The verdict in three sentences
For an Amsterdam merchant doing EUR 1.8 million in revenue on an ageing PrestaShop 1.7, Shopify costs EUR 15,000 to 40,000 to migrate plus about EUR 7,000 to 30,000 a year in subscription and apps, against EUR 60,000 to 110,000 for a custom build. Shopify wins as long as your business logic stays standard, custom pays off with complex pricing, stock or configuration rules. Either way, success hinges on 301 redirects, moving 12,000 customers and keeping your SEO traffic.
Why PrestaShop 1.7 has become a risk
PrestaShop 1.7 often runs on PHP 7.4, with no security patches since late 2022, and 40 to 70 modules, some no longer maintained. The symptoms are familiar: product pages over 4 seconds on mobile, updates that break the theme, vulnerabilities in old payment modules. Upgrading to PrestaShop 8 or 9 is an option, but it usually means rebuilding theme and modules, at a cost close to replatforming.
| Option | Migration cost excl. VAT | Annual recurring cost | Lead time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PrestaShop 8/9 (upgrade) | EUR 20,000 to 45,000 | EUR 4,000 to 10,000 (hosting, maintenance) | 3 to 5 months | In-house PHP team |
| Shopify (Grow or Advanced) | EUR 15,000 to 40,000 | EUR 7,000 to 15,000 (plan, apps) | 2 to 4 months | Standard catalogue and rules |
| Shopify Plus | EUR 35,000 to 60,000 | EUR 26,000 to 35,000 | 3 to 5 months | Above EUR 5M revenue, native B2B |
| Custom (Next.js + API) | EUR 60,000 to 110,000 | EUR 12,000 to 24,000 (hosting, support) | 5 to 8 months | Configurators, heavy business logic |
| Headless Shopify + custom front | EUR 45,000 to 80,000 | EUR 15,000 to 30,000 | 4 to 6 months | Performance and rich content |
What a clean migration really costs
The price of a migration depends less on the target platform than on the quality of the data move. Here is a typical breakdown for 3,500 products, 12,000 customers and 45,000 historical orders.
| Item | Shopify | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Audit, URL and module mapping | EUR 2,000 | EUR 4,000 |
| Theme or front end (design, build) | EUR 6,000 to 15,000 | EUR 20,000 to 35,000 |
| Products, variants, images | EUR 2,500 to 6,000 | EUR 5,000 to 9,000 |
| Customers and order history | EUR 1,500 to 4,000 | EUR 3,000 to 6,000 |
| 301 redirect plan (8,000 to 15,000 URLs) | EUR 1,500 to 3,000 | EUR 2,000 to 4,000 |
| ERP, carrier, marketplace connectors (bol.com) | EUR 1,500 to 6,000 | EUR 15,000 to 35,000 |
| Testing, 3-month SEO monitoring | EUR 0 to 2,000 | EUR 3,000 to 6,000 |
| Total | EUR 15,000 to 40,000 | EUR 60,000 to 110,000 |
A note on customers: PrestaShop passwords cannot be transferred to Shopify. Plan an account activation campaign, with roughly 25 to 40 % reactivation in the first month. On SEO, a migration without a complete 301 plan commonly loses 20 to 40 % of organic traffic for 3 to 6 months, against 0 to 10 % with a rigorous plan. Also check that iDEAL, still used for most Dutch online payments, is enabled from day one.
Mini case study
Daan runs a garden equipment site in Amsterdam (EUR 1.8 million revenue, 55 % of traffic from SEO, 3,500 SKUs) and is weighing Shopify against custom. His business rules are simple, apart from a delivery calculator for heavy items.
- Shopify: EUR 32,000 migration + EUR 11,000 a year, EUR 65,000 over 3 years.
- Custom: EUR 85,000 + EUR 18,000 a year, EUR 139,000 over 3 years.
- Expected conversion gain in both cases (faster site): from 1.6 % to 1.9 %, +18 % revenue, about EUR 320,000 a year.
At an 8 % net margin, the gain is about EUR 26,000 a year. Shopify pays back in about 15 months, custom in over 3 years. Daan picks Shopify with a custom delivery calculation app at EUR 4,500.
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FAQ
How much does a PrestaShop to Shopify migration cost?
Between EUR 15,000 and 40,000 in 2026 for 1,000 to 5,000 products, depending on theme and connectors. Add EUR 7,000 to 15,000 a year for plan and apps.
Will we lose our rankings?
Not if every old URL is 301-redirected to its equivalent, titles and content are carried over and Search Console is monitored for 3 months. A temporary 5 to 10 % dip for 4 to 8 weeks is common.
Can customers and orders be migrated?
Yes, customers, addresses and order history move by API. Only passwords cannot be transferred to Shopify, hence an account activation email campaign.
When is custom justified?
When your commercial edge depends on logic Shopify handles poorly: product configurators, prices computed from many variables, advanced B2B, complex multi-warehouse. Below EUR 3 million revenue it rarely pays off over 3 years.
How long does the project take?
Allow 2 to 4 months for Shopify and 5 to 8 months for custom. Avoid switching between October and December, or in March and April for garden products, your peak seasons.
Let's scope your project. Send us your store URL, revenue and module list and we will compare Shopify and custom with a price between EUR 15,000 and 110,000 and an off-season timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
