15 Best Shopping Cart PHP Software in 2024

When it comes to running an online store, one of the most important considerations is cost. There are a number of different ecommerce software options available, and each has its own price tag. For smaller businesses, the cost of these programs can be a significant barrier to entry.

That said, an open-source PHP shopping cart can be a viable option for companies with a tight budget. With no licensing fees, small businesses can save money while still getting the full benefit of the software. Additionally, open-source software provides access to the code, so businesses can make modifications to fit their specific needs.

In this guide, we shortlist the best shopping cart PHP software on the market today. All have reputable security, reliable communities, and robust features that you can tailor fit or scale based on your current needs.

Shopping cart abandonment is sure to top any ecommerce seller’s list of pain points. Collecting data from over 45 sources, Baymard Institute puts the average abandonment rate at 69.99%.

Extra costs such as shipping, taxes and other fees top the reasons why shoppers abandon a cart. Closely behind are the need to create an account and slow delivery.

All’s not lost, however, to embattled sellers. With a better checkout design, they can expect to increase conversion rates by 35.26%, according to Baymard. This easily translates to $260 billion worth of recoverable sales from abandoned carts.

Ecommerce sellers wanting to get their slice of this pie should be emphatic to user experience, making sure to subscribe to the best practices in shopping cart UX design, such as having a highly visible shopping cart icon, complete product details and guest account permission.

The good thing about PHP-based shopping cart platforms is that they are flexible and scalable to meet the expectations of shoppers today.

15 Best Shopping Cart PHP Software for 2022

1. X-Cart

X-Cart is a powerful open-source ecommerce platform that enables businesses of all sizes to create robust online stores. Built on a secure and scalable PHP foundation, X-Cart provides merchants with a wide range of features and options, allowing them to tailor their stores to meet their unique needs.

X-Cart’s modular architecture also makes it easy to add or remove features as needed, making it a highly flexible ecommerce solution.

Likewise, you can customize X-Cart by integrating it with a MySQL database. This enables businesses to store their data in a central location and access it from any number of devices. It allows businesses to take advantage of the many features that MySQL offers, such as data backup and recovery, security, and scalability.

In addition, X-Cart integrates seamlessly with a number of third-party applications and services, expanding its capabilities even further.

With its vast ecosystem of add-ons, plugins, and themes, X-Cart is a truly versatile ecommerce platform that can be customized to meet the specific needs of any business. If you want to know more details about this platform, check our detailed X-Cart pros and cons guide.

2. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a popular open-source ecommerce framework written in PHP. It is based on the WordPress platform and provides a flexible and scalable solution for online stores of all sizes.

As it is an open-source project, the platform is free to use and modify. However, it requires a certain amount of technical expertise to set up and maintain.

You can integrate it with your own MySQL database using the Woocommerce REST API, which enables Woocommerce to connect to external systems via HTTP requests. In order to use the Woocommerce REST API, users need to install the WooCommerce-MySQL Integration plugin.

For businesses that do not have the resources or the need for a full-fledged ecommerce solution, WooCommerce can be a great option. But if you think it doesn’t suit your needs, there are plenty of WooCommerce alternatives with similar or nearly similar feature sets out there.

3. PrestaShop

PrestaShop is another ecommerce platform written in PHP and provides a wide range of shopping cart features to help businesses build and manage their websites. It is available as a free and open-source software suitable for a wide range of businesses, from small mom-and-pop shops to large multinational corporations.

Likewise, it is possible to purchase a commercial license for additional support and access to premium features.

Some of the key features of PrestaShop are a customizable front-end design, flexible product pricing, unlimited categories and products, multiple payment and shipping options, and built-in SEO tools. In addition, PrestaShop provides users with access to a comprehensive back-end interface that allows them to manage their store with ease.

The software can integrate with various databases, including MySQL.

4. Pinnacle Cart

Pinnacle Cart is a powerful open-source ecommerce platform built on the popular PHP framework. It is free to download and use.

Pinnacle Cart provides everything you need to get started selling online, including a user-friendly interface, a robust set of features, and flexible customization options.

