When it comes to building an e-commerce store, there are several popular platforms available, including Shopify and OpenCart. While Shopify is a well-known and widely used platform, OpenCart offers several benefits that make it a viable alternative for building and managing an e-commerce store. In this article, we will explore the benefits of using OpenCart over Shopify.
- Open-Source Platform
One of the most significant benefits of OpenCart is that it is an open-source platform. This means that anyone can access the source code of the platform and modify it to fit their specific needs. This makes OpenCart a highly flexible platform that can be customized to meet the specific requirements of individual businesses.
In contrast, Shopify is a closed platform, which means that the source code is not accessible to users. While Shopify does offer a range of customization options, these options are limited to what is available within the platform. This can be a disadvantage for businesses that have unique requirements that cannot be met by the standard Shopify platform.
- Cost-Effective
Another benefit of using OpenCart is that it is a cost-effective platform. OpenCart is a free platform, which means that businesses can use the platform without paying any licensing fees. This can be a significant advantage for small businesses or startups that have limited budgets for building an e-commerce store.
In contrast, Shopify requires businesses to pay a monthly subscription fee, which can range from $29 to $299 per month depending on the plan. While Shopify does offer a range of features and tools that can be useful for building and managing an e-commerce store, these features come at a cost that may not be feasible for all businesses.
- SEO-Friendly
OpenCart is also an SEO-friendly platform that can help businesses improve their search engine rankings. OpenCart offers a range of SEO tools and features that can be used to optimize product pages, meta descriptions, and other elements of an e-commerce store for search engines. This can help businesses attract more organic traffic to their website and increase their visibility in search results.
In contrast, while Shopify does offer some SEO tools and features, these features are limited compared to what is available with OpenCart. Shopify also has a reputation for generating URLs that are not SEO-friendly, which can make it more difficult for businesses to improve their search engine rankings.
- Customization Options
OpenCart offers a range of customization options that can be used to create a unique and personalized e-commerce store. OpenCart offers a range of templates and themes that can be customized to fit the branding and design requirements of individual businesses. OpenCart also offers a range of plugins and extensions that can be used to add additional functionality to an e-commerce store.
In contrast, while Shopify does offer a range of customization options, these options are limited compared to what is available with OpenCart. Shopify offers a range of templates and themes, but businesses may find it more difficult to customize these templates to fit their specific design requirements. Shopify also offers a range of plugins and extensions, but businesses may need to pay additional fees to access these features.
- Multi-Lingual Support
Another advantage of OpenCart is that it offers multi-lingual support, which means that businesses can create an e-commerce store in multiple languages. This can be a significant advantage for businesses that have customers in different parts of the world who speak different languages. OpenCart offers a range of language packs that can be used to translate the platform and create a multi-lingual e-commerce store.
In contrast, while Shopify does offer some multi-lingual support, these options are limited compared to what is available with OpenCart. Shopify does offer a range of language packs, but businesses may find it more difficult to create a fully multi-lingual e-commerce store.
- Payment Options
OpenCart offers a range from Paypal to Square. You can also have customers mail in Payments as well.
