Opencart vs Magento – Who Wins the Crown?

Find out what ecommerce solution is the best for you – Magento or Opencart? Read on and uncover the details about the technical stack, customization possibilities, support and security and many other core aspects of two platforms.

Magento and Opencart are two very different ecommerce solutions that are almost equally popular with online business owners around the world. In order to make the right choice between them, one must research these two platforms’ inside and outs and make up their minds based on the exhaustive data about them. You can perform the research on your own – or instead, you can just read this article and get all the needed knowledge in one place.

Below you will find a detailed comparison of Magento and Opencart. You will discover what technologies they are powered with, what are their customization potential, what are their key ecommerce features and many other aspects.

Table of contents:

Platforms overview
Magento vs Opencart hosting
Magento vs Opencart for ecommerce
Magento vs Opencart payment gateways
Magento vs Opencart extensions & themes
Magento vs Opencart security & support
Magento vs Opencart pricing
Magento vs Opencart – what should you choose?

Magento and Opencart – platforms overview

Before we start an aspect-by-aspect comparison, let us have a brief but thorough overview of what Magento and Opencart are.

What is Magento

Magento is one of the most widely-used open-source and self-hosted ecommerce platform and CMS in the world. Magento was developed back in 2008 by the US company Varien; a year ago Magento was purchased by Adobe corporation and is currently a part of it. Fortunately, the new ownership came in handy for Magento and breathed new life into it. and for all this time it has been holding leading positions among the online retail solutions.

Magento offers two distinct versions of the platform – Magento Open Source (free) and Magento Commerce (price by quote). They share a solid stack of basic ecommerce capabilities, the security level and customization flexibility, but, naturally, Magento Commerce has more robust functionality and is more diversified to suit small, middle and large businesses. Such advanced scalability is perhaps one of the main Magento competitive advantages that allow it to stand out among the competing platforms.

What is Opencart

Opencart is a free and open source ecommerce platform for launching and running an ecommerce store. Developed over a decade ago, it has won wide acclaim among the business owners due to its exhaustive range of online retail functionalities. According to the statistics, Opencart powers around 310,000 online stores around the world.

Opencart is a self-hosted solution for ecommerce, written in PHP programming language with HTML components. Its open source architecture allows to introduce custom changes directly into the platform source code and customize the store to the business owner’s needs and tastes. Opencart is very simple to install, its admin panel is intuitive and has an easy learning curve. Due to its low running costs and easy maintenance, it is a perfect choice for small- and mid-level businesses.

Magento hosting vs Opencart hosting

Both Magento and Opencart are the self-hosted ecommerce platforms, which means that the choice of hosting provision and its pricing depends entirely on the store management. In this paragraph, we will explore Magento and Opencart hosting requirements and what are the top hosting providers for these platforms.

Magento hosting

For correct Magento installation, the host should support the following requirements:

Based on the hosting requirements and the value for money criteria, the following five hosting providers can be rightfully considered the most favourable options.

The 5 best Magento hosting plans

Opencart hosting

These requirements should be followed by the host you choose in order to get a correct Opencart installation.

Top 5 Opencart hosting providers

Magento for ecommerce vs Opencart for ecommerce

As you could have already seen from the table of contents, this comparison will concern such global aspects of both ecommerce platforms, like pricing, support, customization capabilities and so on. However, the number of features for online retail is too vast to outline all of them. Therefore, we singled out the most useful functionalities that can qualify for the platforms’ competitive advantages and enumerated them.

Below, you will find two lists of key ecommerce features for Magento and Opencart.

Magento ecommerce feature list

The following features distinguish Magento among the competing ecommerce platforms and justify its reputation as top-notch online retail solutions.

• Six product types, with digital, downloadable, gift cards and bundle products available
• Persistent shopping cart
• Customer groups
• Configurable pricing rules and gift options
• Configurable tax rules
• CAPTCHA functionality
• Multi-tier pricing upsell
• Roles and users permission management
• Operate multiple stores
• In-built multiple currencies and languages
• Integration with Google Analytics
• Content management system
• Mobile-responsive
• Multi-store feature

Opencart ecommerce feature list

These functionalities are the core Opencart features that power online retail experience for store owners and admins:

• Unlimited number of products, categories and manufacturers
• Digital products type available
• Numerous tax rates
• PCI compliance
• System of coupons and discounts
• Image zoom
• Guest account
• Printing-friendly invoices
• Featured products
• Delivery to multiple addresses
• Shipping calculations based on weight and size
• Detailed sales reports
• Compatible with 20+ payment gateways
• Multiple currencies support

Magento vs Opencart payment gateways

A payment gateway is a service that processes credit cards transactions. This is the core instrument of every ecommerce; without a payment gateway, one will be simply unable to receive payments from customers.

