8 Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins For Your Store

With online store buildingoptions growing at a huge rate each year, it’s getting more and more difficult to choose between the best plugins that will help
your store grow. Looking at the current options, we have SaaS (software as a service) platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce, as well as increasingly powerful WordPress ecommerce plugins. All these options have their own advantages, but there’s nothing quite as efficient as being able to turn your current WordPress website intoa fully functional online store with a few clicks of a button. You can consider using AutoDS from ZIK Analytics to simplify the process even further. With these plugins, you can go from blogging and gathering followers one day, to launching a product gallery and store the next.
As time goes by, more people are realizing that selling your own products online is one of the best and easiest ways to make money. And the best part is, thanks to platforms like WordPress, it can be done by installing a simple plugin.
The great thing about these WordPress ecommerce plugins is their ease of use and excellent support resources combined with the same great features and benefits you receive with SaaS products like Shopify. Along with this, you’ll also find a wealth of flourishing development communities to bounce ideas off and ask for advice.
No matter what you are selling, installing one of these WordPress ecommerce add-ons will have your online business up and running in no time.
By now, you’re probably asking yourself one simple question. “What is the best WordPress Ecommerce Plugin for my store?” Unfortunately, the answer to this question isn’t quite so simple. Because of the huge range of store types and plugins available, it’s important that you choose the one that is best suited to you and your business.
But don’t fret, I’m here to help. I’ve gathered here, what I consider to be the eight best WordPress Plugins on the market right now.
The plugins below cater to different users and products – from digital retailers to businesses selling physical products. As I cover each plugin, I’ll attempt to point out the benefits of each plugin to a particular online sector, to help you find the perfect ecommerce plugin for your online store.
The Top 8 Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins
To get us started, let’s do a quick run-through of the 8 top plugins that I am going to cover in this article. And although you’ll ultimately be using just one of these plugins, it’s a good idea to test a few different plugins, to see which best suits you and your business. You may have already heard of some of these and even had some recommended to you. If that’s the case and you’re in a rush, I’ve included a quick list of the top plugins right here at the top of the article.
So, that being said, here are what I consider to be the best ecommerce plugins that are currently on the market:
- WooCommerce
- Easy Digital Downloads (EDD)
- Cart66 Cloud
- WP eCommerce
- Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart
- Jigoshop eCommerce
- WP EasyCart Shopping Cart and eCommerce Store
- BigCommerce WordPress Plugin
The Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins in 2019
When looking at the top WordPress ecommerce plugins, it’s important to first understand what the most important features of these products are. Once that is established, consider which features and benefits set each plugin apart from its peers. As you’ll see in the reviews, some ecommerce plugins include more general features than others. This doesn’t mean that just because a plugin has a greater amount of features than another, it must be superior. Often, people prefer to use a simple ecommerce plugin over a more complicated one, as it is easier to keep a small store looking clean and professional.
You’ll also see plugins on this list that cater to some niche markets by including features that focus on specific tasks and business types.
And, after you have read each individual review in this section, be sure to keep reading, as I’ll list my recommendations of which plugins might be best suited to your personal needs and situation.
1. WooCommerce
The first cab off the rank is the mighty WooCommerce. This is the WordPress ecommerce plugin that you’ll most likely have heard of, and for good reason. WooCommerce is considered the gold standard by many users and is, without doubt, the most popular WordPress ecommerce plugin available. And that’s because it makes it so easy to turn your WordPress page into a fully functional online store in an instant.
Originally a Jigoshop (which I’ll review later in the article) fork, created in 2011, it has since then, far surpassed virtually all other ecommerce plugins. In 2015 the creators of WooCommerce – WooThemes – was acquired by Automattic (the organization that operates WordPress) and its popularity has skyrocketed since. In fact, WooCommerce now powers 8% of all ecommerce websites and 21% of the top 1 million online stores.
WooCommerce is considered one of the best solutions for rapidly building and expanding an online store. With it, it’s possible to create a store consisting of just a few products, right up to a huge collection of thousands of inventory items. WooCommerce works great for any sized store.
WooCommerce in its base form is free to use. And although the free version of WooCommerce works great, you may want to consider upgrading your page by using premium WooCommerce extensions and plugins. Both official WooCommerce extensions and others created by third-party developers are available for purchase and these extensions really help to bring out the best in your WordPress website. And while some people use only the basic WooCommerce plugin for their store, you’ll find that most WooCommerce websites will utilize at least one (but usually more) extension.
Why is WooCommerce One of the Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins?
- It’s cheap. An average small store or startup doesn’t need to spend much money in order to get a great ecommerce website. WooCommerce itself is free and the paid-for extensions and plugins aren’t that expensive. WooCommerce is an economical choice for those looking to start an online store.
- It’s popular. In fact, it is the most popular WordPress ecommerce plugin. Its Automattic affiliation and huge community of developers means that it’s here to stay and there will be plenty of updates available in the future. Most WordPress ecommerce themes are built around WooCommerce, so integration shouldn’t be a problem.
- There’s an army of developers. Many developers are working to create extensions that solve problems that online store owners come up against. And these extensions allow shop owners to add more advanced ecommerce features to their store without having to have any coding knowledge.
