The OpenCart Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about OpenCart 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.
OpenCart
The Insider’s Guide
Free open-source shopping cart you host yourself
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among online store builders, read from OpenCart’s own pages.
Made by OpenCart · checked Nov 12, 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 OpenCart’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on OpenCart’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 15 of the 26 other online store builders we grade
OpenCart is a free, open-source shopping cart that you download and run on your own web hosting. It has no monthly fee, handles unlimited products and categories, and can run several stores from one admin. Themes, payment gateways and other add-ons come from its marketplace, which lists over 13,000 modules and themes.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about OpenCart, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You install, update, secure and back up the store yourself, or pay someone to.
- 1
Best for a free PHP store on your own hosting
You supply and run the hosting, support is sold per job, and many extensions and themes in its marketplace cost extra.
- 2
It is free
OpenCart has no paid plan at all.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
Multi-store admin
Several stores can be managed from one admin screen, each with its own theme, localized settings and per-store product prices.
- 5
Unlimited catalog
No cap on products or categories, with product options and attributes, filters, reviews and ratings, reward points and downloadable products.
- 6
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.
- 7
A 2.4 GPA, above 15 of 26
That is against the other online store builders we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
OpenCart is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
OpenCart at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- It is free
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- OpenCart
- Category
- Online Store Builders
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for a free PHP store on your own hosting
OpenCart is a free PHP shopping cart with multi-store admin, an unlimited catalog and 36 payment methods built in. You supply and run the hosting, support is sold per job, and many extensions and themes in its marketplace cost extra.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Free 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 | B | A free download with no caps on products or categories. You pay for your own hosting. |
| Features | B | Multi-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 | D | No store rating on record. You install, update, secure and back up the store yourself, or pay someone to. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, with a marketplace of over 13,000 modules and themes for shipping, payments, marketing and accounting. |
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 OpenCart is for
- Fits if you already have web hosting and want no software fee
- Works for sellers who need several storefronts from one admin
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Merchants who already have web hosting and want no software fee
- Developers building custom stores on an open-source PHP base
- Sellers who need several storefronts from a single admin
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
OpenCart is free to use.
Free to download with no monthly fee, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server.
OpenCart
$0
Free download with no monthly fees. You supply and pay for your own hosting; paid themes and extensions are optional.
Read from opencart.com on Nov 12, 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
Free open-source shopping cart you host yourself. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, online store, digital downloads.
The listing shows no gap in the core store job.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- PayPal
- Klarna
- Authorize.Net
- Skrill
- SagePay
- First Data
- Amazon Payments
- LiqPay
OpenCart is made by OpenCart.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
15/26
Other online store builders it is graded above
OpenCart's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 15 of the 26 other online store builders we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on features (B, above 18 of 26) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
OpenCart has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 27 online store builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. OpenCart’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 of 26
- BFree plan and trialAbove 14 of 26
- BFeaturesAbove 18 of 26
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 26
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 5 of 26
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 21 online store builders. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. OpenCart 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
OpenCart is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
What you could make
- Digital downloads: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
- It plugs into other products, PayPal, Klarna and Authorize.Net among them.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. OpenCart’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
WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Shopware, nopCommerce and Ecwid
The 5 tools OpenCart is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
WooCommerce
Free plan
Free, open-source store plugin for WordPress that you host yourself.
- Only WooCommerce lists iOS and Android apps.
- OpenCart also covers digital downloads.
- 2.4GPA
PrestaShop
Free plan · from €24/mo
Open-source ecommerce software, free to self-host or sold hosted.
- OpenCart also covers digital downloads.
- 2.4GPA
Shopware
Free plan · from €600/mo
Open-source commerce platform for B2B and B2C stores.
- OpenCart also covers digital downloads.
- 2.2GPA
nopCommerce
Free
Free open-source ASP.NET Core shopping cart.
- OpenCart also covers digital downloads.
- 2.2GPA
Ecwid
From $5/mo
Online store you can add to any website or run as its own site.
- OpenCart has a free plan. Ecwid does not.
- Only Ecwid lists iOS and Android apps.
- OpenCart is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
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 OpenCart free?
Yes. OpenCart is free to use.
How much does OpenCart cost?
OpenCart lists one plan. OpenCart: $0.
What platforms does OpenCart work on?
OpenCart is available on Web.
Does OpenCart have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. OpenCart is listed for Web.
Does OpenCart have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. OpenCart is listed for Web.
Is OpenCart open source?
Yes. OpenCart is open source, according to its own site.
What does OpenCart integrate with?
OpenCart's listing names PayPal, Klarna, Authorize.Net, Skrill, SagePay, First Data, Amazon Payments and LiqPay.
Who makes OpenCart?
OpenCart is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to OpenCart?
The closest alternatives to OpenCart in our directory are WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Shopware, nopCommerce and Ecwid.
How does OpenCart compare with other online store builders?
OpenCart's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 15 of the 26 other online store builders we grade, and level with 5.
Is OpenCart good value for money?
ToolGPA grades OpenCart C for value for money. OpenCart has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of OpenCart?
OpenCart is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from OpenCart’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from OpenCart's own pages on 12 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 OpenCart. Prices change, so check opencart.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
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.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- OpenCart, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/opencart
- 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, "OpenCart: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/opencart
Know someone choosing between online store builders?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/opencart/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded online store builders after OpenCart, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Online Store Builders Insider's GuideEvery one of the 30 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 OpenCart’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. OpenCart is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by OpenCart. Prices and plans change: check opencart.com before you buy.