The verdict in three sentences
For a mid-sized B2B supplier, WooCommerce is cheapest up to about 2,000 SKUs with simple discounts, PrestaShop copes better up to 5,000 SKUs with customer groups, Shopify B2B suits brands that also sell to consumers, and custom becomes rational beyond that or as soon as customer-specific price lists and ordering rules get complex. As a 2026 order of magnitude in Dublin, budget EUR 9,000 to 22,000 for WooCommerce, EUR 13,000 to 30,000 for PrestaShop and EUR 38,000 to 75,000 for custom, excluding VAT. The comparison that matters is the three-year total, plugins, maintenance and workarounds included.
Four approaches, four logics
WooCommerce runs on WordPress with a large B2B plugin ecosystem (role-based pricing, quick order, invoice payment, minimum quantities). It launches fast and many Irish freelancers know it. It strains when 15 to 25 plugins update on different cycles and the catalogue passes a few thousand SKUs with variants.
PrestaShop, a French open-source platform, has native customer groups and specific prices with stronger catalogue handling. B2B modules are usually paid once, with upgrades bought again at major versions. Good for 2,000 to 5,000 SKUs and group pricing.
Shopify B2B is part of Shopify Plus, from about USD 2,300 a month in 2026. Company accounts, catalogues and net terms are solid, but deep ERP pricing logic often needs a paid connector.
Custom (modern framework, API linked to the ERP) costs more upfront but models your exact rules: ERP net prices per customer, delivery thresholds by county, case or pallet packaging, approval by a manager, automatic reorder.
| Criterion | WooCommerce B2B | PrestaShop B2B | Shopify B2B | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build cost (EUR, excl. VAT) | 9,000 to 22,000 | 13,000 to 30,000 | 15,000 to 35,000 | 38,000 to 75,000 |
| Plugins, licences, fees per year | 300 to 1,500 | 400 to 2,000 | about 25,000 | 0 to 500 |
| Time to launch | 6 to 10 weeks | 8 to 12 weeks | 8 to 12 weeks | 4 to 6 months |
| Comfortable SKU count | Up to 2,000 | Up to 5,000 | 10,000+ | 10,000+ |
| ERP customer pricing | Plugin, limited | Specific prices, manual | Connector | Native, synced |
| Multi-level approval | Third-party plugin | Third-party module | Native | Native |
| Vendor dependency | Low | Medium | Platform lock-in | High without docs |
Three-year total cost
Launch price misleads. Workarounds such as manual price exports, rekeying refused orders and fixing delivery threshold errors have a real staff cost. Estimate for a supplier with 3,500 SKUs and 600 active accounts:
| Three-year item (EUR) | WooCommerce B2B | PrestaShop B2B | Shopify B2B | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build | 17,000 | 23,000 | 25,000 | 55,000 |
| Plugins, licences, fees | 3,000 | 4,500 | 75,000 | 900 |
| Maintenance and updates | 11,500 | 11,500 | 7,200 | 9,500 |
| Major version upgrade | 4,000 | 6,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Manual workarounds (staff time) | 23,000 | 13,500 | 9,000 | 3,800 |
| Hosting | 3,600 | 3,600 | 0 | 5,400 |
| Three-year total | 62,100 | 62,100 | 116,200 | 74,600 |
At 3,500 SKUs, the open-source and custom options sit within about 20 % of each other, while Shopify Plus fees dominate for a pure wholesaler. Custom wins if the catalogue doubles or new channels arrive (sales-rep ordering app, supplier portal). Under 1,500 SKUs with group discounts, WooCommerce is clearly cheapest.
Questions to answer before choosing
How many SKUs in three years? Do prices come from the ERP or a spreadsheet? Do customers need internal approval? Do you sell by case, by pallet, with thresholds by region? Who maintains the site if the vendor disappears? Three complex answers point to custom.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Aoife runs a Dublin food packaging supplier serving 900 cafés and restaurants in Ireland and Northern Ireland, with 2,800 SKUs. Prices depend on each account's annual volume, and 40 % of orders still come by phone.
Quotes: WooCommerce EUR 15,000, PrestaShop EUR 22,000, custom EUR 48,000. Her sales assistant spends 10 hours a week updating prices and fixing orders: 520 hours a year at EUR 34 loaded, EUR 17,680. With PrestaShop plus automatic ERP price import (EUR 3,000 extra), she expects to halve that: EUR 8,840 saved a year, EUR 26,520 over three years. She picks PrestaShop, since her catalogue will stay under 4,000 SKUs and the extra EUR 26,000 for custom would not pay back in three years.
FAQ
Is Shopify B2B worth it for a wholesaler?
For brands also selling direct to consumers, often yes. For a pure wholesaler with an ERP, about USD 2,300 a month adds up to roughly EUR 75,000 over three years, rarely justified.
Can we start on WooCommerce and migrate later?
Yes, but migration costs about 40 % to 60 % of a new build. If you expect more than 5,000 SKUs within two years, choose the target platform now.
Does custom lock us into the agency?
Only without documentation and source code. Require code ownership, a Git repository in your name and technical documentation in the contract.
What maintenance should we plan?
EUR 200 to 650 a month depending on volume, as a Dublin market order of magnitude. WordPress and PrestaShop security patches should be applied within 7 days.
What about French e-invoicing if we sell into France?
All four options can comply through the ERP. See our France e-invoicing guide for foreign sellers.
Let's scope your project. We compare the options against your catalogue, pricing rules and ERP, then deliver the chosen build on a fixed schedule. 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.
