7 Top-Rated Affordable Shopping Cart Software
Ecommerce store owners aim to provide customers with an experience they would get in an offline store. Investing in shopping cart software can help achieve this goal by allowing you to add a digital cart on your website, that can function as a shopping bag in a digital space. Customers can use this cart to review the selected products and the total and proceed to payment.
Besides, shopping cart software simplifies business operations by tracking inventory, shipping, and customer data. If you are a startup business or are just starting to sell products online, you can start with an affordable tool to ensure it is valuable to your operations.
To help you find the right tool, we have highlighted the seven top-rated affordable shopping cart software based on their pricing, as found on vendor websites and verified software reviews. Based on our research, we've considered products priced less than $44.29 per month as affordable software and have arranged them in ascending order. Read more.
The tools listed in this article are website builders, payment processors, ecommerce solutions, or dedicated shopping cart software. Nonetheless, all the tools offer order management and ecommerce management as core features.
*We selected products for this article based on their average ratings between January 2022 - January 2024, which may differ from their current overall average ratings.
1. Pixpa
Pixpa is a no-code website-building software that allows you to build an online ecommerce store with the help of a visual builder. You can select a design for your website from 150+ templates and customize them by adding your product information. The tool displays the shopping cart on each page of your website, making it accessible to the customers at all times. Besides, you can analyze abandoned cart data and send automated emails to customers. Sending regular reminders about the products left in the customers’ carts can help you increase sales.
Product features of interest*:
Product images: Upload and display product images on the online store to provide customers with a visual representation of what they are purchasing. You can add up to 10 images and allow zooming capabilities so that customers can have a better look.
Product categories: Organize your products into various categories and subcategories so that the customers can easily navigate through the website to find what they are looking for. Grouping similar products in such a way improves site organization and increases sales by enhancing user experience.
Digital products: Sell digital products, such as e-books, music, software, or digital art. Upon purchase, customers receive a link to download the product directly, accompanied by a license key if required. This feature eliminates the need for physical inventory and shipping.
Starting price: $3 per month
Billing cycle: Biennial
Customer support options: Knowledge base and inquiry via web form
Who should consider Pixpa?
Small businesses that are planning to start selling their products and services online and need a solution that can design a website without the expertise of a designer can consider Pixpa. This tool will simplify the design process and the visual designer will allow them to easily customize the website pages. With Pixpa, such businesses can sell physical and digital products and enable product search by adding a search bar on each page.
2. Ecwid
Ecwid is a dedicated shopping cart software that helps you create an online store and integrate it with websites, social media, and marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay, to sell products. It supports Google and Facebook advertising and lets you create, manage, and track ads via a single dashboard. You can integrate the tool with several payment gateways, including Paypal, Square, and Stripe, to offer multiple payment options to your customers.
Product features of interest*:
Gift cards: Offer digital or physical gift cards as products in your online stores that customers can purchase for gifting purposes. The receiver of the gift card can redeem them while purchasing products from your website or store and get a discount.
Automatic tax calculation: Automatically calculates the appropriate amount of tax based on the customer's location and the nature of the product or service being sold. This feature adjusts for different tax rates, including state, local, and international taxes, ensuring compliance with tax laws and reducing manual errors.
Product variation: Offer multiple versions of a single product based on different attributes such as size, color, material, or any other specific characteristic. This feature enables customers to select their preferred variation from available options on the product page.
Starting price: $14.08 per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Customer support options: Knowledge base, emails, chat, and phone support
Who should consider Ecwid?
Business owners with a customer base that is active on multiple social platforms may benefit from Ecwid. Integrating this tool with a range of marketplaces and social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, Snapchat, and Pinterest, allows businesses to effectively reach their audience across these diverse channels simultaneously. Additionally, Ecwid's compatibility with multiple payment gateways caters to the varied payment preferences of a broad customer base, ensuring a smoother and more flexible online shopping experience.
