Searching for the best shopping cart solutions to enhance your e-commerce business? You're in the right place. Shopping cart software is essential for managing online sales, providing a seamless experience for your customers, and optimizing your checkout process. This guide will help you understand the top shopping cart solutions, ensuring you find the best fit for your needs.
Many business owners face challenges in finding a shopping cart solution that balances ease of use, customization, and robust features. These platforms aim to alleviate these pain points by offering intuitive interfaces, customizable options, and comprehensive tools to manage your online store efficiently. Drawing from my 20 years of experience in digital marketing and web development, I've evaluated numerous shopping cart solutions. This review leverages my expertise to provide a thorough, unbiased evaluation of the best options available, helping you decide which solution best suits your needs.
Do you want to skip the read and get right to my top pick? We find that the best shopping cart solutions for most people is Shopify.
Our List of the Best Shopping Cart Software:
We've screened potential best eCommerce shopping cart solutions, shopping cart platforms, and online shopping cart software, and came up with a top 6 shortlist:
- Shopify – Excellent for all sizes of online stores and offers a range of plans. (My Top Pick!)
- WooCommerce (with Nexcess Hosting) – best for small and medium enterprises
- Ecwid – best for startups and small business
- Magento – best for very large enterprises
- PrestaShop – best in features and works on businesses of all sizes
- OpenCart – open source platform best for small and medium businesses
Quick Comparison Table of the Best Shopping Cart Software:
Compare leading eCommerce website builders by pricing, best use case, core selling features, and review status. Use this table to quickly shortlist platforms for building an online store, selling products, managing payments, and scaling a commerce-focused website.
| Platform | Price / Basic Plan + CTA | Best For | Key Features | Transaction Fees | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 Shopify | Free trial / Paid from $29/mo annually or $39/mo monthly | Check Pricing | Best overall ecommerce website builder | Full online store, unlimited products, app store, multichannel selling, POS, strong checkout | Shopify Payments card fees vary by market; extra third-party payment provider fees may apply | Shopify Review |
| 2. Wix eCommerce | Free site builder / Ecommerce from Core plan around $29/mo+ | Check Pricing | Best for beginners and small stores | Drag-and-drop editor, AI builder, templates, product pages, bookings, payments, marketing tools | Processor fees apply; no separate Wix platform transaction fee on standard ecommerce sales | Wix eCommerce Review |
| 3. BigCommerce | Free trial / Paid from $39/mo+ | Check Pricing | Best for scaling stores with built-in features | Unlimited products, strong SEO, multi-channel selling, B2B options, no-code storefront tools | Processor fees apply; verify 2026 payment provider changes before publishing | BigCommerce Review |
| 4. Squarespace Commerce | Free trial / Paid commerce plans from around $23/mo+ annually | Check Pricing | Best for design-led ecommerce sites | Beautiful templates, product pages, subscriptions, scheduling, email campaigns, member areas | No commerce transaction fee on current plans; Squarespace Payments or processor fees apply | Squarespace eCommerce Review |
| 5. WooCommerce | Free plugin / Hosting required | Check Hosting | Best for WordPress control | Open-source ecommerce, flexible plugins, full ownership, SEO control, huge extension ecosystem | No WooCommerce platform fee; gateway, hosting, plugin, and development costs apply | WooCommerce Review |
| 6. Square Online | Free / Paid plans available | Check Pricing | Best for local stores and POS users | Online store, POS sync, pickup, delivery, inventory tools, simple product setup | Square payment processing fees apply | Square Online Store Review |
| 7. Ecwid by Lightspeed | Starter from $5/mo+ | Check Pricing | Best for adding a store to an existing site | Embeddable store, social selling, marketplace selling, product sync, multi-site use | No Ecwid platform transaction fee; gateway fees apply | Ecwid Review |