With Pinnacle Cart, businesses can easily create and customize their store pages, add and manage products, accept payments via multiple methods, track and fulfill orders, and generate reports. Pinnacle Cart also offers a number of other features, including support for multiple languages, currencies, and tax rates; discounts and coupons; shipping options, and integrations with popular sales platforms such as Amazon and eBay.

Pinnacle Cart’s MySQL integration makes it easy to connect to a wide variety of third-party applications and services.

5. OpenCart

OpenCart is a PHP open-source framework that helps in the development of ecommerce websites. It is customizable with a wide range of themes and extensions.

It provides a wide range of features such as product management, order management, customer management, etc. OpenCart is easy to use and has a user-friendly interface. It supports multiple languages and currencies. it is also SEO friendly.

Furthermore, OpenCart is highly scalable, supporting an unlimited number of products and categories. It has a wide range of built-in payment and shipping options, making it easy to integrate with existing business systems.

It also provides a comprehensive back-end administration area, giving store owners complete control over their online storefronts.

Additionally, it has a MySQL database backend. The integration of OpenCart with MySQL provides a number of benefits to users, including the ability to manage large amounts of data and the ability to use OpenCart with a wide range of software applications.

6. Magento

Another open-source ecommerce platform written in PHP, Magento is a flexible and scalable platform that gives businesses complete control over the look, content, and functionality of the online store. In addition, Magento also provides merchants with a wide range of tools for managing their online store, including order management, product catalogs, customer accounts, and marketing campaigns.

Its intuitive administration interface provides powerful tools for managing products, customers, promotions, and more.

Magento can be integrated with a range of different databases, including MySQL. For example, Magento’s customer management system can be used in conjunction with MySQL’s user-friendly interface to create a seamless shopping experience for customers. In addition, the two platforms can share data, which makes it easy to keep track of inventory levels and customer information.

7. CS-Cart

CS-Cart is a shopping cart software that can be used to build highly customizable online stores. One of the key features of CS-Cart is its flexibility—businesses can choose from a wide range of add-ons and themes to create a unique shopping experience for their customers.

Additionally, CS-Cart provides a powerful set of tools for managing inventory, processing orders, and shipping products. It is mobile responsive and SEO friendly, too. And because it is built on top of the popular PHP programming language, CS-Cart is easy to extend and integrate with third-party applications.

In addition, integration with MySQL allows for data to be backed up, which is important for any business that relies on data. This makes it possible to set up and manage an online store in a way that is efficient and reliable.

8. Joomla

Joomla is a good option for those new to PHP development as it is easy to learn and use. Joomla provides a wide range of standard features that can be further extended through third-party plugins and components that allow you to extend its functionality.

This flexibility, combined with an active community of developers, makes Joomla an attractive choice for many web development projects. In addition, Joomla includes a customizable front-end page layout and support for multiple languages.

One of the most popular Joomla plugins is the Joomla component for MYSQL integration. This plugin allows you to easily integrate your Joomla website with a MySQL database. The plugin provides a simple interface for managing your database connections, and also includes a number of advanced features such as automatic error handling and support for multiple databases.

9. Zen Cart

Zen Cart is another open-source PHP ecommerce framework that is based on the OSCommerce framework and shares many of its features. However, it also has a number of improvements, such as a better code base and support for multiple languages.

Zen Cart is very user-friendly and easy to set up. It also has a large community of users and developers, so finding help and support is usually not difficult.

Some of its key features are easy customization of template system, catalog management, order management tools, built-in support for multiple payment methods, discount coupon systems and more.

Likewise, Zen Cart can connect to MySQL using the standard database protocols, making it easy to set up and use. Additionally, it comes with a number of built-in tools for managing your MySQL database, including tools for backup and recovery.

10. nopCommerce

An open-source PHP MySQL shopping cart solution, nopCommerce is ASP.NET Core and MVC-based with a localization architecture. It is easy to set up and customize. Moreover, it is mobile responsive and SEO friendly.

nopCommerce comes with a variety of features such as product reviews and ratings, AJAX based add to cart, multi-store support, support for multiple languages and currencies, and much more. It also offers a rich set of plugins and themes that can be used to extend the functionality of the platform.