Pro tip
Choose a shopping cart system with an abandoned cart saver feature as it will automatically send reminders to customers who left items in their cart. It's an effective way to boost sales and enhance customer engagement.
3. Squarespace
Squarespace offers a free logo maker as part of its website and online store-building tools. This feature enables you to create a logo by adding your brand's name and tagline, customizing the font color, and choosing from various icon shapes. Logo maker also provides a preview of your design across different mediums, such as business cards, computer screens, and t-shirts. Additionally, Squarespace tracks website traffic, offering insights into visitor behavior, traffic sources, and popular keywords. This information is valuable to understand your audience and identify popular products on your site.
Product features of interest*:
Drag-and-drop editor: Build and customize your online store without coding skills, giving you flexibility and control over the design process. This feature allows you to drag-and-drop elements, such as images, product descriptions, and buttons, to build your site design.
Audience management: Collect and analyze audience information segments to create audience segment groups, launch targeted campaigns, and personalize shopping experiences. You can personalize your marketing efforts by segmenting your audience based on purchasing behavior, location, and preferences.
SEO tools: Optimize your online store for search engine result pages (SERPs) by customizing meta tags, titles, and descriptions, ensuring that product pages are search engine friendly. The tool also provides sitemap generation and tips for improving content relevancy to rank higher on SERPs.
Starting price: $16 per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Customer support options: Knowledge base, video guides, community forum, live chat, and email support
Who should consider Squarespace?
Solo entrepreneurs who are just starting their business can consider Squarespace as this tool fulfills all the basic requirements—from creating a brand logo and an online store to analyzing the traffic and optimizing the site. Users can design their logo and website using customizable templates and a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, eliminating the need for a professional designer. Additionally, its features for analyzing site traffic and identifying trends, along with SEO optimization tools, reduce the necessity to hire a digital marketer.
4. ShippingEasy
ShippingEasy is an online shipping software that integrates with several ecommerce websites and helps manage and ship orders. It allows you to slit and combine orders, download order data, and print labels, packing slips, and custom forms. Besides, it includes shipping automation features that map carriers as per customers’ delivery requirements and compare carrier rates. Moreover, you can generate several reports, including shipment, order, and shipped product status reports, to monitor your shipping operations.
Product features of interest*:
Batch order processing: Process multiple or bulk orders by printing shipping labels, updating order statuses, and sending out customer notifications in a single action via automation. This feature is particularly useful if you have high volumes of orders.
Bar code scanning: Assign bar codes to products and use those codes to track inventory. It helps automatically update inventory levels and process orders, ensuring inventory level accuracy and a speedy checkout process.
Return management: Automatically generates return labels and tracks returns after a customer initiates product returns, enhancing the return process’s efficiency. This feature helps provide efficient and user-friendly returns to customers, increasing user satisfaction.
Starting price: $19.99 per month
Billing cycle: Monthly
Customer support options: Knowledge base, FAQs, emails, chat, and phone support
Who should consider ShippingEasy?
Ecommerce business managers looking for a tool to manage their shipping operations can consider ShippingEasy. It helps manage products and customer orders on your website and facilitates the printing of shipping labels and the selection of cost-effective carriers for delivery. Additionally, ShippingEasy simplifies the returns process, allowing customers to initiate returns easily, while automatically generating return labels and coordinating carrier pickup for returned products. This makes the entire shipping and return process more efficient and user-friendly.
Pro tip
Look for a shopping cart tool that allows customers to create accounts as these accounts help customers save their information, leading to faster checkouts and a more personalized shopping experience. The increased convenience fosters customer loyalty and encourages repeat business.
5. authorize.net
authorize.net is a payment processing software that allows you to add a ‘buy now’ button to your website that automatically takes customers to the payment form to enter their payment information. Customers can choose from multiple payment options, including debit cards, credit cards, e-checks, and digital payments. The tool automatically generates digital invoices and delivers them to customers’ email addresses. You can check the status of each invoice on a dashboard, allowing you to filter the view by sent invoices, paid invoices, unpaid invoices, or canceled invoices.
