OpenCart Review 2023: Expert Rated 4.4/5

What Are the Pros and Cons of OpenCart?

OpenCart is one of the most comprehensive and inclusive open-source e-commerce solutions on the market. Unlike other more developmentally heavy solutions such as ZenCart, the service offers supplementary hosting services through its Gold-level partner, A2. Despite this option for technical support and launch, there is a fair amount of developmental work that business owners must go through and connect with to enjoy the full benefits of the service.

Store design

When you think of a free design or storefront tool, you likely won’t think about the quality of its available designs or templates — but OpenCart changes that. This service offers a professionally designed “store in a box,” giving you a professional layout that’s pre-built and ready to go. There are a few caveats I want to highlight, though, if you’re evaluating OpenCart as a resource for your e-commerce business.

If you want to reorganize the store’s layout, you can do so — but it may be time-consuming and tricky to master. Although thorough and page-specific, the modular editor wasn’t as easy to use as I expected with an otherwise simplified interface. You click into module drop-down menus to rearrange physical elements on the site, which is less user-friendly than other platform options I’ve tested.

Product upload

The product upload experience is one of the most heavily marketed perks for choosing OpenCart, as you can enjoy “unlimited and free everything.” There are no extra fees associated with this part of the platform, whether you have 10 or 1,000+ products.

You can upload products to OpenCart through two convenient options:

1. Bulk-add options (via extensions such as OpenCart Product Mass Upload ($79) or free with a CSV file option with the Bulk Product Import extension)
2. Individually using the native product upload manager

In either case, OpenCart offers more advanced functionality and customization options for uploading and managing your product catalog, making it a platform of choice if you’re looking for new ways to highlight your bestsellers and boost your revenue with tailored product descriptions.

I was able to manage product categories, data, links, discount properties, SEO descriptions, and more — which can be toggled directly from the convenient panel area shown above.

Something else to note here is the option to add an unlimited amount of photos with each product listing. You won’t have to pay extra storage fees, and you’ll be able to showcase every single angle of your product or service to your customer base. If you have visually compelling items, this is a massive perk. Other platforms offer more limited options for product imagery and uploads.

Digital.com’s expert provides more context here:

Abandoned cart recovery

Unlike other platforms, OpenCart doesn’t have a robust native abandoned cart feature in its main admin dash.

While you can’t conveniently access abandoned cart tools from the admin panel, you can track marketing campaigns to determine how efficient your efforts truly are. Business owners can rely on unique tracking codes (shown above) that result in higher quality and more accurate reporting, as well as more effective marketing efforts and revenue retention.

As the tool is open source, there are plenty of extensions that can be integrated with your site. Some of the most popular include the Ultimate Abandoned Cart extension ($69.99) or the Recover Abandoned Cart option (at a more affordable $20).

SEO

OpenCart’s interface includes two main areas for SEO, which are housed in the SEO URL area of the design menu, and in the SEO options tab for every product listing on your site. The range of elements that you can toggle is more limited than you would otherwise see with a service such as Shopify but can be enhanced with extensions for a more comprehensive experience.

While the SEO-specific settings are more limited with OpenCart than with other platforms, OpenCart does offer the benefit of having inherently SEO-responsive and intuitive mobile design options.

OpenCart has pre-set meta-tag optimization hidden in the general product description tab, which is great for picking keywords. If you’re looking to go deeper than what’s included in the native site experience, you can shop any of the SEO extensions available in the marketplace — such as the OpenCart SEO Extension ($119) or SEO Module Pro ($99)

Despite OpenCart’s limited native SEO functionality, I believe it’s more comprehensive than similar modular-based platforms, such as WooCommerce. As it’s open source, you’ll have access to a more diverse range of options to enhance and customize your functionality.

Payment processing

OpenCart comes equipped with native payment processors, as well as the ability to directly support bank transfers. Some of the most common processors your customers can use include CardConnect, AmazonPay, Klarna, PayPal, Skrill, and Square. If you’re looking for a processor that isn’t on the list, you can view their entire library of native options here. Additional payment methods may be downloaded from the extension marketplace.

Editing payment methods can be done through separate, processor-specific steps. While this can be viewed as an inconvenience, it ensures that you’ll have more specific functionality for your clients as they make their purchases. For every set of steps, you’ll be required to have the same information to proceed: order total, order status, status approval, and the sort order.

Mobile support

Unlike other e-commerce platforms, OpenCart does not have an endorsed mobile app for sellers and store owners. I found many third-party versions of mobile apps to manage inventory, and execute specific functions in an OpenCart store. But I advise you to use caution, as these apps do not come from OpenCart themselves.

Inventory management

The inventory management area of the platform is where the native application really shines in comparison to other e-commerce options. The site uses a hierarchical approach, giving business owners the opportunity to customize and optimize their product catalog.

