Why more merchants are leaving PrestaShop in 2025

Frequent module conflicts with hidden costs

Many PrestaShop users initially pick this platform for its huge library of modules, which makes it easy to add new features. However, this feature comes with problems as well.

Most of these modules come from different developers, and they tend to clash when the core software updates. For example, it can break payment or shipping features overnight. Then, store owners must hire developers to patch conflicts, resulting in considerable expenses for fixing errors.

In another situation, to add a loyalty program, you might need three separate modules that usually do not work well together. As a result, it can cause a round of custom coding in order to keep things stable.

Over time, many merchants find it costs them time and money on patching than on growing. That’s why they plan to move to another platform with fewer surprises!

Scaling issues for modern stores

PrestaShop can work well for small shops, but when the stores start to expand, the platform often struggles. Its core setup contains limitations for global sales as it does not accommodate managing multiple stores in different countries. Businesses feel clunky with the requirement of extra modules that don’t always sync well. They even face a risk of breakdown when handling multiple currencies and languages.

On the other hand, for growing businesses with traffic spikes during sales, the platform lacks strong built-in performance tools. As a result, stores can slow down or even crash during peak times.

To boost speed, PrestaShop users need to upgrade hosting, tweak settings, or hire developers, ultimately draining their time and budget. Meanwhile, other merchants decide to grow with another platform with faster speeds and simple multi-store management that can keep strong performance as their sales and visitors soar.

Performance and security concerns

PrestaShop offers a self-hosted setup so that the merchant handles hosting, speed, and security themselves. Users have total control, but more work and risk at the same time. They must take responsibility for ensuring server speed and SEO rankings.

Regarding security, Prestashop store owners also need to apply patches and updates on time. Otherwise, the stores can be easily attacked by hackers or bots. These tasks of keeping up with patches, backups, and hosting tweaks will consume hours of work.

Meanwhile, hosted platforms, like Shopify or BigCommerce, help merchants handle performance and security in their background. These platforms monitor servers and push updates automatically, while including built-in protection. Users on these platforms encounter less stress on site speed or security, and have more time to grow their business.

Missing native AI and personalization features

PrestaShop falls short with smart and personalized experiences that modern shoppers expect during their purchases. The platform has not been updated with built-in AI tools that are essential for product recommendations, advanced search, or chat support.

If they want to apply tailored suggestions or smarter search results, merchants have to rely on extra modules. Some stores hire costly developers to build custom AI features. While costing more money, these add-ons might not work well together.

Meanwhile, there are now other platforms that offer AI tools as a part of their service package. These tools are available to help online shops show the right products to the right shoppers and answer questions faster.

Without native AI, PrestaShop stores often fall behind competitors who offer smarter shopping experiences through built-in features. Most eCommerce users want an all-in-one solution to stay competitive.

Lack of headless and omnichannel readiness

To create a smooth experience in different selling channels, including websites, mobile apps, and online marketplaces, many brands use headline commerce with only one backend.

However, PrestaShop is built as a traditional monolithic system, which ties the front end and back end together. It limits merchants from building apps, connecting to third-party sales channels, or creating custom storefronts. In addition, native tools for selling on multiple channels are in short supply. That’s how its structure makes headless commerce difficult.

To obtain these advantages, PrestaShop merchants often need extra plugins and custom development. This will increase operational costs and slow down business growth.

Meanwhile, other platforms come with built-in tools for social selling, marketplace sync, or even mobile-first storefronts. Therefore, many store owners who plan to expand across multiple channels often switch to a platform with headless setups and stronger omnichannel features built in from the start.

Hiring developers for basic upgrades

Upgrading old themes and outdated modules on PrestaShop stores is not simple for people lacking technology skills. Many PrestaShop stores must hire a developer to update even basic improvements. Some simple tasks, like fixing payment gateways, updating shipping rules, or adjusting tax settings, also need expertise to make sure they are handled carefully and do not break something.

This inconvenience especially makes small teams overwhelmed when they keep everything up to date. It takes hours to check if modules still work together. If not, stores must hire freelancers or agencies to fix conflicts or rewrite parts of the site.

For businesses that want to have upgrades handled automatically, there are better alternatives with constant technical help without extra fees and time.

More time spent on maintaining than growing

Many PrestaShop merchants feel they are too busy with the developers’ jobs as they must spend hours fixing bugs, updating modules, chasing down conflicts, testing updates, adjusting plugins, or fixing broken pages. Meanwhile, they should focus on launching products and planning marketing campaigns.

