Which version is best for developing a new store today: 8.x or 9.0?

[Matt E]

As of today, 9.0 was released on Jun 10th, with 6 contributors listed on Github, and hasn't seen any updates or patches since (2 months later). Meanwhile, the latest version 8.2.2 just released on July 28th (2 weeks ago) with 21 credited contributors.

 

As a developer/consultant with several clients looking to switch to a new platform, which version would be the "correct" version to start a new store with?

 

I am most concerned with: Long term stability, compatibility with 3rd party modules, security and protection, speed and performance. I appreciate any thoughts or insight on the best way to proceed.

[WebCommercify]

Hello,

Actually always i prefer previous version. Because of latest version always has own problem and it takes to make stable version. Also, most modules do not compatible with latest version, you can not easily find answer to any question.

This is my opinion.

[El Patron]

Here is blog post  concerning PrestaShop 9

https://prestaheroes.com/blogs/prestashop-alerts/prestashop-9-what-s-new-why-to-wait-and-how-to-prepare-for-the-upgrade

[Mehdi Bourechka]

On 8/9/2025 at 3:59 AM, Matt E said:

As of today, 9.0 was released on Jun 10th, with 6 contributors listed on Github, and hasn't seen any updates or patches since (2 months later). Meanwhile, the latest version 8.2.2 just released on July 28th (2 weeks ago) with 21 credited contributors.

 

As a developer/consultant with several clients looking to switch to a new platform, which version would be the "correct" version to start a new store with?

 

I am most concerned with: Long term stability, compatibility with 3rd party modules, security and protection, speed and performance. I appreciate any thoughts or insight on the best way to proceed.

Thanks for the question, it’s one I’m hearing a lot from clients lately.

Since the big changes at PrestaShop over the last few years, we’ve seen progress in the right direction with v8, v9, and the overall stack. Upgrades are still a sensitive subject, as there’s no guaranteed smooth path for highly customized shops, and this can cost time and money.

So, which version for a new store today, 8 or 9? It depends. After a major release, agencies and vendors usually need 6–8 months to update their modules. If your store is simple with just a few essential modules, starting on v9 makes sense: you get the latest PHP/Symfony, modern infrastructure, and a longer lifecycle. I’ve done this for new shops with basic needs and it worked well.

For more complex setups, I’ve advised staying on 8.x temporarily, running v9 in staging, and moving only when critical modules are ready.

If migrating from 1.6 or 1.7 to 9, audit your theme, overrides, and modules first. Check marketplace availability, vendor updates, and factor in any custom code costs. Smaller, standard projects with agency support can jump to v9 now. Larger or more customized stores should test and plan before switching.

In short: new and simple projects → v9. Complex stacks → 8.x for now, pilot v9, then migrate when safe.

[El Patron]

9.0 was released and to be honest I don't see that it improves much of anything for admin or front office, what it does do is make all themes and modules incompatible.  Then before a release candidate is actually made everyone goes on summer holiday.  PrestaShop has this weird methodology of community tested without  the community knowing that's what is being done   So many shops destroyed when admins take the bait and click the upgrade button on dash panel.

[Mehdi Bourechka]

1 hour ago, El Patron said:

9.0 was released and to be honest I don't see that it improves much of anything for admin or front office, what it does do is make all themes and modules incompatible.  Then before a release candidate is actually made everyone goes on summer holiday.  PrestaShop has this weird methodology of community tested without  the community knowing that's what is being done   So many shops destroyed when admins take the bait and click the upgrade button on dash panel.

Honestly, if we take a closer look, PrestaShop has come a long way, especially since it was sold to that big logistics group. With V9, you are not really getting flashy new features, it is more about cleaning up the code, upgrading to the latest Symfony and PHP, and making sure the open source core stays maintainable for the long run.

 

From what I have seen, their vision for PrestaShop 9, while also working on 10 in parallel, is to make it truly platform agnostic so whether you are running on AWS, Nginx, Apache, or pretty much any hosting provider, it just works without headaches.

 

Of course, each new release means agencies and developers have to spend time adapting code, testing, and stabilizing everything, which is no small task. That is actually why we built our own theme and over 50 modules designed to work together flawlessly. Now, when we take on a client, we can cover 80 to 90 percent of their needs right out of the gate without worrying about compatibility issues.

[El Patron]

8.2.x

do not use 9.0

only use download from github or you may end up with prestashop 'basic' edition.

[pedepot]

It is well known that the new versions of Prestashop are not mature from Day One. I will wait a year after several minor releases and the branch 9.1.x before I will put it in production. It will be a period for testing it in a dev environment. 8.2. is obviously the only valid alternative today.

Edited September 7 by pedepot (see edit history)

[Frits van Leeuwen]

I started with PrestaShop, then switched to a different package and later switched back to PrestaShop 1.7. I'm now running PS 1.7.8.11. I tried updating to 8.2.1, but it failed. Updating to 9.0.0 wasn't possible directly.
I then created a subdomain to install PS 9.0.0. I then analyzed both databases to transfer the data myself. I've now written SQL code to transfer my data.
I chose to use the Hummigbird template. I think it looks very nice. And now that I've transferred my images and adjusted the colors, I think my website looks much better.

But as others have mentioned, there are still some teething problems. It's a shame I couldn't upgrade from 1.7 to 9 all at once.

Edited August 19 by Frits van Leeuwen (see edit history)