OpenCart vs. nopCommerce: A Comparative Guide
Last updated on November 29th, 2023 at 04:34 pm
Which one is better OpenCart or nopCommerce? Both the answer is very Diplomatic.
Am I right? Let’s quickly talk about eCommerce and platforms.
There are so many eCommerce platforms available in the market. The eCommerce platforms have gotten so crowded it has become difficult to track the different solutions they are offering.
However, this increasing competition has led to cut-throat competition, a brilliant advantage for the customers. eCommerce platform delivers strong empowerment and growth due to its progressive and innovative market.
Over the years, OpenCart and nopCommerce have become two of the strongest contenders in the eCommerce industry. So it is difficult to choose the best one between them.
Both are robust, and powerful, and stand tall in their scalability, functionalities, and capabilities. However, by giving a comparative guide, we will assist you in deciding which of the two will be best for the business requirement.
What is nopCommerce?
The eCommerce platform is usually present in two modes which are open-source software full of features or easy-to-use SaaS solutions.
Both modes consist of three counterparts. Since it is open-source software, anyone can download and install it with little technical skills.
It includes several user communities and also has multiple options for customization. nopCommerce contains both backend administration tools and a frontend catalog.
According to SimilarTech, nopCommerce hasn’t got a lead over OpenCart in any website category.
What is OpenCart?
Opencart is also open-source software that is free to download and use. It was introduced in 2012 and is now responsible for hosting more than 360000 live websites. OpenCart is primarily dependent on PHP, and thus anyone who has immense knowledge of this programming code will get excellent benefits from it.
Numerous features are popular among users, such as inventory management, detailed product descriptions, email notifications, product pages, and more.
The eCommerce platform comes with a professional UI design with innumerable alternatives for an add-on. In simple words, OpenCart is one of the best free shopping cart platforms.
According to SimilarTech, OpenCart has better usage coverage in more website categories.
Comparative Guide for OpenCart vs. nopCommerce
It is now time to check out the detailed comparative guide on OpenCrat and nopCommerce, based on different parameters like support, ease of use, price, and the list goes on.
Ease of use:
If you are not a technical user and do not know anything about designing, then both OpenCart and nopCommerce are not perfect for you.
None of them comes with the easiest shop styling for the clients. If you do not know how to handle CSS, it will be difficult for beginners.
The up-gradation in nopCommerce is painful as you have to apply each plugin to the website after the update.
Some also might not be compatible with the new version and have to download and install the plugins again manually.
OpenCart, on the other hand, is highly adequate and organized. You will get numerous functions for launching and running your website in the admin panel. It will help you to simplify your task with no restrictions.
In this way, you can concentrate more on the marketing goals and enhance your development targets.
OpenCart has better usage coverage in more website categories. Including Technology, Science, Consumer Services, Health, Computers Electronics, and many more.
nopCommerce hasn’t got a lead over OpenCart in any website category.
Winner: OpenCart
Features:
nopCommerce is a multi-store eCommerce platform, available for mobile optimization. It includes several attributes and options for product listing.
You can access nopCommerce in multiple currencies and languages. It also provides the best prices and product comparison services to the customer. You can also integrate a rating and review page for getting feedback from the customers.
It is also easier to calculate the shipping from the reputed providers in nopCommerce. Besides these, there are multiple discounts, gift cards, wish lists, and coupon codes that you can include on your website. The users can also buy products or services with a single checkout.
In OpenCart, you can upload an infinite number of categories and digital products for your business. There are over eighteen payment gateway and more than six shipping alternatives available in OpenCart.
You can back up your daily work and orders and restore them if there is any problem with the website. In OpenCart, you can also introduce different discounts and coupon cards to your customers. In other words, it is a PCI-compliant eCommerce platform.
Winner: nopCommerce
Support:
The nopCommerce customer service is not up to the mark as it requires a few days or weeks to get a reply from the support team.
The platform includes a robust documentation portal and a supportive community forum. However, you can upgrade your free plan to a premium one for one year or 3-month service if you want dedicated assistance or are stuck with some problems. In such cases, you will get the solution within 24 hours.
The support for OpenCart is also restricted within forums and blogs. You can find help from third-party developers in the platform’s active community by filtering according to your problems.
If you have anything urgent, you can call or submit a ticket from your website to OpenCart. Recently, the platform has also introduced different support plans for quick service.
There are two plans: a premium plan for 99 dollars every month with a commitment of 3 months and a one-time support plan for 99 dollars. Apart from these plans, different video tutorials, bug trackers, and user forums are also at your service.
Winner: OpenCart
End Thoughts
After a thorough analysis of OpenCart and nopCommerce platforms, we have concluded that OpenCart is comparatively better than nopCommerce from the support, functionality, and ease of use perspective. But, you can check other Opencart alternatives which are available in the market to build an eCommerce store. You can choose as per your business requirements.
Though both have their pros and cons with a lot of room for improvement, even a non-technical person can use OpenCart, whereas nopCommerce is perfect only for programmers.