Prestashop compared to Zen-Cart and osCommerce [closed]

Answer 1

I work daily with PrestaShop. I think that it's the perfect solution for an average project. If you need something extremely fancy (but also extremely difficult to configure/use) you should go for Magento. I'm a programmer and I've had difficulties setting it up like I wanted. The learning curve is too steep. Of course it brings other advantages, but the project has to be big enough to make up for the time lost in learning to use the the platform.

The thing I like the most about PrestaShop it's the ease of use (for both the developer and the shop admin). Its modular system completely demolishes osCommerce. Everytime I have to work on an osCommerce shop, I cringe. It's outdated and it's not a good option, by any means. If you need to change the layout of the store, you just drag modules around in the Back Office. There's no cutting and pasting code in PHP files. The same for installing new modules.

In my opinion, PrestaShop is mature enough at this point. There are hundreds of modules you can use to customize it to your liking (just do a google search or try their forum). The template system is also top-notch and easy to use. Take a look at what you can do: http://www.templatemonster.com/prestashop-themes.php

I also messed around with VirtueMart. It's not a bad solution if you want to integrate your shop with a CMS (Joomla). There's also TomatoCart, a new-comer (they still don't have documentation for developers) that's based on osCommerce 3 alpha, but from what I've seen it's a major improvement. The Back Office is amazing.

Summing it up, I think PrestaShop is excellent if you need something that's easy to use, easy to configure and flexible. Magento is better for LARGE projects because there's a lot of overhead. If you are planning on configuring more stores in the future, the time lost learning Magento might be acceptable.

Answer 2

We install and review all open source eCommerce solutions as a matter of course. So we have looked in depth at all the one mentioned here. I prefer osCommerce to Prestashop. Prestashop is too immature and simply does not have the in-built functionality or breadth of Add Ons. It is not a "lite" version of Magento by any means.

As to the other poster's comment about osCommerce and Magento. Magento is an out of the box solution which is very difficult to customize. You need to be a programmer to work with it and even then the learning curve is steep. And if you do customize, you then are buying out of their upgrade path. Which is why the average site does not customize and why so many Magento stores look so much alike.

Unlike Magento, osCommerce has and always will be intended as a core eCommerce solution on which you build you own unique eCommerce solution.

Two different approaches to building an eCommerce site. One is cookie cutter then other is fast track to custom solution.

Answer 3

Ive been using OSC these past few years and recently i started exploring Prestashop. I find presta harder to modify compared to OSC.

I think if you are more of a visual designer, it is easier to use OSC. But if u are more of a businessman, u should go for presta. The interface can be customizable but it'd take more time compared to OSC.

Answer 4

@Arta incorrectly stated, with regard to ZenCart,

They are both old and doesn't update at all.

ZenCart IS maintained, IS updated frequently and DOES have a decent roadmap into the future along with a robust community.

Here is a recent (March 2011) update from the ZenCart Team:

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=175569

Personally, I have installed, configured and maintained no less than 3 ZenCart shops, having found ZenCart subsequent to using "Selena Sol's" and Gunther Birzniek's Perl-based eCommerce app creatively named, "WebStore" for several years.

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I found ZenCart because I am not a programmer - I'm just a plugger who pushes hard enough on something to make it work.

With ZenCart, the community help is excellent. The "Getting Started" documentation got me started and got my websites running.

I've looked at Magento (too da*n complicated) and just about every shopping cart that's out there.

Maybe I'm just getting old but things that are shiny and new still do not compare to my OLD ZenCart for the key features I need:

1. Secure.
2. Integrates with Authorize.net & Paypal, among others.
3. TRUE Quantity Pricing.
4. Price based on Options.
5. Categories.
6. Fine, granular control over Product page Title and Keywords.
7. Easy to update when updates are released because I don't muck with CORE files (and I've never had to).
8. Thriving, responsive community.
9. Open-source. TRULY open-source.

I do have one complaint, though. I WISH the folks at ZenCart would reorganize their add-ons page to make it easier for ppl to find an add-on and know when the add-on was last updated. But as you can see, this is not a complaint about the Shopping Cart software itself.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

PrestaShop is an impressive new entry to the field, with a very attractive user interface and impressive product option/variant capabilities (like Zen Cart attributes). One downside is that it's much harder to modify; there is nothing like the Zen Cart "templating " capability so you're always changing core files. This gets hard to manage with the frequent release schedule PrestaShop is using. But you should definitely install it and spend some time testing it and evaluating its suitability for your shop.

Answer 6

i have used Oscommerce and yesterday i have just installed prestashop....and i found presta a bit harder than osc because it is fully object oriented and uses smarty template. i think it is harder to modify presta than osc.