I organized my items by product categories, which come with their own general, SEO, and data and design customization options. From there, I could further optimize each item and product, as well as the manufacturer categories that they’re associated with. This level of customization and support really lines up business owners with larger catalogs to secure more sales and bolster consumer confidence based on the transparency and amount of information available by listing.

The site’s built-in inventory management system once the sale is made is basic, serving more of an informational purpose with its streamlined dashboard and summary layout. Business owners will be able to easily visualize and track status by order ID or customer profile, enhancing customer service and sales management efforts.

If you have a particularly large catalog or offer a variety of recurring service or item options, you’ll appreciate the differentiation between the main order list and the recurring order list in the admin panel. This allows you to seamlessly navigate between customer groups and mitigates your risk for customer support errors or confusion.

Email marketing

OpenCart has a native email editor included, which I found helpful if you’re looking for a basic solution and a centralized structure. The editor itself uses an HTML shortcode, which is perfect if you like to add a second level of customization to your emails. If you have a smaller store, you might appreciate the simplicity of the editing tool and the automatic customer group differentiation options. This allows you to tailor your email blasts, allowing you to experiment for higher open rates across your business.

This feature can be enhanced by OpenCart’s included marketing tracking tool, where you can track campaigns and their key performance indicators (such as clicks, date added, and orders associated with any calls to action (CTAs) in the blasts).

While it isn’t as extensive or sophisticated as other dedicated options (such as Klaviyo), there is enough functionality to help you to accomplish your basic business store tasks. When you’re ready for more visually engaging or complex emails, I recommend looking at the OpenCart extension store for email add-on programs.

Reporting and analytics

I was surprised at the number of reporting options included in OpenCart’s website structure across all areas of business, including specialty reports such as a products viewed report, activity reports, and a customer searches report.

There’s also a separate dashboard that offers a real-time “online report,” showing who’s online at any given moment. It displays key data, such as the customer identification number (visible if they’ve made a profile), IP addresses, referrals, and their last click or page visited. This can offer you valuable information and feedback about the efficiency of your overall store layout, structure, and description qualities.

Lastly, OpenCart has a separate statistics dashboard to show you the number of order sales, returns, and out-of-stock products at any given time by value quantification. You can view the full range of statistics below:

Shipping options

OpenCart has several core shipping options, shown above. Some of the most common are:

• Flat rate and free shipping options
• UPS
• Royal Mail
• U.S. Postal Service
• Australia Post
• City-Link

All of these can be toggled from the admin panel under Extensions. There are several other pre-qualifying characteristics that you can optimize, including:

• Item total threshold for a specific shipping method
• Limited geological zones per shipping method
• Status of each shipping method’s availability
• Sort order on your website to prioritize certain methods

The native storefront shopping cart has a convenient shipping and taxes estimating tool that can help make product and item cost calculation easier.

While there are concerns about the security of OpenCart as an open-source platform, there are benefits to this structure as well. As the code is freely available, many “white hat” developers have created different security suites for your OpenCart site (as pictured above).

Between the specialty firewalls and security tools, and the third-party guides to running a secure OpenCart shop, I have no reason to believe that it’s any less safe than your average third-party open-source e-commerce software or platform.

OpenCart has concierge support on a modular basis, connecting you with the help you need in a single, swift, and efficient process. While this is convenient, I found it lacking compared to support you’d get for free with other services such as Wix.

Their paid service packages include:

• Password reset services: This is great if you need an admin password reset. You’ll be able to re-enter your account within 24 hours.
• Dedicated support: This service is useful for supplemental developmental tasks that a specialist could help with. Some of the most common functions include tech issues or extension installation services.
• Store backup services: This is good if you want extra peace of mind from a backup of your data.
• Bug fixes: If you’re dealing with problems, this one-time specialist session can help you to get them resolved.

If you’re looking for additional support, you might choose to hire a third-party developer to save time and the learning curve with the OpenCart interface. Otherwise, you might try making updates yourself with the help of the community forum or third-party blog articles.

Compare OpenCart Alternatives

OpenCart is an excellent platform for your e-commerce needs. However, competitors such as Shopify, BigCommerce, or Wix may be a better fit for your needs. Read on to learn more about how OpenCart stacks up to its e-commerce platform competitors:

How I Rated OpenCart

I test e-commerce providers based on the following factors:

• Value: What do you get for each plan — and does it hit that sweet spot of cost ratio to features?
• Ease of use: Is it simple to use the platform with intuitive tools, familiar interfaces, and supportive tutorials or tours?
• Features: Does the platform offer tools that support your business, including marketing integrations, plug-ins, reporting, and management? How effective are the features?
• Security: Which measures does the platform take to protect your business? Does it offer Payment card industry (PCI) compliance and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates?
• Support and improvements: How well does the platform help when you need it? And will it continue to grow with your needs?

Learn more about our review methodology.