Currently, the variety of payment methods is among the major factors that contribute to customer satisfaction level. At the same time, payment processing systems are the primary targets of hacking attacks. Therefore, in respect of payment gateways, a store owner should take care of both providing a sufficient number of their alternatives and ensure their maximum security.

Magento payment gateways integrations

Magento natively integrates a comparatively smaller number of payment processing systems than Opencart. On the other hand, the developers compensated this with, firstly, an excellent selection of third-party extensions for various payment systems integration, and, secondly, the native Magento payment gateway, launched in the first quarter of this year, named Magento Payments.

These payment gateways are built into Magento natively:

• Authorize.Net
• AmazonPay
• Barclaycard CPI
• Barclaycard MPI
• Klarna
• PayPal Standard
• PayPal Express
• PayPal Pro
• PayPal Payflow Link
• PayPal Payflow Pro
• Sage Pay Form
• Sage Pay Direct

These are the payment gateways available in Magento via extensions:

• HSBC API
• HSBC CPI
• Skrill
• Stripe
• WorldPay
• Amazon FPS
• Checkout by Amazon (in the form of a free Magento extension)
• Google Checkout

Did you want to integrate a certain payment gateway, but it is absent from both lists? Turn to BelVG and we will perform a custom integration of any payment solution into your Magento shop.

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Opencart payment gateways integrations

This is a list of the major payment systems that are native to Opencart and become available to the business owner with platform installation.

• 2Checkout
• Alipay Pay
• Alipay Cross-border
• Amazon Pay
• Authorize.Net (AIM)
• Authorize.Net (SIM)
• Bank Transfer
• BluePay Hosted Form
• BluePay Redirect (Requires SSL)
• CardConnect Cardinity
• Cheque / Money Order
• Cash On Delivery
• Divido
• eWAY Payment
• First Data EMEA Connect (3DSecure enabled)
• First Data EMEA Web Service API)
• Free Checkout
• G2A Pay
• Globalpay Redirect
• Globalpay Remote
• PayPal (Powered By Braintree)
• PayPal Express Checkout

…and many others.

In order to connect the payment gateway of your choice to Opencart, create an account with that payment system beforehand and integrate it with the platform from the administration panel.

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Magento vs Opencart extensions & themes

Even if you do not possess developer knowledge or do not employ a developer team on staff, it is still possible to beef up and customize your online store functionality. Below we will explore Opencart and Magento official extensions marketplaces and what extension range do they offer.

Magento extensions & themes

There are around 5.000 extensions and 13 themes available at the Magento marketplace. A business owner will find here a suitable addon for any price and performing any task.

The extensions are grouped into comprehensive categories that simplify the search process.

Apart from this, you can filter the search results according to platform version, price, rating and partner type.

The average cost of Magento extensions does not surpass $150, but there, of course, free as well as very expensive addons.

Due to such a scarce selection of Magento themes, it is better to look for designs at third-party marketplaces, like TemplateMonsters or Belvg.store.

Magento Store

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Opencart extensions & themes

Official Opencart marketplace has a selection of over 13.000 extensions, both free and paid.

Unlike in other extension marketplaces, Opencart themes are not singled out as a separate segment, but instead are available as of the extensions category.

One can also filter the Opencart extensions according to the platform version, who they were developed and their rating. Unfortunately, there is no price range filter.

The price of Opencart themes and extensions ranges from free to $99.999, but the average price amounts to $50 – $100.

Magento v Opencart security & support

The more secure the ecommerce platform of your choice is, the more at ease you will feel about your online business. Still, bugs and breakdowns happen, and it is very hard to foresee or predict them. That is why prompt native support is a critical factor for making the decision for or against the solution.