| 8. Hostinger Website Builder | Paid from $2.99/mo+ | Check Pricing | Best budget ecommerce builder | AI website builder, hosting, SSL, basic ecommerce, product tools, no-code setup | No platform transaction fee; payment processor fees apply | Hostinger Review |
| 9. Webflow Ecommerce | Ecommerce plans from around $29/mo+ | Check Pricing | Best for designers and custom storefronts | Visual design control, CMS, animations, custom layouts, responsive product pages | 2% Webflow fee on Standard ecommerce plan; higher ecommerce plans remove Webflow transaction fee | Webflow Review |
| 10. GoDaddy Online Store | Paid ecommerce plans from around $29.99/mo+ | Check Pricing | Best for quick store launches | Simple builder, appointment tools, marketing suite, product listings, payments | Processor fees apply | Review Coming Soon |
| 11. Duda eCommerce | Website plan plus ecommerce add-on from around $8/mo+ | Check Pricing | Best for agencies building client stores | Client management, white-label tools, team workflows, ecommerce add-ons, fast pages | No Duda platform transaction fee; gateway fees apply | Duda Review |
| 12. Big Cartel | Free / Paid from $15/mo+ | Check Pricing | Best for artists and small catalogs | Simple store builder, product listings, discount codes, digital products on paid plans | No Big Cartel transaction fee; processor fees apply | Big Cartel Review |
| 13. Sellfy | Paid from $22/mo annually or $29/mo monthly | Check Pricing | Best for digital products and creators | Digital products, physical products, subscriptions, print-on-demand, simple storefront | No Sellfy transaction fee on current paid plans; processor fees apply | Review Coming Soon |
| 14. Payhip | Free / Paid from $29/mo+ | Check Pricing | Best free-start digital store builder | Digital downloads, courses, memberships, affiliate tools, simple storefront | 5% Payhip fee on Free, 2% on Plus, 0% on Pro; processor fees also apply | Review Coming Soon |
| 15. Shift4Shop | Free with Shift4 Payments / Paid or custom options | Check Pricing | Best for US merchants using Shift4 | Store builder, product management, checkout, marketing tools, built-in ecommerce features | Shift4 processing terms apply; availability and terms vary by merchant/location | Shift4Shop / 3dcart Review |
| 16. ShopWired | Paid from around £34.95/mo+ | Check Pricing | Best UK-focused ecommerce builder | UK ecommerce features, VAT-friendly setup, themes, product management, support | No ShopWired platform transaction fee; processor fees apply | ShopWired Review |
| 17. Adobe Commerce / Magento | Magento Open Source free / Adobe Commerce custom pricing | Check Pricing | Best for enterprise and complex catalogs | Advanced catalog control, B2B, multi-store, custom workflows, enterprise scalability | No standard platform transaction fee; hosting, development, gateway, and enterprise costs apply | Magento Review |
| 18. PrestaShop | Free open-source platform / Hosting required | Check Hosting | Best open-source Shopify alternative | Customizable store, modules marketplace, product management, international selling features | No PrestaShop platform transaction fee; hosting, modules, and gateway fees apply | PrestaShop Review |
| 19. IONOS Online Store | Paid plans with changing introductory pricing | Check Pricing | Best budget EU-friendly store builder | AI website setup, domain and hosting bundle, SSL, ecommerce tools, multilingual options | Processor fees apply; renewal pricing should be checked carefully | IONOS Website Builder Review |
| 20. Lightspeed Retail + eCom | Paid from around $89/mo+ | Check Pricing | Best for retail businesses needing POS + ecommerce | POS, inventory, online store, retail reporting, loyalty, multi-location tools | Lightspeed Payments or processor fees apply | Review Coming Soon |
What are Shopping Cart Solutions?
Let's get down to definitions first. A shopping cart platform – also known as ecommerce shopping cart solutions, shopping cart software, or shopping cart application – is a software suite that facilitates online purchases for both retail and service offerings.
This catch-all term is used to refer to any platform dedicated to hosting ecommerce websites, hosting or site building platforms offering a number of ecommerce solutions and features, as well as those which offer landing pages or funnels through which online businesses can do transactions more efficiently.
