OpenCart vs PrestaShop

OpenCart


There are a couple of different options for those who want to add an open source eCommerce solution to their website. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way of adding a shopping cart system to your site, you have several different options. Two of the most popular are PrestaShop and OpenCart. If you’re trying to decide between the two, here’s a breakdown on their best features.

Fortunately, version 1.5 did fix some issues with OpenCart, including upgrading the software’s default theme. There are a good number of extensions and online documents available, although a number of these documents are still aimed at version 1.4 and may be outdated, especially since version 1.6 has since been released.

OpenCart can handle a good number of products easily, and they can be grouped a number of different ways. However, there’s no easy way to search products or pages, so customers may end up abandoning your online store before purchasing anything simply because they can’t find what they want.



PrestaShop


PrestaShop is a little more developed and smooth than OpenCart. The content management system is a little more intuitive and easier to use, and the administration section is much better. There are no dead ends or odd omissions. If you need a specific tool, you can expect it to be there and be easy to find. There are a number of different extensions and addons, too, just in case what you need doesn’t exist.

PrestaShop also has more developed themes and documentation. However, while the documentation is up to date, much of it is also in French, which can be a bit of a problem if you don’t speak the language. Translation is in progress, however.

When it comes to developing a large site, PrestaShop also has a slight advantage over OpenCart. That’s because it was designed for scalability and can handle very large stores. It’s also easier to create searches, and the checkout system is well designed and customizable.



The Overall Verdict


All in all, PrestaShop is a bit more polished and developed. While the documentation being in French may be off-putting to some, the fact that more and more documents are being translated into English means it won’t be an issue for long.