Here’s a clear comparison of PrestaShop versions 1.7, 8, and 9 so you can decide which one you’re using (or should use):
🔹 PrestaShop 1.7 (Legacy but still popular)
Released: 2016
Status: Still used on many live stores
✅ Features
- Classic Symfony + Smarty
- Huge theme & module ecosystem
- Stable and well-tested
- Most tutorials online are for 1.7
❌ Limitations
- Older architecture
- Slower than newer versions
- Not future-focused
👍 Best for
- Existing stores
- Heavy custom modules/themes
- Budget hosting
🔹 PrestaShop 8 (Current stable & recommended)
Released: 2022
Status: ✅ Actively supported
✅ Features
- PHP 8.1 support
- Better performance & security
- Improved Back Office UI
- Modern Symfony upgrades
- Compatible with most 1.7 themes/modules (with updates)
❌ Limitations
- Some old modules may need updates
👍 Best for
- New stores
- Speed & security focused shops
- Custom HTML / CSS / JS work
👉 Most developers recommend PrestaShop 8
🔹 PrestaShop 9 (Upcoming / Developer-focused)
Status: 🚧 Under development (not recommended for production yet)
🔥 What’s new
- Full Symfony modernization
- Cleaner codebase
- More API-first approach
- Better long-term scalability
⚠️ Warning
- Not stable for live stores
- Many modules/themes not compatible yet
👍 Best for
- Developers
- Testing & future-proof planning
🏆 Quick Recommendation
| Use case | Version |
|---|---|
| Existing store | 1.7 |
| New store | 8 ✅ |
| Custom HTML/CSS/JS | 8 ✅ |
| Production-ready | 8 |
| Experiment / learning | 9 (dev) |
📌 How to check your PrestaShop version
Back Office → Advanced Parameters → Information