Prestashop vs osCommerce

March 11, 2025 | Author: Sandeep Sharma
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Prestashop
PrestaShop is an eCommerce website builder to create and manage your online business. PrestaShop is a freemium, open source e-commerce solution.
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osCommerce
osCommerce (“open source Commerce”) is an e-commerce and online store-management software program. It can be used on any web server that has PHP and MySQL installed. It is available as free software under the GNU General Public License. Provides a wide range of add-ons for extended functionality and customization.

PrestaShop and osCommerce are both open-source eCommerce platforms, which means they are wonderfully free, completely customizable and occasionally capable of driving their users to the brink of madness. They let you add modules, tweak settings and pretend you always wanted to be a web developer. Both can handle multiple languages and currencies, just in case you plan on selling alpaca wool socks to both Swedes and Australians. And, naturally, neither of them comes with a magical button labeled "Make Perfect Online Store Instantly," which is rather disappointing.

PrestaShop appeared in 2007 in France, a country known for its love of fine things, such as baguettes, wine and aesthetically pleasing UI design. It has a sleek, modern interface that makes you feel like you actually know what you're doing. It’s packed with built-in SEO tools, marketing features and an official marketplace full of themes and modules that you can buy when you realize that "free" is a relative concept. Perfect for small to medium businesses or anyone who prefers their eCommerce solution not to look like it was cobbled together by a time traveler from the early 2000s.

Speaking of time travelers from the early 2000s, osCommerce was released in 2000 in Germany and still carries that turn-of-the-century charm, meaning it’s gloriously flexible but demands an intimate relationship with raw PHP. It relies on its enthusiastic community to provide add-ons, support and occasional emotional therapy. While PrestaShop is friendly and polished, osCommerce is like a powerful but grumpy wizard—perfect for developers who enjoy full control and don’t mind getting their hands dirty in the code. It may not be the easiest thing to use, but if you like puzzles, problem-solving and possibly yelling at your computer at 3 AM, this might be the one for you.

See also: Top 10 Online Store Builders
Author: Sandeep Sharma
Sandeep is a marketing expert with a wealth of knowledge in various domains: customer relationship management, social media management, advertising, search engine optimization, website building, Sandeep has established himself as a multifaceted professional. He honed his skills while working at Salesforce and Hubspot, where he gained invaluable insights into the industry. Now, as the proud owner of a small advertising consulting agency, Sandeep continues to provide innovative and effective strategies to businesses, helping them thrive in the competitive landscape of digital marketing. You can contact Sandeep via email sandeep@liventerprise.com