OpenCart vs WooCommerce – And The Winner Is? Let’s Find Out!

You’ve got stuff to sell. You can’t just set up shop in a brick and mortar store. You need an e-commerce platform, but which one do you choose. Two options, OpenCart vs WooCommerce could have the answer.

Let’s take a look.

OpenCart vs WooCommerce: Overview

They’re both ways for your customers to buy your products and check out quickly and securely. Although the purpose is the same, the execution is different. As such in this comparison analysis of OpenCart vs WooCommerce, we’re going to take a look at different aspects of both ecommerce platforms.

WooCommerce vs OpenCart: Framework

WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin. It integrates seamlessly with your existing WordPress site without having to do much legwork. It was developed specifically for WordPress sites. You’ll have a guided installation with support to get everything started.

OpenCart is a standalone option. It’s open source and built to work with PHP and MySQL. You can use a single click installer (Softaculous, for example) or you can install it manually for more control.

Winner: WooCommerce for WordPress sites. OpenCart for a standalone option.

OpenCart vs WooCommerce: Ease Of Use

Furthermore, OpenCart is pretty intuitive. Some of the features such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) may have a small learning curve as you get used to the platform, but the admin interface is very detailed. It’s easy to see where your options are and how to move things around.

Nevertheless, WooCommerce is also simple to use. Stats go right to your WordPress dashboard. It extends WordPress’ CMS. You can set up coupons, discounts, and any other type of modification you need right from your usual dashboard. More advanced customization is also available.

Winner: WooCommerce for WordPress sites. OpenCart for standalone option

WooCommerce vs OpenCart: SEO

How are people going to find you if they don’t know where to look. Search Engine Optimization brings traffic to your store. You need something that will optimize your online store for search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

OpenCart allows you to adjust meta titles, descriptions, and other keywords that attract users to your site. It requires a lot of tinkering, so the learning curve may be steep. However, once you get the hang of it, it’s fairly far-reaching.

WooCommerce has access to extensions and plugins to help with SEO. It’s still reasonably intuitive if you’re familiar with WordPress CMS. SEO here is only limited by your imagination. As your skills grow, your features will only get better.

Winner: WooCommerce

OpenCart vs WooCommerce: Integrations

You won’t have to worry about some users getting blocked. Both systems offer full integration for Mac and Windows, plus a host of other web-based devices. You can also work with common payment gateway such as PayPal and Stripe. Plus, both work with a variety of shippers including FedEx and UPS.

One thing WooCommerce has is mobile integration with iPhone and iPad. If many of your target users are surfing on their phones, this one may be the way to go.

Winner: WooCommerce

WooCommerce vs OpenCart: Cost

WooCommerce is free, but the extensions and plugins may cost you. Most commercial plugins are paid for annually and will require some maintenance. That will cut into your budget a bit. You can also upgrade to paid themes instead of free ones. The cost of hosting and payment processing should also factor into your budget.

OpenCart is also free, but like WooCommerce, you’ll be paying for some of your extensions and plugins. Also, fees for payment processing should be considered. With both options, you’re going to have a few overhead costs.

Winner: Tie

OpenCart vs WooCommerce: Features

Honestly, both platforms are feature-laden for building and scaling a shop online. WooCommerce includes things like pre-installed payment gateways and WordPress content integration, making it easy to go from your blog to your store. There are multiple shipping options, analysis tools, and tax calculators.

OpenCart isn’t quite as far-reaching, but you’ll still get enough features to scale a business. It has over 20 gateways for payment and over eight shipping methods. It supports multiple currencies, countries, tax issues, and has unlimited products.

Winner: If you have a small business, WooCommerce. For more massive (or potentially scalable) businesses, choose OpenCart.

The Good And The Bad – Pros and Cons

Both OpenCart vs WooCommerce options are good ones for building your e-commerce business or online store. Still not sure? Let’s break everything down.

OpenCart

We recommend OpenCart if you’re looking for a standalone option or if you’re already familiar with PHP networks. It’s highly flexible and able to target specific users with multiple integrations.

Pros:

• Supports multiple languages and currencies
• Standalone option for the popular PHP programming language
• Support includes both ticket and phone support
• SEO optimized
• Flexible

Cons:

• No iPhone/iPad integration
• The learning curve is steep

WooCommerce

We recommend WooCommerce for sites already built through WordPress and small to medium-sized businesses. If you’ve got a large social media following, it’s easier to integrate it there as well through extensions and plugins.

Pros:

• Easily integrates with WordPress CMS
• Stats and analytics appear directly on your dashboard
• Multiple features available through plugins and extensions for scaling your business
• SEO optimized
• Easy installation

Cons:

• Only available on the WordPress platform
• Choosing it without WordPress means you’ll have to create a WordPress site and learn both

Final Thoughts

OpenCart vs WooCommerce is just a matter of which web platform you already have. WooCommerce is an excellent option for the many WordPress users out there. It integrates so seamlessly with your existing WordPress site that it’s hard to think of a reason you wouldn’t use it if you’ve got WordPress.

OpenCart is an excellent open source option for other types of websites. If you don’t want to worry about starting a WordPress site just to use their e-commerce plugin, this one may be a better option for you.

With global integrations, you could quickly move your business beyond your country’s borders without too much hassle. It’s excellent for those with eyes on a bigger store or bigger e-commerce option.

Just make sure you’re working with the site you already have set up, and you shouldn’t have too many issues.