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E-Commerce · head to head

PrestaShop vs Swell Commerce

PrestaShop logo

PrestaShop

E-Commerce

Open-source ecommerce platform for online merchants

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Swell Commerce logo

Swell Commerce

E-Commerce

Headless ecommerce for modern brands

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only PrestaShop has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: PrestaShop no specific pricing tiers or costs disclosed on homepage; Swell Commerce each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • They diverge on capability: PrestaShop covers Product catalog management, Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PrestaShop and Swell Commerce actually diverge.

Attributes where PrestaShop and Swell Commerce differ
AttributePrestaShopSwell Commerce
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded20072019

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in PrestaShop

  • Product catalog management
  • Order management
  • Payment gateway integration
  • Shipping module
  • Customer management
  • SEO tools
  • Analytics
  • Mobile-responsive design

Only in Swell Commerce

  • Headless architecture
  • GraphQL & REST APIs
  • Subscription commerce
  • Multi-currency support
  • Inventory management
  • Custom checkout
  • Webhook integrations
  • Developer-friendly SDK

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

PrestaShop

  • Fully customizable ecommerce platform for startups to enterprisesnot Swell Commerce
  • Stores handling millions in annual revenuenot Swell Commerce
  • Access to thousands of modules and themesnot Swell Commerce
  • Payment solutions integration with Stripe, Alma, Klarnanot Swell Commerce

Swell Commerce

  • Running a headless commerce backend with APIs for a custom storefrontnot PrestaShop
  • Selling subscription products alongside one off purchasesnot PrestaShop
  • Operating multi currency stores from one commerce backendnot PrestaShop

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

PrestaShop

  • No specific pricing tiers or costs disclosed on homepage
  • Requires navigation to dedicated pricing pages for cost details

Swell Commerce

  • Each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • Starter at $29 a month allows 2 admin users and includes only 100,000 API requests and 1GB of storage per month
  • Additional API requests cost $5 per 100,000 and extra storage $5 per GB
  • Role based permissions and developer support are restricted to the Unlimited plan at $2,250 a month
  • Advanced reports and priced currencies require the Standard plan or higher
  • Published prices are the billed yearly rates, so monthly billing costs more

Pricing, plan by plan

PrestaShop

Free
  • Classic$undefined/mo
    • Download source code and install from scratch
    • Self-hosted ecommerce platform
  • Hosted$undefined/mo
    • CivicPlus handles technical aspects
    • Ready-to-use store

Swell Commerce

$29/month
  • Starter$29/month
    • Up to $50K annual revenue
    • Basic reports
    • Up to 5 admin users
  • Basic$79/month
    • Up to $250K annual revenue
    • Most popular plan
    • Basic reports
  • Standard$299/month
    • Up to $1M annual revenue
    • Advanced reports
    • Up to 15 admin users
  • Unlimited$2250/month
    • Up to $5M annual revenue
    • Unlimited scalability and granular control
    • Unlimited admin users

Which should you pick?

Choose PrestaShop if

  • You need product catalog management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want order management.
PrestaShop review

Choose Swell Commerce if

  • You need headless architecture.
  • You also want graphql & rest apis.
Swell Commerce review

Questions people ask

Is PrestaShop or Swell Commerce better?
Neither clearly leads. PrestaShop starts at Free and Swell Commerce at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PrestaShop or Swell Commerce?
PrestaShop has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for PrestaShop and $29/month for Swell Commerce.
Does PrestaShop or Swell Commerce run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use PrestaShop for free?
Yes. PrestaShop has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Swell Commerce starts at $29/month.
What is PrestaShop best used for?
PrestaShop is most often used for fully customizable ecommerce platform for startups to enterprises, stores handling millions in annual revenue, access to thousands of modules and themes, payment solutions integration with stripe, alma, klarna. Of those, fully customizable ecommerce platform for startups to enterprises and stores handling millions in annual revenue are not what Swell Commerce is typically brought in for.
What can PrestaShop do that Swell Commerce cannot?
PrestaShop covers Product catalog management, Order management, Payment gateway integration, Shipping module. Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture, GraphQL & REST APIs, Subscription commerce, Multi-currency support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

PrestaShop: How much does PrestaShop cost?

PrestaShop offers two models: Classic (free download with self-installation) and Hosted (vendor-managed). Specific pricing figures are not displayed on the homepage. Visit the pricing pages or contact PrestaShop directly for cost details.

Source
Swell Commerce: How much does Swell Commerce cost?

Swell offers four tiers starting at $29 per month for Starter and going up to $2,250 per month for Unlimited. Annual billing provides a 25% discount compared to monthly billing. All prices are in USD.

Source
PrestaShop: Does PrestaShop have a free version?

Yes, the Classic plan is free and allows you to download the source code and install your store from scratch.

Source
Swell Commerce: What are Swell's revenue tier overages?

Each plan includes a revenue ceiling based on 12-month trailing sales. Starter allows up to $50K with 2% overage, Basic allows $250K with 1.5% overage, Standard allows $1M with 1% overage, and Unlimited allows $5M with 0.4% overage. Custom plans are available for merchants exceeding $10M annually.

Source
PrestaShop: What payment methods does PrestaShop support?

PrestaShop integrates with payment solutions including Stripe, Alma, and Klarna.

Source
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