Which fits your store: BigCommerce or PrestaShop
If your renewal, data residency requirement or plan limits are forcing a decision, the short answer is this: BigCommerce fits a team that wants a hosted store operated by the vendor and has no server team to run it. PrestaShop fits a team that must host the store itself, keep its core under the OSL-3.0 license, and control customer data and the modules it runs. Neither choice is wrong by default, and the decision turns on three things: the integrations your store depends on, the hosting capacity you can staff, and who owns patching once the store is live.
BigCommerce suits merchants who want the platform team to handle uptime, infrastructure and the platform upgrade path, and who are comfortable building on its app marketplace and APIs. You pay a recurring subscription and accept the plan's API rate limits and the way the vendor sets platform behavior. PrestaShop suits teams that already run Linux servers, MySQL or MariaDB, and Apache or Nginx, or that can hire for them. The core is OSL-3.0 and modules are AFL-3.0, so you can inspect and modify code, but you also carry the PHP runtime, the database, backups, security updates and every third-party module you install.
Before choosing, ask three questions. Which integrations (ERP, warehouse, payment, tax) must work through an API, and does your current BigCommerce app set have a PrestaShop equivalent? How many people will operate the servers and respond to incidents? Who signs off on patching the core, the modules and the PHP version? Confirm the answers with your team and with the PrestaShop 9 system requirements before you compare quotes.
Which platform fits which scenario
This table matches common merchant situations to the platform that usually fits better, based on who runs the servers, how integrations connect and what the licenses allow. Read each row as a starting point, then check the conditions in your own environment before deciding.
| Scenario | Better fit | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Small team with no server staff | BigCommerce | BigCommerce hosts the store, security patching and platform upgrades, so your team does not run a PHP stack, MySQL or MariaDB, or the web server. |
| Customer data must stay in a specific environment | PrestaShop | PrestaShop runs in your own cloud account, data center or private network, so customer and order records stay where your data rules require, subject to your own hosting controls. |
| Heavy custom integrations through a REST interface | BigCommerce, or PrestaShop with a build plan | BigCommerce's Catalog API covers products, variants, images and metafields, but rate limits apply by plan. PrestaShop's webservice and Admin API (OAuth2) give full control, though you must confirm which resources each one exposes for your use case. |
| Merchant with an in-house PHP team | PrestaShop | Your team can own modules, theme changes and upgrades under OSL-3.0 for the core and AFL-3.0 for modules, without depending on a vendor app marketplace. |
| Need to avoid per-app subscription fees | PrestaShop | Core and modules are open source, so recurring cost shifts to hosting, support and the developers who maintain the store. Ask a provider to break these components out in writing. |
| Store depends heavily on a vendor app marketplace | BigCommerce | BigCommerce apps are available as managed integrations. PrestaShop modules must be found, reviewed and maintained by your team or a partner. |
| Mixed or uncertain integration path | Assess before choosing | Confirm PrestaShop version support, PHP requirements and whether the Admin API covers your order and customer workflows before committing to either platform. |
How hosting differs for each option
BigCommerce is a hosted service. The vendor operates the servers, the database, the application runtime and the platform upgrades, and you use the store through the admin, the storefront and the APIs that come with your plan. Your team does not install or patch the software, and it does not manage the web tier or database for the store. Responsibility for uptime, scaling and platform security sits with the vendor under its service terms, so your internal work is mainly configuration, app selection, integrations and the storefront code you own.
- Infrastructure: The vendor provides and runs the hosting environment, so there is no server, PHP version or database tier for your team to maintain.
- Upgrades: Platform releases are applied by the vendor, and you test your own apps and theme changes against them.
- Integration limits: Catalog and order integrations run through the Catalog API and other APIs, subject to the rate limits set by your plan.
- Contract terms: Uptime commitments, support levels and data location are defined in your agreement, so ask for them in writing.
- Exit path: Moving away means exporting catalog, customer and order data yourself.
Before relying on the hosting model, confirm the uptime commitment, support tiers and data residency options with BigCommerce directly.",
PrestaShop is an application you install on your own servers or cloud accounts. The stack is PHP with a web server, MySQL or MariaDB, and a file system for themes, modules and uploaded images. PrestaShop 9 requires MySQL 5.7 or MariaDB 10.2 at minimum, Apache 2.4 or later (Nginx also works), and a PHP memory_limit of at least 512M. The documentation says it works best on Unix-based systems, and Windows is not actively supported, so plan for a Linux host from the start.
- Web server and database: Apache 2.4 or later or Nginx, with MySQL 5.7 or MariaDB 10.2 minimum, all of which you install, configure and keep current.
