The verdict in three sentences
Staying on PrestaShop 1.6 is no longer an option in 2026: the version is unmaintained, PHP 5.6 and 7.1 get no security patches, and some of your 45 modules will never run on a recent release. An upgrade to PrestaShop 8 costs EUR 15,000-40,000 excl. VAT and keeps you in control of the code, while a Shopify migration costs EUR 20,000-50,000 and turns part of your maintenance into a subscription. The right choice depends less on the platform than on three numbers: 3-year total cost, the share of revenue coming from SEO and the number of modules that are truly business-specific.
The starting point: a PrestaShop 1.6 store that costs more than it seems
A store doing EUR 2.5 million online on PrestaShop 1.6 usually carries hidden costs: patches for incompatible modules, 4 to 6 second load times on mobile, known vulnerabilities in abandoned payment modules, override conflicts. Before comparing platforms, sort the 45 modules.
| Module category | Typical count out of 45 | Fate on PrestaShop 8 | Fate on Shopify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native or replaced by core | 12 | Removed | Removed |
| Payment and shipping | 6 | New paid versions, EUR 100-400 each | Replaced by Shopify Payments and shipping apps |
| Marketing and SEO | 9 | Reinstalled or dropped | Apps at EUR 10-50 per month each |
| ERP, marketplace, logistics connectors | 5 | Rewritten or updated, EUR 1,500-6,000 each | Apps or API development, EUR 2,000-8,000 |
| Custom business modules | 4 | Rewritten, EUR 2,000-5,000 each | Logic to rebuild, sometimes impossible without Shopify Plus |
| Unused or duplicates | 9 | Removed | Removed |
In most audits, a third of the modules disappear with no functional loss. The real issue is the 4 to 9 business modules: customer-specific pricing, configurators, B2B quotes, batch tracking. That is where Shopify becomes expensive or restrictive.
2026 comparison: PrestaShop 8 or Shopify
The amounts below are 2026 market estimates for an Irish SME, in EUR excl. VAT. They are not Kolonell prices.
| Criterion | PrestaShop 8 upgrade | Shopify migration |
|---|---|---|
| Project cost | EUR 15,000-40,000 | EUR 20,000-50,000 |
| Timeline | 2 to 4 months | 3 to 5 months |
| Hosting | EUR 150-400 per month (managed server) | Included in subscription |
| Platform subscription | EUR 0 | EUR 30 to 400 per month, Shopify Plus from about USD 2,300 per month |
| Fees when not using Shopify Payments | 0% | 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced), lower on Plus |
| Maintenance and updates | EUR 500-1,200 per month | EUR 200-600 per month |
| Code ownership | Full | Theme and private apps only |
| Advanced B2B features | Freely developed | Mostly on Shopify Plus |
The classic trap: keeping an existing payment provider, for instance for instalment payments, instead of Shopify Payments. On EUR 750,000 collected through that channel, 0.6% is EUR 4,500 a year, and 2% on the Basic plan would be EUR 15,000.
The SEO risk on 4,000 URLs
A platform migration almost always changes the URL structure. Shopify enforces /products/ and /collections/ prefixes, while PrestaShop 8 lets you keep existing URLs. If 40% of revenue comes from organic search, a 10 to 30% drop in organic visits for 2 to 4 months adds up fast.
| Migration SEO step | Estimated effort | Risk if neglected |
|---|---|---|
| Full crawl of 4,000 URLs and ranking export | 2 to 3 days | High-visit pages forgotten |
| One-to-one 301 redirect map | 3 to 5 days | 20 to 40% losses on affected pages |
| Title, meta and content carried over | 2 to 4 days | Lower CTR |
| Product and review structured data | 1 to 2 days | Star ratings lost in Google |
| Search Console monitoring for 8 weeks after switch | 1 day per week | Uncorrected 404 errors |
This workstream costs EUR 3,000-8,000 excl. VAT whether or not you stay on PrestaShop. It is lighter on PrestaShop 8 because URLs can stay identical.
Mini case study
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Ciaran runs an outdoor gear SME in Dublin doing EUR 2.5 million online, 40% of it via SEO, with a 35% gross margin. PrestaShop 8 scenario: EUR 28,000 project, EUR 250 per month hosting, EUR 3,000 per year module licences, EUR 800 per month maintenance. Over 3 years: 28,000 + 9,000 + 9,000 + 28,800 = EUR 74,800 excl. VAT.
Shopify Advanced scenario: EUR 35,000 project, about EUR 360 per month subscription or EUR 12,960, apps at EUR 400 per month or EUR 14,400, 0.6% on EUR 750,000 a year via a third-party provider or EUR 13,500, maintenance at EUR 400 per month or EUR 14,400. Total: EUR 90,260 excl. VAT. If the switch costs 10% of organic visits for 4 months, lost revenue is about EUR 33,000, or EUR 11,600 of margin.
For Ciaran, PrestaShop 8 costs about EUR 27,000 less over 3 years. Shopify would make sense again if the in-house team has no technical skills or if the goal is to launch several country stores quickly.
FAQ
Can we stay on PrestaShop 1.6 for another year?
Technically yes, but security risk grows every month and some hosts charge EUR 50 to 150 per month extra to keep old PHP versions running. A breach in a payment module can cost far more than an upgrade.
Do we need to go through PrestaShop 1.7 before 8?
No, migration usually goes straight to version 8 with a data migration tool, then compatible modules are reinstalled. That avoids paying for testing twice, saving EUR 3,000 to 6,000.
Is Shopify a fit for an SME that also sells B2B?
Native B2B features (customer pricing, payment terms, dedicated catalogues) are mainly on Shopify Plus, from about USD 2,300 per month. Below that, you need apps adding EUR 50 to 300 per month.
How long to recover organic visits after a migration?
With a complete redirect plan, most sites recover in 4 to 8 weeks. Without one, losses of 20 to 40% can last more than 6 months.
What budget for the preliminary audit?
A technical, module and SEO audit usually costs EUR 2,000 to 5,000 excl. VAT and takes 1 to 2 weeks. It stops you choosing a platform on gut feeling.
Let's scope your project. Send us your module list and volumes: we will price both scenarios, migration or upgrade, with a schedule and an SEO plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33, or request your free quote.
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.
