The verdict in three sentences
For a New York supplier of compostable food packaging delivering to bakeries, delis and restaurants across the five boroughs, PrestaShop usually costs about half as much as Shopify Plus over three years, provided you have a reliable partner for maintenance. Shopify Plus earns its premium when online revenue is large, there is no in house tech team and uptime during the morning ordering rush matters more than cost. Either way, standing orders and case pack pricing are the two features that decide your return on investment.
Side by side comparison
Figures are 2026 market ballparks for a catalog of 300 to 800 SKUs and 200 to 600 trade accounts.
| Criterion | Shopify Plus | PrestaShop |
|---|---|---|
| Platform cost | Subscription starting around $2,300 to $2,500 a month (2026 ballpark, public pricing varies by contract and revenue) | Open source, hosting $700 to $3,500 a year |
| Store build | $25,000 to $70,000 | $18,000 to $60,000 |
| Standing orders for bakeries and delis | B2B features plus subscription apps | Paid modules or custom development |
| Customer specific pricing and case breaks | Native B2B catalogs | Customer groups and volume pricing, finer rules via modules |
| Time to launch | 10 to 14 weeks | 10 to 16 weeks |
| Lock in | To the platform and its app ecosystem | To your developer and paid modules |
| Room to grow | Strong, upgrades handled by the vendor | Strong, upgrades must be budgeted |
| Portability | Data exportable, theme not portable | Code and database are yours |
PrestaShop's weak spot is the stack of paid modules: a B2B store often runs 10 to 25 of them, each needing updates, and the US developer pool is smaller than for Shopify. Shopify Plus's weak spot is a fixed monthly cost you pay even in slow months.
Three year cost of ownership
| Item | Shopify Plus | PrestaShop |
|---|---|---|
| Build (median assumption) | $35,000 | $40,000 |
| Platform over 36 months | $2,300 x 36 = $82,800 | Hosting $2,000 x 3 = $6,000 |
| Apps or modules | $350 x 36 = $12,600 | Purchase $4,500 + renewals $1,700 x 3 = $9,600 |
| Maintenance | $700 x 36 = $25,200 | $1,100 x 36 = $39,600 |
| Three year total | $155,600 | $95,200 |
| Average per year | $51,870 | $31,730 |
The $60,400 gap pays for a part time developer. It narrows if your volume earns a negotiated Shopify Plus rate, or if PrestaShop maintenance drifts because no partner owns it.
Business features and recommendation by profile
| Feature or profile | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Weekly standing order of 20 cases of bread bags | Both, with self serve edit and skip before cutoff |
| Case breaks at 1, 10 and 50 cases, pricing per account | Both, PrestaShop cheaper to run |
| Product pages showing compostability certification (for example BPI) with downloadable certificate | Both, file field per SKU |
| Environmental claims aligned with the FTC Green Guides and current NYC rules on food service ware | Both, content reviewed by your compliance lead |
| Online revenue under $2 million, team of 1 to 3 | PrestaShop with a written maintenance agreement |
| High online revenue, several states, no tech team | Shopify Plus |
| Under 500 SKUs, tight build budget | Neither: a lean ecommerce site is enough |
For that last profile, Kolonell's prices are EUR 3,050 to 5,340 for a Premium ecommerce site, EUR 760 for the 50 to 500 product option, EUR 230 for a customer area and EUR 114 a month for Standard maintenance. Standing orders per account then become a simple custom app, from EUR 3,810 to 6,100.
Mini case study
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Illustrative example: Rachel runs a compostable packaging supplier in Brooklyn with 420 trade accounts placing 1,300 orders a month, 70 % of them repeats. Each phone or email order takes 6 minutes to key in, about 130 hours a month. With online standing orders, 80 % of the volume needs no data entry, leaving 26 hours. The 104 hours saved at $38 an hour are worth $3,950 a month, about $47,400 a year. With PrestaShop at $31,730 a year the net gain is over $15,000 from year one; with Shopify Plus it is close to break even.
FAQ
What does Shopify Plus cost in 2026?
The subscription starts around $2,300 to $2,500 a month as a 2026 ballpark, with public pricing varying by contract and revenue. Add a build of $25,000 to $70,000 and apps.
Is PrestaShop really cheaper?
Our three year median scenario gives $95,200 against $155,600 for Shopify Plus. The advantage disappears if paid modules pile up or maintenance is not under contract.
How do standing orders work for bakeries?
Each account saves a template order with frequency, quantities and delivery day, editable up to 48 hours before dispatch. This typically cuts manual order entry by 70 to 80 % for B2B distributors.
Should every product page show compostability certification?
Yes, list the certification that applies and attach the manufacturer certificate as a PDF, keeping claims consistent with the FTC Green Guides. Restaurant buyers ask for it in more than half of supplier reviews.
Can we move from PrestaShop to Shopify Plus later?
Yes, customers, orders and products can be exported, with a migration budget of $9,000 to $24,000 as a 2026 ballpark. The theme and modules must be rebuilt.
Let's scope your project. Send us your SKU count, trade accounts and monthly order volume, and we will compare both platforms on your numbers with a build budget, a three year cost and a 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.
