30/10/2026
Comparison of e-commerce platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Magento 2 and Shoper
A great deal depends on the choice of sales platform – in most cases, the seller makes this decision once and for a long time, so it is especially important to make it carefully. Moving the store to a different model later may turn out to be not so much impossible as simply very complicated, time-consuming and expensive.
In 2026, sellers can choose from e-commerce platforms that are based on one of two approaches:
- Open source – the model behind WooCommerce, Magento and PrestaShop; it is free, with no subscription or licence fees, and thanks to the open code you can customise the store to your expectations yourself – down to the smallest detail,
- SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) – as is the case with Shoper[2] or Shopify; a solution that allows you to launch a store quickly – you just choose the right modules and add them to your new site; it has its limitations, as it does not allow as much freedom in shaping the code, but, on the other hand, no programming knowledge is needed; users of a SaaS-based platform must also pay regular subscription fees to keep the store running.
The individual platforms are, of course, well recognised by internet users:
- Shopify – a solution hosted entirely in the cloud, with global reach,
- WooCommerce – a free plugin for WordPress, which currently powers over 43% of websites,
- PrestaShop – software that currently powers almost a quarter of a million websites.
- Magento 2 – technology used by the largest e-commerce companies in the world. According to data from 28 December 2020, over 10% of all online stores worldwide run on the Magento engine. The data indicate that more than 250,000 merchants worldwide currently use this platform, which accounts for roughly 30% of the total market share.
- Shoper – designed by Polish programmers in 2005 and enjoying great popularity, especially in Poland.
Besides the financing of both setting up and maintaining the sales platform, you must also consider several other factors that determine the later success (or failure) of an online store. From a technical point of view, a given solution should be assessed in terms of platform scalability (i.e. its ability to handle increased customer traffic) and the possibility of implementing appropriate payment solutions.
Criteria for choosing an e-commerce platform
When choosing an e-commerce platform for online sales, a business owner should rely on several different criteria – not only financial ones (although these are certainly important for many companies):
- Costs of setting up and maintaining the platform – as mentioned, individual software can be based on open source, which makes it free, but also requires some coding knowledge (not everyone can manage this without outside help, which also generates additional costs); SaaS models, although paid, often give users similar possibilities, usually with an affordable monthly subscription and without the need to hire a programmer,
- E-commerce platform scalability – everyone hopes for success, but not everyone is able to sustain it – by choosing a paid solution such as Shoper or Shopify, you can decide on the reach of your store and the level of service you receive (depending on the subscription you choose), which lets you match the platform’s performance to users’ current needs,
- Functionality – a rather individual matter, strongly determined by the type of business, the industry or its reach; sellers who already have some understanding of the technical aspects of building an online store and who want to start a new business cautiously, with the option of assessing the situation later, usually choose free, open solutions that allow them to build the business gradually and adapt it to the market and its needs according to their own criteria; aware entrepreneurs who care about high quality and a short implementation time more often choose ready-made, yet still flexible, paid platforms that offer a range of solutions and functionalities literally “out of the box”,
- Business considerations – setting up an online store and “stocking” it is not everything – without efficient customer service, even the best platform will not bring profits; easy integration of the store with various payment systems is the foundation for actually starting to earn; operators such as PayU offer ready-made plugins tailored to specific types of platforms, so that integration with the store is instant.
Integrations with PayU
PayU payment integrations in online stores built on solutions such as Shoper, Magento2, PrestaShop, Shopify or WooCommerce could not be more convenient or simpler. The operator has developed solutions that ensure simple implementation of the payment system on any type of platform.
The payment module, in the form of a dedicated plugin, can be easily implemented in the structure of an online store, which reduces to a minimum the process of launching the entire range of ways to complete a transaction.
PayU is responsible for the correct settlement of transactions, guaranteeing security for customers making payments as well as full technical support for businesses working with this operator.