- PHP settings: Set memory_limit to at least 512M and keep the PHP version within what your PrestaShop line supports.
- Install source: The PrestaShop README says production shops should be installed from the releases page, not from the development repository.
- Operating system: Choose a Unix-based system, because Windows is not actively supported.
- Ongoing duties: Your team or partner owns backups, TLS, patching, monitoring, capacity and any uptime targets you set.
Confirm the exact PHP version each PrestaShop release expects in the system requirements page before you size the host or choose a distribution.",
The practical difference is the list of duties your organization takes on. With BigCommerce, the vendor's operations team carries the platform layer, and your responsibilities centre on the store configuration and any outside systems you connect. With PrestaShop, every layer from the operating system upward is yours to run, or yours to pay someone else to run. Split the duties into owners before you compare costs, because the same work either appears in a SaaS fee or in staff time and infrastructure bills.
- Platform layer: Vendor-run with BigCommerce, your team or partner with PrestaShop.
- Security patches: Applied by the vendor for the SaaS, applied by you for PrestaShop core, modules and the server stack.
- Availability design: Set by the vendor's service terms with BigCommerce, designed and tested by you with PrestaShop.
- Backups and restores: Confirm what the vendor covers and how you export a copy, and build and test your own backups for PrestaShop.
- Audit evidence: Under BigCommerce you collect vendor reports and contract terms, while with PrestaShop you produce the configuration and change records yourself.
Ask each option's provider to put these duties in a responsibility table, so the operating model is clear before you decide.",
Hosting a PrestaShop store includes keeping pace with its release lines. The PrestaShop releases page shows the 8.x line still receiving releases alongside 9.x, and PrestaShop 9.0 was the first stable version in the 9 line, released on June 10, 2025. Each line has its own minimum requirements, so an upgrade can change the PHP, database and module compatibility you must support. With BigCommerce, your main version concern is your own theme and app compatibility, because the platform itself is maintained by the vendor.
- Release lines: Track both the 8.x and 9.x lines on the releases page and choose one deliberately.
- Module compatibility: Check every module and theme against your target PrestaShop version before upgrading.
- Runtime upgrades: Plan PHP and database upgrades as part of each PrestaShop upgrade, not as separate tasks.
- Staging: Test upgrades on a copy of the production store with restored data before changing live hosting.
- Vendor timing: With BigCommerce, ask how and when platform changes reach your store and how you are notified.
Request the vendor's change notice process and the PrestaShop upgrade notes for your target release before you plan a cutover.
Data location, identity and compliance implications
Moving from a SaaS store to a PrestaShop store you host shifts where customer data lives, who answers for payment card scope, and who keeps the evidence. The cards below set out the decisions that follow from that shift, so you can check each one against your own environment before choosing a platform.
Where customer and payment data sits
On BigCommerce, customer records, orders and payment tokens sit in the vendor's hosted environment, and you rely on its data location terms. A PrestaShop store writes customers, addresses and orders to your own MySQL or MariaDB database and to the file system of the servers you choose. Confirm the regions of your hosting provider, the location of database backups, and where any third-party payment gateway stores card or token data.
Who holds PCI DSS scope
Scope follows the card data flow, not the platform name. Hosted checkout with a payment provider's redirect or tokenized fields keeps most card data out of your servers, while a self-hosted store that touches card data directly widens your assessed environment. Ask your payment provider and qualified assessor which checkout pattern keeps the PrestaShop server out of scope, and document who administers the host, the database and the modules that render checkout pages.
Access keys and OAuth2 for integrations
The PrestaShop webservice authenticates third-party tools with access keys that grant CRUD rights on products, orders and customers. PrestaShop 9 adds an Admin API that uses OAuth2. Decide which integrations need the legacy keys, which can use the newer OAuth2 flow, and how each key is scoped, rotated and revoked. Record the owner of every key, because a leaked key with order write access is a direct data exposure.
Backup and patch ownership
On BigCommerce, the vendor operates the platform, applies its own updates and runs its infrastructure backups. On a self-hosted PrestaShop store, your team or implementation partner owns database and file backups, restore tests, PHP and web server patching, and module updates. Agree in writing who restores the store, how often restore tests run, and who watches the 8.x and 9.x release lines for security fixes.
Licence and module review
PrestaShop Core is licensed under OSL-3.0 and modules under AFL-3.0, so a store owner can run and modify the code without a per-store license fee. Third-party modules, however, come from many publishers with their own support and data handling practices. Inventory every installed module, its publisher, the data it reads or sends to outside services, and whether it still receives updates.
