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WordPress shopping cart plugins are tools that enable customers to add products to a basket and checkout. Those are basic e-commerce features that any online shop needs. Fortunately, there are plenty of amazing WordPress plugins that you can use to implement them.
In this article, we’ll introduce you to five of the best WordPress shopping cart plugins that you can use. Then, we’ll discuss which features to look for in a plugin and tell you how to pick the right option for your store. Let’s get to it!
As you probably know, WordPress doesn’t offer e-commerce functionality out of the box (though solutions such as WooCommerce are free and easy to get started with). WordPress doesn’t include shopping carts or checkout functionality, even if you use the Content Management System (CMS) to create product pages.
Shopping cart plugins add those missing e-commerce features to the CMS. Depending on which plugin you use, you might also get access to additional functionality, such as:
Those are just some examples of the features that shopping cart plugins can include. You’ll also find plugins that support subscriptions, dynamic pricing, coupons, and many other options.
Some WordPress e-commerce and shopping cart plugins get most of the attention from users. However, we recommend choosing a tool with the features that your store needs.
In this section, we will introduce you to our favorite (and the best) shopping cart plugins that you can use. We’ll include both free and premium options and discuss who should consider using each plugin.
No list of shopping cart plugins would be complete without WooCommerce. This is the most popular e-commerce plugin among WordPress users, with over five million active installations.
The plugin adds a full-featured shopping cart and checkout system to WordPress. You can use WooCommerce to create product pages for physical and digital goods, manage shipping, calculate taxes, and process payments.
The plugin is so popular there are hundreds of extensions and themes (both free and premium) custom-built for it. If there’s any feature that you think is missing from WooCommerce, chances are there’s an extension that can help you implement it.
WooCommerce offers granular control over each product that you publish. You can configure inventory, set custom shipping options for specific regions or products, set up product attributes, and more.
Furthermore, WooCommerce can help you upload files and set up links for downloadable products. You can also configure download limits and expiry dates.
WooCommerce is for you if…
Pricing: Free with premium extensions available. | Learn More About WooCommerce.
Easy Digital Downloads is one of the best WordPress shopping cart plugins for selling digital products. The tool offers multiple download options for files. Furthermore, it enables you to secure them from sharing.
The plugin supports one-off payments, but you can also use it to manage subscriptions with the help of add-ons. Out of the box, Easy Digital Downloads supports PayPal, Stripe, and Amazon Payments.
As far as shopping cart functionality goes, the plugin enables you to place “Add to cart” or “Buy now” buttons for products. You also get to offer discount codes for products.
When adding new files for download, Easy Digital Downloads uses a process similar to creating a new post. You can configure all of the file’s details, set a price for it, and publish it on your site.
Easy Digital Downloads is for you if…
Pricing: Free with premium add-ons available. | Learn More About Easy Digital Downloads.
Sometimes, you don’t need a complex e-commerce plugin to start selling online. If you have a WordPress website where you promote products or services and collect payments using PayPal, WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart can be a great option.
This plugin enables you to place PayPal “Add to Cart” buttons anywhere on your website. You can display as many buttons as you need, and the plugin also adds shopping cart functionality to your site.
Users can view the cart to see what products they’ve added and modify their quantities. When they’re ready to pay, the plugin will send them to PayPal or display a pop-up window, depending on your needs.
WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart is one of the easiest shopping cart plugins to set up. You can create buttons using shortcodes, and configuring their functionality takes only a couple of minutes.
WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart is for you if…
Pricing: Free with premium add-ons available. | Learn More About WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart.
Ecwid is an e-commerce platform that enables you to create a free online shop. You can set up your store in over 45 languages and access multiple payment gateways. The Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart plugin enables you to connect your WordPress website to that store.
Ecwid stands out when you consider its premium plans. The plugin offers monthly subscriptions that give you access to advanced e-commerce features, such as automatic tax calculations, social media integrations, custom shopping apps, and more.
It’s important to note that if you want access to the full suite of features that Ecwid offers, it’ll cost you around $99 per month. However, you can always start using the free version and upgrade later.
Configuring Ecwid to work with WordPress is relatively simple. The plugin also includes a tool to import WooCommerce products into Ecwid.
Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart is for you if…
Pricing: Free with premium subscriptions available. | Learn More About Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart.
WP EasyCart enables you to sell both digital and physical products. You get to configure shipping methods and fees as well as taxes. Furthermore, the free version of the plugin supports payments via PayPal, Square, and Stripe.
In terms of functionality, the free version of WP EasyCart is similar to WooCommerce. However, it’s important to note there is a 2% processing fee for payments with the free version. When you combine this amount with the fees that payment gateways collect separately, the free plugin is rather expensive.
The premium version of WP EasyCart offers a broad range of additional functionality and no processing fees. With a premium license, you get access to different payment gateways, coupon functionality, abandoned cart outreach tools, and more.
Although the WP EasyCart User Interface (UI) doesn’t look too modern, it’s easy to interact with and configure the plugin. Plus, adding new products is highly streamlined, so you can set up a new store relatively fast.
WP EasyCart is for you if…
Pricing: Free and premium licenses available. | Learn More About WP EasyCart.
The best WordPress shopping cart plugins enable you to sell products from your website with minimal hassle. They make it easy to configure shopping carts, create products, and manage payment processors, shipments, and taxes.
Here are our top picks for shopping cart plugins:
Do you have any questions about WordPress shopping cart plugins? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!
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