As consumers prioritize the Internet for their purchases, it is more important now than ever to have a robust and effective online selling platform for your products and services. These e-commerce stores effectively deliver all aspects of a physical store experience via online technology, from shipping and payment to marketing. Online stores also let you sell beyond your geographical boundaries by helping you display your goods to a global consumer segment. However, to make the most of your online operations, it is important to choose the right platform to host your store that also fits your business’s particular needs. 

If you are looking for a complete e-commerce solution to start or improve your online store, then OpenCart is likely the right choice. This online store management system is popular due to its flexibility and powerful features that support all kinds of businesses, large or small. With this extensive review, we are going to take a look at the features of OpenCart along with its pricing to help you make an informed choice. Continue reading this blog to learn more about OpenCart!

What is OpenCart?

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OpenCart is an open-source e-commerce tool used extensively for its simplicity and adaptability. The platform offers customizable templates, intuitive product management, multi-store capabilities, and support for numerous payment gateways. Some of its other features include:

• OpenCart has a user-friendly interface with an easy-to-navigate dashboard that provides data-driven insights quickly. 
• Through themes catered to specific demands and extensions, businesses can increase capacity by utilizing OpenCart’s modular architecture. 
• It offers the tools and adaptability required to compete in the online marketplace, including single-platform, multi-store management support, unlimited product catalog, and robust marketing solutions.
• The platform is open-source and can be installed without any charges. It offers an integrated marketplace offering a range of paid and free extensions to increase the functionality of your store. 

Comprehensive Features of OpenCart for Your Online Store

The choice of your e-commerce platforms can affect the success of your online business. OpenCart is a suitable choice with multiple attractive and thoughtful features for online retailers. The platform offers a complete toolkit intended to improve your e-commerce operations, from effective product and payment management to solid multi-store capabilities. Here are some of its features:

1. Multi-Store Management

One of OpenCart's most notable features is the ability to manage multiple stores from a single administrator interface. OpenCart streamlines this process by offering centralized control over inventory, orders, and customer data across various stores, whether you are dealing with several product lines or targeting different markets.

2. Product Management

Any great e-commerce project begins with great product management. With its product categorization, inventory tracking, and list management, OpenCart is a preferable choice for those wanting dynamic product cataloging capabilities. You can adjust the variety and size of the products with detailed descriptions and images. Furthermore, businesses can add unlimited products and edit and arrange them as per their preferences.

3. Payment Gateway Integration

A seamless and safe payment processing process is critical for converting visitors into paying customers. Knowing this, OpenCart offers a variety of payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, Opayo, Authorize.Net, etc., for the convenience of the consumers. 

4. Responsive Design

A responsive website that is optimized for smartphones is a must-have for today's businesses. To give ideal viewing and navigation on all devices, OpenCart offers responsive design templates. Additionally, its website design templates are reliable and user-friendly that support engagement and conversion rates across desktops, tablets, and mobile phones.

5. Marketing and Promotion Tools

Effective marketing helps sales and visits. OpenCart has built-in marketing and promotion tools, allowing businesses to draw in and retain clients. Marketing tools like coupons, promotions, and special discounts empower targeted marketing campaigns, while product ratings and reviews support credibility and drive purchases. The platform also offers online SEO tools through its marketplace to help you rank higher on search engines. 

6. Shipping and Tax Management

For online retailers, streamlining transport logistics can be a challenging task. The shipping and tax management elements of OpenCart work on these undertakings. Merchants can interface with a diverse range of shipping carriers and choose the one based on their preference based on the different shipping rates, location, weight, and other factors. Furthermore, the platform also offers automated taxing for a hassle-free experience.   

7. Multilingual and Multi-Currency Support

OpenCart supports multiple languages and currencies, helping businesses target consumers across the world. Customers can also confirm product prices and complete transactions in their favored currency with multi-currency abilities, which improves their overall shopping experience.

OpenCart Pricing Plan: Cost Breakdown

Understanding the cost structure is one of the most important factors when considering an e-commerce platform. OpenCart offers unique pricing criteria to help you scale your online business. Primarily, the platform is free to download and install, making it a cost-efficient solution. However, there are some expenses associated with maintaining an OpenCart shop that you should consider before selecting this platform. Here are the complete OpenCart pricing details to start and run your online store on this platform:

1. OpenCart Hosting Pricing

The hosting costs are a crucial part of launching, maintaining, and scaling up your OpenCart online shop. The kind of hosting you decide to go with, as well as your infrastructure needs will greatly affect how much it costs for in-home or external web storage. 

• Self-hosting - If you wish to have full control over your hosting environment and are technically capable of handling a web server, you can self-host your OpenCart e-commerce website. Self-hosting charges should be anywhere between $300  and $600 yearly for a basic setup. With larger, more complex stores, this cost can rise dramatically.
• OpenCart Cloud Hosting - If you want a hassle-free hosting infrastructure with strong technical and customer support, opt for a cloud-hosted package. 

