Hi,

Well, while browsing the WHT forums and elsewhere, I have come across lots of shopping cart options: oscommerce, agora, zencart, cubecart, x-cart, miva merchant, and numerous others. I'm hoping for some help with picking the one that is right for me!

First of all, I'm assuming that most of them offer the same basic features. So what are the major differences between them, if any? What do you gain from going with one of the expensive commercial carts, rather than a free open-source solution? Is it worth it? I'd prefer a free cart, but I'm curious to know what I'd be giving up.

To help you answer my questions, let me describe my needs a little better. I will be setting up a Web site for somebody else, primarily using a WYSIWYG editor like Nvu or Amaya, and then handing the site over to them. This person is a computer-literate person, but not an extremely techno-savvy person (i.e. they could probably figure out how to layout a Word document in landscape and change the font...but they probably couldn't do anything much more advanced than that). Anyway, this person will need to be able to populate and maintain the shopping cart with her products, change prices, discounts, inventories, basic options, etc.

So, which cart is the easiest to set up and customize? Can they even work with WYSIWYG editors like those mentioned above? Which is the easiest to maintain, use, and configure for a novice user? Do you have to sacrifice any important functionality in exchange for its ease of use? Are they all search-engine friendly? Do they all display just fine across all widely-used browsers? Do they all work with the major payment systems? Would it be possible to create them on a local Windows machine and then take them live later (not necessarily a requirement)?

Overall, what would you recommend for my situation?

Sorry for all those questions! Please feel free to only answer whatever you can.

Thanks!

OSCommerce is free and popular because of it but is very difficult to customize. I would assume ZenCart is just as difficult to customize as it is just a different version of OSCommerce.

I've dealt with most of the carts on your list. And all will work okay for you. The biggest difference between open source software and paid for software is support IMHO. Not that open source products don't have good support. But paid for software generally speaking has great support and can turn around security fixes in 24 hours or less from the initial discovery. This is very important when dealing with your customers credit card information. Also, any add-ons, templates and mods are usually commercial grade with paid for software where I have had issues with open source add-ons and mods.

I personally prefer X-Cart because I feel it offers the best balance between price and features. Once you buy the X-Cart license you get updates to the newest versions for life. Plus I have had direct experience with their support and it is very good.

But you asked for a cart that can be configured using WYSIWYG editors. The only cart software that I know (I am sure there are others out there) is called LiteCommerce from the same developers of X-Cart. It sounds like LiteCommerce fits your requirements. Check it out and let us know what you decide to do. :peace:

Thanks for the input, guys!

Do others agree that OSCommerce and ZenCart are difficult to customize, as stymiee indicated? More difficult than the other carts? What about the ease of use for the end-user AFTER I get everything customized to begin with?

Brilliant Hosts--thanks for the details! I'll definitely take a look at the LiteCommerce cart that you mentioned. What is "Lite" about it? (That seems to imply limited functionality of some kind?)

Anyway, I suppose the cart itself doesn't necessarily have to be configured using a WYSIWYG editor...I just need to be able to use it on a site that is made using one (like Nvu or Amaya), although I'm not quite sure how that's done or what it entails, I'm willing to learn if it is possible. Also, the end-user needs to be able to easily maintain their cart without delving too deep into the guts of any code. Does that open up any more options for me, or is LiteCommerce still my best bet?

Any thoughts from others would also be appreciated.

Thanks!

Zencart is alot easier to customize than OSCommerce.

If you want something that separates logic from the html layout, try CubeCart.

Thanks again, BrilliantHosts--you have provided me with a lot of good information. :cool: (just had to include a smiley now that I have 5 posts under my belt, so I can!) Say, I think I recall that you have used InnoHosting, so you probably know if they are an "X-Cart compatible" host? As it happens, I have all but decided to go with Inno as well.


jroxonline--thank you for your input as well. I do have CubeCart on my list.


I would still appreciate any additional input that anybody might be able to offer. Right now, LiteCommerce is sounding like the first one that I ought to try, if I can bring myself (and convince my client) to spend some money rather than going with a free cart! :D Any other thoughts?

Thanks!

You might want to checkout CandyPress.com, but only if these peeps who have replied, to you here, would kindly take a peek at it and give or deny their stamp of approval. I'm far from an expert, but it seems to be worth, at least, a review by more experienced folks than myself.

You might want to checkout CandyPress.com, but only if these peeps who have replied, to you here, would kindly take a peek at it and give or deny their stamp of approval. I'm far from an expert, but it seems to be worth, at least, a review by more experienced folks than myself.

