osCommerce and PrestaShop are well known shopping carts that power thousands of online stores worldwide. Which of them is better and why? Definitely it is impossible to give a straightforward answer. However, let’s try to compare all the factors related to both solutions to get small recommendations about who and why may want to use the shopping platforms.
Background
osCommerce is a legendary open source solution that started back in early 2000. It became popular right away because of high flexibility and scalability. However, the platform now loses popularity. The last significant stable osCommerce version was released over a decade ago, with subsequent minor updates being infrequent, highlighting its age in the rapidly evolving eCommerce industry. For businesses considering an update, understanding the benefits of a website migration is crucial. Version 3.0, despite being discussed for many years, has still not reached a stable release. Nevertheless, osCommerce powers a considerably smaller number of online shops today compared to its peak, yet still maintains a dedicated community.
PrestaShop is definitely younger solution. It was launched in 2007. However, currently it powers hundreds of thousands of web shops globally and considered to be a true rising star of eCommerce. The platform combines both powerful set of functions and intuitive admin panel. PrestaShop has evolved significantly, with its latest major versions, such as PrestaShop 8.x, continually enhancing its capabilities and user experience, reflecting PrestaShop's ongoing evolution.
Common Benefits
There is a number of advantages that may encourage you to use one of the platforms. Here are some benefits that you will get from implementing each of the shopping cart:
- Both solutions are totally free, aligning with the advantages often found in open-source shopping carts, so you can save your budget.
- PrestaShop and osCommerce can fit any size of business. You will run a store with a dozen or thousands of products equally effectively.
- Great number of extensions. Which allow you to add virtually every specific feature that is not available by default.
Major Differences
Even though the platforms shared some advantages there is a core difference between two shopping carts.
- PrestaShop is a feature-rich and ready to go solution. You can download it, install, fill with products and start selling online. All the important functions are already there: product management and template system, SEO and marketing, multiple checkout options and multi-store function, numerous payment and shipping options, and more than 310 other features.
- osCommerce offers a range of basic default features that will be enough to start with: opportunity to sell any amount and type of products, numerous languages and currencies, basic shipping and payment gateways, orders management, etc. However, the power of osCommerce lays in it’s community and more than 7 000 of extensions. Virtually every function can be added by modules and addons.
Final Decision
Due to the peculiarities of platforms that were mentioned above we can make some conclusions. osCommerce will be a better solution in case if you have middle or high level programming skills and ready to jump into the core programming in order to create your store. If you need a packaged with features and easy to use solution that won’t require any extensive technical skills don’t hesitate and create your PrestaShop shop.
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Monthly Update – November 2025
As we approach the end of 2025, the e-commerce landscape is increasingly shaped by advancements in headless commerce and composable architectures. For merchants using traditional monolithic platforms like osCommerce, the transition to a more flexible, API-first approach offers unparalleled agility and scalability. PrestaShop users, while benefiting from a more modern foundation, can also explore composable elements to enhance their storefronts without a full re-platforming. This November, consider how separating your frontend from your backend can empower richer customer experiences, faster load times, and greater design freedom. Embracing a composable strategy allows businesses to cherry-pick best-of-breed services for payment, inventory, and analytics, rather than being confined by a single vendor's ecosystem. It's a strategic move for future-proofing your online store against rapidly changing consumer demands and technological innovations, ensuring you remain competitive and can adapt quickly. Evaluate your current architecture and think about how a modular approach could unlock new growth opportunities for 2026 and beyond.
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