OpenCart vs PrestaShop: Two Free Shop Platforms Compared for European Sellers
Running costs, hosting options, multi-store and languages, and what each lets you list on marketplaces.
7 days for £1, then from £9/month.
- OpenCart and PrestaShop are both free, open-source shop software that you host yourself.
- PrestaShop also sells a hosted version from €24 a month before VAT. OpenCart has its own hosted service, OpenCart Cloud.
- PrestaShop is French, founded in 2007, and counts more than 230,000 stores. OpenCart counts more than 471,000.
- For marketplace selling, FLUF Connect reads PrestaShop products with their combinations. On OpenCart it reads simple stock-tracked products only, for now.
You run a small web shop, or you are about to, and both names keep coming up because neither charges a licence fee. This page is for owners in the UK and Europe deciding between the two, or thinking of moving. If you want a shop with no server to look after at all, a hosted subscription such as Shopify may suit you better, and our OpenCart vs Shopify comparison covers that choice.
The two platforms in a table
| OpenCart | PrestaShop | |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Open source, “zero monthly fees” | Open source, “no commission on sales” |
| Hosted option | OpenCart Cloud | PrestaShop Hosted, from €24 a month excluding VAT |
| Self-hosting budget | Set by your host | PrestaShop estimates around €15 a month minimum for hosting and a domain |
| Latest release | 4.1.0.4, 11 August 2026 | PrestaShop 9.2, September 2026 |
| Stores using it | 471,000+ by OpenCart’s count | 230,000+ by PrestaShop’s count |
| Several shops, one back office | Check the extensions you need | Built-in multi-store |
| Owner | The OpenCart project | Part of the cyber_Folks group since 2026 |
What you pay to run each
Neither project takes a cut of your sales. The money goes on hosting, a domain, a payment gateway, a theme and modules. PrestaShop is unusually open about the floor. Its platform page says a self-hosted Classic shop needs around €15 a month at minimum for hosting and a domain, and the Hosted offer starts at €24 a month before VAT.
Put those side by side over a year. Self-hosting at PrestaShop’s €15 estimate comes to €180. The Hosted plan at €24 comes to €288 before VAT, and in exchange PrestaShop handles the technical side. OpenCart does not publish a hosting estimate, so take quotes from two or three hosts. Expect a similar range for a small shop, since both are PHP applications with modest needs.
Modules are where the two bills drift apart. Both have paid add-on stores, and a shop that needs a marketplace connector, a local courier and an invoicing tool can spend more on modules in year one than on hosting. Price your must-have list before you choose.
Strengths of each
PrestaShop grew up in France and is strongest in European markets. Its platform page says the software is translated into several languages and can show prices in several currencies with different VAT rates. It also offers multi-store management, so a business with one site per country can run them all from a single back office. In 2026 it joined cyber_Folks, a European group that also runs the Sylius platform, and its 9.2 release added a unified one-page checkout.
OpenCart is the smaller, plainer install. One application, one admin panel, and a marketplace of 13,000+ modules and themes. Its forum has more than 110,000 registered members. People who find PrestaShop’s back office heavy often like how little there is to learn in OpenCart.
Which one to choose
- PrestaShop if you sell across several EU countries, want multi-store from day one, or would like the option of a hosted plan from the software’s own company.
- OpenCart if your catalogue is simple, you want the lightest install, and you are comfortable choosing a host and applying updates.
- Either works if all you need is a catalogue, a checkout and a payment gateway. Pick the one whose modules for your couriers and payment provider are current.
Adding marketplaces with FLUF Connect
A web shop sells to people who already know it exists. FLUF Connect takes the shop’s catalogue and lists it on marketplaces such as eBay, Allegro and Etsy, among the 65 it supports, then keeps stock in step when something sells.
The two shops connect differently. PrestaShop needs no module: you enter your shop address and an access key that you create in the PrestaShop back office. OpenCart uses the FLUF Connect extension from the OpenCart Marketplace, which you install under Extensions, then Installer, and enable under Extensions, then Modules.
| What FLUF Connect does | OpenCart shop | PrestaShop shop |
|---|---|---|
| Shops that can connect | OpenCart 4.1.0.4, the default store, on a public HTTPS address | PrestaShop shops, connected with the shop address and a back-office access key |
| Products it brings in | Stock-tracked simple products. Products with options, discounts and specials are outside this release. | Your catalogue, including combinations and their stock |
| A shop order comes in | Seen at processing or completed status, and marketplace listings are updated | Seen, and the item’s marketplace listings are updated |
| The item sells on a marketplace | OpenCart stock is brought into line periodically | PrestaShop stock is lowered |
| Relisting and offer management | On marketplaces that support them, with plans above Starter. Not on the shop itself. | |
If most of your products come in sizes or colours, that difference in the table matters more than anything else on this page. On OpenCart those products stay off the marketplaces until a later release.
What FLUF Connect costs
FLUF Connect is 7 days for £1, then from £9/month. The OpenCart extension costs nothing to download and the PrestaShop connection needs no module. Both need a FLUF plan.
| Plan | Monthly | Crosslisted products |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | £9/month | Unlimited |
| Pro | £29/month | Unlimited |
| Super Seller | Custom pricing — tell us what you need | Unlimited |
Related guides
- OpenCart vs WooCommerce
- PrestaShop vs WooCommerce
- OpenCart crosslisting
- PrestaShop to eBay
- OpenCart to eBay
Sources
- OpenCart: home page
- OpenCart: releases on GitHub
- PrestaShop: e-commerce platform and offers
- PrestaShop: about us
Checked October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
The software is. Both are open source with no licence fee and no commission on sales. You pay for hosting, a domain, a payment gateway and any paid modules.
Yes. PrestaShop Hosted starts at €24 a month excluding VAT, according to PrestaShop's platform page. The free Classic version runs on hosting you arrange, which PrestaShop estimates at around €15 a month at minimum.
PrestaShop has the stronger built-in tools for it: several languages, prices in several currencies with different VAT rates, and multi-store management from one back office.
Stock-tracked simple products from an OpenCart 4.1.0.4 store. Products with options such as size or colour, and products with discounts or specials, are outside the current release.
No. You enter your shop address and an access key created in your PrestaShop back office. FLUF then brings in your catalogue, including combinations and their stock.
FLUF lowers the stock in PrestaShop. For OpenCart it brings stock into line on a periodic basis, so two buyers can still pay for the last unit at almost the same time.
A paid 7-day trial, then monthly plans. Crosslisting and inventory sync are on every plan. Relisting, offer management and smart pricing come with the plans above Starter.