How much does a PrestaShop store cost: the real budget

A PrestaShop store costs the sum of hosting, domain and certificate, theme, modules, setup (configuration, catalogue, payments, shipping and legal texts), custom development if any, and maintenance. The software is free; what you pay for is the work and the services around it. The first year accounts for most of the spending, and from the second year onwards what remains is hosting, renewals and maintenance.

There is no figure that applies to every store, and be wary of anyone who gives one without asking anything. What we can do is break down each item so you know what you are comparing when you ask for quotes.

What is paid once and what is paid every year

Hosting: the item you should not cut

PrestaShop needs a server with the PHP version required by the store's version, enough memory, a fast database, cache and scheduled tasks. The most basic shared hosting can do to start with a small catalogue, but as soon as the catalogue or traffic grows, the store becomes slow, and a slow store sells less and ranks worse.

When comparing hosting prices, look at what is included: daily backups and who restores them, which PHP version you can choose, whether an object cache can be used, whether there is support that understands PrestaShop and what happens if the store goes down on a Sunday.

Theme: purchased, adapted or custom

• PrestaShop's default theme. No purchase cost, lightweight and updated with every version. With a child theme and some design work you get a store with its own look.
• Purchased theme. Low purchase price, but check whether it is updated for new PrestaShop versions and whether it comes with its own modules that then tie the store to that theme.
• Custom design. More expensive, and only worth it when the brand really needs it. The healthy approach is to build it as a child theme on a well-maintained one.

The cheapest theme can turn out expensive if it stops working with the next PrestaShop update and has to be rebuilt.

Modules: just the ones you need

PrestaShop comes with the basics, and what is missing is covered by modules: a better search engine, security alerts, SEO, legal, payments, shipping, integrations. Most are a one-off payment, some are subscriptions. Two ideas to avoid overdoing it:

• Each module is one more piece to update and one that may clash with another. Install only what solves a real need.
• Monthly subscriptions add up. A small monthly fee seems like little, but it is multiplied by twelve every year and never ends. Compare it with the one-off alternative.

Setup: the work you do not see

This is the most underestimated item. It includes installing and configuring the store, languages and taxes, carriers and zones, payment gateways in test and live mode, email templates, legal texts and the cookie notice, loading the catalogue (by hand, by import or from the ERP), images, categories and the final review with test orders. If the store replaces another one, add the migration of customers and orders and the redirects of the old URLs so as not to lose rankings.

Custom development

When a store needs something no module does (an integration with a specific ERP, a product configurator, its own pricing logic), development is needed. What matters is not only the initial price but how it is done: development in the form of a module, without modifying the core, survives updates; one forced into PrestaShop files has to be redone every time. Always ask how it will be done and who owns the code.

Maintenance: what the second year pays for

An online store is never finished. PrestaShop, PHP and modules have to be updated, errors and security monitored, backups checked and incidents dealt with. Maintenance is usually paid in one of two ways: a fixed monthly fee or bundles of hours used up according to the work. With either, check what it really includes, how the work done is reported and whether unused hours are lost.

Cutting back here is the most common way for a store to end up expensive. A store that is not updated for years ends up needing a full migration, and that costs a great deal more than keeping up to date.

What becomes expensive by not doing it

• Not having tested backups. The day something breaks, rebuilding costs much more than restoring.
• Staying on an old version. Modules that stop being updated, unsupported PHP and, in the end, a forced migration.
• Insufficient hosting. Sales you never see because the store is slow to load.
• Modifying the core instead of using modules. Every update becomes a project.
• Asking for help too late. A payment error detected within an hour is a scare; detected within a week, it means lost orders and annoyed customers.

Timelines cost too

The time until launch is part of the budget, even if it does not appear on the invoice. A store with the default theme, a catalogue imported from a file and few modules is set up faster than one with a custom design, an ERP integration and a migration from another store. What stretches timelines the most is almost never the technical part, but what depends on the store itself: product pages, images, legal texts, shipping conditions and the payment gateway accounts, which require documentation and take time to activate. Having all that ready from the start saves weeks and billable hours. And if the new store replaces another one, leave time to test the migration and the redirects before switchover day.

How to compare quotes

1. Ask them to separate what is paid once and what is paid every year.
2. Check what the setup includes: catalogue, images, texts, legal, payments and shipping.
3. Ask about the theme: which one, how it is customised and whether it is updated.
4. Ask for the list of modules and their cost, including subscriptions.
5. Ask what happens after delivery: maintenance, support, response times.
6. Check that the store, the domain and the accounts are in your name.

How we do it at Rekire

For PrestaShop store development we give you a quote with each item separated, so you can see what is paid once and what every year. For hosting, Rekire's Professional hosting plan is designed for PrestaShop stores. And for day-to-day work, PrestaShop support works with bundles of hours, such as the 20-hour bundle: the hours do not expire and have no minimum monthly usage, we tell you beforehand how many we estimate for each task and only the hours worked are deducted, with a breakdown of what was done.

Frequently asked questions

Is PrestaShop free?

The software is, yes; it is open source. What costs money is the hosting, the theme, paid modules and the work of setting up and maintaining the store.

Which is more expensive, PrestaShop or a monthly-fee platform?

It depends on the size and the number of years. With PrestaShop you pay more at the start and there is no platform commission; with subscription platforms, the cost continues for as long as you use them. Compare over several years, not just the first.

How much does it cost to maintain a PrestaShop store per year?

It depends on the modules, the integrations and the custom code. Hosting, renewals and the maintenance hours your store needs are the fixed items.

Can I start small and grow later?

Yes, if you do it on a clean base: a well-maintained theme, few modules and nothing modified in the core. That way you add things without rebuilding.