Hi George,

Welcome to WHT. Don't worry about whether somone else here approves or not approves of your suggestions. We will never know about new products unless someone at least let's us know they exist. Whether it is a good or bad cart is really for the OP to determine, not the rest of us. All of here recommend things that we know.

I took a look at it and it looks interesting. It is Windows only based so anyone wanting to buy it should know that before they obtain hosting. Just like all the cart software mentioned here it appears to have its good points and not so good points. The price seems to be pretty good. Support seems a little strict on their requirements. They will only provide support if the software was installed by a professional. It appears to be a good basic cart. That is always a good foundation for a software developer to build on.

Thanks for the suggestion! :peace:

Wow, that was quick BrilliantHosts, thx.

kopptech and I both, I'm sure, would sure be grateful for the low-down on those not-so-good points on CandyPress , when you or anyone else finds the time. Would give us something to watch out for...

Thanks for the welcome!

As long as my last post was, there were, believe it or not, a few things that I forgot to mention! :dunce:

--One other thing that I did like about LiteCommerce is that, if I understood things correctly, you can edit your store on your Windows PC and publish the changes to your site (right??), whereas X-Cart can only be installed on the server (right??).


The biggest difference between open source software and paid for software is support IMHO....
--That's another thing: I was a bit disappointed to see that support with either X-Cart or LiteCommerce is NOT free! After paying good money for a product, I expect free technical support. They actually claim "free technical support" on their site, but it looks like you actually get a certain number of "support points" with your purchase; after that, it is not free.



The software I prefer is X-Cart and LiteCommerce. If you go to their forums and look they are quite active.

--I did want to browse through the forums. Unfortunately, it looks like it must be open to current customers only?


Once again, feel free to comment.

Thanks!

Kopptech,


I have used LiteCommerce for around two years and my tech skills sound similar to your client. I cannot program but with help from aforum post I can usually do small PHP modifications.


First, the support is not very good in terms of English skills which can be frustrating and the developers tend to put out new versions with bugs, and they are slow to fix and publicly talk about their problems

However, it is much better than OScommerce for a non PHP coder.

The price is a very good value. You get what you pay for if you are lucky in life.

Litecommerce is not lite software the developers are weak in English and meant easy to use.

You cannot easily use software like Dreamweaver that is a myth.


Still all in all for a non coder it is the best software for the price that I have found.

If you want to use Xcart or CS cart (The newer cart which many say is better) you better have lots of coding skills. In the long run Xcart is not cheaper if you cannot code yourself.


I am currently making a new website and relooking at shopping carts, so far I have not found a better more cost effective shopping cart tahn LiteCommerce (for a noncoder)

I don't understand your support comments have you found a high quality inexpensive (PHP mysql) cart that provides free lifetime support?

Please keep us posted of the carts that you find.

I have used LiteCommerce for around two years and my tech skills sound similar to your client. I cannot program but with help from aforum post I can usually do small PHP modifications.

Hi Mulberrywood,

Thank you for your input. I appreciate your viewpoint, because you are looking from a different angle than a lot of the others that have commented so far.


First, the support is not very good in terms of English skills which can be frustrating and the developers tend to put out new versions with bugs, and they are slow to fix and publicly talk about their problems
Eeek-- that's one of my pet-peeves!:fork: Actually, I can live with choppy English, unless it's to the point that it becomes laborious just to communicate simple problems--like where you keep getting non-helpful answers because they are unable to understand what it is that you are asking. Is it that type of bad English, or just leaving out a few "the" and "a" words here and there?


You cannot easily use software like Dreamweaver that is a myth.
Isn't Dreamweaver kind of in a different category of software?


I don't understand your support comments have you found a high quality inexpensive (PHP mysql) cart that provides free lifetime support?
What I meant was that any software that I have ever bought comes with free technical support, not with "support points" that run out. I thought that the LiteCommerce/X-Cart folks only provided support until you ran out of points; however, I believe that BrilliantHosts corrected me in this point--it sounds like you actually do get free email support...the points are different. Right?


Anyway, thanks again for your input! I will definitely keep you posted with my findings and with what I decide.

Corey

One more thing: I had not heard of CS-Cart until Mulberrywood mentioned it. I took a quick look around their site, although not as detailed yet as I did with LiteCommerce and X-Cart. Anyway, CS-Cart goes for $125, it appears to be pretty full-featured, and the backend looks really nice.

