OpenCart vs X-Cart (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, OpenCart grades higher than X-Cart: 2.4 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
OpenCart grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. X-Cart grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
X-Cart
Ecommerce platform now sold to auto parts and powersports sellers
Which one is for you
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
Pick X-Cart if
- Fits if you sell auto parts and want fitment search built in
- Works for distributors that need parts-catalog feeds and sales channels
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you sell anything other than auto parts or powersports, since no general plan is priced
- Pricey if your yearly sales are small: it's $499 a month flat
- Watch out: stores above $1M in yearly sales or needing custom work cost more
- Tight if you want to try first, because there's no free plan or trial
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAOpenCartFair | 1.6GPAX-CartWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | D$499 a month is far above the category's $89 dearer-quarter start, and it's only the entry price for stores under $1M in yearly sales. |
| Free plan and trial | BA free download with no caps on products or categories. You pay for your own hosting. | FNo free plan or trial. Setup starts with booking a demo. |
| Features | 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. | CFitment search, automotive catalog data, distributor integrations and sales channels. It does that narrow job fully, but it's a smaller job than a general store. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. You install, update, secure and back up the store yourself, or pay someone to. | CNo rating on record. A demo and onboarding come first, so there's setup to go through. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with a marketplace of over 13,000 modules and themes for shipping, payments, marketing and accounting. | BWeb platform with links to Amazon, eBay Motors, PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net and tax tools. No phone or desktop apps. |
| Best for | a free PHP store on your own hosting | auto parts and powersports sellers with real volume |
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: OpenCart and X-Cart. How we grade
Price against what you get
OpenCart has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. X-Cart starts at $499 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and OpenCart starts $499 a month lower. Of the other online store builders on the chart, none scores higher than OpenCart for less, and 10 score higher than X-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
- OpenCart is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- OpenCart also covers digital downloads.
- X-Cart also covers inventory and dropshipping.
At a glance
| OpenCart | X-Cart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Paid |
| Starts at | Free | $499 per month and up, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | OpenCart | X-Cart Holdings LLC |
| Price read from | opencart.com | x-cart.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
X-Cart
- The pricing page covers only the Automotive package; no general-purpose store plan is priced there.
- The $499 fee applies below $1M in yearly sales with standard features; larger stores or custom work cost more.
- No free plan or trial is listed, and setup starts with a demo booking.
Key features
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.
X-Cart
- Fitment search
- Year, make and model lookup and VIN decoding show shoppers only the parts that fit their vehicle; a My Garage list saves their vehicles.
- Automotive catalog data
- Pulls catalog and fitment data from sources named on the page, including SEMA Data, AutoSync and the ASAP Network.
- Distributor integrations
- Connects several warehouse distributors, routes orders to the one with stock and syncs inventory hourly.
- Sales channels
- Connects to Amazon and eBay Motors so listed parts, stock and orders can be managed from the X-Cart dashboard.
- Payments and tax
- Accepts payments through 120+ processors, including PayPal, Stripe and Authorize.net, and connects to Avalara or TaxJar.
- Onboarding and support
- Four one-hour onboarding calls come with the subscription, and the page lists Premium Support as included at no extra charge.
Plans
OpenCart
OpenCart$0
Free download with no monthly fees. You supply and pay for your own hosting; paid themes and extensions are optional.
X-Cart
Automotive$499
per month and up, billed monthly
Flat fee for stores under $1M in yearly sales using standard features; higher volume or customization costs more.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, OpenCart or X-Cart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, OpenCart is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $499 a month for X-Cart. OpenCart is free, and X-Cart starts at $499 per month and up, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, OpenCart or X-Cart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only OpenCart has a free plan. X-Cart does not.
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.