Freedom251 › Ecommerce platforms
OpenCart
What OpenCart is
OpenCart is open-source software for running one or more online stores. Its admin dashboard displays orders, sales, customers, people online, and sales analytics; one admin interface can manage multiple stores with separate themes, localized settings, and per-store product prices. Stores can have unlimited categories and products, including downloadable items. Customer features include product reviews and ratings, reward points, filters, multiple currencies, and support for more than 40 languages. Shoppers can check out as guests or registered users. OpenCart lists 36 integrated payment methods, with more available through its marketplace. Named shipping integrations include Australia Post, FedEx, Royal Mail, UPS, and USPS. The marketplace offers more than 13,000 modules and themes. An API lets third-party applications communicate with a store, and the product describes itself as SEO friendly. Users can set up their own backups and restorations. OpenCart is free to download and use, with no monthly fees. Self-hosting requires a web server, PHP, cURL, and a database. Support options include a community forum and dedicated commercial technical support.
Who it suits
It suits store operators who want open-source software to manage one or multiple stores and can arrange the listed self-hosting requirements. Businesses needing support can choose between the community forum and dedicated commercial technical support.
What it does well
- Manage multiple stores from one admin interface
- Unlimited categories and products
- 36 integrated payment methods
- Marketplace offers more than 13,000 modules and themes
What to know first
- Self-hosting requires a web server, PHP, cURL, and a database
- Backups and restorations must be set up by users
- Dedicated technical support is commercial
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| OpenCart | Open-source store software · free download and updates · no monthly fees | Free |
| OpenCart open-source download | Unlimited categories and products · self-hosted installation · no monthly fees | Free |
As opencart.com lists them, read 8 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit the OpenCart website.
- Download the free OpenCart software.
- Prepare a web server, PHP, cURL and a database for self-hosting.
- Use the admin interface to manage your store or stores.
- Explore the marketplace for modules and themes as needed.
Verdict
OpenCart covers multi-store management, product catalogs, checkout, and a large extensions marketplace in a free-to-download package. Plan for the self-hosting requirements and user-managed backups, or consider its commercial technical support.
Questions
How much does OpenCart cost?
The OpenCart plan is free. It includes free software downloads and updates, with no monthly fees.
Is OpenCart open source?
Yes. OpenCart is open-source online store management software.
What platforms does OpenCart support?
Its listed platforms are API, extension, self-hosted and web.
Can OpenCart manage multiple stores?
Yes. One admin interface can manage multiple stores, each with its own theme, localized settings and product prices.
Does OpenCart support downloadable products?
Yes. Stores can sell downloadable products, alongside catalogs with unlimited categories and products.
What are the self-hosting requirements?
The listed minimum requirements are a web server, PHP, cURL and a database.
Facts from OpenCart's own pages
- Abandoned cart recovery
- No · opencart.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Admin dashboard
- The administrator dashboard summarizes orders, sales, customers, online visitors and analytics through widgets. · opencart.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Affiliate marketing
- A built-in affiliate system tracks referrals, supports percentage commissions and offers cheque, PayPal or bank-transfer payouts. · opencart.com, 21 Oct 2026
- API
- OpenCart has an API that lets third-party applications communicate with a store. · opencart.com, 8 Oct 2026
- API and architecture
- OpenCart uses an MVC-L architecture and exposes an API for third-party applications to communicate with a store. · opencart.com, 21 Oct 2026
- App marketplace
- Yes · opencart.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Backup and restore
- The administration area includes tools to create and restore store backups. · opencart.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Backups
- The features page says users can set up their own backups and restorations. · opencart.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Catalog
- The product page states that stores can have unlimited categories and products, and can sell downloadable products. · opencart.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Checkout and SEO
- The software provides guest and registered-user checkout and describes itself as SEO friendly. · opencart.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Company founding and headquarters
- LinkedIn lists OpenCart as founded in 2005, headquartered in Hong Kong and privately held. · uk.linkedin.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Company history
- The company page says OpenCart was registered as a business in Hong Kong in June 2012 and that version 0.3 was released in 2006. · opencart.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Company incorporation
- A Hong Kong company directory records Opencart Limited as incorporated on May 8, 2012, with live status. · ltddir.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Company legal identity
- Crunchbase lists the legal name as Opencart Holding Ltd and identifies Daniel Kerr as owner and founder and Andy Tsang as co-founder. · crunchbase.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Company size
- LinkedIn lists OpenCart's company size as 11–50 employees. · uk.linkedin.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Currencies and languages
- OpenCart supports automatic currency-rate updates, multiple tax settings and more than 40 languages, including right-to-left languages. · opencart.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Customer features
- The software includes product reviews and ratings, reward points, filters, multiple currencies and support for more than 40 languages. · opencart.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Developer documentation
- Official documentation covers installation, administration, catalog, extensions, sales, systems, reports and a developer guide with coding standards, database schema, extensions, events, startups, tasks and cron jobs. · docs.opencart.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Digital products
- Merchants can upload downloadable products and set their selling price. · opencart.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Discounts and coupons
- Core merchandising includes discounts, coupons and special prices. · opencart.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Extensions
- The marketplace offers more than 13,000 modules and themes, including service integrations, payment providers and conversion modules. · opencart.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Extensions marketplace
- The official marketplace advertises more than 13,000 modules and themes covering integrations, payments, shipping, marketing, accounting, reporting and language packs. · opencart.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · opencart.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Hosting model
- hosted · opencart.com, 20 Sept 2026
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