The verdict in three sentences
For a Dublin SME turning over EUR 800,000 to 3 million on PrestaShop 1.6, staying put is no longer an option: the version has had no security fixes since 2020 and PHP 5.6 or 7.1 is refused by most hosts. Upgrading to PrestaShop 8 (EUR 8,000 to 25,000 excl. VAT) suits you if your business modules are essential, migrating to Shopify (EUR 10,000 to 30,000) cuts maintenance, and custom (EUR 40,000 and up) is only justified by very specific business rules. In every case, carrying over ten years of orders and the redirect plan decide SEO success.
The three scenarios priced
The first job is sorting the 40 modules: typically a third are useless, a third have a native or app equivalent, and a third are truly critical (carriers, ERP, B2B pricing, configurator).
| Criterion | PrestaShop 8 upgrade | Shopify migration | Custom (headless) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost excl. VAT | EUR 8,000 to 25,000 | EUR 10,000 to 30,000 | EUR 40,000 to 90,000 |
| Timeline | 6 to 10 weeks | 8 to 12 weeks | 4 to 6 months |
| Annual hosting | EUR 1,200 to 4,000 | Included in plan | EUR 2,400 to 6,000 |
| Annual licences and subscriptions | EUR 1,500 to 4,000 (modules) | EUR 1,200 to 4,800 + EUR 2,000 to 6,000 apps | EUR 0 to 2,000 |
| Fee on sales | 0% | 0.5 to 2% without Shopify Payments | 0% |
| Annual maintenance | EUR 3,000 to 8,000 | EUR 1,500 to 4,000 | EUR 6,000 to 15,000 |
| Specific modules kept | Yes, after adaptation | Replaced by apps | Rebuilt |
Total cost over three years
The starting price is often misleading. Over three years, the gap comes from subscriptions, fees and maintenance. Here is the estimate for a store doing EUR 1.5 million a year.
| Item over 3 years | PrestaShop 8 | Shopify (Advanced) | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial project | EUR 18,000 | EUR 22,000 | EUR 60,000 |
| Hosting or subscription | EUR 7,500 | EUR 13,000 | EUR 12,000 |
| Modules or apps | EUR 8,000 | EUR 12,000 | EUR 3,000 |
| Maintenance and changes | EUR 18,000 | EUR 9,000 | EUR 30,000 |
| Extra transaction fees | EUR 0 | EUR 0 to 9,000 | EUR 0 |
| 3-year total | EUR 51,500 | EUR 56,000 to 65,000 | EUR 105,000 |
| Expected conversion gain | +10 to +20% | +15 to +30% | +20 to +35% |
A 15% conversion gain on EUR 1.5 million is EUR 225,000 of extra revenue a year, which puts the gap between options in perspective. The deciding factor then becomes mobile speed and the team's ability to evolve the store without a developer.
Data migration and redirects
Ten years of history often means 40,000 to 150,000 orders, 20,000 to 80,000 customers and several thousand indexed URLs. Customer accounts must be migrated (passwords do not move to Shopify: plan an invitation campaign), orders kept for customer service and accounting, then every old product and category URL mapped. Budget EUR 2,000 to 6,000 for this. A rebuild without 301 redirects loses 20 to 50% of organic traffic for 3 to 6 months.
Mini case study
Ciaran, owner of a Dublin outdoor gear store (EUR 1.8 million revenue, 55% of sales on mobile), runs PrestaShop 1.6 with 42 modules. Mobile conversion is stuck at 0.9%. The audit finds 14 useless modules and 9 critical ones, including a Sage connector and multi-warehouse management. He chooses the PrestaShop 8 upgrade with a theme redesign for EUR 21,000, plus EUR 4,000 for migration and redirects. Six months later, mobile conversion reaches 1.25%. On mobile sales (about EUR 1 million), that is close to EUR 380,000 of additional annualised revenue at equal traffic, about EUR 115,000 of gross margin at 30%. The EUR 25,000 project pays back in under 3 months.
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FAQ
Can you go straight from PrestaShop 1.6 to 8?
Yes, but not via the automatic updater. A clean version 8 store is installed and the data migrated, which takes 6 to 10 weeks and costs EUR 8,000 to 25,000 depending on the modules to adapt.
Is Shopify suitable for an SME that also sells B2B?
Shopify Plus includes B2B (customer pricing, payment terms), but the plan starts around USD 2,300 a month. Below EUR 3 million of revenue, PrestaShop 8 is often cheaper for that need.
How much SEO traffic is at risk?
With a complete 301 redirect plan, the dip is usually limited to 5 to 10% for 4 to 8 weeks. Without one, it reaches 20 to 50%.
Should all ten years of orders be kept?
Irish rules require keeping records for six years, but not necessarily in the store. Many SMEs migrate three years online and archive the rest, cutting migration cost by 30 to 40%.
What timeline avoids peak season?
Start by the end of May at the latest for a September go-live. A switchover after mid-October exposes Black Friday and Christmas, often 30% of annual revenue.
Let's scope your project. Send us your module list and order volume: we will compare upgrade, Shopify and custom, with a budget of EUR 8,000 to 40,000 and a 6 to 12 week plan. 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.