Shopping cart platforms may also include any of the following:
- Hosted shopping carts where the shopping cart platforms offer a hosting service for ecommerce users;
- Open source shopping cart software which is usually offered as free shopping cart software by providers who allow users to customise the source code to suit their needs; and
- Shopping cart abandonment software which helps users deal with any potential purchases that customers have left hanging for one reason or another.
Our feature today includes the best opensource shopping carts that do not feature hosting or site-building functionality.
How We Chose the Best Shopping Cart Solutions:
Our criteria for selecting the best ecommerce shopping cart solutions includes the following:
- Basic features of a shopping cart program, including solutions for inventory management, payment portals, and invoicing for orders;
- Ease of use and terms of usage;
- Third-party integrations;
- Technical support offered by the shopping cart platforms; and
- Pricing packages and their respective inclusions.
Our Best Shopping Cart Solutions in Detail:
1. Shopify – My Top Pick for best Shopping Cart Solutions!
Shopify is recognized worldwide as a leading e-commerce solution, offering a comprehensive set of tools to help businesses create an online store. With its blend of user-friendly features, professional templates, and advanced customization options, it’s the go-to solution for many retailers looking to sell online.
One of the reasons why Shopify is often considered the best shopping cart solution is its simplicity. Its intuitive interface makes it easy to manage and add products, process orders, and configure settings. Yet, despite its ease of use, it doesn't compromise on power or flexibility, offering advanced features that cater to the needs of both small and large businesses.
Key Features:
- Comprehensive product management: Easily add and edit products, organize them into categories, and set up automatic tax and shipping rates.
- Various sales channels: Sell through online storefronts, mobile, social media, online marketplaces, brick-and-mortar locations, and pop-up shops.
- Integrated payment options: Shopify Payments allows you to accept credit cards instantly without third-party accounts.
- Multilingual capabilities: Support for numerous languages for truly global selling.
- Abandoned cart recovery: Automatically email customers who leave their purchases mid-way and encourage them to complete their order.
- SEO and Marketing tools: In-built SEO features and integrations with Google Ads and Facebook Ads.
- Mobile responsive: All Shopify themes are mobile responsive, or you can use the free built-in mobile commerce shopping cart.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Extremely user-friendly with an intuitive interface.
- Over 70 professional themes with customizable HTML and CSS.
- 24/7 customer support via email, live chat, and phone.
- Robust app store to extend your store’s functionality.
- Excellent uptime and page load speed.
Cons:
- Advanced features like reports and better shipping discounts are only available on higher-tier plans.
- While you can sell in multiple currencies, you can only display one currency at a time in your store.
- Shopify charges transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments.
Pricing:
Shopify's pricing structure is tiered into three main subscription plans:
Each higher plan offers more advanced features such as better shipping discounts, lower transaction fees, and more staff accounts.
Remember, the best part about Shopify is that it offers a 14-day free trial, which can be a great way to see if it fits your needs before committing to a plan.
View Plans & Discounts →
Ecwid:
Up until a few years ago, Ecwid was little more than a feature of Wix which enabled its users to create online storefronts even with its most basic site building packages. This all changed, of course, when that platform rolled out its Wix eCommerce storefront building and management suite.
Nevertheless, this handy little plugin has become one of the best shopping cart software. It works well with a number of other site creation platforms – has enabled more than 900,000 global users to create highly engaging online stores.
Recommended for small- and medium-scale enterprises, Ecwid enables users to add ecommerce features to their existing sites or blogs, including some innovations resulting from the pandemic like curbside / minimal contact pickup, gift card provision, and several point of sale features.
Features:
- Storefront builder;
- Online marketing tools that can be used with several social media platforms;
- Unlimited bandwidth;
- Multilingual catalogue builder;
- Dimensional shopping rates; and
- Ability to create your own shopping app (for premium users only)
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Allows creation of multilingual stores;
- Enables users to import and export products;
- Offers mobile POS
Cons:
- You may end up spending more for upgrades;
- Can be difficult to set up with third-party applications;
- Limited functionality when it comes to order management
Pricing:
- Paid plans cost between $15 and $99 monthly
Free edition allows users to create a storefront and offer a maximum of ten products. Be sure to read their terms of use before you decide on this service.
