The HikaShop Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about HikaShop in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
HikaShop
The Insider’s Guide
Ecommerce extension for Joomla and WordPress sites
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among online store builders, read from HikaShop’s own pages.
Made by HIKARI Software · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from HikaShop’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on HikaShop’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 60 of the 80 other online store builders we grade
HikaShop is an ecommerce extension that adds a shop to a Joomla or WordPress site hosted on your own server. A free Starter edition covers products, variants, inventory, taxes, coupons and payment and shipping plugins, and two paid editions add more features and a year of updates and support. Companion extensions for marketplaces, serial numbers and auctions are sold separately.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about HikaShop, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You need your own Joomla or WordPress site on your own hosting, and the vendor says it supports MySQL only.
- 1
Best for a shop inside an existing Joomla or WordPress site
The REST API, mobile app and affiliate program sit on Business, and you need your own hosting.
- 2
Paid plans start at about $5.59 a month
As its pricing page puts it: €60 per year for 1 site.
- 3
There is a 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.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Catalog and inventory
Categories, characteristics, variants, options and custom fields, with stock tracking, for small or large catalogs.
- 6
International selling
Languages, currencies, zones and tax rules, with more than 90 payment gateways listed on the homepage.
- 7
Marketing tools
Coupons and discounts, affiliate programs (Business edition) and email-marketing integrations.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 60 of 80
That is against the other online store builders we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace HikaShop you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
HikaShop at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from €60 per year for 1 site
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- HIKARI Software, since 2010
- Category
- Online Store Builders
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for a shop inside an existing Joomla or WordPress site
HikaShop adds a shop to Joomla or WordPress, with a free Starter edition and paid editions at €60 and €120 a year per site. The REST API, mobile app and affiliate program sit on Business, and you need your own hosting.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Essential 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. |
| Free plan and trial | B | The Starter edition is free with unlimited products and orders, variants, inventory and tax rules. One site could run on it, with forum support. |
| Features | C | Catalog, inventory, international selling and marketing tools. Guest checkout and wishlist need Essential, and the API and mobile app need Business. |
| Ease of use | D | No rating on record. You need your own Joomla or WordPress site on your own hosting, and the vendor says it supports MySQL only. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Runs inside Joomla or WordPress only, with Stripe and PayPal links. The mobile app is Business only. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who HikaShop is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Joomla site owners who want a shop inside their existing site
- Small catalogs that can start on the free edition
- WordPress or Joomla users who want to run the store on their own server
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
~$5.59
A month to start. There is a free plan too
HikaShop has a free plan. Paid plans start at €60 per year for 1 site.
The Starter edition is free with unlimited products and orders, variants, inventory and tax rules.
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.
The 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.
Read from hikashop.com on Nov 13, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Ecommerce extension for Joomla and WordPress sites. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: self-hostable, public API, templates, inventory, online store.
Catalog, inventory, international selling and marketing tools.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Joomla
- WordPress
- Stripe
- PayPal
HikaShop is made by HIKARI Software, and has been around since 2010.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
60/80
Other online store builders it is graded above
HikaShop's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 60 of the 80 other online store builders we grade, and level with 13.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 78 of 80) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at about $5.59 a month, against a middle price of $29.25 for the category: 2 of the 44 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. 5 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 81 online store builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. HikaShop’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 78 of 80
- BFree plan and trialAbove 55 of 80
- CFeaturesAbove 5 of 80
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 80
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 80
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 52 online store builders. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. HikaShop is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace HikaShop you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.4 is higher than 60 of the 80 other online store builders we grade. It costs $67.03 a year.
What you could make
- Inventory and templates: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
- It plugs into other products, Joomla, WordPress and Stripe among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. HikaShop’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
VirtueMart, WooCommerce, OpenCart, PrestaShop and Zen Cart
The 5 tools HikaShop is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
VirtueMart
Free
Free open-source ecommerce extension for Joomla.
- VirtueMart is open source, according to its own site.
- HikaShop also covers templates.
- 2.2GPA
WooCommerce
Free plan
Free, open-source store plugin for WordPress that you host yourself.
- Only WooCommerce lists iOS and Android apps.
- WooCommerce is open source, according to its own site.
- HikaShop also covers templates and inventory.
- 2.4GPA
OpenCart
Free
Free open-source shopping cart you host yourself.
- OpenCart is open source, according to its own site.
- HikaShop also covers templates and inventory.
- OpenCart also covers digital downloads.
- 2.4GPA
PrestaShop
Free plan · from €24/mo
Open-source ecommerce software, free to self-host or sold hosted.
- PrestaShop is open source, according to its own site.
- HikaShop also covers templates and inventory.
- 2.0GPA
Zen Cart
Free
Free open-source PHP shopping cart you host yourself.
- Zen Cart is open source, according to its own site.
- HikaShop also covers templates and inventory.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is HikaShop free?
HikaShop has a 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.
How much does HikaShop cost?
HikaShop lists 3 plans. Starter: $0.
What platforms does HikaShop work on?
HikaShop is available on Web.
Does HikaShop have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. HikaShop is listed for Web.
Does HikaShop have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. HikaShop is listed for Web.
Is HikaShop open source?
HikaShop is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Can HikaShop be self-hosted?
Yes. HikaShop's own site says it can be run on a server of your own.
Does HikaShop have an API?
Yes. HikaShop offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does HikaShop integrate with?
HikaShop's listing names Joomla, WordPress, Stripe and PayPal. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes HikaShop?
HikaShop is made by HIKARI Software. It dates from 2010.
What are the alternatives to HikaShop?
The closest alternatives to HikaShop in our directory are VirtueMart, WooCommerce, OpenCart, PrestaShop and Zen Cart.
How does HikaShop compare with other online store builders?
HikaShop's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 60 of the 80 other online store builders we grade, and level with 13.
Is HikaShop good value for money?
ToolGPA grades HikaShop A for value for money. Its paid plans start at about $5.59 a month, against a middle price of $29.25 for the category: 2 of the 44 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of HikaShop?
To replace HikaShop you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from HikaShop’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from HikaShop's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by HIKARI Software. Prices change, so check hikashop.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- HikaShop, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/hikashop
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "HikaShop: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/hikashop
Know someone choosing between online store builders?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/hikashop/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded online store builders after HikaShop, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Online Store Builders Insider's GuideEvery one of the 84 online store builders we grade, compared
- Big Cartel Insider's GuideSimple online store for artists, makers and independent sellers2.8 GPA
- Shopify Insider's GuideHosted commerce platform for online, in-person and social selling2.8 GPA
- BigCommerce Insider's GuideHosted ecommerce platform with plans set by yearly sales2.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what HikaShop’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. HikaShop is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by HIKARI Software. Prices and plans change: check hikashop.com before you buy.