Comprehensive OpenCart vs WooCommerce Comparison Guide
The success and growth of your eCommerce store depend on the performance level and flexibility of the shopping cart. The debate is still among the experts regarding the key features that one should look for in their eCommerce platform. Here, we have compared OpenCart vs WooCommerce – the two leading eCommerce platforms to help you choose the right platform for your store.
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OpenCart
Launched in 2008, OpenCart is a free open-source platform that is easy to set up and provides great opportunities for store development. Being one of the most user-friendly solutions, OpenCart is ideal for newbies and amateurs. It also comes with lots of features that make it the best option for small to medium-sized businesses. While WooCommerce recommends having a CMS and a website before starting an online store, OpenCart offers standalone eShops that are useful for users who do not plan to start blogging to support their online business or do not want to create a website to add a shop to it. OpenCart also helps to manage multiple online stores from one centralized interface which a WooCommerce user cannot do.
The maintenance and setup cost of OpenCart is less, making it more affordable for startups and out-of-the-box functionality is more than enough for a simple store. It comes with a powerful product catalog feature set and a good mechanism for processing orders and a strong product catalog feature set.
However, the number of plugins and extensions available are nowhere near to the WordPress/WooCommerce. Moreover, it is not only difficult to customize but also trails behind in terms of performance. The site performance can be resolved via added plugins.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce was established and launched in 2011 by Woo Themes. It is a WordPress plugin that was specifically designed to turn an existing WordPress site into an eCommerce store. The main reason behind its worldwide popularity is that it is free and easy to install and use. Moreover, the plugin offers a vast feature set that would make the shopping experience very engaging for the shoppers.
WooCommerce is brought up and supported by a company named Automattic Inc. who is the creator of WordPress. Since it is a WordPress plugin, the usability and functionality are easier and this is the reason why people prefer using it automatically. It has a simple and easy installation process which makes it ideal for beginners. Besides, any WooCommerce themes can run flawlessly across any WordPress theme. It also offers tons of WooCommerce plugins that help you to customize your eCommerce store easily.
Winner
WooCommerce is the clear winner.
Opencart
Manually
If you install OpenCart manually, then you’ll find it to be a complicated process. However, in this way, you will get better options to customize your eCommerce store. The manual installation process requires you to have the vast technical knowledge, so you must hire an OpenCart specialist to do the job for you. Depending on the OpenCart developer’s skills, you will know how easy it is to operate your store daily.
Use a One-click Script Installer
This is the fastest and simplest way to set up your online store. A striking example of a script that does it for you is MojoMarketplace. You just need to click ‘OpenCart’ and it will guide you through the quick OpenCart setup wizard.
Unlike WooCommerce, OpenCart is difficult to customize and you’re simply confined to the software. The scripts also run at a slow speed if you have a large-scale online store. This is the major difference in the WooCommerce vs OpenCart comparison.
Winner
WooCommerce is the winner as it has an easier installation process than OpenCart.
OpenCart
OpenCart provides a basic store design after installation. The platform also offers a rich set of free and paid themes that cost anywhere between $60-70. Customizing your store according to your preferences requires you to have extensive technical knowledge of HTML and CSS. Sometimes, you may need to hire an OpenCart specialist for professional OpenCart development services.
WooCommerce
There are over 2,100 free themes and also over 30,000 paid themes in WordPress as well as WooCommerce. You can find SEO-friendly themes, eCommerce themes, magazine themes, or business themes, and more. WooThemes is gaining popularity among all WordPress themes available because it is specifically optimized for WooCommerce. Additionally, WooCommerce supports all WordPress themes to change the look and feel of a physical store according to your requirement and choice.
Winner
Considering the number of free and paid themes, it is easier to decide who is the winner in this round – It’s WooCommerce.
OpenCart
When it comes to SEO capabilities, WooCommerce is a highly SEO-friendly platform. You can install WooCommerce plugins and extensions like Yoast to enjoy a wide range of SEO functionalities such as meta description, rich snippet, alt text image, and more. You can do all this without the help of a WooCommerce specialist.
WooCommerce
When it comes to SEO capabilities, WooCommerce is a highly SEO-friendly platform. You can install WooCommerce plugins and extensions like Yoast to enjoy a wide range of SEO functionalities such as meta description, rich snippet, alt text image, and more. You can do all this without the help of a WooCommerce specialist.
