CS-Cart vs WooCommerce (2026): which should you pick?

Pick CS-Cart if

• Fits if you want to own the code of your shop or marketplace
• Makes sense if you'd rather pay once than monthly and can run a server

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you don't want to run a server, as hosting is separate and only 1 month is included
• Tight if you want updates for long: Store Builder Plus includes 1 year
• Pricey if you need several storefronts or the REST API, which start at $3,590
• Watch out: we could only read the Standard multi-vendor price, not the higher marketplace tiers or lifetime prices

Pick WooCommerce if

• Fits if you already have a WordPress site and want to add a shop to it
• Works for picking your own payment provider with no platform fee on sales

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you don't want to deal with hosting, updates, backups and security
• Not for you if you want one simple bill, as hosting at $25 to $350 a month and extensions are paid separately
• Watch out: many features are paid extensions at $29 to $299 a year each
• Tight if you ship a lot, since labels come through outside services such as ShipStation or Shippo
• Watch out: card fees depend on your processor; Woo gives about 2.5% to 2.9% + 30¢ for WooPayments

CS-Cart

• Plans cover the software only; hosting is separate, and the 1 month of free hosting in the plans is short.
• Store Builder updates are limited to 1 year on Plus, and longer update periods need higher tiers.
• Only the Standard Multi-Vendor price could be read; the Plus and higher marketplace tiers and the lifetime prices are not recorded here.
• It runs self-hosted, so you handle server setup unless you buy CS-Cart hosting.

WooCommerce

• You need WordPress and web hosting from a provider you choose; Woo puts hosting for most stores at $25 to $350 a month.
• Many features come as paid extensions, which Woo says cost $29 to $299 a year each.
• Card fees depend on the processor; Woo gives about 2.5% to 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction for its own WooPayments.
• Because the store runs on your own hosting, updates, backups and security fall to you or your host.

CS-Cart

Multi-vendor marketplace

The Multi-Vendor product lets many sellers run storefronts, with vendor plans, commissions and ways to monetize the marketplace.

Full source code

Every plan includes full code access, so developers can customize the software and host it where they choose.

No-code editor and App Market

A no-code editor adjusts storefront pages, and an App Market adds extra functionality and themes.

Several storefronts

Store Builder Ultimate and above manage multiple storefronts for branches, brands or regions, with stock tracked by location.

B2B and headless options

The site lists B2B shops, headless integration with an existing site, and a mobile marketplace app as use cases.

Managed hosting

CS-Cart sells its own pre-configured hosting for Store Builder and Multi-Vendor as a separate monthly service.

WooCommerce

Open-source WordPress plugin

Adds a store to a WordPress site. The code is open source, so the store can be changed freely, and products, orders and API use are not capped.

Any payment provider

Use Woo's own WooPayments or any other gateway or buy-now-pay-later service, run several at once, and pay no extra fee to Woo for using a third-party processor.

Extensions and themes

Hundreds of extensions and themes in Woo's marketplace add features such as subscriptions, wholesale pricing and marketing tools, many of them paid.

Shipping integrations

Live carrier rates, label printing, tracking and returns come through integrations such as ShipStation, Shippo and Easyship, which are free to download.

Mobile app and in-person sales

The free WooCommerce app for iOS and Android manages products and orders and takes payments in person with Tap to Pay or a Woo card reader.

CS-Cart

• Multi-Vendor Standard$725

  per year (about $61 a month, billed annually)

  Marketplace software with customer care, full code access, No-code editor and 1 month of free hosting. Lifetime option exists; its price was not read.

• Store Builder Plus$1,490

  one-time

  Single store with full code access, App Market, 30 days of Customer Care Standard and 1 year of free updates.

• Store Builder Ultimate$3,590

  one-time

  Adds multiple storefronts, stock by location, stores and warehouses, an admin REST API and 60 days of Customer Care.

• Store Builder Unlim$7,990

  one-time

  Adds 5 years of free updates and 6 months of Customer Care Ultimate with live chat and 7 modifications a month.

WooCommerce

• WooCommerce$0

  The free, open-source WordPress plugin, which you host yourself on a provider you choose. No monthly subscription, platform fee or revenue share.