Evidence an auditor will ask for
An independent auditor will ask for evidence that controls operate over time: access reviews for admin and API accounts, change records for code and module updates, backup and restore test logs, and records of who could read customer data. DeployOpen can prepare these controls and collect the evidence, but auditors and certification bodies issue any report or attestation. Ask your auditor early which evidence formats they accept.
Where integrations and customization differ in practice
BigCommerce extends the store through apps and the Catalog API, while PrestaShop extends it through modules, themes and the webservice. On BigCommerce, a third-party app is installed from the marketplace, and the vendor hosts its code and most of its data handling. Catalog extraction runs through the Catalog API, which manages products, categories, brands, bulk pricing rules, variants, images, custom fields and metafields. Every call counts against the rate limits set by your plan, so a full catalog pull is a scheduled job you plan around, not a one-off script. Confirm the current limits for your plan in BigCommerce's developer documentation before you size the export window.
On PrestaShop, the same data is reached in two ways. The webservice gives third-party tools CRUD access to products, orders and customers using access keys, and PrestaShop 9 adds an Admin API built on API Platform with OAuth2 authentication, multi-shop support and Swagger documentation. Check which of these your target version supports for each resource you need, because integration code written for the webservice may not carry over unchanged. Your integration cost therefore depends less on a platform fee and more on the quality of the modules you install and the version line you run. PrestaShop 8.x still receives releases, while 9.x is the newer line, so an integration that works on one line may need testing on the other.
Plan for module risk explicitly. Each PrestaShop module is a separate codebase under AFL-3.0, maintained by its own vendor or community, and its compatibility with your PrestaShop version, PHP version and theme is a property you must verify, not assume. Ask each module vendor which PrestaShop versions it supports, how it handles upgrades, and whether it exposes its data through the webservice or Admin API. Keep a short register of installed modules with their versions and owners, and test every module against a staging copy before any core upgrade.
What running PrestaShop costs compared with BigCommerce plans
What do BigCommerce plan fees cover that PrestaShop does not?
A BigCommerce plan is a recurring subscription that bundles hosting, platform upgrades, security operations and the store runtime, and it is usually paired with app subscriptions and transaction-related fees that depend on the plan you choose. Confirm the current plan tiers, app fees and any payment processing terms directly with BigCommerce, because these change and are not fixed in this comparison. With PrestaShop, the software itself is free under OSL-3.0, so the equivalent spend moves into hosting, administration, themes, modules, and patching that your team or a partner carries. Ask BigCommerce to list every recurring line item for your expected catalog and traffic, so you can compare them line by line.
What recurring costs does a self-hosted PrestaShop store carry?
A self-hosted store recurs in four places: server or cloud hosting for the web tier and database, MySQL or MariaDB administration, backups, and the people who keep PHP and PrestaShop current. The PrestaShop 9 system requirements call for MySQL 5.7 or MariaDB 10.2 at minimum, Apache 2.4 or later (Nginx also works), and a memory_limit of at least 512M, so hosting must meet those minimums with headroom for your traffic. Costs rise with catalog size, peak traffic, the number of shops in multi-shop mode and the amount of staging you run. Request a written hosting breakdown that separates compute, storage, database, backups and any managed services.
Which PrestaShop costs are one-time and which recur?
One-time costs usually include the initial implementation, theme design or purchase, data migration, integration of the Admin API or webservice with your ERP or fulfillment systems, and testing before launch. Recurring costs include hosting, PHP and database administration, module and theme license renewals where they apply, payment and search service fees, security patching, and support. Upgrades between the 8.x and 9.x lines are a recurring activity rather than a single event, because the 8.x line still receives releases while 9.x is the current major line. Ask any implementation partner to split the quote into one-time build work and an annual run cost.
How do PrestaShop themes and module purchases affect the budget?
Themes and modules are priced by their publishers and vary widely, so this comparison does not assign them a figure. PrestaShop core is OSL-3.0 and modules are AFL-3.0, which means you can use free and paid modules, but each paid module carries its own license terms, support window and renewal schedule. BigCommerce apps are also subscription-based, so the comparison should cover the full list of functions you need on each side. Build a register with each module's license type, cost, update policy and the code you have modified, because customized modules raise the cost of every future PrestaShop upgrade.
What should a written quote for a PrestaShop store include?
A useful quote lists scope, deliverables and timelines in writing before work starts, which is how DeployOpen structures most engagements. Ask for the hosting architecture, the PHP and MySQL or MariaDB versions in use, the target PrestaShop line (8.x or 9.x), and how upgrades will be tested. Include migration of products, customers and orders, the webservice or Admin API integrations, the theme and module list with license terms, payment and search providers, backup and restore testing, and security patching. Also request the support model, response expectations and what happens when a module is abandoned by its publisher.
