PrestaShop or Shopify: how much you can save on servers, updates, and payment fees
When evaluating a platform, the most common question is: "How much does it cost?". But the true cost of an e-commerce goes far beyond the software subscription fee. We analyze how servers, maintenance, and payment gateways affect margins and look at a real-life migration case with over 1 Million Euros in annual transaction volume.
📌 Table of Contents (Click to expand)
- What does an e-commerce really cost?
- The Real Case: Over 1 Million Euros in transaction volume
- 1. Server cost and VPS hosting
- 2. Dedicated server or included Cloud infrastructure?
- 3. The hidden cost of updates
- 4. Keeping the software ecosystem operational
- 5. Shopify and automatic updates
- 6. Collection fees: thousands of euros at stake
- 7. Why sales volume changes the rules
- 8. The overall economic comparison (TCO)
- 9. What is Total Cost of Ownership
- 10. Migrating the entire corporate ecosystem
- 11. Pre-migration checklist
- 12. When it makes sense to consider switching to Shopify
- 13. The advantages for operational management
- 14. Investment and cost-of-omission analysis
What does an e-commerce really cost?
When evaluating a platform for a new e-commerce site or a redesign, one of the first questions is almost always: "How much does Shopify cost?" or "How much does PrestaShop cost?".
It is a perfectly understandable question, but it is not necessarily the most important one. The true cost of an e-commerce is not determined solely by the platform's subscription fee. To understand the actual cost of running an online store, one must also consider: hosting, infrastructure, payment fees, updates, maintenance, applications, security, and extraordinary technical interventions.
And as an e-commerce business grows, these expenses can take on a significantly greater economic weight than originally planned.
A concrete case: Over 1 Million Euros in transaction volume
We analyzed the migration of a project for one of our clients, an online optical shop, an e-commerce site with significant annual transaction volume. The goal was not simply to "change the visual design," but to verify whether switching from PrestaShop to Shopify Grow could generate a more sustainable and predictable cost structure over time.
Data analysis (for the period September 2025 – September 2026) showed a 98.3% concentration in the Italian market. The payment breakdown involved PayPal (3,127 orders), credit cards (2,085), Klarna (1,093), PayPal Pay Later (590), cash on delivery (382), and digital wallets (163).
1. The server cost: when hosting becomes a major expense
For a small e-commerce site, hosting costs are negligible. However, when traffic and advertising campaigns increase, shared or semi-dedicated infrastructure shows its limitations.
In the analyzed PrestaShop scenario, to ensure stability during traffic peaks, it was necessary to upgrade to a dedicated Cloud VPS server at €155/month + VAT (€1,860/year). This increase isn't because "PrestaShop is expensive," but because high volumes require proportionate infrastructure resources.
2. Dedicated server or included Cloud infrastructure?
Switching to Shopify Grow (€56/month, equal to €672/year), the infrastructure changes its model: unlimited Cloud hosting, managed bandwidth, SSL, and security are included natively. The real difference lies in the cost structure: instead of managing and maintaining a separate server, infrastructure capacity is part of the platform itself, in this specific case resulting in a difference of €1,860/year on the hosting line item alone.
3. The cost of updates: the item often forgotten
An e-commerce site is not a static website. In the considered PrestaShop project, the average cost for each major update cycle (core, modules, themes, database, and compatibility testing) was estimated at approximately €4,900 + VAT on a biennial basis, with an average impact of €2,450 per year.
4. Updating an e-commerce doesn't just mean updating the software
In open-source ecosystems, updates require: database migration, theme adjustments, re-purchasing module licenses, recompiling integrations, and UX testing on desktop and mobile. It is not about pressing a button, but a full re-engineering intervention.
5. Shopify and automatic updates
With Shopify, maintenance of the base platform and infrastructure is handled via SaaS and is included in the service. While apps and layouts may still require development work, responsibility for the platform core eliminates extraordinary infrastructure maintenance costs.
6. Payment fees can amount to thousands of euros
On a transaction volume of over 1.05 Million Euros, the difference between the terms of third-party gateways on PrestaShop and the native optimization of Shopify Payments and Shop Pay showed the following estimated values:
- PrestaShop (Estimated collection fees): €27,872.45 / year
- Shopify Grow (Estimated collection fees): €21,838.42 / year
- Estimated savings on fees: €6,034.03 / year
7. Why sales volume completely changes the reasoning
For a store with €50,000 in annual revenue, a 0.3% difference in fees results in only a few hundred euros. On a turnover of €1,000,000, the exact same percentage translates into thousands of euros in net margin recovered.
8. Overall comparison: how much does the annual cost change?
Here is the comparative Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) breakdown prepared for the specific project scenario:
| Cost Item (Year) | PrestaShop (Future Scenario) | Shopify Grow |
|---|---|---|
| Server / VPS Hosting | €1,860.00 | Included |
| Platform & Licenses | €0.00 | €672.00 |
| Collection Fees | €27,872.45 | €21,838.42 |
| Maintenance / Updates | €2,450.00 (annual avg) | Included |
| ESTIMATED ANNUAL TOTAL | €32,182.45 | €22,510.42 |
*Note: The data summarizes the analysis of the specific project examined and does not constitute an automatic guarantee for any other e-commerce site.
9. It's not the platform price: it's the Total Cost of Ownership
The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) represents the true business evaluation metric. It sums up: software cost, server infrastructure, payment gateways, routine maintenance, extraordinary interventions, security, and additional modules.
10. Migration is not just about products and customers
In the considered case study, the database included 2,911 products, 11,024 customers, and 9,679 historical orders. Professional migration requires the integrated transfer of master data, variants, history, and attributes, without disrupting operational continuity.
11. What should you check before changing platforms?
- SEO & Pages: Old URL mapping and 301 Redirect configuration to preserve Google authority.
- Integrations & ADV: Reconfiguration of Google Merchant Center, GA4, GTM, Meta Pixel, and Conversion API.
- Management Systems: Synchronization with ERP, invoicing, and logistics.
12. When does it make sense to consider a migration from PrestaShop to Shopify?
The transition becomes appropriate when server adjustment costs grow, fees impact margins, extraordinary maintenance slows down the business, or you desire a completely predictable cost structure.
13. The advantage is not just economic
Moving infrastructure management to Cloud SaaS allows the internal team to free up technical time and focus all resources on catalog, conversions, marketing, and sales.
14. Investment and the analysis of missed cost savings
Every migration requires an investment (development, migration licenses, configurations, and testing). However, the correct comparison to make is between the cost of the intervention and the **annual missed savings** that continue to be incurred by maintaining an inefficient infrastructure.
How to calculate the real cost of your e-commerce:
- How much do you transact and how many orders do you manage each year?
- How much do you pay in total for payment gateways?
- How much do you spend on hosting, servers, and module licenses?
- How much do your annual extraordinary maintenance costs amount to?
Do you want to know the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of your e-commerce?
Let's analyze the real data of your store together (transaction volume, orders, servers, commissions, and maintenance costs) to create a comparative report and verify if a migration to Shopify is profitable for your business.
ANALYZE THE REAL COST OF YOUR E-COMMERCE →
