With so many solutions now available for creating an online store, it’s hard to choose which one would best meet your business needs. Or perhaps you already have a WordPress site and want to transform it into an online store! Well, thankfully, you can. We’ll look at 10+ of the best shopping cart plugins to use in your WordPress website today.
Out of all of the monetization tactics that I’ve used over the years, the most rewarding method, by far, is selling my own products online. eBooks, courses, templates – I’ve created and sold plenty of these right here on my WordPress blog.
Over the years, I’ve tried many different solutions, software, platforms, and shopping cart plugins. In case you didn’t know, one of my businesses is an eCommerce site which I’ve been running since 2006. So, I’d like to think that I have some knowledge and experience in eCommerce.
Some of the shopping cart plugins I’ve used have survived the test of time and have been great; others not so much. So, to save you a ton of time researching and finding the best shopping cart solution to use for your new or existing WordPress site or a new site, I’ve created a list right here for you.
The plugins listed below offer various levels of features and benefits. Some will be useful for selling digital downloads such as courses, eBooks, etc. While others are good for selling physical products. Some will even do both. Some plugins will offer just a simple shopping cart, while others will include inventory management, marketing tools, customer tools, and third-party application integration and support.
Our shortlist of best shopping cart plugins for WordPress
OK, so here is the list of plugins that made our list. This list is in no particular order, by the way. If you’re in a hurry, you can simply click on each of the links below to learn more. If you have some time to read about each shopping cart plugin in more detail, then great!
SellfyWP Payhip IntegrationWooCommerceWP Easy CartEcwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart3D CartWP ShopifyX-CartE-JunkieCart66BigCommerce WordPress Plugin
OK, now let’s take a look at each of these plugins in detail.
#1. Sellfy (Magnet4Blogging Readers Get 10% Discount)
First on our list is Sellfy. Sellfy is a hassle-free way to sell digital and physical products online via your WordPress website. Whilst they don’t offer a dedicated WordPress plugin as such, Sellfy is very easy to integrate/embed into your blog posts and landing pages. Or, you can customize your online store hosted on Sellfy and even connect your domain name.
So what kind of products can you sell with Sellfy?
You can sell digital, physical, print on demand, subscriptions, video streaming, and more. If you’re a content creator, Sellfy would be best suited for you.
Sellfy is a premium service, and plans start from $29 per year. Here’s what you get, although not all features are available across all plans –
Customizable storefront.Shopping cart.Connect your own domain name.Marketing tools.Embeddable elements such as buttons, product cards, etc.PayPal and Stripe integration.PDF stamping and limited downloads option.Unlimited downloads.Discount codes.Advanced Tax and VAT options, and more.
Readers of Magnet4Blogging get a 10% Sellfy discount. Simply click here or enter FABRIZIO in the checkout to claim.
So what do you think! Does Sellfy tick all of your boxes?
#2. WP Payhip Integration
Payhip is my favorite platform for selling digital and physical products online. Setting up an online store using Payhip is quick and easy. They are, by far, one of the most affordable solutions for bloggers and entrepreneurs. I’ve been using Payhip to sell my eBooks since 2015, and I recommend using them to anyone.
What you get –
Free to sell forever with low transaction fees.Sell anywhere, including your website and social media.Instant downloads of digital products.Responsive checkout.Powerful marketing tools, including email, customer management, affiliate tools, etc.Customizable storefront.Blogging tools, and more.
One thing that lacked with Payhip is a dedicated plugin that could make it easy to integrate products and take payment via your WordPress site. I’ve been able to do this, embedding some custom code for my site; however, there is now a dedicated WP plugin called WP Payhip Integration which you can download from the WP repository. It’s completely free to use.
#3. WooCommerce
If you’ve been using WordPress for some time, then you’ll need no introduction to WooCommerce. WooCommerce is without a doubt the king of eCommerce plugins. 7.8% of all websites in existence use WooCommerce, so you’re in good hands.
The growth of WooCommerce has been exponential, mainly since it was procured by Automatic in 2015, the organization that also runs WordPress. When it comes to the rapid deployment of an online store, WordPress and WooCommerce go hand-in-hand. However, there is a slight learning curve for getting set up, but everything else runs on autopilot once operational.
WooCommerce has a vast library of in-house and third-party add-on plugins and integrations available. So that means no matter what kind of eCommerce solution you’re looking for and whatever type of feature you want to include in your online store, it’s possible with WooCommerce.
What makes WooCommerce one of the best shopping cart plugins for WordPress.
Complete control over your online store.The Main WooCommerce plugin is free to install and use.A vast library of add-on plugins, extensions, and integrations.Sell both digital and physical products.Customizable order and payment pages.Manage everything inside your WP dashboard.