Anyboldy have experience with CS-Cart? How does it compare to the various other carts that have been discussed here?

Actually, I can live with choppy English, unless it's to the point that it becomes laborious just to communicate simple problems--like where you keep getting non-helpful answers because they are unable to understand what it is that you are asking. Is it that type of bad English, or just leaving out a few "the" and "a" words here and there?

Mostly just annoying, but sometimes they don't understand you, but they are much cheaper per hour for custom development than a US based shopping cart



Isn't Dreamweaver kind of in a different category of software?

Yes.

They advertise that Dreamweaver is easy to use to modify the look of the cart. It is not easy, and it is also not easy with many if not most carts.....



What I meant was that any software that I have ever bought comes with free technical support, not with "support points" that run out. I thought that the LiteCommerce/X-Cart folks only provided support until you ran out of points; however, I believe that BrilliantHosts corrected me in this point--it sounds like you actually do get free email support...the points are different. Right?

You only get support points - which do not expire (until you use them). Keep in mind that I have not paid for support in two years, as I use the forum to get answers The support is almost all via email. Remember these guys are in Russia. However, I have never purchased software with free lifetime support. Example: Filemaker,Windows, Dreamweaver, Photoshop etc... I think there is some misunderstanding here.

If you bought some very expensive shopping cart software where you pay by the month or a large upfront fee you might get free support for life. Please remember that Xcart, CS and Lite Commerce are cheap. They are so cheap for onetime fees that I would not worry about it. You should only be concerned about features, reliabity and most important in your case ease of use.

Unless you plan on helping out on an ongoing basis I would not consider Xcart or CS cart. LiteCommerce is ok but still has a learning curve although a much gentler one. CS cart is newer than Xcart and is a better buy for the money (I have heard from those who have used both but not myself) but still requires coding skills. I don't care what they advertise!

Corey

Please do post what you find with other carts. I am keeping my eyes open and will change carts if there is a better one for non coders with a limited budget.

I just thought I'd chip in witha couple of comments - brillianthosts has summed up Xcart & LC very well so there's no a lot more to add on that front!

Every shopping cart system is going to have areas that users with limited technical knowledge are not going to understand, usually things like templates and code hacks - this is what the clients web designer is there for! I have found it better to concentrate on whether your client can understand and use all the everyday tasks like order processing, adding/editing products, updating site news etc.

Poor English in the documentation - you always have to remember that the internet is global and English is not everyones first language. As Xcart/LC are developed by Russian speaking developers there are always going to be the odd bits that don't look/sound right. Most of the developers/support people I have dealt with have a good knowledge of English and rarely get problems - all you need to remember is to write clearly, and occasionally be prepared to explain things a little more so they can better understand the issue.

Hosting - I install Xcart and LC on typical Linux/Cpanel servers and never get any major problems. If there is an issue with some obscure server side bit of software my host will sort it out by reconfiguring something or even installing new server software for me - not all hosts are willing to do this and that's why you get "recommended hosts".

Thanks again for your thoughts, guys.

Please remember that Xcart, CS and Lite Commerce are cheap. They are so cheap for onetime fees that I would not worry about it. You should only be concerned about features, reliabity and most important in your case ease of use.
Point taken. However, I also have to keep in mind that some of the carts I am comparing them with (such as ZenCart, etc.) are even cheaper--FREE. If they can compare to these commercial carts, free sounds good ;) . Note that I have not done my in-depth look at any of the free carts yet. Others have claimed that they are more difficult to use or not supported as well, so I very well may conclude that using one of those is not an option. I'll let you know!

Regarding the ease of use--I might be hedging on that a little now. If I try to find a cart that is the easiest for my client to use and even modify a little bit, it looks like that pretty much limits me to LiteCommerce. Not that LiteCommerce looks bad, but it's not like they will be able to completely customize it themselves, either. I also had a few concerns about it that I mentioned previously. (A bit more on this later.)


Every shopping cart system is going to have areas that users with limited technical knowledge are not going to understand, usually things like templates and code hacks - this is what the clients web designer is there for! I have found it better to concentrate on whether your client can understand and use all the everyday tasks like order processing, adding/editing products, updating site news etc.

This is what I have been starting to consider. Like I alluded to above, even if LiteCommerce is a bit simpler, it's not like my client will be able to completely customize it themselves. It seems like I could probably figure out how to customize any of the carts up front. After that, I'd pretty much be done and my client could handle the day-to-day stuff. Correct me if I'm wrong, anyone, but it didn't seem to me like LiteCommerce was especially easier than the others for those everyday backend administration tasks.