WordPress WooCommerce with Nexcess Hosting:
WooCommerce is the plugin that revolutionised the scene for WordPress users, enabling them to monetise their blogs or websites through their transformation into online shopfronts.
While it remains a WordPress-only plugin, this open-source shopping cart solution allows users to get started almost immediately. Using WordPress’ CMS editing platform, users can easily create both product and promotional pages. Indeed, all a site owner needs to do is type in the product or promo description, upload related images, and they’re all set.
When paired with Nexcess Hosting, it makes for one of the best eCommerce shopping cart solution. Nexcess hosting is our overall best in class recommendation for small and medium eCommerce enterprises built in WooCommerce or Magento.
Features:
- Built-in storefront template with two free variations and twelve premium variations;
- Customisation via a secondary plugin, Elementor;
- Cart2Cart migration feature;
- Store management app for both Android and iOS devices; and
- B2B and B2C toolkits
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Free to use for WordPress clients, particularly those with Business or eCommerce subscriptions;
- Easy to set up and use;
- Offers an app you can use on your mobile device
Cons:
- Does not offer the same level of functionality as a standalone shopping cart solution;
- While you can use it for free, any upgrades or third-party support apps can prove to be expensive;
- Limited choice of site design
Pricing:
Essentially free, but additional functionality via third-party apps may cost more than you would expect, so be sure to double check price tags on downloadable solutions before committing to a purchase.
Magento:
Magento, a product of the Adobe Corporation, was specifically created for the very-large enterprise (VLE) sector – and that essentially means it isn't the sort of shopping cart platform we recommend for novices. This is a platform for individual entrepreneurs who have intermediate to advanced site creation and management skills, as well as those who have a dedicated web management team on call.
This particular shopping cart platform is open-source, so businesses are given carte blanche with which to create bespoke online storefronts to draw in their customers.
Features:
- A highly-diverse and practically arranged user interface;
- SEO and online marketing toolkit;
- Third-party integration with over 300 applications and programmes;
- Proprietary website building platform; and
- Storefront management system
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Optimal flexibility for more advanced users;
- Highly scalable, making it a great choice for a growing enterprise;
- Mobile-friendly
Cons:
- One of the more expensive shopping cart platforms/ecommerce shopping cart solutions currently available;
- Requires specialised hosting as opposed to a conventional web hosting service;
- Not the best in terms of technical support
Pricing:
Because Magento is an open-source shopping cart solutions, it’s essentially free and then just need a domain name, hosting and you may want to pay additional costs for premium themes and plugins. For a best eCommerce hosting service we would recommend Nexcess Hosting.
OpenCart:
Like Magento, OpenCart is also an open-source shopping cart software, but has the advantage of being easier to use, making it a good choice for those who are just starting their online stores.
This best shopping cart software offers an extensive range of tools for creating, deploying, and managing an online store, OpenCart is a lightweight shopping cart software option that won’t gunk up your desktop or slow down its performance – two key elements that potential ecommerce entrepreneurs need to consider before selecting a platform.
We have to warn potential users, however, that as simple as it may look – and as engaging as its UI might be – OpenCart isn’t exactly the easiest platform to use. You need to have a few PHP skills to get the most out of it.
Features:
- Administrative dashboard;
- Single interface for multiple storefront management;
- Product options and attributes editing feature;
- Scheduled backups and on-demand restoration; and
- Built-in affiliates system
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Free to use;
- Highly customisable;
- Offers extensive metrics with which to monitor the performance of one’s ecommerce hub
Cons:
- Customers may find the checkout process slow and cumbersome;
- Features are too basic for long-term scalability;
- Poses challenges for importing inventory lists
Pricing:
- OpenCart is free to use, but it is admittedly basic
- Plugins for additional functionality are pay-to-use and may set users back between $20 and $5,000
PrestaShop:
Like Magento, PrestaShop was specifically created for medium-, large-, and very-large scale enterprises, so its features allow users to have a lot more leeway in terms of functionality – and it does have a lot of features.
