PrestaShop vs Shopware
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
PrestaShop
Open-source online store builder
VS
Shopware
Flexible open-source commerce for growing brands
| Feature | PrestaShop | Shopware |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | OSL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,217 | ★ 3,430 |
| First released | 2007 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Shopify, BigCommerce | Shopify, Magento |
What are PrestaShop and Shopware?
PrestaShop
PrestaShop is a free, open-source e-commerce solution written in PHP. It offers a feature-rich back office, themes, and a marketplace of modules for building and managing online stores of any size.
- Full-featured admin back office
- Large module marketplace
- Multi-store support
- Multilingual catalog
Shopware
Shopware is an open-source e-commerce platform from Germany built with Symfony and Vue.js. The community edition offers a modern admin, headless API, and a rich extension ecosystem.
- Modern Vue.js admin
- Headless API capabilities
- Rule-based merchandising
- Strong extension store
PrestaShop vs Shopware: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — OSL-3.0 for PrestaShop versus MIT for Shopware. PrestaShop is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Shopware. PrestaShop is the more established project (first released 2007), while Shopware arrived in 2010. PrestaShop has the considerably larger community, at 9,217 GitHub stars versus 3,430.
Why pick each one
Choose PrestaShop if…
- Mature and well-documented
- No license fees for core
Watch out for
- Paid modules can be expensive
- Upgrades can be tricky
Choose Shopware if…
- Polished merchant experience
- Powerful B2B suite available
Watch out for
- Heavy resource needs
- Complex for small shops
Frequently asked questions
Is PrestaShop or Shopware better?
PrestaShop is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Shopware if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are PrestaShop and Shopware free and open-source?
Yes. PrestaShop is licensed under OSL-3.0 and Shopware under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PrestaShop and Shopware with Docker?
PrestaShop: yes. Shopware: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, PrestaShop or Shopware?
PrestaShop has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Shopware. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.