I am going to sit down with my client and figure out all the features they think they might eventually like their cart to handle. If they are purely interested in the basics, then maybe LiteCommerce is the way to go. However, if they eventually think they might like a few extras, like online payment processing, a newsletter, support for e-goods, product reviews and ratings, or real-time shipping quotes, then I'm not so sure. Like I mentioned, LiteCommerce can do all of those things, but you have to pay for an add-on for every one of them. So, if I decide that I can handle the slightly more difficult up-front setup of, say, X-Cart, I'm still thinking it might be the better choice in the long run. I do need to look closer, though, because they don't always make it clear which features come with the base product and which actually require an add-on module.


As Xcart/LC are developed by Russian speaking developers there are always going to be the odd bits that don't look/sound right.
Huh--I just saw last night that CS-Cart is from Russia, too. What is with all of these shopping carts being developed in Russia?



CS cart is newer than Xcart and is a better buy for the money (I have heard from those who have used both but not myself)....


That is good to know if I decide to go with a slightly more complex but full-fetured cart. This is one that I would like to hear more opinions about. CS-Cart looked to me like it was really just copying X-Cart, but with a nicer backend, although I suppose they all copy each other. One interesting thing about CS is that they claimed that they include modules for free that would be add-ons for X-Cart, such as afiliates, antifraud, feature comparison, and product configurator. I don't know if I actually need those modules, but, for a similar base price, I do like the all-inclusive business model more than the pay extra for everything model.

Now, there are some things that worry me about CS-Cart. For one, they might be too new? From the news section of their site, it appears that the vast majority of their features were only introduced within the past 9-months, many as few as 4-months ago. I'm not sure I want to experience their growing pains along with them. Any thoughts on this?

Also, I did come across something else while perusing the CS-Cart forums. If you go to a CS-Cart store, browse into a category that has multiple pages of products, go to page 2 or lower of the product list, and click on a product for more information, you get the detailed product info. page as expected. The problem is, if you decide to go back to the list, clicking the browser's "Back" button sends you back to page 1 of the product list, not the page you just came from! A small thing, perhaps, but I would find it annoying if I was shopping at a store that did that! I verified that X-Cart and LiteCommerce stores do not have this behavior. This might be an example of one of those "growing pains" I mentioned....


Ok, I'd appreciate any further input. Thanks!

Kopptech you are doing a great job looking at the shopping carts. Iwould love to see your spreadsheet.


One more point to consider: There is a school of thought that all product photos descriptions etc should be on an static page and only an add to cart button to connect to the shopping cart.

This way it becomes easy to modify pages in Dreamweaver.

LiteCommerce can do this I am not sure about Xcart or CS cart.

Usually use OScommerce for my e-commerce sites. It's not that difficult to customize, you need a basic understanding of html thats about it, php you can install mods pretty easily following instructions from the contributions you download from the OScommerce website.

Try downloading it from oscommerce dot com and search the contributions for simple template system. It allows you to use simple html for the look & feel of the site layout which is really easy.

Hi Everyone,

As I mentioned previously, I have been working on a spreadsheet to compare the many various features of some of the shopping carts. It's amazing how time consuming this can be! So far, I have been filling out the spreadsheet for LiteCommerce, X-Cart, CS-Cart, and Zen Cart. I had trouble finding all of the information I need, especially for the last two on the list. CS-Cart was difficult because the Web page doesn't seem to mention everything, and Zen Cart because there is so much noise on their site that it is difficult to sort out what's included and working.

Anyway, I would appreciate help filling in the rest of the details, or updating it to include more carts. If you know or would be willing to learn many of the features about these or more carts, I would love your help! Anyone willing to help me out, please pm me with your email address and I'll send you the spreadsheet...it doesn't look like I can attach it here. (Also, please let me know if there is an easier way. I thought I would attach it, but .xls extensions are not allowed. So, I thought I would zip it, but then I couldn't figure out how to upload it anyway--the file is on my hard drive, and it wants a URL.)

Thanks!

Put it on yousendit.com or putfile.com

Put it on yousendit.com or putfile.com

Thank you for the suggestion. I took a quick look, but putfile looks like primarily an audio/video site, and .xls and.zip are not listed as accepted extensions. The other site, yousendit.com, looks like it just sends an email...which I can do fine by myself. :stickout:

Anyway, several people have already PMed me, and I have sent it via email. Let me know if you're interested.

