Choosing your e-commerce platform: comparing without getting lost

E-commerce platforms look alike from a distance: catalogue, cart, payment, delivery. Up close, they differ on what really matters — hidden costs, ease of updating and the skills needed to keep them running. Comparing without method leads to choosing the most famous platform, not the best one for your business. ## The criteria to keep, the ones to drop Comparison lists often count thirty features; six are enough. Cost over three years, local payment, delivery, catalogue, apps, skills. The rest — number of themes, blog generator — does not justify changing platform. ## The real cost is not the subscription The monthly subscription is the visible part. Extensions, development, theme redesigns and maintenance weigh far more heavily over three years. Build a spreadsheet with these elements before discussing design. ## Think about the exit from the start A platform that doesn't let you export your products and customers cleanly holds you back. Before signing, check what you can take with you: catalogue, orders, content, redirects. It is also the assurance of being able to change strategy without starting from scratch.

When this guide is for you

You are leaving an over-expensive platform and want a planned migration
Your catalogue exceeds 100 products and the basic features are no longer enough
You have tested selling on Instagram or WhatsApp and want a standalone website
A provider is suggesting a platform and you want to check whether it is the right choice

Step by step

List your real constraints — Number of products and variants, languages, currency, delivery (Casablanca, nationwide, international), payment methods (CMI, Payzone, Cash Plus, bank transfer, cash on delivery) and returns. These constraints often eliminate two options straight away.
Estimate the total cost over three years — Subscription, theme, apps, hosting, development, maintenance and migration. A free platform can cost more than a subscription once extensions are added.
Compare the four options on the catalogue — Shopify excels up to a few thousand products with a small team; WooCommerce suits content sites that sell; PrestaShop is solid for medium catalogues; custom is only justified by complex business rules.
Check integration with Moroccan payment — CMI, Payzone and Cash Plus do not all offer a native module for each platform. Check the plugin, the setup cost and installation support before choosing.
Test the mobile purchase experience — More than 70 % of e-commerce visits in Morocco are on mobile. On a phone, go through search, the product page, the cart and checkout: if a step snags, the platform has a theme or configuration problem.
Choose who will maintain the site — A platform with no developer available around you becomes a trap. Look at who, in your team or your provider, knows how to update it: this filter guarantees that the project will evolve.

What it costs (in MAD)

Service	Indicative price	Good to know
Shopify (subscription + theme)	1,500 – 4,000 MAD per month (≈ 140 – 370 €)	Depending on the plan; paid apps extra
WooCommerce (hosting + extensions)	800 – 3,000 MAD per month (≈ 74 – 275 €)	Excluding initial development
PrestaShop (hosting + modules)	700 – 2,500 MAD per month (≈ 64 – 230 €)	Payment and delivery modules are often paid
Initial website development	15,000 – 80,000 MAD (≈ 1,400 – 7,300 €)	Depending on catalogue size and design
Migration from an existing platform	8,000 – 30,000 MAD (≈ 740 – 2,750 €)	Products, customers, orders and URL redirects

Indicative ranges for the Moroccan market in 2026, excluding tax. Prices vary with scope and provider.

Mistakes to avoid

Choosing the platform most talked about on YouTube: the criteria are not yours
Forgetting local payment: a site with no CMI or Cash Plus won't survive its first month
Paying for a theme over 5,000 MAD before testing speed on mobile
Migrating without preparing redirects: you lose the search visibility built on the old site

Frequently asked questions

Is Shopify worth its subscription in Morocco?

Yes for a brand that wants to launch fast, without a technical team, with local delivery and payment apps available. For a very varied catalogue with custom needs, WooCommerce or PrestaShop offer more flexibility.

Can you sell in dirhams and offer cash on delivery?

Yes on all four platforms. Cash on delivery is very common in Morocco; plan for a module or customisation to declare it in the order and integrate it with delivery.

How many products before changing platform?

It is not the number that counts but complexity: variants, languages, warehouses, customer pricing. From 500 to 1,000 products with multiple rules, custom or PrestaShop become more suitable.

How can I avoid an expensive migration?

Decide once and for all which features you need over three years, export your data cleanly and plan a redirect map. A migration is expensive when you have to redo it the following year.

Version française: /insights/reduire-les-options-de-plateforme-de-e-commerce-pour-votre-marque/