Winner
The winner in this round is WooCommerce.
| OpenCart | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Product, Categories, and Manufacturers | An enhanced experience for store owners | |
| Open-source platform | Reduced page loading time | |
| Multi-currency and multilingual support | Modern and clean interface | |
| Product reviews and ratings | Pre-installed payment gateways | |
| Free Documentation | Full control of the checkout process | |
| Automatic image resize | Set default currency | |
| 20+ payment gateways | WordPress content integration | |
| 8+ shipping methods | Automatic taxes calculation | |
| Shopping cart behavior | ||
| Search Engine Optimization | ||
| CRM/Store management | ||
| Analyze products and orders | ||
| Dashboard | ||
| Simplified coupon system | ||
| Product reviews and ratings | ||
| Support/Hosting | ||
| Reporting | ||
| Flexible shipping destinations | ||
| Shipping calculations | ||
| Cart calculation | ||
| Custom tax calculations | ||
| Restrict sales | ||
| Add/Manage products easily | ||
| Geo-location enabled taxes | ||
| Select customer address | ||
| Inventory management | ||
| Product types and variables | ||
| Tax rate definition | ||
| Winner | ||
| WooCommerce beats OpenCart with its rich eCommerce feature set. The advanced eCommerce feature set of WooCommerce is one of the main reasons why businesses switch to WooCommerce development services over OpenCart development services. | ||
| OpenCart | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal | Zapier | |
| Authorize.net | Xero | |
| MYOB AccountRight | Taxamo | |
| SagePay | ShipStation | |
| Skrill | FreshBooks | |
| FedEx | WordPress | |
| UPS | Stamps.com | |
| WFDS | JigoShop | |
| eStore | TradeGecko | |
| Winner | ||
| It’s a tie between WooCommerce and OpenCart. | ||
OpenCart
As OpenCart is also an open-source platform, it is available for free. If you opt for a manual installation process, you may need to hire an OpenCart developer, which will be expensive. The basic cost of running a WooCommerce store includes the cost of the website domain name, web hosting, and SSL certificate.
As OpenCart is also an open-source platform, it is available for free. If you opt for a manual installation process, you may need to hire an OpenCart developer, which will be expensive. The basic cost of running a WooCommerce store includes the cost of the website domain name, web hosting, and SSL certificate.
WooCommerce
Despite the fact that WooCommerce is free to install and use on any WordPress website, there are other related costs since you will be running a website.
1. You need to purchase a domain name for your online store which will cost around $10 per year.
2. You’ll need to pay a monthly fee for web hosting which will cost around $5-100 per month, depending on the type of hosting you choose.
3. Besides, you’ll also need an SSL certificate.
In addition to the basic costs of operating a website, there are also other associated costs such as the cost of paid premium themes if you want to customize the appearance of your online store, and the cost of paid plugins and extensions if you want to extend the functionality of your store.
Winner
It’s a tie between WooCommerce and OpenCart. Although both platforms are open source and free to download, you will still have to bear the basic expenses.
OpenCart
OpenCart does not have that much of large communities or forums to give support, like other open-source platforms. However, it has active online forums where you will get instant answers and solutions from helpful OpenCart developers. OpenCart also has a list of third-party developers on their official website, so you can hire an OpenCart developer from their list for the required OpenCart development services and support.
WooCommerce
With WooCommerce, you can rest assured of instant help as there are large number of active communities available. You can also get help from the official WordPress forums where a huge community of WooCommerce specialists is always ready to help. You can always refer to their project documentation if required as you’ll find answers to almost all your questions.
Winner
WooCommerce beats OpenCart with its large communities and online forums.
WordPress security standards are provided by firm Sucuri so you can rest assured that your data will be safe and secure. OpenCart, on the other hand is PCI compliant, meaning your proprietary information is completely secure.
Winner – Shopify
WordPress security standards are provided by firm Sucuri so you can rest assured that your data will be safe and secure. OpenCart, on the other hand is PCI compliant, meaning your proprietary information is completely secure.
Shopify depends largely on third-party apps for marketing. While this gives you more flexibility, it’s difficult to compare the two eCommerce platforms with plenty of apps available. Wix, on the other hand, has become a game-changer with Wix Ascend. Ascend is an all-inclusive marketing solution available as a separate subscription, allowing you to manage your marketing campaigns easily in one place.
| Comparison Features | OpenCart | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|---|
| User satisfaction score | 95% | 95% | |
| Pricing model | Free | Quote-based | |
| Languages supported | English | English | |
| Built on | PHP/MySQL code | PHP/MySQL code | |
| Stable release | 3.0.3.3 / 2020-05-01 | 4.5.2 (September 14, 2020 | |
| License | GNU General Public License | GPL | |
| Prominent clients | British Red Cross | FilterGrade, PagePink Pro4Mance | |
| Available devices | Windows, Mac, Web-based | iPhone/iPad, Web-based | |
| Ideal for | Small-medium businesses, freelancers | Small-medium and large businesses | |
| Available help and Support | Email, Phone, Live Support, Training, Tickets | Email and Tickets |
Which is Better – OpenCart vs WooCommerce?
Both OpenCart and WooCommerce platforms come with their set of advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, your choice will depend on your business requirements. If you’re looking for an independent eCommerce platform and don’t want much customization, then you should consider investing in OpenCart development services. However, if you want to enhance the quality and functionality of your eCommerce website easily, then you should opt for WooCommerce development services.
We hope this WooCommerce vs OpenCart comparison guide will help you choose the best-fit eCommerce platform for your online store. If you still have questions related to any of the platforms, you may consult with our OpenCart and WooCommerce specialists today!
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