Product features of interest*:
Mobile payments: Allow customers to make transactions through mobile wallets and payment apps, providing a convenient and secure payment option. It helps enhance the mobile shopping experience and offers convenience while making payments.
Customer information manager: Store and manage customer payment information, such as credit card and billing details, enabling repeat customers to checkout more quickly and efficiently in future transactions. This feature is key to enhancing the customer experience by simplifying repeat purchases.
Recurring payments: Set up and manage regular, automatic payments for your customers for subscription-based services or products that require periodic billing. It automates the billing process, ensuring consistent and timely payments.
Starting price: $25 per month
Billing cycle: Monthly
Customer support options: Knowledge base, chat, phone calls, and inquiry form
Who should consider authorize.net?
authorize.net is a useful tool for online store managers seeking to simplify their payment process. It supports multiple payment methods, offering customers familiar and convenient options, including installment payments through recurring schedules. Additionally, it automates invoice generation and delivery, simplifying invoice management and ensuring accurate tracking of payments. This feature set makes it a versatile choice for improving payment handling and enhancing customer satisfaction in the payment experience.
6. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an open source ecommerce plugin for WordPress-based websites that allows you to create online ecommerce stores. You can add unlimited products to the online store and leverage artificial intelligence to write product descriptions. This tool integrates with social media platforms such as TikTok, Pinterest, and Facebook, enabling you to sell your products directly via social media.
Product features of interest*:
Order tracking: Allow customers to monitor their order status from placement to delivery. It provides real-time updates on order processing, shipping, and estimated delivery times.
Multiple payment methods: Provide customers with various options for completing their purchases, including credit and debit cards, digital wallets, and bank transfers. These diverse payment options cater to the preferences of a wider customer base, enhancing the checkout experience and potentially increasing sales conversions.
Checkout: Enable customers to review their selected items, enter shipping and billing information, choose a payment method, and confirm their purchase. A smooth checkout process helps reduce cart abandonment and enhances the overall customer shopping experience.
Starting price: $25 per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Customer support options: Knowledge base, community form, chat, and email support
Who should consider WooCommerce?
Businesses that already have a WordPress-based website or are planning to build one can consider WooCommerce. As a WordPress plugin, this tool will help them convert their website into functional ecommerce stores. As WooCommerce is an open source tool, businesses will have the flexibility to customize the tool and its functionalities as per their specific business needs. WooCommerce will also ensure businesses maintain complete data ownership, providing peace of mind and control over their critical business information.
Pro tip
Prioritize a shopping cart solution with multi-currency support to expand your global reach. It allows international customers to view prices and make payments in their local currency, enhancing their shopping experience.
7. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is an ecommerce platform that helps you to create and manage multiple storefronts, allowing you to cater to different brands, customer bases, or regional markets. It helps you make your site mobile-friendly by ensuring all the pages, from the homepage to the checkout process, are optimized for mobile devices. The tool’s SEO feature lets you optimize the content of your online store, such as product descriptions and category options, to make it searchable and user-friendly.
Product features of interest*:
Multi-currency support: Display prices and process transactions in various currencies to cater to a global customer base. This allows your shoppers to make payments in their local currency conveniently.
Product ratings and reviews: Allow customers to rate and review products they have purchased. This function provides valuable feedback for both potential buyers and the business.
Product filtering: Enable customers to refine their search for products based on specific criteria such as size, color, price, brand, and other attributes. This functionality enhances the shopping experience by allowing customers to quickly find products that match their needs and preferences.
Starting price: $29 per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Customer support options: Knowledge base, community forum, chat, emails, and phone support
Who should consider BigCommerce?
Online businesses with diverse product ranges and multiple target audiences can find BigCommerce's multi-storefront capability beneficial. This feature enables the creation of distinct storefronts for each product line or audience segment, offering a tailored shopping experience to each customer group. Additionally, it simplifies brand management, as businesses can oversee all their brands through a single interface, enhancing operational efficiency and marketing effectiveness.
