I have had a tremendous experience... I can build my website the way I want, and once I pay for a OpenCart plugin, or theme, I add it to my box of tools that I can permanently use on any of my other sites. The initial setup can be a little daunting, but once you've built your first site, it's fantastic. The plugins and themes are very well priced, and the support is great. OpenCart have addressed previous security flaws in their software, and https://www.tinfoilsecurity.com/ scanned my site and gave it a clean bill of health. I recommend the 'Pavilion - Responsive OpenCart Theme by ThemeBurn | ThemeForest' as you do not need to know how to write a single line of code. It's responsive (re scales automatically) , so you do not have to worry about how it will look on a pc or mobile phone, and you can do almost anything you can think off. Granted that there is a HUGE learning curve, but it gets better as you learn how to work with the theme.

You control everything, and you can find plugins to add functionality you do not have... It is great if you want full control, and I have never found there is something I want that I cannot do without a plugin or a tweak here and there. Support is great and often the developers who create the plugins will help you install the plugin for free after you buy it. They normally even do small tweaks for free, and add extra functionality at a minimal cost. Yes, there are many ready built eCommerce platforms like shopify and squarspace, but you will have to pay a monthly hosting fee, including monthly plugin rental. If I could buy a plugin once off on shopify, I would perhaps reconsider, but most plugins are rental only. Shopify has a lot of features, but it does not have everything most people need. So you going to end up renting a lot of extra plugins. Take 10 different plugins on shopify, at a monthly cost of approx $20 each, and you 're going to pay $200 on top of your shopify costs. It all adds up. Bottom line, if you do not mind a learning curve, and you want to keep costs down in the long run, along with full control, OpenCart is the way to go!

Like most software, there is a learning curve. It can be painful all at once, but the more you use OpenCart, the better it gets.

OpenCart is a comprehensive e-commerce software solution that helps businesses create and manage online stores. It offers a range of features, including product management, order management, and customer management, and has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for businesses to set up and manage their stores. OpenCart also offers customizable options that allow businesses to tailor the solution to their specific needs. While it may be complex for some users and have limited support, it is an affordable option for small businesses looking to create and manage an online store.

OpenCart is an e-commerce software solution that helps us to create and manage our online stores. OpenCart has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for us to set up and manage our online stores. It offers a wide range of features, including product management, order management, and customer management, making it a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes. Also It offers customizable options that allow us to tailor the solution to our specific needs. OpenCart is an affordable e-commerce solution, making it a good option for small businesses on a tight budget. Worth for money.

Sometimes it can be complex and overwhelming if you don't have any prior experience. Increasing more tutorials will may able to solve this issue.

This product works well for my low and middle class e-shops which offer limited number of products, mostly in the same category, with a smaller budget for running and promotion. For the more advanced needs, this system cannot offer enough functions and there is not enough resources for customers. Free version is too simple. For some results, paid themes and plugins are needed. Then e-shop may generate some income.

OpenCart is not as demanding as other e-shops in terms of resources. It doesn't use server sources as high as other apps. You can run it on standard on a shared hosting. There is fairly simple interface so it is easy to setup a shop, very simplified. It can be used by beginners. Simple UI on the back-end and fairly descent front-end makes it easy to use. Easy backup.

Very hard to update or modify. It can just break down and not work even if you roll out backup of the previously working site. SEO is terrible even with paid plugins. To make addresses and descriptions work is so hard. Never made it to work completely as it would on standard shops Magento, or Wordpress. One-page shopping is not working well even with paid plugins. Marketing options are very limited and hard to find, such as follow up emails, up-sell, cross-sell, promo codes, tracking. E-shop are used for selling primarily so one would need to offer as much as possible to clients, similar products, suggested products, to give reward points and to send customized offers. Discounting options are not working well in case client changes anything or finish shopping in a few steps. (75% of shopping carts with free shipping lose their function and have to be edited manually) There are no easy integrations, such as Zappier, MailChimp, login via social network accounts etc.

Very Good, where extreme customisation is required.

It is open source Easy to customize Huge developer community Easy to setup Full control over data

Doesn't have a huge plugin marketplace like shopify Non-tech person can't customise this platform Quite outdated in few features.