, whose pricing is not recorded here.
- Extensions and themes come from third parties in the marketplace, and many cost extra.
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
OpenCart
- Multi-store admin
- Several stores can be managed from one admin screen, each with its own theme, localized settings and per-store product prices.
- Unlimited catalog
- No cap on products or categories, with product options and attributes, filters, reviews and ratings, reward points and downloadable products.
- Payments and currencies
- 36 payment methods ship with it, including PayPal, Klarna and Authorize.Net, plus recurring payments and multi-currency pricing with automatic rate updates.
- Languages
- Available in more than 40 languages, including right-to-left ones such as Arabic and Hebrew.
- Marketplace and extensions
- A marketplace of over 13,000 modules and themes covers shipping, payments, marketing, accounting and reporting.
- Built-in marketing tools
- Coupons, discounts and specials, an affiliate system with set commission percentages, and a newsletter signup are part of the core software.
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
OpenCart
OpenCart$0
Free download with no monthly fees. You supply and pay for your own hosting; paid themes and extensions are optional.
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
OpenCart
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, OpenCart or PrestaShop?
As of Nov 12, 2026, OpenCart is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $26.81 a month for PrestaShop. OpenCart is free, and PrestaShop starts at €24 per month excl. VAT, billed annually (Hosted; €29 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, OpenCart or PrestaShop?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both OpenCart 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.