Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation when you click on links to products in this post. For an explanation of my Advertising Policy, visit this page. Thanks for reading!
Why use WordPress and OpenCart for eCommerce.
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) written in PHP and uses HTML and CSS for design as well as MySQL. It’s supported by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, Akismet, Jetpack, VaultPress and WooCommerce.
OpenCart is an open source eCommerce store that is also created in PHP and uses HTML and CSS for design as well.
OpenCart is supported via a commercial extension service.
However both WordPress and OpenCart have a large base of developers who offer free extensions via their websites.
Themes, plugins and extensions are available for both OpenCart and WordPress from those that built the system as well as 3rd party businesses to provide additional features.
In addition, there are also OpenCart WordPress plugins use can use for easier integration between OpenCart and WordPress.
These features makes them quite compatible and an important argument for using both, together.
What are the advantages of using WordPress and OpenCart together?
There are many advantages of using WordPress and OpenCart together. The installation process is simple, OpenCart allows for all types of payment processing, whereas WordPress has excellent tools for SEO, an easy to use template editor, free themes with the option to have a custom designed theme by using a premium theme or a web developer.
Since both are open source software you will not be locked into a contract, you own the platform. You will also have greater flexibility for updates and free access to educational resources without having to pay additional fees.
Why are they used together?
OpenCart filled a gap in WordPress by allowing eCommerce within its content management system. No longer do you have to install third party plugins that sometimes cause conflicts with the platform.
OpenCart offers a wide selection of payment gateways, which can be selected by your web developer or agency during installation. In addition, it has an easy to use template editor and add-ons.
Why are WordPress and OpenCart popular?
Open source software is used by many companies because there’s no upfront costs, the platform is always improving, it’s simple to get help, easy to manage content and there are no licensing fees.
WordPress is also popular because of its simplicity, customizability, ease of use and SEO capabilities.
WordPress plugins are very helpful when managing an eCommerce store. Since OpenCart offers a wide selection of payment gateways, you can choose the one that best fits your business.
The platform offers a lot of flexibility and is simple to use right out of the box, making it easy for beginners to get started. Additionally, there’s built in SEO tools and hosting is very affordable.
OpenCart also has a large following and has been around for a while. One of the reasons it’s so popular is that it tends to be easy enough for beginners to install and use, yet flexible enough that advanced users can fully customize the coding.
Should I use OpenCart with WordPress or WooCommerce?
As stated earlier, OpenCart is an open source eCommerce store created in PHP and uses HTML and CSS for design.
WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that allows you to sell anything online with the world’s #1 CMS platform.
However, if you are unfamiliar with WooCommerce and their integration with WordPress seems overwhelming at first, then it would be best to use OpenCart to get started in eCommerce, as it is easier to set up since OpenCart also has several WordPress integration plugins as well.
WooCommerce is also a great option, if you already have WordPress in place and want to take your eCommerce options to new levels.
WordPress vs OpenCart for eCommerce. Can I use both?
The short answer is: Yes you can.
WordPress and OpenCart provide very different tools for building eCommerce sites; however, the differences between them does not preclude using both for a single website.
If your goal is to build an online store, there are four areas on which you should focus: design and user experience (UX), product catalog, shopping cart, and payment gateways.
WordPress provides solid tools for all four of these areas while OpenCart excels in the product catalog and shopping cart areas.
OpenCart works well if you are looking for a tool that is easy to setup and use without having to develop any new custom code.
If you want more control over how your store looks and feels and want the ability to further customize your store with custom code, then WordPress is a better choice.
Many people use OpenCart for eCommerce because it requires little if any programming skills to set up and get started selling products online.
You can build out an entire eCommerce site without writing any new code or modifying existing code by using the out-of-the-box OpenCart modules and extensions.
The pre built modules in OpenCart allow you to add a quick shop button, implement simple custom product types like color or size, and build an unlimited number of configurable options.
If you want to sell variations of products such as size and color, then this is where using OpenCart makes a lot of sense.
This is where WordPress comes into the equation. If you are looking to build a complex online store that offers different types of products and product variations, then you will have to write some custom code to accomplish this in OpenCart.
In contrast, it’s fairly easy to implement new product types and variations with WordPress.
You can accomplish this with custom code or by using WordPress template tags that offer out-of-the-box solutions for adding new product types found by integrating WooCommerce.
If you are looking to build a store with multiple product types, color and size variations, etc., then it is easier to do this in WordPress and WooCommerce rather than OpenCart.
OpenCart does have some built in product types such as simple and configurable products, but they do not compare to the variety of options you can create by using WordPress with WooCommerce.
If your goal is to sell a specific type of good(s) on your eCommerce website, then OpenCart most likely will not meet your needs.
One area where our customers have used both OpenCart and WordPress is in the catalog area.
For example, you could create all your basic product pages using OpenCart such as a simple product page for selling books.
Then with the help of some custom code (for example), you can add multiple photos with click-through functionality to view larger images on a separate photo gallery page built in WordPress.
Or, simply create your product pages in WordPress, and with help of some custom code, add all your products to a shopping cart created with OpenCart.
This is just one example on how you can use both WordPress and OpenCart for eCommerce.
The last area of consideration is payment gateways. If your goal is to sell digital goods such as eBooks, music tracks, or digital photos, then you can use PayPal.
This is where OpenCart shines since it offers pre-integration with PayPal Express which allows you to sell your products directly on your OpenCart website.
WordPress has no built in payment gateway options for selling digital goods online unless you add a WooCommerce store to your WordPress site.
Both platforms offer similar features for eCommerce websites, but WordPress tends to be easier to use overall and is more comprehensive when you integrate a WooCommerce store. It’s also free and OpenCart charges a fee (though it’s about the same as competing shopping cart software).
As far as security goes, WordPress is more secure because of its massive user base that lookout for security issues, whereas OpenCart has less users so bad code goes undiscovered.
Overall, it’s best to compare OpenCart vs WordPress by the features you need versus how easy they are to use.
OpenCart is a popular shopping cart platform that many web developers have adopted for eCommerce websites.
The main reason for its popularity is that it’s fast and customizable, with tons of features that you can use to turn into a successful eCommerce store.
One of the biggest reasons for its rise in popularity is its price point, OpenCart is free.
OpenCart is a PHP based open-source shopping cart platform that offers many features out of the box such as an admin dashboard, SEO friendly URLs and coupons.
Can you use OpenCart with WordPress and WooCommerce?
Yes. OpenCart is a free, open-source eCommerce platform designed with flexibility in mind to accommodate almost any business need.
With OpenCart’s modular architecture, the eCommerce platform can flexibly integrate with third-party applications and services including WordPress and WooCommerce.
WordPress and OpenCart for eCommerce, final thoughts.
There are many reasons for using WordPress and OpenCart together such as the installation process is simple, it allows for all types of payment processing, has excellent tools for SEO, an easy to use template editor, free themes with the option to have a custom designed one by a web developer.
With open source software you will not be locked into a contract, you own the platform.
You will have greater flexibility for updates and free access to educational resources without having to pay an additional fee.
Both are excellent options, whether you just want to sell a few items or totally kit out your WordPress website with a full on catalogue of offering for your visitors.
Some choose to actually start their eCommerce adventure by adding OpenCart to their WordPress website via a plugin or two and see how it goes without fully committing to adding a whole WooCommerce store to their existing WordPress site.
Others like to keep their eCommerce options open and use a combination of OpenCart and WooCommerce features for a fully customized eCommerce store.
With an open source CMS like WordPress at the helm, you have a variety of options as well as flexibility without being dependent on any “closed source” platform.