Magento security

Magento takes matters of its platform’s security very seriously and continuously monitor the platform for the emerging security risks. Since 2015, they have been releasing Magento security patches, a piece of code that fixes a certain security vulnerability, on a regular basis. Moreover, there is a money reward for submitting detected security weak spots. What is more, a Magento store owner can check their system security state by scanning their stores with third-party tools like Mage Report and Mage Scan. Apart from this, Magento issues a decent body of self-help materials for the developers to educate themselves on the best and up-to-date security practices.

Magento support

Magento only supports the Commerce version; support is not 24/7, but provided on-demand. If you are not satisfied with these arrangements or run your store with Magento Open Source, the best way is to turn to a development agency for professional support on your terms.

Magento Support

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Opencart security

Opencart ensures the highest level of platform security to its users, but naturally takes no responsibility for security each separate webstore powered by the platform. In its turn, Opencart offers the officially approved measures to introduce right before the solution is installed at the server:

• Delete the install folder
• Protect admin and catalog directories and system folder
• Restrict access to certain php files.

Opencart support

Opencart offers paid dedicated technical support; as a store owner, you can choose to request a one-time fix, that will cost your from $99, or opt for monthly support for the price of $99 for one webstore. Apart from this, you can also seek help at the Opencart Community forum that unites thousands of qualified developers.

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Magento vs Opencart pricing

Now, as we have investigated various aspects of Magento and Opencart ecommerce platforms, it is high time to address such sufficient consideration as to how much they will cost you.

Magento pricing

Magento comes in two versions – Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce – that cost differently and are powered with different features. Open Source is free and available for download at the official Magento website. Therefore, the final cost of an online store launched with Magento Open Source will depend solely on your choice of hosting plan, custom development work and extensions you decide to install.

Magento Commerce is a paid version, diversified to suit small, middle and large businesses. Commerce offers an out-of-the-box stack of both basic ecommerce features, available in Open Source, and advanced ones, like B2B functionality, PWA Studio, cloud hosting option, etc. The yearly Magento Commerce license will cost you from $23.000, with the final cost depending on the scale of the business, since Magento now operates within GMV brackets.

Magento is an open source platform, which is an enabling environment for customizing your store via development. Therefore, Magento will be a wiser choice for the companies that employ developers or have the budget for outsourcing a team for ongoing development. An average Magento custom development rate ranges from $35 to $60 per hour, with the final figure depending on the difficulty of the task and location of the specialist.

Opencart pricing

Opencart is a completely free solution that one can simply download from the official website. The same as with Magento, to start operating an online store with Opencart, a business owner must at least pay for hosting and a domain name registration. However, if you have a restricted budget, it is up to you to opt for the cheapest hosting provision that will cost you approximately $5 per month.

The cost of Opencart custom development ranges from $10 to $60 per hour; naturally, the cost also heavily depends on the scope and difficulty of work required.

Brands who trust Magento and Opencart

Although Magento and Opencart are trusted by thousands of companies, from large corporations to small start-ups, still it is brand trust that speaks louder than words about the platform quality and reliability.

They trust Magento

Helly Hansen

MasonJars.Com

HP

Monin

Ferrari

They trust Opencart

British Red Cross

Schtinky Dog

Bav Power Group

Hamro

Food Cloud

Which is best for you – Magento or Opencart?

In conclusion, it will be fair to say that both Magento and Opencart are wonderfully functional and customization-friendly ecommerce platforms. We sincerely hope that our comparison helped you get a full picture of both solutions and you will be able to make up your mind on which platform better correlates to your business goals and objectives as well as your store specifics. We, for our part, would like to make a couple of recommendations.

#1 If your business is taking its first steps online and you are quite inexperienced, then Opencart, with its simple interface, will be the best starting place for your ecommerce. On the other hand, if you have a middle-scale or large enterprise that you want to move online, Magento has the right scalability range for you.

#2 If your business is multi-national or you are planning global expansion, then Magento with its internationalization functionalities like multistore, multicurrency and multilanguage, is the more preferable alternative. In case your business is aimed at one country or region, then it is wiser to opt for Opencart.

#3 Want to offer your customers a variety of payment options, but apply minimum efforts to set them up? Then choose Opencart. Do not mind reserving to the basic payment gateways or integrating them on your own? Magento it is.

All in all, it is up to you to make the final groundbreaking decision, and we are here to help you. Hopefully, this article provided detailed answers to any questions you’ve ever had about Magento or Opencart.

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