ShopFactory vs Zen Cart (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Zen Cart grades higher than ShopFactory: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
ShopFactory grades higher on value for money and ease of use. Zen Cart grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ShopFactory
Windows store builder sold as a one-time license, hosted anywhere
From $249 one-time
Which one is for you
Pick ShopFactory if
- Fits if you want to pay once and choose your own hosting
- Works for a Windows user who sells in several languages or currencies
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use a Mac or want to edit your store from a browser or phone
- Not for you if you want a free plan or a trial, since the only safety net is a 30-day refund
- Too light for catalogs past 10,000 products, which is the licence cap per store
- Watch out: order management, loyalty and AI apps are free for 12 months, then monthly fees
- Watch out: the $249 price was read from India and not confirmed from the US
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
| 1.8GPAShopFactoryWeak | 2.0GPAZen CartFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$249 once is less than a year of this category's middle subscription at $29 a month, and the vendor says it takes no commission. Hosting is a separate cost if you pick your own, and the price was read from India, not the US. | 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 | FNothing is free: no free plan and no trial. A 30-day money-back guarantee is the only way out, and that is not a trial. | BNo cap on the software and no ads, but hosting is on you and there's no hosted trial. |
| Features | CCatalog, 50-plus payment processors, several languages and currencies, digital items and tickets. The gaps are in the listing: a 10,000-product limit per store, and order management and loyalty are paid apps after the first 12 months. | CA full-function cart with a PCI-certified version on offer. No built-in marketplace, subscriptions or headless side is listed. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You design in a desktop program, set up payment gateways and pick where to publish, so there is a learning curve. | DNo rating on record. You install it from a zip on your own server and look after it. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows only, with the store files kept on that one PC. There is no Mac, phone or browser version. It does list Zapier and the main payment gateways. | CWeb only, with open code on GitHub. No apps and no integration list. |
| Best for | a one-time-fee store builder on a Windows PC | 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: ShopFactory and Zen Cart. How we grade
Where they differ
- ShopFactory can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Zen Cart is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- ShopFactory also covers templates and digital downloads.
In commonOnline store
At a glance
| ShopFactory | Zen Cart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| Starts at | $249 one-time license | Free |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | 3D3.COM Pty Ltd | Zen Cart |
| Price read from | shopfactory.com | raw.githubusercontent.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ShopFactory
- The builder runs on Windows PCs only; the store files live on your own computer.
- Premium apps such as order management, loyalty and AI are free only for 12 months, then optional monthly fees.
- The license covers up to 10,000 products per store.
- The $249 price was read on the homepage from India and was not confirmed from the US.
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
ShopFactory
- Offline store design
- Build and organize the catalog on your own Windows PC, then publish to ShopFactory's servers or to your own hosting provider.
- No sales fees
- The vendor says it takes no commission on sales and charges no bandwidth or transaction fees.
- Payment gateways
- More than 50 payment processors are listed, including PayPal, Stripe, Mollie, WorldPay and Authorize.Net.
- Multilingual and multi-currency
- Stores can sell in several languages and currencies, and one license can build unlimited shops.
- Digital items, tickets and services
- Besides physical goods, the software lists support for selling digital items, event tickets and services.
- AI content and Zapier
- AI tools generate product content, and Zapier connects the store to more than 1,500 other tools.
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
ShopFactory
ShopFactory license$249
one-time
Store builder and cart for up to 10,000 products; premium apps are free for 12 months, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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, ShopFactory or Zen Cart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ShopFactory starts at $249 one-time license, and Zen Cart is free.
Which has a free plan, ShopFactory or Zen Cart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Zen Cart has a free plan. ShopFactory does not.
Which platforms do ShopFactory and Zen Cart run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only ShopFactory lists a Windows app and only Zen Cart lists a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.