HikaShop vs OpenCart (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HikaShop and OpenCart share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan, and OpenCart has no paid plan to buy, against about $5.59 a month for HikaShop.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
HikaShop grades higher on value for money. OpenCart grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HikaShop
Ecommerce extension for Joomla and WordPress sites
Which one is for you
Pick HikaShop if
- Fits if you already have a Joomla or WordPress site and want to add a shop
- Makes sense if you want a cheap yearly licence for one site
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't run Joomla or WordPress, as it works only inside them
- Tight if you stay free: guest checkout, wishlist and personal email support are paid
- Watch out: paid editions cover one site for one year, and extending costs €40 or €70 a year
- Watch out: prices are in euros, and EU buyers without a VAT number pay tax at checkout
Pick OpenCart if
- Fits if you already have web hosting and want no software fee
- Works for sellers who need several storefronts from one admin
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a hosted store, as you run it yourself
- Pricey if you need help: a version update starts at $300, a bug fix at $100 and a backup is $50
- Watch out: extensions and themes come from third parties, and many cost extra
- Skip it if you want the hosted OpenCart Cloud priced up front, as that goes through ScalaHosting
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHikaShopFair | 2.4GPAOpenCartFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AEssential is €60 a year for one site, about €5 a month, under 60% of the category's $20 cheap start. Business is €120 a year. | CFree to download with no monthly fee, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. Many marketplace extensions and themes are paid. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Starter edition is free with unlimited products and orders, variants, inventory and tax rules. One site could run on it, with forum support. | BA free download with no caps on products or categories. You pay for your own hosting. |
| Features | CCatalog, inventory, international selling and marketing tools. Guest checkout and wishlist need Essential, and the API and mobile app need Business. | BMulti-store admin, an unlimited catalog, 36 payment methods, multi-currency, 40+ languages, coupons and an affiliate system. The listing shows no gap in the core store job. |
| Ease of use | DNo rating on record. You need your own Joomla or WordPress site on your own hosting, and the vendor says it supports MySQL only. | DNo store rating on record. You install, update, secure and back up the store yourself, or pay someone to. |
| Platforms and integrations | CRuns inside Joomla or WordPress only, with Stripe and PayPal links. The mobile app is Business only. | BWeb, with a marketplace of over 13,000 modules and themes for shipping, payments, marketing and accounting. |
| Best for | a shop inside an existing Joomla or WordPress site | a free PHP store on your own hosting |
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: HikaShop and OpenCart. How we grade
Price against what you get
HikaShop starts at about $5.59 a month and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. OpenCart has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
OpenCart scores higher and starts $5.59 a month lower. Of the other online store builders on the chart, 5 score higher than HikaShop for less, and none scores higher than OpenCart 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
- OpenCart is open source, according to its own site.
- HikaShop also covers templates and inventory.
- OpenCart also covers digital downloads.
At a glance
| HikaShop | OpenCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | €60 per year for 1 site | Free |
| Free plan | Starter edition: free, with unlimited products and orders, variants and inventory, payment and shipping plugins, tax rules, currencies and coupons, and forum support. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | HIKARI Software | OpenCart |
| Price read from | hikashop.com | opencart.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HikaShop
- It runs only inside Joomla or WordPress and needs your own hosting; the vendor says it supports MySQL only.
- Paid editions include one year of updates and support for one website; extending costs €40 per year on Essential and €70 per year on Business.
- Prices are listed in euros, and EU buyers without a valid VAT number pay a tax rate added at checkout.
- The REST API, mobile app and affiliate program are limited to the Business edition.
OpenCart
- You install, update, secure and back up the store yourself or pay a host or partner to do it.
- Dedicated support is sold per job: a version update starts at $300, a bug fix at $100 and a one-time backup is $50.
- OpenCart Cloud, the hosted option, is signed up for through ScalaHosting, whose pricing is not recorded here.
- Extensions and themes come from third parties in the marketplace, and many cost extra.
Key features
HikaShop
- Catalog and inventory
- Categories, characteristics, variants, options and custom fields, with stock tracking, for small or large catalogs.
- International selling
- Languages, currencies, zones and tax rules, with more than 90 payment gateways listed on the homepage.
- Marketing tools
- Coupons and discounts, affiliate programs (Business edition) and email-marketing integrations.
- Built-in statistics
- A dashboard shows revenue, orders, average order value and top products.
- Customization
- Views, checkout, fields and emails can be overridden without forking the code.
- Marketplace and auctions
- HikaMarket (multi-vendor), HikaSerial and HikaAuction are sold as separate extensions.
OpenCart
- Multi-store admin
- Several stores can be managed from one admin screen, each with its own theme, localized settings and per-store product prices.
- Unlimited catalog
- No cap on products or categories, with product options and attributes, filters, reviews and ratings, reward points and downloadable products.
- Payments and currencies
- 36 payment methods ship with it, including PayPal, Klarna and Authorize.Net, plus recurring payments and multi-currency pricing with automatic rate updates.
- Languages
- Available in more than 40 languages, including right-to-left ones such as Arabic and Hebrew.
- Marketplace and extensions
- A marketplace of over 13,000 modules and themes covers shipping, payments, marketing, accounting and reporting.
- Built-in marketing tools
- Coupons, discounts and specials, an affiliate system with set commission percentages, and a newsletter signup are part of the core software.
Plans
HikaShop
Starter$0
Unlimited products and orders, variants, inventory, payment and shipping plugins, tax rules and coupons, with forum support.
Essential€60
per year for 1 site
Adds custom fields, product options, guest checkout, multicart, wishlist, AI Commerce (UCP and MCP) and personal email support. Priced in euros.
Business€120
per year for 1 site
Adds the REST API, the HikaShop mobile app, an affiliate program, product filters and comparison, and prices per user group and zone. Priced in euros.
OpenCart
OpenCart$0
Free download with no monthly fees. You supply and pay for your own hosting; paid themes and extensions are optional.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HikaShop or OpenCart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, OpenCart is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $5.59 a month for HikaShop. HikaShop starts at €60 per year for 1 site, and OpenCart is free.
Which has a free plan, HikaShop or OpenCart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both HikaShop and OpenCart have a free plan.
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.