{"id":3517,"date":"2018-01-15T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2018-01-15T15:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/?p=3517"},"modified":"2018-01-15T15:45:05","modified_gmt":"2018-01-15T22:45:05","slug":"e-commerce-platform-comparison-woocommerce-vs-zen-cart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/e-commerce-platform-comparison-woocommerce-vs-zen-cart\/","title":{"rendered":"E-Commerce Platform Comparison: WooCommerce vs. Zen Cart"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/zen-cart-vs-woocommerce.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3518\" src=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/zen-cart-vs-woocommerce.jpeg\" alt=\"E-Commerce Platform Comparison: WooCommerce vs Zen Cart\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/zen-cart-vs-woocommerce.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/zen-cart-vs-woocommerce-300x200.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Online retailers have an abundance of platforms available to them for their e-commerce needs. With so many options at their fingertips, entrepreneurs who are either starting up new businesses or revamping existing ones may find it difficult to narrow their selection to just one when considering all the choices available. They all have a plethora of features included, but some shopping cart solutions are more suited than others to your needs in particular. Here\u2019s a comparison of two of the more popular e-commerce platforms, Zen Cart and WooCommerce.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/e-commerce-platform-comparison-woocommerce-vs-zen-cart\/#Hosting\" >Hosting<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/e-commerce-platform-comparison-woocommerce-vs-zen-cart\/#Price\" >Price<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/e-commerce-platform-comparison-woocommerce-vs-zen-cart\/#Scalability\" >Scalability<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/e-commerce-platform-comparison-woocommerce-vs-zen-cart\/#Payment_Gateway_Integration\" >Payment Gateway Integration<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/e-commerce-platform-comparison-woocommerce-vs-zen-cart\/#Tools_and_Features\" >Tools and Features<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/e-commerce-platform-comparison-woocommerce-vs-zen-cart\/#Design_and_User_Experience\" >Design and User Experience<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hosting\"><\/span><b>Hosting<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both WooCommerce and Zen Cart are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/2017\/10\/16\/e-commerce-solutions-hosted-carts-vs-self-hosted-carts\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">self-hosted solutions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which means that once you download the code, you have the flexibility to customize it according to your online store\u2019s requirements. Since self-hosting implies that you will host the site on your own server, with both options, you will also be responsible for any updates and the security of the data and website.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Price\"><\/span><b>Price<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finances are important, so let\u2019s dive right into it. Zen Cart is free to download, while WooCommerce is free with some reservations. WooCommerce does not charge you up front for its use, but there are extensions to the plugin provided on the WooCommerce website that you will probably find yourself needing to use, and some of them require a small fee (while others remain free). Zen Cart has the edge over every other platform in the business in this department. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is important to note that with self-hosted solutions, although there is usually no monthly fee involved, you need to budget for set-up costs such as web design and development fees, especially if heavy customizations are involved. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Scalability\"><\/span><b>Scalability<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The scalability of WooCommerce is one of the features that makes it such a popular e-commerce platform. As your store grows, you can add extensions that will adapt to your changing needs without compromising the quality of service. Zen Cart, being open source, is also very easy to scale as your online store changes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Payment_Gateway_Integration\"><\/span><b>Payment Gateway Integration<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WooCommerce comes with over ten <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/woocommerce.com\/product-category\/woocommerce-extensions\/payment-gateways\/?min_price=0&amp;max_price=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free payment gateway extensions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and many more paid extensions that vary in cost. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With Zen Cart, you also have access to reliable and reputable <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zen-cart.com\/content.php?14-Payment-Processing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">payment services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, such as Square and Paypal, built right into the shopping cart module, which makes accepting payment for your online business a breeze.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tools_and_Features\"><\/span><b>Tools and Features<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WooCommerce has the advantage here. Its tools and features are second to none in the industry, though as already mentioned, some of them cost extra. Zen Cart has a multitude of tools as well, although it should be noted that some users find that some of the features need updating.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Design_and_User_Experience\"><\/span><b>Design and User Experience<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both WooCommerce and Zen Cart have pros and cons in this department. Very few people use the default Zen Cart template design. Instead, they download one of the hundreds of free templates available online. If you\u2019re willing to do some searching, chances are you can find one that meets your needs. The WooCommerce design is user-friendly and easy to navigate, especially if you\u2019ve used WordPress before. If you haven\u2019t, it may take some getting used to, but it all makes intuitive sense and is easy to learn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deciding which e-commerce platform is for you is a matter of considering your needs in particular. If you need help selecting an e-commerce platform for your business, contact <\/span><a href=\"mailto:support@numinix.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Numinix<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for more information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you think of Zen Cart vs. WooCommerce? Do you have experience with either or both? Let us know in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Online retailers have an abundance of platforms available to them for their e-commerce needs. With so many options at their fingertips, entrepreneurs who are either starting up new businesses or revamping existing ones may find it difficult to narrow their selection to just one when considering all the choices available. They all have a plethora&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":3518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[818],"tags":[834],"class_list":["post-3517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-commerce-platforms","tag-woocommerce-vs-zen-cart"],"modified_by":"Smita Ramphul","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/zen-cart-vs-woocommerce.jpeg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}