PrestaShop vs VirtueMart (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, PrestaShop grades higher than VirtueMart: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
PrestaShop grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
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 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
Pick VirtueMart if
- Fits if you already run Joomla and want a free shop
- Works for people who can get by on forum help
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you don't use Joomla, since it only runs there
- Skip it if you're moving to Joomla 6, as release 4.6.0 is marked as not working on it
- Watch out: no paid support plan is listed, only the forum and partner agencies
- Tight if you want a hosted shop, because you need your own hosting
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPrestaShopFair | 2.0GPAVirtueMartFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CFree to download, but you host it, so it sits in the middle. Third-party extensions and templates may cost extra. |
| Free plan and 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. | BThe core extension is free with no caps. Hosting and any add-ons are on you. |
| Features | 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. | CProducts, multi-language shops, payments, shipping and tax, shopper groups and inventory. The Joomla 6 gap means it doesn't cover the newest Joomla. |
| Ease of use | 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. | DNo rating on record. You install it into a Joomla site on your own hosting. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | CRuns only on Joomla, with PayPal, Stripe and Authorize.Net links. No apps. |
| Best for | custom stores you own, especially in Europe | Joomla sites that want a free shop extension |
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: PrestaShop and VirtueMart. How we grade
Price against what you get
PrestaShop starts at about $26.81 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. VirtueMart has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
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, 3 score higher than PrestaShop for less, and none scores higher than VirtueMart 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
- VirtueMart also covers inventory.
At a glance
| PrestaShop | VirtueMart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | €24 per month excl. VAT, billed annually (Hosted; €29 billed monthly) | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | The core extension is free to download and use; third-party extensions and templates may cost extra. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Hosted; payment details are taken at sign-up | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | PrestaShop | VirtueMart |
| Price read from | prestashop.com | virtuemart.net |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
VirtueMart
- It runs only on Joomla and needs your own hosting.
- Release 4.6.0 is marked by the vendor as not working on Joomla 6; a VirtueMart 5 is planned for that.
- No paid support plan is listed on the site; help comes from the forum and community, and partner agencies are listed.
Key features
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.
VirtueMart
- Product management
- Products, nested categories, attributes and variants, with multiple media types such as images, PDFs and videos.
- Multi-language shops
- Built-in multi-language support for stores aimed at several markets.
- Payments, shipping and tax
- Payment gateways including PayPal, Stripe and Authorize.Net, plus shipping and tax calculation by weight, destination and tax rate.
- Shopper groups
- Groups change how prices are shown or calculated, for example prices with tax for B2C and without for B2B.
- Inventory
- Stock tracking, low-stock notifications and backorder management.
Plans
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.
VirtueMart
VirtueMart$0
Free open-source extension for Joomla that you install on your own site.
Ways to pay less
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.
VirtueMart
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, PrestaShop or VirtueMart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, VirtueMart is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $26.81 a month for PrestaShop. PrestaShop starts at €24 per month excl. VAT, billed annually (Hosted; €29 billed monthly), and VirtueMart is free.
Which has a free plan, PrestaShop or VirtueMart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both PrestaShop and VirtueMart 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.