Web hosting included with OpenCart offers two main cloud hosting packages:

The hosting plan also includes domain name registration and setup fees. 

2. Costs for the Theme

Customizing an online store's visual appearance is significant for branding and client experience. A well-made OpenCart store requires a robust theme that is fully customizable, mobile-responsive, user-friendly, and allows you to display your products and services optimally. The platform’s marketplace provides users with a range of themes.  

Although there are free Opencart themes available, they may lack originality and features. Hence, you may need to purchase a premium theme for a more professional, customized storefront. Premium OpenCart themes usually cost between $20 and $100 as a one-time purchase.

3. Additional Extension Costs

Investing in extensions is a necessity to utilize the full potential of your OpenCart store. While a few extensions are free, some may need to be purchased or subscribed. These extensions can be expensive, contingent upon their complexity and utility. Some common OpenCart extensions’s pricing are as follows:

• Payment gateway integrations: $50 - $150
• Premium Shipping Solutions: $30 - $100
• Complete set of SEO tools: $40 - $200 or more
• Advanced weekly reporting or analytics: $60 - $250 or more
• Customized checkout enhancements: $60 - $250 or more

On average, basic add-ons for OpenCart extensions cost around $20 to $60. So, if you need to add multiple extensions and features to your OpenCart store, between $400 and $1300 or more per year may be spent.

4. Fulfillment Costs

Businesses should consider functional costs associated with order fulfillment in addition to introductory setup and personalization costs. Fulfillment costs depend on business size, order volume, product types, and shipping destinations. Combining OpenCart with fulfilment services or third-party logistics providers may result in extra fees, such as OpenCart subscription fees per order or monthly subscription fees. 

In total, while OpenCart is free to use, you will have to spend a significant amount to create your store and make it functional. The total cost depends on the level of customization and features you want your store to offer. Its also recommended to add .store domain name for your brand.

Advantages of Using OpenCart for Any Online Business

We know OpenCart's features and pricing structure, which should put you in a better position to choose whether to adopt this platform for your online operations. However, despite the numerous benefits OpenCart offers, there are some disadvantages associated with its usage as well. Let's understand the primary pros and cons of OpenCart for online retailers wishing to establish and expand their digital footprint.

As we saw, OpenCart has its own advantages and disadvantages. If you are looking for a user-friendly and integrated e-commerce website creator, we’d like to introduce you to Neo. 

Neo: A Better Alternative for Your Online Store

Primarily an email-hosting platform, Neo offers a free one-page website on all its plans. Moreover, with the facility to create free email for a trial period, you can ensure the platform fits your needs before committing to it. You can integrate your own domain with any extension, including com, biz, or edu email, for professional branding. Furthermore, also create a professional business email without buying a domain name beforehand as the platform offers .co.site domains.  

However, one of the most advantageous features of Neo is its one-page website, which comes with a website builder that is easy to use and offers customizable themes and templates. Some of the platform’s features include: 

• With Neo, you can integrate your product catalog, social media platforms, and forms with your website. 
• Use email marketing tools to drive traffic back to your e-commerce site. 
• Affordable email hosting plans, starting at $1.99/mailbox/ month on annual billing, make Neo a scalable option as well. 
• The entire infrastructure is secure with powerful encryptions and anti-spam protection. 

Wrapping Up

OpenCart is a robust, free, and open-source platform that provides powerful customization options with easy-to-use features. However, the platform requires some investment to use efficiently. These include hosting fees, store themes, and extra extensions. Additionally, despite offering significant control to users on how they want to configure their store, OpenCart may not be the best option for those looking for a beginner-friendly and scalable option. 

As an alternative, the email provider Neo presents streamlined features for building an online store. Its drag-and-drop site builder and built-in email marketing features make it a great choice for small businesses or entrepreneurs looking to host an all-in-one solution at a lower cost. So what are you waiting for? Visit Neo’s official website and choose any of its plans!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is OpenCart ideal for building an e-commerce website?

The answer to whether OpenCart is an ideal website maker lies in what you expect out of your e-commerce store, the features you need, and your budget. It will also depend on how tech-savvy you are. OpenCart is the best platform for those who want complete control over their website and have experience setting up an online store. 

2. Is OpenCart a framework or CMS?

OpenCart is a content management system (CMS) designed exclusively for e-commerce. It is a specialized platform for managing and building online stores, not a general-purpose framework. The company emphasizes the tools and features required for effective e-commerce operations.

3. Is OpenCart similar to WooCommerce?

WooCommerce and OpenCart are similar in that they are both free to install, open-source, and offer an array of customization options through plug-ins and extensions. They also offer robust e-commerce management and operating tools. However, they also offer different levels of scalability, pricing structure, and basic technical knowledge necessary for users.