there is to many of them thus its difficult to decide.
So tell us what you are selling and to whom. How many products their are, if you need CRM and stock management integration, packing labels and everything else.
If you just have 10 hand made products you many not even need full ecommerce. But if you have 1million products shipping worldwide you may need a bespoke platform.
If you just have 10 hand made products you many not even need full ecommerce. But if you have 1million products shipping worldwide you may need a bespoke platform.
Upvote
0
Of the two Magento development and updates are much regular and we get more help for working on Magento , this are some things I personally look upon while selecting .. how long the product is in business and is it stable? you can still look for some more options like cubecart , xcart, shopify etc.
Upvote
0
If you mean a beginner from a technical perspective, and you are planning to make your own site, I would not recommend either.
But these threads are always fun to watch, as the advice pours in!
If you are about to begin an Ecommerce venture, and you are planning to have build a website yourself as part of it, then you need to set out very clearly what your requirements are so that people can steer you to a platform that delivers.
The choice of platform, however, is not as vital to your success as to how well you manage to master the platform you choose.
Magenta has excellent functionality. But there are other choices too to consider.
But these threads are always fun to watch, as the advice pours in!
If you are about to begin an Ecommerce venture, and you are planning to have build a website yourself as part of it, then you need to set out very clearly what your requirements are so that people can steer you to a platform that delivers.
The choice of platform, however, is not as vital to your success as to how well you manage to master the platform you choose.
Magenta has excellent functionality. But there are other choices too to consider.
Upvote
0
They're both good options and in fact they are the two options I'd currently suggest as being the best ones for a proper ecommerce business.
If budget is your primary concern then Prestashop might be a better option as its a generally simpler (and therefore cheaper) system to put together.
Magento on the other hand is very much Enterprise open source, with robust and extensive functionality, though that comes at the cost of complexity and some expense. Magento 2 is at the beginning of it's life cycle and so you can expect a good few years of support for a new Magento 2 site with continous improvements and upgrades as it gets further developed.
Which ever platform you go for, my advice is to to avoid flashy off the shelf themes and try to keep the theme as clean and clear as possible. That translates into a faster browsing experience (better conversion rate) and fewer maintenance and compatibility headaches (cheaper to run) as you develop the site.
Then really try to keep the number of extensions you install to the barest minimum. There are some really quite poor extensions out there that can really hurt your site performance, stability and security. Don't rule out bespoke development if you have particular requirements.
The platform I'm most excited about at the moment though is Sylius - we're eagerly awaiting the release of version 1 which is expected to the first half of this year.
If budget is your primary concern then Prestashop might be a better option as its a generally simpler (and therefore cheaper) system to put together.
Magento on the other hand is very much Enterprise open source, with robust and extensive functionality, though that comes at the cost of complexity and some expense. Magento 2 is at the beginning of it's life cycle and so you can expect a good few years of support for a new Magento 2 site with continous improvements and upgrades as it gets further developed.
Which ever platform you go for, my advice is to to avoid flashy off the shelf themes and try to keep the theme as clean and clear as possible. That translates into a faster browsing experience (better conversion rate) and fewer maintenance and compatibility headaches (cheaper to run) as you develop the site.
Then really try to keep the number of extensions you install to the barest minimum. There are some really quite poor extensions out there that can really hurt your site performance, stability and security. Don't rule out bespoke development if you have particular requirements.
The platform I'm most excited about at the moment though is Sylius - we're eagerly awaiting the release of version 1 which is expected to the first half of this year.
Upvote
0
I admit I love these simplistic responses. How does it compare to Magenta, I wonder - which was the question asked?
Choosing a platform is a bigger issue. We need a LOT more information. If you could spare a moment to share your experience of both platforms, and how that worked for you, it would be of great value to the community here.
Upvote
0
Magento Vs Prestashop
As above said one reason depends upon the number of products. Magento can handle more products than Prestashop.
Also for Prestashop most of the plugins are paid.
If someone is planning an eCommerce store I always suggest them custom store. When a store grows then they need to move the store to other platforms. So its better create custom store in Core PHP. For long term its the best idea.
Rest one can see budget and decide, if not with custom store then I recommend Magento Store
As above said one reason depends upon the number of products. Magento can handle more products than Prestashop.
Also for Prestashop most of the plugins are paid.
If someone is planning an eCommerce store I always suggest them custom store. When a store grows then they need to move the store to other platforms. So its better create custom store in Core PHP. For long term its the best idea.
