If you're about to set up an online store in Spain, sooner or later you hit the same fork: Shopify, WooCommerce, or PrestaShop. You look for opinions and find zealots in each camp swearing theirs is the only sensible choice. The reality, as usual, is more boring and more useful: all three work, and the right choice depends on you, not the platform.
Let's compare them by what actually matters when the project is yours and so is the money.
Shopify: paying not to worry
Shopify is a hosted platform: you pay a monthly fee and they handle the server, security, updates, and backups. You get on with selling.
For: it's the fastest option to get running and the one that causes the fewest technical headaches. The dashboard is clean, the App Store has a solution for almost anything, and payments and performance come sorted. For anyone who wants to launch now and focus on the business, it's hard to beat.
Against: the monthly fee climbs with the plan, many useful apps are recurring paid subscriptions, and watch this one, if you don't use Shopify Payments they charge an extra fee on every sale. You also get less control over the internals: you do what the platform allows, not whatever you fancy. Deep customisation means learning its templating language, Liquid.
A tax note for Spain
Shopify can be adapted to Spanish VAT and invoicing, but you'll usually need a Spain-compliant invoicing app to issue proper invoices. It doesn't come as finely tuned out of the box as a solution built for the local market. Budget for it.
WooCommerce: total control on WordPress
WooCommerce isn't a standalone platform, it's a plugin that turns WordPress into a store. Since WordPress powers a huge slice of the web, we're talking about a giant ecosystem.
For: absolute control. The code is yours, the data is yours, and you can modify almost anything. There are plugins and themes for everything, many free, and a massive community. If you already have a WordPress site with content and SEO in place, adding the store on top makes complete sense. There's no platform fee per sale.
Against: with control comes responsibility. You choose and pay for the hosting, you manage the updates, and security is on you. A poorly maintained WooCommerce turns slow and insecure easily. It isn't "free": it's cheap to start and needs constant care. You need someone who knows what they're doing, in-house or an agency.
PrestaShop: the veteran with European roots
PrestaShop is an open-source platform born in France, widely used across Spain and the rest of Europe, especially among stores with large catalogues and specific management needs.
For: it's built from the ground up for European commerce, with tax handling, invoicing, and multi-language fairly well sorted out of the box, more so than the other two. For broad catalogues and powerful product and stock management, it more than delivers. It's free software, no platform fee, with a very active community.
Against: just like WooCommerce, you're responsible for hosting, updates, and security. The learning curve is a bit steeper and finding quality modules can be harder and pricier. It's not as beginner-friendly as Shopify.
Quick comparison to decide
- I want to launch now, no technical fuss, and focus on selling: Shopify. You're paying for peace of mind.
- I already have WordPress, want full control, and don't mind maintaining it: WooCommerce.
- Large catalogue, European management and tax needs, and I want open-source: PrestaShop.
What almost nobody tells you about real cost
The classic mistake is comparing only the entry price. Shopify looks expensive because of the fee, but it includes hosting, security, and support. WooCommerce and PrestaShop look "free," but add decent hosting, maintenance, paid plugins, and the hours of someone to look after it, and the sum changes. The question isn't "how much to start," it's "how much to keep this running well two years from now."
And the human factor
You don't pick a platform by its comparison tables alone, but by who's going to use it. If you'll run the store yourselves, with no technical team, Shopify removes problems. If you have a developer or agency and want the store to genuinely be yours, WooCommerce or PrestaShop give you wings. Choose the tool that fits your hands, not a YouTube tutorial's.
None of the three is a mistake. The mistake is choosing without thinking about who maintains it, what it really costs, and what your business will need two years down the line.
At Social Digital we build and migrate stores on all three platforms, so we won't push you toward the one that suits us, but toward the one that suits you. If you're unsure, book a diagnosis session and walk out with a clear recommendation and the reasons behind it.