Does moving from BigCommerce to PrestaShop shift security patching to my team?
Yes. On BigCommerce, the platform operator maintains the hosted infrastructure, while a self-hosted PrestaShop store makes your organization or its partner responsible for the server, the PHP runtime, the database, PrestaShop core and every module. Security patching is therefore a recurring cost with its own staffing and testing. Ask who applies core and module updates, how quickly critical fixes are rolled out to production, and whether a staging environment is used before each release. Security testing of the live store is a separate line item and should be scoped explicitly.
Which cost drivers should I model before comparing the two options?
The main drivers are catalog size and variant count, order volume and peak traffic, the number of integrations with ERP, shipping and tax systems, the number of stores or languages, and the amount of custom development. Payment and search services add their own fees on both sides, and self-hosted search may need separate hosting. Upgrade frequency and the number of modules you customize also change the recurring cost. Model three scenarios, your current load, a planned growth case and a peak-season case, and ask each vendor and partner to price the same scenarios.
How a move from BigCommerce to PrestaShop proceeds
The sequence moves the catalog, customers, orders and design across in an order that keeps the live BigCommerce store running until the PrestaShop store has been tested end to end. Each step ends with a check you can verify before the next one starts.
Inventory apps, integrations and data flows
List every BigCommerce app, payment connector, shipping rule, tax setting, ERP or marketplace link, and custom script that touches the store. For each one, record what data it reads or writes and whether PrestaShop has a core feature, a module or a custom build that replaces it. Your team and the implementation partner own this list, and it is done when every integration has a named replacement or a decision to drop it.
Extract the catalog through the Catalog API
Use the BigCommerce Catalog API to read products, categories, brands, bulk pricing rules, variants, images, custom fields and metafields, paging through results within the rate limits of your plan. Confirm the current endpoints, pagination and limits in BigCommerce's documentation for your store before you script anything. The output is a complete, timestamped export of the catalog that can be re-run to capture changes made during the project.
Map variants, custom fields and bulk pricing
Translate BigCommerce's product model into PrestaShop's data model: products, combinations for variants, categories, features or attributes for custom fields, and specific prices or customer group rules for bulk pricing. Some BigCommerce bulk pricing rules will not map one to one, so note each rule that needs a module or a manual approach. Confirm how the PrestaShop version you choose handles each structure. The mapping is complete when a sample of products imports and every rule is either mapped or flagged.
Import customers and orders
Export customers and order history from BigCommerce using its built-in templates or the API, then import them into PrestaShop with a script or import tool and validate field by field. Decide with your finance and compliance owners which order history is migrated, how payment references are kept, and where card data is not transferred. The step is done when record counts reconcile between the two systems and a sample of orders shows matching totals, addresses and statuses.
Select the theme and modules
Choose a PrestaShop theme and the modules that replace each BigCommerce app, checking compatibility with the PrestaShop 8 or 9 line you plan to run and its PHP and database requirements. Build the storefront templates and test checkout, search, account pages and mobile layouts. The step is complete when every app from the inventory has a tested module or a recorded decision, and the theme passes your accessibility and performance checks.
Preserve image URLs and SEO redirects
Shopify's guidance is to keep the original store live until a new store has imported images from their public URLs, and the same caution applies here. Plan the image transfer so files are downloaded or re-hosted before BigCommerce is turned off, and build a redirect map from every old product, category and page URL to its new PrestaShop address. Confirm the BigCommerce URL structure for your store. The check is a crawl of the old URLs returning the correct redirect or page.
Run parallel testing
Run the PrestaShop store on a separate environment with test payment credentials and a recent catalog and customer copy. Test orders, refunds, tax, shipping, returns, stock updates and every integration from the inventory, and repeat the full extraction to catch changes. Record defects, fix them and re-test. Parallel testing is done when a set of agreed test scenarios passes and the business owners sign off in writing.
Cut over and verify
Freeze catalog and customer changes on BigCommerce, run a final incremental extraction and import, point DNS and payment webhooks to PrestaShop, and confirm live orders flow correctly. Keep the BigCommerce store available for a defined rollback period agreed in advance. The cutover is verified when live test transactions complete, analytics and search consoles show the redirects working, and the old store is retired only after the agreed checks pass.
Questions buyers ask before choosing PrestaShop over BigCommerce
How much effort does moving from BigCommerce to PrestaShop take?