Rest one can see budget and decide, if not with custom store then I recommend Magento Store
Upvote
0
Hello,
Making the decision between PrestaShop vs Magento isn’t easy. These are both great eCommerce solutions. PrestaShop targets the small to medium sized business, while Magento caters to the medium to large business. Whether you’re taking your business online for the first time or migrating from another eCommerce solution, both of these programs provide an excellent solution. If you’re technologically challenged and you plan to do the work yourself, PrestaShop is the better choice. However, if you’re knowledgeable of technology and web design, you will find Magento a better fit. Customizing your shopping cart is easier with PrestaShop, but you don’t get the same control as you do with Magento.
Making the decision between PrestaShop vs Magento isn’t easy. These are both great eCommerce solutions. PrestaShop targets the small to medium sized business, while Magento caters to the medium to large business. Whether you’re taking your business online for the first time or migrating from another eCommerce solution, both of these programs provide an excellent solution. If you’re technologically challenged and you plan to do the work yourself, PrestaShop is the better choice. However, if you’re knowledgeable of technology and web design, you will find Magento a better fit. Customizing your shopping cart is easier with PrestaShop, but you don’t get the same control as you do with Magento.
Upvote
0
PrestaShop is relatively easy to set up and add features. It also has a very user-friendly interface.
Magentorequires many extensions to be setup like PDO, CURL etc.
PrestaShop is an Open Source platform that can be downloaded easily from the internet. Most of its modules are readily available on the internet free of charge, and can be acquired through the PrestaShop community.
Magento comes in two versions, a free Open Source and an Enterprise version. The free version includes all the necessary features to successfully setup and run a business. Merchants should only choose the Enterprise version if they need access to advanced level tracking and control features.
PrestaShop adopted Smarty Template engine based on PHP.
Magento adopted the Zend framework of PHP and has all the capabilities of MVC architecture.
So, from my point of view PrestaShop is easy for beginner.
Magentorequires many extensions to be setup like PDO, CURL etc.
PrestaShop is an Open Source platform that can be downloaded easily from the internet. Most of its modules are readily available on the internet free of charge, and can be acquired through the PrestaShop community.
Magento comes in two versions, a free Open Source and an Enterprise version. The free version includes all the necessary features to successfully setup and run a business. Merchants should only choose the Enterprise version if they need access to advanced level tracking and control features.
PrestaShop adopted Smarty Template engine based on PHP.
Magento adopted the Zend framework of PHP and has all the capabilities of MVC architecture.
So, from my point of view PrestaShop is easy for beginner.
Upvote
0
Magento is the best E-commerce solution. If you want to grow quickly your site, you should choose Magento.
Upvote
0
U
ukbf0001
- Original Poster
- #20
The answer is - probably neither. Magento - you will spend 3 weeks configuring it to what you want and then it probably still wont be right (over kill solutrion for most people).
Prestashop - I used and like (sort of) - installed on your server - so you are responsible for security, setup, config etc - and the way it does options and cross options, seems to be very resource hungry.
There is xcart - which costs, but is a very stable product, has lots of avaiable add ons for any ecommerce scenario.
My preference for easy of use, reach, customiseable, mobile friendlyness and the fact it is facebook #1 ecommerce app - as it sits in facebook - customers dont have to leave facebook - they can buy your products direct from within facebook etc - is ecwids (ecommerce widgets) www.ecwids.co.uk
It's free for a certain number of products and then after that it is about £8 , which is peanuts,all the hosting, bandwidth, security, updates etc are done for you - you only need to worry about selling your product - which is how it should be in my opinion - rather than wasting hours on magento - spend time doing something that helps sell your products.
I just did a website for someone (a complete technophobe) - she now updates products, prices, offers herself - before that she could hardly login. Her products sell in facebook and on 3 other websites she has - mostly all done in facebook though now.
Prestashop - I used and like (sort of) - installed on your server - so you are responsible for security, setup, config etc - and the way it does options and cross options, seems to be very resource hungry.
There is xcart - which costs, but is a very stable product, has lots of avaiable add ons for any ecommerce scenario.
My preference for easy of use, reach, customiseable, mobile friendlyness and the fact it is facebook #1 ecommerce app - as it sits in facebook - customers dont have to leave facebook - they can buy your products direct from within facebook etc - is ecwids (ecommerce widgets) www.ecwids.co.uk
It's free for a certain number of products and then after that it is about £8 , which is peanuts,all the hosting, bandwidth, security, updates etc are done for you - you only need to worry about selling your product - which is how it should be in my opinion - rather than wasting hours on magento - spend time doing something that helps sell your products.
