OpenCart System

OpenCart is a free, open-source, customizable e-commerce platform based on PHP, MySQL database, and HTML components. It supports multiple currencies, languages, and templates.

OpenCart Features

1- Completely free store creation and management system

The most important thing that distinguishes this system is that it is completely free since its launch until today, and it is available for download without any restrictions. All you need is the secondandHosting To raise the OpenCart system on it, and after installing the system, you will have a complete store and you can adjust it professionally and easily, as OpenCart allows you to adjust the shipping, payment and currency settings via the main control panel (admin interface) and create a multi-store store, and thus your store is ready to work with all standard features.

2- The ability to modify the store interface

With hundreds of different templates in OpenCart, you can create a uniquely customized website for yourself. You can choose any template and modify it easily. You can also modify the platform itself because it is open source, which makes it easy for you to customize your website in the way you see fit.

This is why we find that stores designed with the OpenCart platform are completely different from each other, and you cannot even see any sites that are close to each other in the same form and performance, and this is something really special.

3- Multiple languages ​​and currencies in the store

Through OpenCart, you can make your store support multiple currencies. You can choose from hundreds of different currencies around the world and add them to your store. You can also create a store that supports working in more than one language, with the ability to customize the language you want easily and simply without the need for any programming experience and publish products on it.

4- Payment gateways integrated with the platform

OpenCart supports more than 20 different payment gateways integrated within it to allow customers to pay online with the appropriate gateway, and it also supports the sale of digital products. You can view all Payment gateways supported by OpenCart at the following link.

5- There is an Arabic version of the OpenCart platform.

OpenCart itself does not support the Arabic language, but a version of it has been Arabized through a partnership between a Saudi software company and OpenCart to release an Arabic version of OpenCart through the platform. opencartarab.com Based on the Arabization of the OpenCart system, its add-ons and templates in full, and any template can be purchased through the site in a simple way.

Disadvantages of OpenCart

Despite the many advantages of the OpenCart content management system, it has three disadvantages that may make merchants not prefer it and resort to another alternative to manage their online store, such as WooCommerce or other e-commerce platforms.

1- Difficulty in modifying the design

Although OpenCart is completely free and open source, it is difficult to modify the design without programming experience, like other content management systems or e-store management systems. However, this drawback can be avoided by choosing a suitable template for you that does not require modifications, whether a paid or free template from the list of many templates available on the platform.

2- OpenCart is not search engine friendly.

By default, the OpenCart system faces problems with search engines, the most prominent of which is obtaining data from OpenCart, which forces you to adjust it manually to make it compatible with the Google search engine and other engines, as it is not like other store creation platforms that are automatically compatible with different search engines.

3- OpenCart is slow

The OpenCart system is noticeably slow when publishing a large number of products, and this problem appears clearly if you rely on shared hosting and not on your own server, and technical failures may occur in the hosting as a result of the slow response of the site script.

Second: WooCommerce system

WooCommerce It is an add-on integrated within the content management system (WordPress), where WooCommerce enables you to: Create an online store And modify it and provide you with more than 50 other compatible add-ons, which gives you a long list of features starting from automatic calculation of shipping price, integration with various international shipping companies, determining the value of tax on products and other features.

WooCommerce Features

1- Compatible with all shipping companies

Perhaps the most important feature of WooCommerce is that most global shipping companies allow WordPress sites to be added so that their shipping can be integrated with WooCommerce, which allows the buyer to track their shipment directly, and also allows the shipping company to track the products that are ordered directly and the shipping address to which the products will be delivered automatically without the need for manual modification by the store owner.

2- Control the email sent to the buyer

You can create custom designs for your website's email that the buyer receives immediately after ordering any product from your store, which follows up with the customer on the status of his product, whether the order is in progress, out for shipping, in delivery, or received.

3- Full control over the appearance and arrangement of the product page.

You can add a gallery of images or videos or arrange the elements on the product page however you want. WooCommerce developers provide you with a documentation page Documentation It explains all the details of the add-on and shows you how to modify it. It also explains how to control and modify the product page and control the rest of the add-on features.

4- Open source and responsive system

WooCommerce is also an open source system like OpenCart and it is modifiable and expandable on its core code. It is also faster than OpenCart in terms of response, as it does not cause any speed problems no matter how many products are on the store.

5- Search engine friendly and fast archiving

WooCommerce is widely used in most online stores, as it is used by about a third of online stores around the world. It provides automatic compatibility with all search engines, most notably Google, so the product name, price, and all information about it appear in the first search results. It can also appear in the Google shopping box due to its compatibility with all Google policies.

WooCommerce Disadvantages

Although WooCommerce is the best way to create a professional online store for those who are not good at programming, it is actually not the cheapest. In order to create a store with all the features, you need to pay for each add-on you want from the list of WooCommerce add-ons available on the official store. Some add-ons are not cheap and prices for some of them reach nearly $ 100.

As for the admin interface, it is a bit more difficult than other available content management systems, as you will need some time to train your employees and product publishers on how to use the platform and publish products on it, but this problem can be solved through the many explanatory videos available on YouTube on how to publish products on WooCommerce.

WooCommerce vs OpenCart Comparison

1- Ease of use and installation

• WooCommerce:
  • Very easy to use, no programming experience required to install.
  • It is simply added to WordPress by searching for and installing the WooCommerce plugin.
• Open Cart:
  • Requires PHP programming experience to install and use, especially if your hosting does not support it. cpanel.
  • More difficult to use and customize for regular users than WooCommerce.

2- Prices

• WooCommerce:
  • Free as a WordPress plugin, with many free themes and plugins available.
  • Paid plugins start from $16 to $100, and paid themes start from $30 to $100.
• Open Cart:
  • Completely free as a content management system.
  • Paid plugins and themes are available, but most of them are in English.
  • Arabizing templates from the official website costs about $150, and the prices of Arabic templates start from $54.
  • Add-ons range from $10 to $80.

3- Dashboard and inventory management

• WooCommerce:
  • It has an advanced control panel that may take some time to learn.
  • Manages inventory for each product, notifies you when stock runs out, supports PayPal and Cash on Delivery for free.
• Open Cart:
  • Displays quick insights into sales and profits and allows multiple traders and currencies.
  • Supports multiple languages ​​without the need for add-ons, and provides more than 20 different payment gateways.

4- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

• WooCommerce:
  • Best for SEO, especially thanks to plugins like: Yoast SEO.
• Open Cart:
  • It is considered an SEO friendly platform, but there are limitations regarding modifying meta and keywords.
  • Modifying the code and complex 301 redirects requires knowledge of PHP.

Conclusion

WooCommerce can be considered the best in terms of search engine optimization (SEO) and the support it provides through many templates, plugins, and tools that facilitate many tasks. In addition, WooCommerce provides a wide range of free templates, and officially supports the Arabic language.

In contrast, OpenCart features a professional control panel, supports adding multiple currencies to products, and allows the store to be easily converted into multiple languages.

For this reason, WooCommerce is so popular, with about 26% of e-commerce users relying on it, while only 4% use OpenCart.

To determine which system is best for you, it is important to carefully compare the features of each system and choose the one that best suits the requirements of your online store.