Module and version lock
Marketplace modules lag major PrestaShop releases. Shops freeze on 1.6, 1.7, or 8 because a payment or shipping module will not follow, and the backlog becomes the operating model.
PrestaShop migration
PrestaShop to a modern framework using Medusa.js or Vendure
PrestaShop stores hit a ceiling when modules, multi-shop, and Smarty themes fight the catalog you actually run. We migrate products, combinations, customers, and orders off the PHP monolith onto Medusa.js or Vendure—typically with a Next.js storefront and editorial on Sanity, Contentful, or a headless CMS.
PrestaShopMedusa.js or Vendure
What is a PrestaShop to Medusa.js or Vendure migration?
A PrestaShop to Medusa.js or Vendure migration is a full commerce replatform: you leave PrestaShop’s PHP + Smarty/module monolith and move catalog, customer, order, and integration responsibility onto a modern, API-first Node.js commerce engine. Combinations become variants on the target model. The storefront is usually rebuilt in Next.js; marketing and editorial content often lands in Sanity CMS, Contentful, or a headless CMS. It is not a theme swap and not a lift of every marketplace module onto a new cart.
Why teams leave PrestaShop
Performance at catalog and traffic scale
Large combination catalogs, layered navigation, and peak traffic expose PHP + Smarty as expensive to keep fast—especially once page cache and CDN tricks run out.
Multi-shop and multi-language ops cost
PrestaShop multi-shop, currencies, and language packs work until every change has to be repeated per shop. A dedicated commerce engine with explicit channels is usually cheaper to run after the first year.
Hiring and TypeScript delivery velocity
Teams that want to ship storefronts in Next.js and TypeScript spend more time fighting Smarty overrides than building product. Medusa.js and Vendure sit in the stack those teams can staff.
What makes PrestaShop migrations hard
Combinations vs variant models
PrestaShop combinations, attributes, and impact-on-price rules do not map 1:1 to Medusa or Vendure variants. We design the product model before ETL, not after a dump.
Module behavior archaeology
Checkout fees, carrier rules, and catalog extras hide in modules and class overrides. We inventory behavior, not module names, then rebuild only what still earns its keep.
Multi-shop, currency, and language mapping
Shops, currencies, and languages need explicit mapping to channels, regions, and storefronts—or a deliberate simplification. Blind flattening loses price and tax truth.
Friendly URLs and language prefixes
PrestaShop friendly URLs plus ISO language prefixes (/en/, /fr/) produce a large crawl graph. Without a redirect matrix, organic traffic drops even when the new cart works.
Customer password and hash strategy
Login migration needs a plan: import hashes where compatible, staged re-auth, or force reset. Silent login failure is a launch-day disaster.
Checkout, tax, and shipping in overrides
Carrier modules, tax rules, and override classes encode quote behavior that only shows up in production. We reverse-engineer those rules into testable commerce logic.
What we migrate off PrestaShop
Scope is written down before build. Typical PrestaShop → Medusa.js or Vendure projects include the following—adjusted after audit for multi-shop, combinations, and module depth.
| Area | What we handle |
|---|---|
| Catalog | Products, combinations, attributes, categories, features, inventory, and media mapped into Medusa or Vendure variant models |
| Customers | Accounts, addresses, groups, and a login migration strategy that does not strand buyers at cutover |
| Orders | Historical orders and statuses for support, reporting, and customer account history where the target platform supports it |
| Pricing & promos | Specific prices, cart rules, and vouchers rebuilt as first-class commerce logic—not leftover PrestaShop promo spaghetti |
| Integrations | Payments, tax, shipping, ERP, PIM, email, and analytics reconnected to the new engine with testable adapters |
| SEO & content | URL maps, 301s, language prefixes, metadata, sitemaps; CMS pages often move to Sanity, Contentful, or a headless CMS |
| Storefront | Next.js storefront against Medusa or Vendure APIs—performance, accessibility, and conversion paths as engineering work |
| Cutover | Freeze windows, dual-run options, rollback plan, operator training, and post-launch hypercare |
How a PrestaShop migration runs
Discovery focuses on module inventory, combination mapping, and multi-shop/language boundaries first—so the new engine does not inherit a frozen PrestaShop by accident.
