PrestaShop vs. Odoo
Odoo is a powerful open-source e-commerce platform with an extensive list of features. Still, it’s also very complex to get started and use. But you can hear that PrestaShop is also a challenging platform to start.
So which one is better for ecommerce management?
I was an Odoo and later PrestaShop developer, so gained enough knowledge to compare both systems. In this article, I will describe why you should be using PrestaShop for ecommerce instead.
Odoo vs. PrestaShop Pricing Comparison
Both platforms are open source, so they are free to use. The only unifying cost for both is hosting. Online hosting can cost you from 5 USD to 100 USD - that is up to you which hosting provider you choose.
Odoo vs. PrestaShop Cloud Hosting Comparison
Both platforms give you some cloud hosting services. However, what is very special about Odoo cloud hosting is free for unlimited users for ecommerce management.
That is an excellent thing for Odoo, but I have never seen an online store not needing other plugins you can find on the Odoo platform. For example, Sales management or CRM.
Odoo ships those things as monthly subscriptions and this is where you are starting to pay much more than PrestaShop hosting can cost.
For example, a great plan from OVH costs 11 USD monthly for PrestaShop hosting.
Another hidden Odoo cost is staff members you can have. For every new staff member, you must pay an additional 12 USD monthly. Staff members for PrestaShop are free.
No matter what cloud hosting provider you choose for PrestaShop - PrestaShop as a platform is entirely free, ships tons of free plugins, and is not limited to staff members you can have.
The conclusion about pricing is that Odoo is very expensive, while PrestaShop is cheap. Therefore, you should only consider Odoo if you are sure that it is the right platform for your ecommerce business.
Odoo vs. PrestaShop Addons
PrestaShop has about 4k addons. With this amount, you can customize everything in your store.
Odoo has about 7k plugins (apps as they call it).
Both platforms have marketplaces and a lot of free addons to use. So if you are just starting an online store - that’s a great thing to have!
Odoo Is Not An Ecommerce
Next to Odoo title, you might hear two popular acronyms:
- ERP, which stands for Enterprise Resource Planning
- CRM, which stands for Customer Relationship Management
Typically CRM and ERP words are never used with PrestaShop, as PrestaShop is a plain online ecommerce platform. However, there are paid plugins to achieve ERP and CRM needs. But what are those?
CRM is usually for businesses dealing not with Products but with Customers. Pipelines, collaboration, dealing with custom or complex needs.
ERP is another term, and it is meant for enterprise (large) companies and businesses. ERP is an entire system that includes finances management, CRM, supply chain, time and projects management, human resources.
Odoo vs. PrestaShop Website Builder
They claim to have a website builder, but that is more a joke than an actual useful feature. You can use their drag & drop builder, but at the very end - your built website will look like from the 2000s.
But to be honest, their video on website builder looks amazing. Check it on Youtube →
There are tons of decent website builders for PrestaShop as expensive plugins for single payments of 200 USD.
Odoo vs. PrestaShop API
Odoo offers API (Application Programming Interface). With API, your developers can map any external service (like Shopify or any accounting platform you use) and map both data sources.
For example, once something gets purchased in Odoo, an API call can be made to your accounting platform to create invoices or mail a salesperson.
PrestaShop does not offer API you can use (they have it - it is just too limited for actual use), but you can get one by installing a custom plugin which should cost about 50-100 USD (one-time payment).
Odoo Is Not Meant For Ecommerce Only
Odoo is even older than PrestaShop (by three years). However, this platform focused more on ERP/CRM solutions right from the beginning.
For this reason, it is not designed for ecommerce or website building specifically. Instead, it is more for POS and similar systems.
So if you are building a warehouse or dealing a lot with customers (for example, you provide services instead of products), then Odoo can be a better fit for you than PrestaShop.
Also, Odoo has some great apps (plugins) like Timesheets or Projects Management if you are managing an organization.
PrestaShop is excellent when we are focusing only on online stores. Anything custom or complex can be done with PrestaShop.
PrestaShop And Odoo Integration
If you want to map PrestaShop and Odoo, then be ready to purchase the plugin, which costs about 200 USD (single-time payment).
There are no free PrestaShop and Odoo connector plugins.
Even with the paid plugins, check with authors if they support your version of PrestaShop and Odoo. Most of the plugins you can find online use old platform versions and might be incompatible with your versions. Or just request some trial demo before purchase.
Conclusion
I hope you understand that Odoo is costly and does not deliver promised website builders that they advertise a lot. Prestashop is just the best platform for starting and running an extensive online store.
Be sure to check out other platform comparisons to PrestaShop →