The effort depends mostly on how much of your BigCommerce setup is custom. A store with a standard catalog, a few payment methods and stock shipping rules is a far smaller job than one with custom checkout logic, many BigCommerce apps and a heavily edited theme. Effort falls into four areas: extracting data, rebuilding the features your apps provided through PrestaShop modules, rebuilding or adapting the theme, and testing orders end to end. Ask any partner to split their quote along these lines so you can see where the work sits.
How long does a BigCommerce to PrestaShop move usually run?
Duration is driven by the size of the catalog, the number of integrations that must be rebuilt and how much testing your payment and tax setup requires. Image handling, SEO redirects and the order history you must keep are common sources of delay. A store that runs its own catalog updates through a feed will need that feed repointed before cutover. Ask for a written timeline that lists the cutover window, the parallel-running period and the acceptance criteria, rather than accepting a single estimate.
Can our own team migrate the store without outside help?
A team with PHP, MySQL or MariaDB and Linux administration experience can run a PrestaShop installation, but the BigCommerce side needs API work and the integrations need careful testing. If your staff have not built or maintained a traditional PHP storefront before, the learning curve falls on the same people who run the live business. Many organizations split the work: internal staff own the business rules and content, while an implementation partner handles extraction scripts, hosting and testing. DeployOpen plans and implements these engagements under a fixed scope agreed in writing before work starts.
Should we choose PrestaShop 8 or PrestaShop 9?
Choose based on the module and theme ecosystem you need, the PHP version your hosting supports and how long you plan to run the store. PrestaShop 9.0 was released on June 10, 2025 and requires PHP 8.1 or higher. The 8.x line is still receiving releases, with 8.2.8 published on August 18, 2026, according to the PrestaShop GitHub releases page. Confirm that every module you plan to use supports your chosen line before committing. For the 9 line, check the Admin API and webservice requirements against your integration plan.
Can PrestaShop support the integrations we currently use with BigCommerce?
Start by listing each BigCommerce app and external system, including ERP, warehouse, tax, payment, marketplace and analytics connections. PrestaShop covers many of these through its modules and its payment support, but some BigCommerce apps have no direct equivalent and may need custom development. For programmatic access, PrestaShop offers a webservice with access keys for CRUD operations on products, orders and customers, and PrestaShop 9 adds an Admin API with OAuth2 authentication and Swagger documentation. Confirm each integration against the module list and the API docs before the project is scoped.
Who patches and secures a self-hosted PrestaShop store?
You do. In a BigCommerce account the vendor operates the hosted platform, while a self-hosted PrestaShop store puts the core, modules, theme, PHP runtime, database, web server and operating system under your responsibility. Patching covers PrestaShop releases, module updates, PHP end-of-life dates and server hardening. Payment card data handling also depends on how you integrate checkout. Agree on a patch cadence, an owner and a monitoring approach before go-live, and ask any partner whether upgrades and continuous security testing are part of a retainer.
What does the work require from our staff?
Expect a few roles to be needed for the whole project: someone who owns the product catalog and pricing rules, someone who understands order, tax and fulfillment flows, someone who can review the BigCommerce data export and API output, and a developer or administrator for hosting and integrations. After launch you will need ongoing ownership of hosting, backups, updates and store operations. Ask any partner to name which tasks they perform and which they expect your staff to perform, so the internal time commitment is clear before you sign.
How DeployOpen works on this
DeployOpen is a Chainscore Labs company that plans, implements, integrates, hardens, backs up, upgrades, documents and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own infrastructure. For a BigCommerce to PrestaShop evaluation, we start from written requirements for catalog, checkout, integrations and hosting, then build and document the store in your environment.
How we scope
- We confirm which BigCommerce apps, integrations and catalog data must carry over to PrestaShop.
- We map required modules, themes and webservice or Admin API calls against your current store.
- We agree the PrestaShop line, PHP version and hosting target before any build work starts.
How we build
- We install PrestaShop on Linux with MySQL or MariaDB, Apache or Nginx, and the memory settings you approve.
- We rebuild the theme and replace BigCommerce apps with vetted PrestaShop modules or custom code.
- We test catalog imports, order flows, payment callbacks and webservice or Admin API integrations before go-live.
How we hand over
- We deliver the written scope, configuration records, integration documentation and runbooks for your team.
- We document module licenses, including OSL-3.0 core and AFL-3.0 module terms, for your procurement review.
- We walk your staff through upgrades, backups and access key management before the engagement closes.
How we support
- Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous security testing are available as a retainer.
- We can plan PrestaShop 8 and 9 upgrades against the releases you choose to run in production.
- We can prepare security controls and evidence for your compliance assessor, who issues any formal report.