I just did a website for someone (a complete technophobe) - she now updates products, prices, offers herself - before that she could hardly login. Her products sell in facebook and on 3 other websites she has - mostly all done in facebook though now.
Upvote
0
Great if your customer base is on facebook, and you want to be tied into facebook. Not so great if not.
The 100% brutal truth. After having set up and run e-commerce stores, and have many scars!
I can almost guarantee you, that whichever platform you choose, is going to be wrong! Regardless of the amount of advice, research and consultancy you pour into it.
There are thousands of people who will tell you and sell you the next great e-commerce platform,
I'll even tell you to stop your whining and get on with WordPress and WooCommerce , hell I can even provide a great team to make this more than easy for you to get set up. It will cost money and not something I will do for free.
That being said, the reality is you will undoubtedly come to a time, when you realise your e-commerce platform is rubbish, and you need to change!
The truth is, most of the leading e-commerce companies do this almost on a yearly/Monthly basis. Many ultimately favouring to develop their own, or even extend an existing one. They pour hundreds and thousands of pounds into financing development teams and departments
The world of e-commerce is constantly changing and evolving at a rapid pace. What is great tomorrow is 100% sh@t the day after!
My advice is Pick one, anyone and start. Safe in the knowledge that you are going to start again a few months from now, and hopefully with sales coming in!
Ideally YOU will not be the person maintaining and building the website. YOU should be maintaining & building the BUSINESS. The two are definitely not the same thing!
Last edited:
Upvote
0
U
ukbf0001
- Original Poster
- #22
sorry - maybe I didnt explain it well enough. The ecommerce is cloud based - so you can embed it ANYWHERE - so one shop in multiple places - a quick example would be here is the shop living completely in FaceBook for 'facebook' people :-
https://www.facebook.com/Picture-Mounts-Picture-Frames-166881426689344/app/251458316228/
Here is the same shop on a stand alone domain
http://www.photo-mounts.co.uk/photo-mounts-shop/
Login to the backend - add a product change a price and the detais are updated at once - so you decrease a price and immediatley it is reflect in FaceBook, and the stand alone domain and anyother where you have copy/pasted the 5 lines of code needed for it to work.
https://www.facebook.com/Picture-Mounts-Picture-Frames-166881426689344/app/251458316228/
Here is the same shop on a stand alone domain
http://www.photo-mounts.co.uk/photo-mounts-shop/
Login to the backend - add a product change a price and the detais are updated at once - so you decrease a price and immediatley it is reflect in FaceBook, and the stand alone domain and anyother where you have copy/pasted the 5 lines of code needed for it to work.
Upvote
0
A bit harsh @threenine but there is some truth in what you say, though you're perhaps over cooking it on how quickly a platform will go out of date - I'd put it more at 3-5 years
I agree with picking something and running with it, but there is also good reasons to do at least some investigations first
Personally I don't think you'll go far wrong with Prestashop or Magento as a safe starting point
I agree with picking something and running with it, but there is also good reasons to do at least some investigations first
Personally I don't think you'll go far wrong with Prestashop or Magento as a safe starting point
Upvote
0
Just thought I would clarify I wasn't really talking about the platform, I was specifically referring to a website in general. Most websites and customers we work with will be constantly tweaking and manipulating the website in general whether that be Themes, content , layout etc. In some instances it may include the platform in general as they integrate with other services like ERP, CRM etc.
Upvote
0
I've spent the best part of 6 hours trying to install this, it's an utter nightmare. I was so excited by it but I just can't get my head around it. But using the demo was like a dream.
Upvote
0
Latest Articles
-
AI, Virtual Influencers and the Copyright Minefield: What Entrepreneurs Need to KnowI'll be upfront: this article was written with the assistance of an AI...- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
The Most Dangerous Moment in Business Is When Everything Is Going WellThey Saw It Coming. They Did Nothing. The Lessons Every Business Owner...
- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
AI and Your Business: Useful Tool, Not a Magic WandThere is no shortage of noise around artificial intelligence right now...
- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
Companies House WebFiling security incident: what happened, what to check, and what to do nextCompanies House has confirmed that its WebFiling service suffered a...
- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
Spring Budget 2026: A Quiet Update for UK BusinessesChancellor Rachel Reeves delivered the UK’s Spring Statement on 3 March...
- Ozzy
- Updated:
