PrestaShop Enterprise vs Shopify Plus: The Real Long-Term Choice
Introduction
In 2025, a question often returns in e-commerce brand boardrooms: should we opt for Shopify Plus’s immediate simplicity, or invest in long-term control with PrestaShop Enterprise?
Behind two offers that appear close in monthly price, the difference is actually abyssal. On one side, a proprietary black box that takes its margin as you grow. On the other, an open solution that allows you to build a sustainable technological asset.
As a PrestaShop expert for over 15 years, I’ve seen dozens of projects and migrations. My finding is clear: over a 3-5 year horizon, PrestaShop Enterprise offers better ROI and true technical sovereignty. Here’s why.
Understanding the Models: Open-Source PaaS vs Proprietary SaaS
PrestaShop Enterprise builds on the historical open-source foundation of the solution, but with a managed layer worthy of a modern PaaS: autoscaling, Varnish, Cloudflare, OWASP security, monitoring, and automatic audits. You thus benefit from the best of both worlds: source code flexibility and piloted infrastructure robustness. And above all, you remain owner of your code and data.
In contrast, Shopify Plus relies on a closed SaaS model. Everything is “turnkey,” but only within the framework defined by Shopify. Deep customization is impossible without going through limited APIs and roadmaps decided unilaterally by the editor. Examples are numerous: scheduled end of checkout.liquid, server layer access restrictions, dependency on paid extensions. In short, Shopify gives you a nice storefront but keeps the workshop keys.
TCO over 3-5 Years: Where Does Margin Really Go?
Total cost of ownership (TCO) is one of the most strategic criteria.
With PrestaShop Enterprise, the pricing is clear: €2,115/month with 24-month commitment, a development phase reduced to €800/month, and a generous quota of 5 million HTTPS requests per month. Beyond that, billing is transparent: €0.02 per 1,000 requests. No percentage taken on your revenue.
Shopify Plus works differently. The base price oscillates between $2,300 and $2,500 per month, but that’s just the beginning. You must add conversion fees on Shopify Payments (1.5 to 2% on average), commissions if you choose an external PSP (0.15 to 0.20%), not to mention the accumulated cost of third-party apps to get advanced features. Result: the more your business grows, the more Shopify eats your margin.
👉 TCO Verdict: PrestaShop Enterprise lets you anticipate and control your costs. Shopify Plus applies a model where your growth becomes its revenue.
Performance = Revenue
Performance isn’t just a technical criterion: it’s a direct revenue lever.
PrestaShop Enterprise benchmarks show impressive gains: +40% page display speed, +95% SQL speed, and +90% additional SQL capacity.
These structural optimizations translate into SEO and conversion rate. An internal study shows that every 20% gain in loading speed brings an average +7% conversion. Conversely, on Shopify, dependency on apps and SaaS layers often introduces slowdowns difficult to correct.
In other words: on PrestaShop Enterprise, you control performance. On Shopify Plus, you suffer it.
Checkout & Funnel: Freedom or Closed Framework?
The order funnel is the most strategic area of an e-commerce site. Yet, it’s also where Shopify imposes its rules.
On Shopify Plus, only the most expensive formula allows modifying checkout via the “Checkout Extensibility” system. Worse: since 2025, the editor progressively deprecates checkout.liquid, forcing merchants to migrate their customizations. Result: unforeseen redesign costs and customization always limited by the platform.
Conversely, PrestaShop Enterprise allows total customization of the funnel. You can adapt each step to your market, branding, or business process. Modules validated by PrestaShop guarantee long-term compatibility, without depending on unilateral decisions.
Compliance & Data Governance (EU)
The data topic has become central.
Shopify considers that GDPR doesn’t require hosting in Europe. The platform relies on adequacy clauses (Canada, SCC), meaning your customers’ data can transit outside the EU. This remains compliant “on paper,” but poses a real sovereignty and trust problem.
PrestaShop Enterprise adopts a different posture. Modules are audited, OWASP compliance is integrated, and hosting remains the merchant’s choice. You can thus guarantee your customers that their data stays in Europe, and that you keep control over audits and logs. In the era of trusted cloud, it’s a strategic advantage.
Team Productivity & Technical Debt
An e-commerce project doesn’t stop at launch: it lives, evolves, and requires constant maintenance.
On PrestaShop Enterprise’s side, everything is designed for technical team productivity: ready-to-use Docker environments, integrated deployment pipelines, automatic customization validation. Result: technical debt remains contained and maintenance costs are predictable.
At Shopify, teams often have to deal with API deprecations, extensibility limits, and third-party integrations that must be rewritten as imposed evolutions occur. It’s suffered debt, difficult to anticipate, and weighs heavily in the long term.
When to Choose What?
So, which to choose?
Shopify Plus addresses merchants aiming for ultra-fast go-to-market, without in-house technical team, and who favor short-term simplicity.
PrestaShop Enterprise is designed for brands wanting to build a sustainable technological asset: international expansion, fine PSP management, specific business needs, rigorous cost management. It’s a maturity choice, adapted to projects that don’t want to sacrifice their independence to initial speed.
PrestaShop Enterprise Project Checklist
Before launching, here are some essential points to frame:
- GMV volume, average cart, and PSP mix
- Traffic peak forecast (sales, holidays)
- Critical module mapping: B2B, PIM/ERP, OMS/WMS, marketing
- Migration roadmap: pilot → cohabitation → switch
- SEO plan and load testing
- 36-month TCO projection, integrating revenue, PSP, apps, infra, and support
Conclusion
In appearance, Shopify Plus and PrestaShop Enterprise play in the same court. In reality, their models diverge totally.
- Shopify Plus is renting a black box that takes its share of your success
- PrestaShop Enterprise is investing in your own technological asset, keeping control of your code, costs, and data
In 2025, the real question is no longer “which is easiest to deploy?”. It’s much more strategic:
👉 Do you want to depend on a supplier, or own your platform?
Article published on 05/09/2025 by Nicolas Dabène - PHP & PrestaShop Expert with 15+ years of experience.