01
Audit & module triage
Catalog shape, combination model, module list, overrides, shops/languages, integrations, and SEO crawl. Classify each module capability: rebuild, replace with SaaS, or drop.
02
Architecture & shop/CMS split
Choose Medusa.js or Vendure, map shops and languages to channels and storefronts, define the Next.js storefront, and decide where editorial lives (Sanity, Contentful, or headless CMS).
03
Build & ETL pipelines
Stand up the commerce engine, import products/combinations/customers/orders, rebuild critical integrations, and implement the Next.js storefront. Rehearse on staging with production-like PrestaShop exports.
04
Parity QA
Compare products, combination pricing, carts, tax/shipping quotes, account flows, and edge SKUs against PrestaShop behavior. Validate redirects and language prefixes before traffic moves.
05
Cutover & decommission
Execute freeze and launch, monitor orders and errors, support operators, then retire PrestaShop when the new system owns revenue—not when the theme looks finished.
Choosing Medusa.js or Vendure from PrestaShop
Either platform can replace PrestaShop as the commerce engine. Choice depends on catalog complexity, how you want to customize after exit, and whether GraphQL-first admin workflows matter to your team.
Medusa.js
Strong when you want modular commerce, a React/TypeScript ecosystem, and flexible Next.js storefronts after leaving the PrestaShop PHP + Smarty monolith.
- PrestaShop growth ceiling and module fatigue
- Next.js storefronts with Sanity or Contentful
- Composable stack after a PHP cart
Vendure
Strong when you want TypeScript-native modules, GraphQL APIs, and a structured commerce admin separate from the marketing CMS—especially with complex combination and multi-shop rules.
- Complex combination and catalog domain models
- Teams that want GraphQL-first commerce
- Clear admin separation from CMS content
SEO cutover from PrestaShop URLs
PrestaShop stores usually mix rewritten product paths, category rewrite, and ISO language prefixes. Migrating commerce without a redirect and language-host plan is how rankings drop even when the new cart works.
- Crawl product, category, CMS, and language-prefixed routes before freeze
- 301 maps from rewritten product and category paths to the new storefront
- Preserve or intentionally rewrite titles and meta for money pages
- Language prefix and hreflang strategy when multi-language is in scope
- Sitemaps split sensibly between storefront and content host
- Search Console monitoring through cutover and hypercare
PrestaShop migration FAQ
Can you migrate PrestaShop to Medusa.js or Vendure?
Yes. We migrate products, combinations, customers, orders, and media; triage module-driven behavior; rebuild storefronts typically with Next.js; and implement 301 redirects so organic traffic is protected.
Does PrestaShop 1.6 migrate the same way as 1.7, 8, or 9?
The target is the same; discovery is not. 1.6 shops often carry older overrides and modules that never moved forward. 1.7/8/9 shops still need combination, multi-shop, and module inventory. We audit the version you actually run, not a generic PrestaShop checklist.
What happens to PrestaShop modules?
Most do not transfer. We inventory what each module does for the business, drop dead weight, and rebuild must-have behavior as Medusa modules, Vendure plugins, storefront logic, or third-party SaaS. Paying to recreate every marketplace module is how migrations bloat.
Can we keep PrestaShop running during the project?
Yes. Typical projects build and rehearse on staging while PrestaShop stays live, then cut over in a controlled window—or phase storefront and commerce ownership if risk demands it.
Do combinations and multi-shop setups migrate?
Yes, with explicit modeling. Combinations map into variants; multi-shop catalogs, currencies, and languages need design choices on the target platform—not a single flat product dump.
How long does a PrestaShop to Medusa or Vendure migration take?
Timelines depend on catalog size, combination complexity, module count, multi-shop/language setup, and integrations. A focused catalog with standard payments ships faster than multi-shop PrestaShop with heavy overrides. We estimate after audit against your real module list and data model.
Do you rebuild the frontend?
Almost always. PrestaShop Smarty themes do not move to Medusa or Vendure. We typically ship a Next.js storefront—and often split editorial content to Sanity, Contentful, or a headless CMS so the commerce engine stays lean.
Ready to leave PrestaShop for a platform your team can actually staff?
Tell us PrestaShop version, catalog size, multi-shop/language setup, must-have modules, and whether you lean Medusa.js, Vendure, or an open evaluation. We respond with the hard questions first—not a generic proposal deck.