PrestaShop is the most popular open-source store platform in Poland and one of the largest in the world — over 280,000 stores run on it, including large Polish e-commerce businesses with catalogues of tens of thousands of products. It offers what SaaS platforms do not: full ownership of the store, no sales commissions and unlimited extensibility. The price is concrete too: the software itself is free, but a professional PrestaShop online store costs from around 6,000 PLN net (a simple implementation on a ready-made template) to 40,000 PLN net and more (an extended B2B store with integrations). This guide breaks the cost down and helps you decide whether PrestaShop is the right platform for your business.
Najważniejsze: A PrestaShop online store in 2026 costs from around 6,000–12,000 PLN net (start on a ready template with basic modules), through 12,000–25,000 PLN net (custom design with payment, shipping and invoicing integrations), to 25,000–60,000 PLN net and more (B2B store, marketplace, catalogues of tens of thousands of products). Add running costs: hosting 100–400 PLN/month, modules and care. Choose PrestaShop for ownership, flexibility and no commissions — SaaS for a fast start without a technical team.
How much does a PrestaShop store cost — the full picture
The price of a "store" is the sum of several layers. Let us break it down honestly.
| Item | Cost (net) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PrestaShop software | 0 PLN | Open source, no licence, no commissions |
| Implementation on a ready template | 6,000–12,000 PLN | Premium template 300–800 PLN, configuration, basic modules |
| Custom design (UX/UI + implementation) | 12,000–25,000 PLN | Design, responsiveness, integrations |
| Extended store (B2B, marketplace, large catalogue) | 25,000–60,000 PLN+ | Individual price lists, ERP, imports, performance |
| PrestaShop hosting | 100–400 PLN/month | VPS or dedicated server for higher traffic |
| Commercial modules | 200–2,000 PLN one-off | Payments, shipping, invoicing, SEO |
| Technical care | from 300 PLN/month | Updates, backups, monitoring, small tasks |
Add the costs that are easy to forget: product content and photos (a photo shoot often runs 2,000–10,000 PLN), data migration from the old store, integrations with accounting and marketplaces, and team training.
PrestaShop, WooCommerce or SaaS?
Choosing a platform is a business decision, not a technology one.
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PrestaShop — when you want ownership of code and data, no sales commissions, a large catalogue (10,000+ products), a B2B store with individual price lists, or unusual processes requiring custom modules.
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WooCommerce — when the team works in WordPress, the store is part of a content ecosystem and the budget is smaller. A wider comparison is in our e-commerce store development guide.
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SaaS (Shoper, Sky-Shop, Shopify) — for a fast start without a technical team, accepting the subscription and platform limits. At high volumes, commissions and subscriptions can exceed the cost of your own store.
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Practical boundary: below ~500 products and a simple process, SaaS is often cheaper to run; above that, and with unusual processes, PrestaShop or a custom solution wins over 2–3 years.
What does implementing a PrestaShop store involve?
A good implementation is a process, not "install and template". Standard stages
- Analysis and specification — assortment, target audience, sales channels (B2C/B2B/marketplace), integrations, legal requirements.
- UX/UI design — purchase path, product page, cart, checkout; designed for conversion, not for a portfolio.
- Implementation and configuration — installation, theme, payment and shipping modules, taxes, currencies, legal content.
- Data migration — products with photos, categories, customers and orders from the old store.
- Integrations — payment gateways (Przelewy24, PayU, Stripe), couriers (InPost), invoicing, ERP, marketplaces (Allegro).
- Testing — end-to-end purchase path, sandbox payments, emails, stock levels, performance.
- Go-live and training — publication, GA4, Search Console, team training and documentation handover.
- Timeline: 3–6 weeks for a simple store, 2–4 months for an extended one. The full process is in our PrestaShop implementation guide.
Key modules and integrations at launch
- Payments — Przelewy24 with BLIK, cards and deferred payments; alternatively PayU, Tpay or Stripe.
- Shipping — InPost with a Parcel Locker map, couriers via Furgonetka or Apaczka, automatic labels.
- Invoicing — Fakturownia, iFirma or an integration with Subiekt/Comarch.
- Marketplaces — selling on Allegro alongside the store with stock synchronisation (see Allegro + PrestaShop).
- SEO — technical optimisation from day one: PrestaShop performance optimisation.
- Analytics — GA4 with e-commerce, Search Console, Merchant Center.
Running the store — costs after launch
A store is a living system: PrestaShop and module updates, backups, monitoring, fixes after operator API changes, feature development. The maintenance budget is realistically 300–1,500 PLN net per month (care) plus development work as needed. Stores without care drift faster than owners think — especially when payment modules stop working after a silent API change. Care models are described in PrestaShop support.
Frequently asked questions
Is PrestaShop free?
The software — yes, open source with no licence and no sales commissions. You pay for implementation, hosting, commercial modules and care. Over years, your own PrestaShop store can be cheaper than SaaS, but it needs a technical maintenance budget.
How long does implementing a PrestaShop store take?
A simple store on a ready template: 3–6 weeks from kick-off to launch. A custom design with integrations: 2–4 months. Product content and photos are the usual bottleneck — not the implementation itself.
Can I migrate a store from another platform to PrestaShop?
Yes — migrations from WooCommerce, Shoper, or even old PrestaShop versions (1.6/1.7) are standard projects: products, photos, categories, customers, orders and URL redirects. The plan and costs are in our PrestaShop implementation guide.
How many products can PrestaShop handle?
Tens of thousands comfortably, with proper hosting and optimisation — large Polish stores run PrestaShop with catalogues of 50,000+ products. Above that threshold, plan an efficient database, object cache and batched imports: PrestaShop performance optimisation.
Is a PrestaShop store secure?
The core is regularly patched (e.g. the 9.1.5 security release), but security depends on discipline: updates, modules from trusted sources, backups and monitoring. Abandoned modules are the most common hole in stores.
Who should implement the store — a freelancer or an agency?
Simple template implementations: an experienced freelancer is enough. Projects with integrations, B2B and migrations: a team or agency with a PrestaShop portfolio. Selection criteria and rates (60–150 PLN/h) are in PrestaShop developer.
Sources and tools
- PrestaShop — official platform site
- PrestaShop Addons — modules and templates
- PrestaShop DevDocs — documentation
- PrestaShop Build — updates and security
- Google — Merchant Center for stores
👉 Planning a PrestaShop online store? See how PrestaShop store development works in my offer: analysis, design, implementation, integrations and care — from platform choice to the first orders. Get in touch via the contact form or at kontakt@informatix.com.pl.
👉 Comparing platforms and vendors? Check PrestaShop implementation, PrestaShop developer and e-commerce store development.
📖 See also: E-commerce integrations, InPost in PrestaShop and cheap websites — what to watch out for.