WordPress vs WooCommerce vs PrestaShop: which is right for your business?

Choosing the right platform is one of the most important decisions you'll make for your online business. Here's an honest, no-jargon comparison of the three platforms we work with most—WordPress, WooCommerce, and PrestaShop—and when each one makes sense.

The short answer

If you don't need to sell products online, WordPress is almost certainly the right choice. If you need e-commerce alongside strong content and blogging, WooCommerce (which runs on WordPress) is the way to go. If you're building a dedicated online store—especially one selling across borders in GBP and EUR—PrestaShop is often the best platform.

WordPress: the world's most popular CMS

WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. It's an open-source content management system that's incredibly flexible, well-supported, and has a massive ecosystem of themes and plugins.

Best for: business websites, professional services firms, portfolios, blogs, membership sites, and any website where content is the primary focus. Most small business websites in Northern Ireland should be built on WordPress.

Typical cost: £2,000-£6,000 for a custom WordPress website.

Strengths: Easy content management for non-technical users. Thousands of plugins for almost any functionality. Excellent SEO capabilities. Huge developer community means you're never locked into one agency. Most cost-effective option for non-e-commerce websites.

Limitations: Not purpose-built for e-commerce (that's where WooCommerce comes in). Can become slow if overloaded with plugins. Requires regular updates and maintenance to stay secure.

WooCommerce: e-commerce for WordPress

WooCommerce is a free e-commerce plugin for WordPress. It turns your WordPress site into an online store, giving you the best of both worlds: WordPress's excellent content management plus proper e-commerce features.

Best for: businesses that need both a content-rich website and an online store. If blogging, content marketing, or SEO-driven content is important alongside selling products, WooCommerce is the natural choice.

Typical cost: £3,000-£10,000 depending on complexity.

Strengths: Inherits all of WordPress's content management strengths. Free core plugin (paid extensions for advanced features). Massive ecosystem of themes and extensions. Great for stores with fewer than 1,000 products. One platform for both your website and shop.

Limitations: Can struggle with very large product catalogues (5,000+ products). Multi-currency requires third-party plugins. Multi-store isn't native. Performance can suffer without good hosting and optimisation.

PrestaShop: purpose-built e-commerce

PrestaShop is an open-source e-commerce platform that's built from the ground up for selling online. It's the most popular e-commerce platform in Europe, powering over 300,000 stores worldwide.

Best for: dedicated online stores, especially those selling across borders, managing large catalogues, or needing multi-store and multi-currency support. If e-commerce is your primary business—not a bolt-on to a content website—PrestaShop is often the better choice.

Typical cost: £3,000-£8,000 for a custom PrestaShop store.

Strengths: Purpose-built for e-commerce with advanced catalogue management. Multi-currency (GBP + EUR) built into the core—a major advantage for cross-border businesses in Northern Ireland and Ireland. Multi-store support from one back office. No monthly platform fees (unlike Shopify). Better performance with large product catalogues. Strong built-in SEO features.

Limitations: Not as good as WordPress for content-heavy sites and blogging. Smaller plugin ecosystem than WordPress/WooCommerce. Requires a developer for most customisation (not as user-friendly for non-technical users). Needs good hosting to perform well.

Head-to-head comparison

Our recommendation for NI/Ireland businesses

For most small businesses in Northern Ireland, WordPress is the right starting point. It's cost-effective, easy to manage, and covers everything you need for a professional online presence.

If you need to sell online and content is important to your strategy, add WooCommerce to your WordPress site. It's the most natural progression and keeps everything in one place.

If e-commerce is your primary business—especially if you're selling across the NI/Ireland border and need multi-currency support—consider PrestaShop. It's purpose-built for the job and the multi-currency support alone can save significant headaches for cross-border businesses.

Not sure which is right for you? Get in touch and we'll recommend the best platform based on your specific business needs—no obligation.