OpenCart vs PrestaShop
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
| Feature | OpenCart | PrestaShop |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | OSL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,174 | ★ 9,185 |
| First released | 2009 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Wix Stores | Shopify, BigCommerce |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCart or PrestaShop better?
Neither is universally better. PrestaShop has the larger community, while OpenCart is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenCart and PrestaShop free and open-source?
Yes. OpenCart is licensed under GPL-3.0 and PrestaShop under OSL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenCart and PrestaShop with Docker?
OpenCart: yes. PrestaShop: yes.