In other words, they have little room for growing jobs, like improving customer service or expanding into new markets. The cost of lost opportunities is so high that many of them want to transfer to another platform in which they can focus on building their brand, not troubleshooting technical issues.

When the total costs add up more

At first, PrestaShop is free to download and open source. However, many stores rely on freelancers or technical agencies to handle updates, bugs, and custom features. Over time, those hidden costs will stack up and cost businesses significant spending.

Moreover, to invest in a premium module, stores often need several paid plugins that come with yearly renewals. Custom plugins can cost even more when there is a break and repairs are needed.

All these costs can come out much higher than the initial investment in a modern SaaS platform, like Shopify or BigCommerce. These hosted solutions bundle hosting, security, updates, and many built-in tools for one monthly fee. With this math, many merchants have decided not to stay anymore in 2025.

Why merchants are choosing Shopify, BigCommerce, or WooCommerce

At Next-Cart, we recommend our customers migrate to modern platforms, like Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce, to release heavy technical work with built-in tools. Take a look at more reasons to move!

Hosted platforms reduce technical overhead

Running their stores on a hosted platform, like Shopify or BigCommerce, means merchants do not have to manage hosting, server performance, or security patches on their own. This kind of platform is responsible for taking care of speed backups and protection. Therefore, when traffic to stores spikes, they can still stay stable and fast, with no need for extra server tweaks.

Moreover, software updates and new features roll out automatically. Merchants don’t need to worry about patching the core or checking if plugins still work. This not only saves their time but also reduces sudden breakdowns.

Also being a self-hosted platform like PrestaShop, but WooCommerce offers a massive plugin ecosystem, clear documentation, and more reliable hosting partners that handle much of this work for you.

They are scalable for global readiness

For businesses growing across borders, Shopify and BigCommerce include built-in support for multiple currencies, languages, and localized checkout, without the need for extra modules. Users can easily reach customers in different countries.

Furthermore, these platforms help manage a large product catalog smoothly. They handle complex SKUs, variants, and inventory syncing across channels. While PrestaShop’s core features make it harder to manage multiple stores in other regions, the alternative platforms provide supportive tools.

Without stress about whether their system can keep up, store owners can focus on developing new products and new markets. In addition, these platforms scale their resources accordingly to the sales rise to avoid downtime and slow load speeds.

Modern marketing and sales tools

Another big reason why eCommerce merchants move from PrestaShop is that they can access modern sales and marketing features. Shopify and BigCommerce pack in AI-powered product recommendations, personalized offers, smart search, abandoned cart recovery, built-in email marketing, and analytics to track results.

These platforms also accommodate headless commerce, allowing users to build custom storefronts or connect apps easily without complex coding.

They also have app marketplaces for users to add social selling tools or loyalty programs. For instance, WooCommerce possesses WordPress’s huge ecosystem with thousands of plugins for SEO, marketing, and more.

Together, these above features save online merchants time on patching and have more time selling. They can make changes in their marketing campaigns and customer service without hiring expensive developers. This might be the biggest reason to make the switch.

Migrate from PrestaShop to another platform with the right partner

For merchants who have built their store on PrestaShop for years, the idea of switching platforms sounds risky. They often worry about SEO rankings lost, important links broken, or customer and product data lost during the migration. Also, they are fear that their daily selling operations can be disrupted or unexpected downtime will cost sales and customer trust.

This is where a clear, proven migration plan comes to resolve the worries. At Next-Cart, we help merchants go through the migration process smoothly without the usual headaches.

At first, our eCommerce experts will fully audit your current store and map every product category, customer record, and SEO detail. Based on the thorough understanding, we plan the migration step-by-step.

During the transfer, we ensure all data, URLs, meta tags, and images move cleanly to the new platform. Also, we will set up your multi-store networks, multiple languages, and different currencies, and make sure they run smoothly.

Finally, we run multiple tests to catch any issues early and make necessary adjustments to fine-tune performance, making sure your new store is ready to handle normal traffic and conversions.

After the migration, our team keeps following your new store to help you settle into your new system and further optimize its performance.

We believe that a smart migration will become a chance for online businesses to grow. When it is done right, stores can benefit from smoother operations and more sales in the long run.

Final thoughts

PrestaShop still works for some stores, but for many in 2025, it is not suitable anymore due it the hidden costs and risky constant upkeeps. Many online merchants are stuck with fixing conflicts or patching modules, then they do not have time to grow their brand. A smart solution for them is to move their store to a modern and scalable platform so that they can really drive sales.

Don’t let the maintenance burden hold you back! If you think it is time to move your store, book a free consultation with Next-Cart today to see how we can help you migrate your online store the right way.