CS-Cart vs Zen Cart (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CS-Cart and Zen Cart share a 2.0 GPA, and only Zen Cart has a free plan.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CS-Cart grades higher on features. Zen Cart grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CS-Cart
Self-hosted store and multi-vendor marketplace software
Which one is for you
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 Zen Cart if
- Fits if you're comfortable installing PHP software and want a free cart
- Works for people who want the source code and don't mind forum support
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a hosted store that someone else keeps patched
- Not for you if you need paid support, as the pages list only community forums
- Watch out: the project's own guide tells owners to secure the site for PCI themselves
- Watch out: version 3.0 is in development, so the current release may differ from what we read
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACS-CartFair | 2.0GPAZen CartFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CMulti-Vendor Standard is $725 a year, about $61 a month, between the category's $29 middle and $89 dearer quarter. Store Builder starts at $1,490 one time. | CFree to download, but only free if you host it, which means paying for a server. That puts it in the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day free demo of either builder, hosted by CS-Cart. The pages we read don't say whether it needs a card. | BNo cap on the software and no ads, but hosting is on you and there's no hosted trial. |
| Features | BMulti-vendor marketplace, several storefronts, full source code, no-code editor, App Market, B2B and headless options. Nothing in the listing is missing from the core job. | CA full-function cart with a PCI-certified version on offer. No built-in marketplace, subscriptions or headless side is listed. |
| Ease of use | DNo rating on record. It runs self-hosted, so you handle server setup unless you buy CS-Cart hosting. | DNo rating on record. You install it from a zip on your own server and look after it. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with an admin REST API on higher plans. No apps and no integration list. | CWeb only, with open code on GitHub. No apps and no integration list. |
| Best for | self-hosted stores and marketplaces with full source | self-hosted PHP shops run by someone who likes to tinker |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CS-Cart and Zen Cart. How we grade
Price against what you get
CS-Cart starts at $60.42 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zen Cart has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
CS-Cart scores higher, and starts $60.42 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other online store builders on the chart, 24 score higher than CS-Cart for less, and none scores higher than Zen Cart for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Zen Cart is open source, according to its own site.
- CS-Cart also covers inventory.
At a glance
| CS-Cart | Zen Cart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $725 per year (Multi-Vendor Standard); Store Builder from $1,490 one-time | Free |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free demo of Marketplace Builder or Store Builder, hosted by CS-Cart | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CS-Cart | Zen Cart |
| Price read from | cs-cart.com | raw.githubusercontent.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Zen Cart
- You provide the web server, and the project's own guide tells owners to secure the site for PCI compliance themselves.
- Support is community-driven through forums, with no paid plan listed in the pages we read.
- The project's own site was behind a bot check when we read it, so details here come from its GitHub readme.
- Version 3.0 is in development, so the current release and upgrade path may differ from the pages we read.
Key features
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.
Zen Cart
- Full-function shopping cart
- The project describes Zen Cart as a full-function ecommerce application for a website, with storefront and admin back end.
- PA-DSS certified version
- The project says version 1.5.4 was PA-DSS certified, and later releases build on it with PHP 8 updates.
- Self-installed from a zip
- The install is a download, an upload to a web server and a browser-based setup that asks a few questions.
- Community support
- Free community-driven support runs on the project's forums, with an implementation guide and online documentation.
- Open code on GitHub
- Source code, issues and pull requests are public, and developers can fork the repository to contribute.
Plans
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.
Zen Cart
Zen Cart$0
Free and open-source software that you download and install on your own server; hosting is your own cost.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CS-Cart or Zen Cart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Zen Cart is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $60.42 a month when paid by the year for CS-Cart. CS-Cart starts at $725 per year (Multi-Vendor Standard); Store Builder from $1,490 one-time, and Zen Cart is free.
Which has a free plan, CS-Cart or Zen Cart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Zen Cart has a free plan. CS-Cart does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.