In addition, nopCommerce comes with a built-in CMS that lets you easily create and manage your content. One of the advantages of nopCommerce is that it can also be easily integrated with MySQL. To integrate it with MYSQL, you will need to install the MYSQL Connector for .NET.

11. Spree Commerce

Spree Commerce is an open-source ecommerce platform written in Ruby on Rails. It is designed to make it easy to set up and maintain an online store. Spree Commerce is available as a self-hosted solution or as a cloud-based service.

The software includes a wide range of features, such as support for multiple languages, currencies, and payment methods. Spree Commerce is also highly customizable, allowing developers to add new features and customization options as needed.

As with the other apps on our list, Spree Commerce integrates with MYSQL for your database needs. This allows for a seamless connection between the two systems, which results in a more efficient and effective ecommerce experience.

In addition, the MYSQL integration provides data redundancy and security, making it an ideal choice for businesses that require high levels of data protection.

12. OsCommerce

OsCommerce is an ecommerce platform that allows businesses to set up online stores. The software is written in PHP and can be used on any web server with a PHP interpreter.

It is free to download and use, and it comes with a large number of features that make it a popular choice for online stores. These features include support for multiple languages and currencies, a responsive design, and a variety of payment and shipping modules.

OsCommerce also has a large community of developers who create add-ons and extensions for the platform. As a result, there is a wide range of customization options available to store owners who want to tailor their store to their specific needs.

OsCommerce also integrates with MySQL, which can help to improve the functionality of an online store by allowing businesses to manage their data more effectively.

13. Drupal

Drupal is a popular open-source content management system (CMS) written in PHP. It is used by millions of websites and offers a wide range of features, including a modular design, which allows developers to create custom functionality using modules.

Like most open-source frameworks, Drupal has a large community of users and developers, which makes it easy to find help and support when needed.

With Drupal, you can easily create and edit content, add images and videos, and manage users and permissions. You can also use the software to create a directory or forum, aside from building an online store.

Likewise, you can extend Drupal with modules and themes to add new functionality or change the look of your site.

While Drupal does not natively support MySQL, the two can be easily integrated using the MySQL Connector for PHP. This extension provides a set of PHP classes that allow Drupal to connect to a MySQL database and perform various operations such as storing and retrieving data.

Additionally, Drupal is regularly updated with new features and security updates, making it a good choice for those who value security and stability.

14. CubeCart

Another open-source PHP shopping cart software, CubeCart is free to download and use, and it can be customized to suit the needs of any online store. It is a popular choice for small businesses and startups because it is easy to use and does not require a lot of technical knowledge to set up.

The software supports a wide range of payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, and Google Checkout. In addition, CubeCart provides a number of powerful marketing tools, such as coupon codes and product reviews.

CubeCart also supports multiple languages and a variety of shipping methods and is constantly being improved by its community of users.

15. AbanteCart

AbanteCart is an open-source ecommerce solution designed to be clean and easy to use. The software is released under the GNU General Public License, so it is free to download and use. While AbanteCart is not as widely known as some of the other ecommerce platforms, it has a growing community of users and developers.

AbanteCart offers a wide range of features, including support for multiple languages, currencies, and payment methods. Moreover, the software includes built-in order management and customer service tools.

The software offers a few different ways to integrate with MySQL. One way is to use the built-in tools to import products from a MySQL database. This process requires that the database be in a specific format, but it can be done without any coding. Another way to integrate AbanteCart with MySQL is to use the REST API. This approach allows for more flexibility in terms of what data is imported, but it does require some knowledge of programming.

Finally, AbanteCart also offers an extension that allows direct access to a MySQL database. This option gives developers the most control over the data, but it also requires the most knowledge and experience.