PrestaShop, as one of the best shopping cart software, prides itself on having over 600 built-in features as well as access to over 1,000 third-party applications through its in-platform marketplace, enabling users to create and manage visually-striking online stores in a relatively short span of time
Features:
As stated above, PrestaShop offers more than 600 features already built into its user interface. But the following are what clearly set it apart from the competition:
- SEO toolkit;
- Abandoned cart notifications;
- Multiple language and currency support;
- Automated mailing list / newsletter function; and
- Local and foreign sales / shipping tax computing feature
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- This best shopping cart software has the most extensive range of built-in features;
- Offers a number of methods by which users can reach to customers across the globe;
- Robust CRM toolkit for customer management
Cons:
- Not the easiest ecommerce/shopping cart platform to get started with;
- Rather clunky back end makes it challenging to manage;
- Platform tends to be unstable and may crash periodically
Pricing:
As an open-source shopping cart platform, PrestaShop is both free to use and free to modify. That said, however, it also has the most expensive add-on modules of any platform featured in this review, with some of the lowest-tier offerings coming in with a price tag of $100 or more.
Conclusion and Recommendations for the best Shopping Cart Solutions:
Not all software platforms are created equal, and this particularly applies to shopping cart platforms.
The best shopping cart software will enable users to modify the source code in order to create features specific to their website/online store certainly appeals to many online businesses as it allows them to have a completely bespoke storefront. In which case, we find that the best shopping cart solutions for most people is Shopify
Nevertheless, it helps to read up and research about what shopping cart platforms are available in order to come to a decision you can happily work with.
FAQs:
Are there ecommerce shopping cart solutions exclusively for WordPress users?
Yes, WordPress offers the open-source WooCommerce plugin which converts standard sites and blogs into fully functional ecommerce sites.
Do open source ecommerce shopping cart solutions work for those who don’t have much of a budget?
Yes and no. While open-source shopping cart software may be downloaded for free, keep in mind that this lacks numerous features, thus entailing the purchase of additional plugins or third-party applications. While many of these best shopping cart software may also be downloaded for free, those that are specifically created for ecommerce tend to lean more towards the expensive side.
Are there any ecommerce shopping cart solutions that can be used for very large enterprises?
Magento is the best shopping cart software specifically created for the use of the VLE sector in that it is scalable, making it an apt choice for online businesses that are expanding their reach. Also, the level of complexity when it comes to using the platform means it appeals more to those with more extensive knowledge of online commerce and related technologies.
That's all for now:
If you've read all the way through this best shopping cart solutions guide, we are thankful. We hope you can now answer the question of what is the best shopping cart software option for you! We have a large collection of articles, guides, and comparison reviews of eCommerce solutions, web hosting providers, website builders, and more! Feel free to check them out;
- best website builders for small business
- Squarespace vs WordPress
- webflow vs wordpress
- best website builder and hosting
- best ecommerce credit card processing
Hi, I’m Stuart Kerr Spindlow; the publisher behind StuartKerrs.com.
I review and evaluate digital marketing software used by businesses, marketers, and website owners; including hosting platforms, website builders, email marketing tools, SEO software, analytics, and automation systems.
I hold a degree in Computer Science from The Open University and began my career working in financial technology, developing and supporting production software systems, banking intranets, and web platforms. Over the past 20+ years, I’ve tested, implemented, and analysed a wide range of digital tools across real-world business environments.
Today, this site focuses on independent, experience-led software reviews. Tools are assessed based on usability, performance, pricing transparency, long-term value, and suitability for real businesses; not vendor claims or sponsorships.
I don’t run an agency and I don’t sell services through this site. The goal is simple: publish honest, practical software reviews that help people choose the right tools with confidence.
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