Alternatives to OpenCart
Lightweight open source cart
OpenCart ranks #6 of 9 in E-commerce platforms, with an Alt Score of 78. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, free and available on the web. 9 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Small to medium-sized online retailers and developers who want to self-host an ecommerce store without paying software licensing fees.
A free, open-source PHP/MySQL shopping cart platform with built-in catalog, order, and customer management. It supports multiple languages, currencies, and payment gateways (PayPal, Authorize.Net, and others), plus fraud-screening integrations like FraudLabs. An official extensions marketplace adds themes, payment modules, shipping methods, and other add-ons.
You install OpenCart on your own PHP/MySQL-compatible web host, then configure your store and products through its admin dashboard. Additional themes and extensions can be purchased or installed from the OpenCart Marketplace to extend functionality.
Where OpenCart stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave OpenCart
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the E-commerce platforms checklist (14 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| E-commerce platforms checklist | OpenCart | Medusa | WooCommerce | BigCommerce | Saleor | Big Cartel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Hosted vs self-hosted | ||||||
| Transaction fees | ||||||
| Themes & storefront customization | ||||||
| Payment gateways | ||||||
| Multi-currency & tax | ||||||
| Inventory management | ||||||
| Headless API | ||||||
| App / plugin ecosystem | ||||||
| Digital products | ||||||
| POS integration |
Every fact and feature listed for OpenCart is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-10
OpenCart is a free open source ecommerce platform for online merchants.
https://github.com/opencart/opencart/blob/master/README.md -
Platforms Web verified 2026-07-10
A free shopping cart system. OpenCart is an open source PHP-based online e-commerce solution.
https://github.com/opencart/opencart -
License GPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-10
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3, 29 June 2007
https://github.com/opencart/opencart/blob/master/LICENSE.md -
Status active verified 2026-07-10
Commits on Jul 10, 2026
https://github.com/opencart/opencart/commits/master -
Hosted vs self-hosted Yes verified 2026-07-10
A free shopping cart system. OpenCart is an open source PHP-based online e-commerce solution.
https://github.com/opencart/opencart -
Transaction fees No verified 2026-07-10
OpenCart is a free open source ecommerce platform for online merchants.
https://github.com/opencart/opencart/blob/master/README.md -
Themes & storefront customization Yes verified 2026-07-10
**Themes**: Customize the storefront appearance.
https://docs.opencart.com/developer-guide/extensions -
Payment gateways Yes verified 2026-07-10
**Payments/Shipping**: Integrate gateways (e.g., PayPal) or methods (e.g., UPS).
https://docs.opencart.com/developer-guide/extensions -
Multi-currency & tax Yes verified 2026-07-10
The Currencies section allows you to manage the currencies available in your OpenCart store. You can add multiple currencies for international customers, configure exchange rates (manual or automatic)
https://docs.opencart.com/admin-interface/system/localization/currencies -
Inventory management Yes verified 2026-07-10
Enable stock tracking to know when items are running low.
https://docs.opencart.com/admin-interface/overview/products -
Headless API Partial verified 2026-07-10
The APIs section allows you to create and manage secure credentials for external applications to communicate with your OpenCart store. This enables integrations with inventory systems, ERP software, m
https://docs.opencart.com/admin-interface/system/users/api -
App / plugin ecosystem Yes verified 2026-07-10
Extensions can include modules (e.g., for adding features like sliders or analytics), payment gateways, shipping methods, themes, reports, and more.
https://docs.opencart.com/developer-guide/extensions -
Digital products Yes verified 2026-07-10
Downloads in OpenCart allow you to sell digital products like software, e-books, music, videos, and other digital files. This feature provides secure file delivery.
https://docs.opencart.com/admin-interface/overview/downloads
FAQ
Yes. Big Cartel has a free tier or is fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Medusa, WooCommerce and Saleor — every license claim links its source.