#4. WP Easy Cart
WP Easy Cart is a premium shopping cart and eCommerce plugin for WordPress. Much like WooCommerce, you have complete control over what you want to sell online, from digital downloads to physical goods.
One thing that makes this shopping cart plugin genuinely stand out is that it provides everything you need to build your online store from order management, inventory management, shipping, tax, marketing tools, analytics, and more. Being a premium plugin, you can expect premium support, along with online documentation, video library, API guides, and more.
Five best things about WP Easy Cart?
Advanced eCommerce plugin.Works with any WordPress themes. So they claim.Sell physical and digital products.Offer gift cards and subscriptions.Premium extensions and add-ons.
#5. Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart
If time is of the essence and you’re looking for something quick and simple to set up, then you can check out the Ecwid eCommerce shopping cart plugin. The website claims, in fact, that once you’ve tried them, you won’t go back to WooCommerce, assuming you’ve tried WooCommerce, that is.
Features include selling on social platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, Google, automated shipping, payment, taxes, unlimited backups, and more.
What’s so great about the Ecwid eCommerce shopping cart?
The price… It starts from $0 per month.Zero transaction fees, even on the free plan!GDPR compliance.Store builder.Integrate into your existing website.
#6. Easy Digital Downloads
If it’s digital content that you want to sell, such as courses, eBooks, themes, and plugins – look no further than Easy Digital Downloads. The plugin is free to download, and there are several plans to choose from to meet your selling needs.
Easy Digital Downloads works with hosted WordPress and WordPress.com websites (Business Plan). There’s also a library of extensions to choose from, depending on your specific marketing needs.
What do you get?
Email marketing tools.Payment gateways on higher plans.Updates and support.Full shopping cart.Unlimited downloads for your customers.Discount codes.Access to free theme optimized for Easy Digital Downloads, and more.
#7. WP Shopify
If you have a Shopify store that you would like to sync up to your WordPress website, you can use the WP Shopify plugin. You can display your shop items using custom pages and shortcodes. Like all of these plugins, there is a free version and a paid version. Shopify Pro gives you some additional templates to play around with, including automatic syncing, order and customer data, cross-domain tracking, and live support.
#8. X-Cart
X-Cart has been around since 2001, so when it comes to experience in eCommerce, these guys have got a lot. X-Cart is not a WordPress plugin but an all-in-one platform that provides all the tools you need to create a professional online store.
Features include –
Drag and drop design interface.Responsive eCommerce platform.120+ payment processing gateways.Marketing tools, including SEO and email.Multi-layer security and SSL support.Ability to sell on social media marketplaces, and more.
#9. E-Junkie
E-Junkie is another popular platform that has been around for a long time and is one of the more affordable solutions for selling digital downloads and tangible goods.
Creating an online store with E-Junkie is quick and easy. However, the seller dashboard UI still looks somewhat dated. Navigation can be a nightmare, and waiting for some of the pages to load will definitely try your patience.
That being said, pricing starts from just $5 per month, and the features are plentiful.
The dedicated WordPress plugin lets you manage your shop and products right in your WP dashboard.
Here’s what you get –
Product management.Embeddable buttons and product links.Shop and cart management.Shipping, tax, and discounts.Customer management tools.Affiliate program manager, and more.
#10. Cart66
Cart-66 is yet another shopping cart plugin option to consider. The website claims its plugin is all-in-one, simple to set up, and affordable. Starting at $19 per month for the Essential Plan, I’ll leave you to decide whether that’s affordable or not. Here’s what you get as well as what you can do with Cart66 –
Sell both digital and physical productsUnlimited product variationsSecure file storage for digital productsOnline giving and donations toolsBuy now linksAccess to 100+ payment gateway and more.Great support, documentation, launch pack, and Facebook group.
#11. Big Commerce WordPress Plugin
BigCommerce is another popular platform you can use to set up your online store. They’ve been around for a long time too. However, they don’t offer the cheapest options for selling online. Price starts from around $29 per month.
Here’s what you get –
Unlimited products, file storage, and bandwidth.Online storefront.Sell on social media and marketplaces.Dedicated WordPress plugin.
The dedicated WordPress plugin lets you seamlessly integrate your WordPress website and manage your store products in your WP dashboard. However, compared to WooCommerce, BigCommerce still lags behind by market share. Out of the two options, if you’re thinking about BigCommerce, keep in mind that WooCommerce, for the most part, is free.
It’s a wrap!
So, there you have it, some awesome options for you to choose from. You can always try a few and see how you get on with them. You can then compare things like ease-of-use, scalability, value for money, etc. Whatever solution you decide on for adding a shopping cart to your WordPress site, I want to wish you the best of luck.
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