Choosing the Best Shopping Cart PHP Software

There is no clear-cut answer when it comes to selecting the best shopping cart PHP software. However, by considering the factors outlined in this article, you should be able to narrow down your options and choose the software that best meets your needs. Price, features, ease of use and security are all important considerations when making your decision. With a little bit of research, you should be able to find the shopping cart PHP software that strikes the perfect balance of price and features for your online store.

A good thing to remember, too, PHP-based shopping cart software is but one type of many other types of ecommerce platforms. There are other top shopping cart abandonment software applications on the market.

Key Insights

• Open-Source Flexibility: Open-source PHP shopping cart software like X-Cart, WooCommerce, and PrestaShop provide businesses with the ability to customize their online stores without licensing fees, making them an ideal choice for small businesses on a tight budget.
• Cost Considerations: The cost of ecommerce software can be a barrier for small businesses. Open-source solutions help reduce costs while offering full access to the code for modifications.
• Customizability and Scalability: PHP shopping cart platforms are highly customizable and scalable, allowing businesses to tailor their online stores to meet specific needs and grow as required.
• Integration with MySQL: Most PHP shopping cart software integrates seamlessly with MySQL databases, offering benefits like data centralization, security, and easy management.
• Cart Abandonment Solutions: High cart abandonment rates can be mitigated with better checkout design, which can potentially recover significant sales. Best practices in shopping cart UX design can improve conversion rates by 35.26%.
• Popular Platforms: Key platforms include X-Cart for its modular architecture and extensive add-ons, WooCommerce for its WordPress integration, PrestaShop for its comprehensive features, and Magento for its robust toolset and scalability.
• Ecosystem and Support: Many platforms boast large communities and a wide range of plugins, add-ons, and themes, providing extensive support and customization options for businesses.

FAQ

1. What are the benefits of using open-source PHP shopping cart software? Open-source PHP shopping cart software offers several benefits including no licensing fees, high customizability, and access to a wide range of community-supported plugins and add-ons. These features make it an affordable and flexible option for businesses of all sizes.
2. How does integration with MySQL benefit ecommerce businesses? Integration with MySQL benefits ecommerce businesses by providing a reliable and secure way to manage data. It allows for centralized data storage, easy access from multiple devices, and features like data backup, recovery, and scalability.
3. What are the common reasons for shopping cart abandonment? Common reasons for shopping cart abandonment include extra costs such as shipping and taxes, the need to create an account, slow delivery, and a complicated checkout process. Improving the checkout design and offering a guest checkout option can help reduce abandonment rates.
4. Which PHP shopping cart software is best for small businesses? For small businesses, X-Cart and PrestaShop are excellent choices due to their affordability, ease of use, and extensive customization options. WooCommerce is also a strong contender, especially for businesses already using WordPress.
5. What factors should be considered when choosing a PHP shopping cart software? When choosing PHP shopping cart software, consider factors such as cost, features, ease of use, scalability, security, and the availability of community support and plugins. It’s also important to evaluate how well the software integrates with other tools and systems used by your business.
6. How can ecommerce businesses improve their shopping cart experience? Ecommerce businesses can improve the shopping cart experience by simplifying the checkout process, offering multiple payment methods, providing clear and upfront cost information, ensuring fast and reliable delivery options, and enabling guest checkout. Following best practices in UX design can significantly enhance user satisfaction and reduce cart abandonment.
7. What are the key features to look for in PHP shopping cart software? Key features to look for include customizable front-end design, robust back-end management, multiple payment and shipping options, SEO tools, mobile responsiveness, and integration capabilities with other software and databases. Advanced features like built-in marketing tools, inventory tracking, and multi-language support can also be beneficial.

By Nestor Gilbert

Nestor Gilbert is a senior B2B and SaaS analyst and a core contributor at FinancesOnline for over 5 years. With his experience in software development and extensive knowledge of SaaS management, he writes mostly about emerging B2B technologies and their impact on the current business landscape. However, he also provides in-depth reviews on a wide range of software solutions to help businesses find suitable options for them. Through his work, he aims to help companies develop a more tech-forward approach to their operations and overcome their SaaS-related challenges.