How much does shopping cart software cost?
A shopping cart platform can cost as low as $9.99 per month or all the way up to $479+ per month, depending on various factors—features, number of users, infrastructure requirements, business size/type, training availability, deployment options, integrations, and storage. Most shopping cart solutions typically include the following pricing plans:
Free trial: No-cost trial plans ranging from 7 to 30 days, giving users access to either all or limited features of the software. These are ideal for businesses that wish to try out a tool before purchasing it.
Free version: Free software plans offer basic features and limited premium feature access. These are ideal for small business owners with a limited budget.
Entry-level: Starts at $9.99 per month and offers limited features, such as product list management and online store templates. These are ideal for small businesses with basic shopping cart needs.
Mid-tier: Ranges from $27 to $319 per month and offers advanced features such as multi-channel selling, inventory management, and search engine optimization tools. These are ideal for businesses that have outgrown basic shopping cart solutions but don’t require the full range of functionality offered by enterprise-level tools.
High-end: Advanced plans going up to $479 per user per month offer integrations, advanced data analytics, and data security features. These are ideal for large enterprises.
Hidden costs associated with the affordable shopping cart software
Besides the software license itself, there may be additional costs associated with affordable online shopping cart software, including:
Transaction fees: Some platforms charge a fee per transaction or a percentage of the sale price in addition to monthly or annual subscription fees.
Theme or template cost: While basic themes may be free, premium themes with advanced features and customization options can be costly.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate: Some platforms require you to purchase an SSL certificate separately to secure your site, although many now include this as part of their service.
Frequently asked questions when selecting affordable shopping cart software
Here are some questions to ask online shopping cart software providers before making a final purchase:
Does the software allow customers to pay from their mobile devices?
Ensure that the shopping cart tool you choose allows your customers to pay for the purchased products from their mobile devices. With the increasing trend of mobile shopping, providing a mobile-friendly payment option is essential for convenience and accessibility. This capability caters to a wider audience, potentially increasing sales as customers are more likely to complete purchases on a platform that offers a seamless mobile payment experience.
How does the shopping cart software handle tax calculations and compliance for online sales?
Accurate tax handling ensures you comply with various regional and international tax laws, avoiding legal complications. This feature simplifies the complex and time-consuming task of calculating taxes manually, especially for businesses that sell to multiple regions with different tax rates. Ensuring the software can manage this efficiently saves time and reduces the risk of errors, keeping your business legally compliant and financially accurate.
How does the shopping cart software assist in managing product variations and options?
Efficient management of product variations like size, color, and material is key for providing a smooth shopping experience. It helps you organize your inventory more effectively and allows customers to easily find and select the exact product they want. Having this capability in the shopping cart platform you choose is crucial for minimizing confusion and enhancing customer satisfaction.
Methodology
To be considered for this list, products had to:
Have at least 20 unique product reviews published on Software Advice within the past two years, with an average rating of 3.0 or higher (as of Jan. 22, 2024).
Include the core features of shopping cart software: order management and ecommerce management.
Meet our market definition for shopping cart software: “Shopping cart software lets online merchants sell goods and services from their ecommerce sites. Typically, shopping cart software includes security features and data encryption to ensure compliance with web payment regulations.”
For products that met the first three criteria, we assessed the monthly subscription price and found the average price to be $44.29—we considered only products with publicly available pricing information. Based on our assessment, we then shortlisted products with a monthly subscription price lower than $44.29 for this article.
*Our research team identified these features from vendor websites (as of Jan. 22, 2024) based on their analysis of what users find valuable in or expect from shopping cart software. This list is not exhaustive. For additional features, refer to the vendor's website.
We select and rank products based on an objective methodology developed by our research team. While some vendors may pay us when they receive web traffic or leads, this has no influence on our methodology.
Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from Software Advice’s shopping cart software directory. The pricing ranges exclude freemium versions of the products. The features highlighted were identified based on their relevance and the percentage of products in the Software Advice directory that offer them.