Thanks!

I am currently in the process of finishing my first cs-cart implementation, It has been actually a really simple process, other than having to learn a little bit of smarty templating syntax ( which isnt very complicated when it comes to the simple changes ) and if you plan on using and changing very little of the templates that come included ( and they are very nice and professional looking templates, unlike alot of other cart options out there ) you wont have to learn that at all, they have done a really good job with how the admin section is organized, plus the forums are very informative, and users on the forum are always quick to help.

The CS-Cart team will also do custom work for you on your cart, for a fee but I did inquire on a creating a gateway for a specific merchant provider that they didnt have and they didnt want an arm and a leg, I believe it was even less than the price of the cart!

It might seem expensive to some but for the same ease of use and features, I've seen companies ask 4-10 times the price.

I like it and reccomend it.

Anyway, several people have already PMed me, and I have sent it via email. Let me know if you're interested.
Thanks!

I have just started my search for a cart and would to help you sort it out by filling out your spreadsheet with CubeCart (and maybe a few others after finding them via this forum)

Unfortunately, I only have a few posts on this system and can't PM anybody so I don't know how I can get the spreadsheet (and stay within the forum rules)

I have just started my search for a cart and would to help you sort it out by filling out your spreadsheet with CubeCart (and maybe a few others after finding them via this forum)

Unfortunately, I only have a few posts on this system and can't PM anybody so I don't know how I can get the spreadsheet (and stay within the forum rules)

Thanks for your interest in helping! I am sorry that it has turned out to be difficult, since you cannot yet send PMs. I tried sending you a PM, but apparently you cannot receive them yet either, and it looks like you chose not to receive emails. Hmmm.... Well, we could wait until you qualify for PM privledges, but I'll tell you what--I am reluctant to post my main email address here out of fear of internet SPAM-bots, but I do have a SPAM-collector email that I wouldn't mind posting. If you email me at fbrb32@hotmail.com in the next day or so and put something about WHT and Shopping Carts in the subject line (so I can find it in the midst of all the junk mail!), I should be able to reply back with the spreadsheet. Either that, or PM me with your email address once you are able. I would be greatful for your contributions on CubeCart and any others! :agree:


Also, 2graphica, thank you for your review of CS-Cart. Have you had any prior experiences with other carts before this one? If so, please share how you think CS-Cart compares to those.

Thanks!

.xls ... not listed as accepted extensions.

Thanks!


Behold the power of Google!
http://spreadsheets.google.com

Behold the power of Google!
http://spreadsheets.google.com

That's not a bad idea--I wish I had remembered that Google added that capability! It's hard to keep up with all of the new things they keep coming out with. The spreadsheets would have been an easy way to accomplish what I was trying to do here.

For now, though, I have received a lot of help via email. I will consider posting the final spreadsheet via Google when it is all done.

Thanks!

can you email it to me as well?
its ratan7@hotmail.com

Thanks a lot! I think your doing a great job putting something like this together.
Let us know if you need any help?

can you email it to me as well?
its ratan7@hotmail.com

Thanks a lot! I think your doing a great job putting something like this together.
Let us know if you need any help?

Ok, emailed. :cool: Thanks for your interest!

The spreadsheet has come together pretty well for CS-Cart, LiteCommerce, and X-Cart. I ended up emailing the companies directly to get the information filled in. If people do want to help, I am still looking to get reliable information for Zen Cart, CubeCart, osCommerce, Agora, and probably others :).

Thanks!

Could you please email it to me as well?

Could you please email it to me as well?

Certainly! :)

You didn't list an email, so I sent it to the gmail account that you list as your messenger contact. Please let me know if that doesn't work.

Thanks!

...we need some feedback from e-commerce community.

1. Your pagination links are not idea for SEO because you have a different forward link for page one than the back link.

2. Sort technique is clever, but not practical.

3. Choosing categories from a dropdown is not practical for a large store.

4. Catalog search is outside of product manager. This is not practical, it should be an integral part of it so that one can filter.

5. No mass edit function in the product manager so it is easy to run through and change prices on a large number of products, one must click on the product to get a product form to change the price.

6. I don't see multiple login with admin defined access priveleges.

7. Doesn't seem to be as snappy as I am used to with my JAVA cart.

I won't go on, but if you want to see how it should be done, go to http://www.softslate.com and they did it right.

Thread cleaned up somewhat. Just a reminder that this is NOT an advertising forum and shouldn't be used as such.