- It’s versatile. With WooCommerce you can sell pretty much anything in your store. Including subscriptions, appointments, digital goods, as well as physical products.
- It’s easy. The top payment gateways are included and extensions are available for most major payment gateways.
- It’s simple. Beginners and advanced users alike won’t have any problems learning to use WooCommerce. The intuitive interface is simple enough for new users to get started with, while the REST API, documentation, and open development makes it possible for advanced developers to make any customization they need.
2. Easy Digital Downloads (EDD)
Easy Digital Downloads (or EDD, for short) is an easy-to-use, intuitive plugin for selling and managing digital products on WordPress. And while you can definitely do this using WooCommerce, EDD has more features that focus on digital sales and a far cleaner interface. If you’re only selling digital items like eBooks, PDF files, or audio clips, it’s worth considering EDD over any of the other WordPress ecommerce plugins.
One reason for EDD’s success is the fact that the core plugin is free. The moment you install it on your website, you’ll have a digital sales platform ready to go, with features that include discount codes, file access control, and activity tracking.
The Easy Digital Downloads plugin provides a full shopping cart, so the payments are processed on your website, minimizing the number of clicks needed and speeding up the buying process. You can make galleries and also choose from a variety of EDD themes. Once a purchase is made on your website, the system will then send your customer an email with the download link
The EDD core plugin is free. You also have the option to upgrade to a yearly subscription, starting at $199 per year and going right up to $899 per year for the all-access pass. Every yearly subscription includes full customer support, access to the full range of extensions, site licenses, and updates. Plus, you will also receive extensions and unique integrations for things such as email marketing and payment gateways.
It is also possible to purchase extensions separately if you don’t want to sign up for the yearly subscription. The downside of this is that you won’t receive the customer support that comes with the subscription service. You’ll find a large selection of extensions available for varying prices and there are also several free extensions available.
Why is Easy Digital Downloads One of the Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins?
- It’s the best for selling digital downloads. Because it doesn’t have features for physical products, it has more advanced solutions for digital products.
- It has a big extension library. The library contains dozens of add-ons and, therefore, allows you to create more advanced digital stores, by allowing things like frontend submissions or including software licensing.
- Choosing your own payment gateway is easy, as there are plenty of options to choose from.
- The basic plugin is totally free and most small businesses or artists with little page building experience will have no problem using EDD.
- Advanced developers will also like EDD as they can take advantage of the RESTful API which allows for full control over customizations.
- The EDD community is a large and active community of bloggers, developers, and enthusiasts. This is important, as it means you’ll have access to blog posts to help problem solve, as well as new extensions that are designed to make your site stand out from the rest.
- The main features included are: a full shopping cart, customer management, discount codes, and data reporting. You will also get tools that enable refund tracking, affiliate systems, mailing lists, and much more.
3. Cart66 Cloud
Cart66 Cloud was designed to be a smart platform for all types of different people. Its basic approach is to streamline your online store by minimizing the number of add-ons required to get the plugin working effectively and smoothly. For some users, working with a lot of extensions and plugins becomes confusing and Cart66 Cloud offers a solution for those looking for a more streamlined approach.
It does this by having most of its features built into the plugin, and its simple and easy-to-use layout has many positive reviews citing its effectiveness.
This is Cart66 Cloud’s biggest draw. Competing against the likes of WooCommerce is no easy task but the team behind Cart66 Cloud have really cornered a niche market of people who want simplicity and ease of use. This is a great plugin for people with limited knowledge of page development.
Another interesting concept which Cart66 Cloud is implementing is its own marketplace of vendors. What this basically means, is that your page and products will be displayed on the Cart66 Marketplace. And while it is an alternative way of getting further word out about your business, the effectiveness of this marketplace is yet to be proven, and I’m not certain your average person is going to be shopping on this platform. Who knows what the future holds though.
Overall, Cart66 is designed to be the layman’s ecommerce platform, while WooCommerce is better suited for developers or people willing to invest a bit more time into constructing a more complex ecommerce system. Having all of its features built in is a major draw for a lot of people. It’s the plugin my dad would use (if he were a little more tech savvy).
Price-wise, the core plugin is free, but like usual, the best features are available on the premium version that will set you back $49 per month. There is a free 14 day trial available to see if it is right for you. And last thing that makes this the perfect plugin for someone with little experience with online stores or page building is Cart66’s outstanding customer service. You’ll find a wealth of positive reviews online citing their customer service as some of the best in the business, an important benefit for those that need a bit of a hand getting things set up and running smoothly.
Update: Unfortunately Cart66 is not currently accepting new accounts.
Why is Cart66 Cloud One of the Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins?
- Excellent customer support. The customer support team is renowned as being one of the best in the business.
- Gives you the choice between free and premium ecommerce features.
- Most features are built into the plugin, meaning that you won’t have to search for and configure plugins. You also don’t need to know how to code or don’t need to hire a developer.
- Cart66 do a lot of the development work behind the scenes. This is a big reason why beginners should consider Cart66 instead of WooCommerce.
- They offer good email marketing. For example, you will get tools for list segmentation, drip campaigns, and timed follow-up emails sent to your WordPress dashboard.
- Cart66 supports both digital and physical products, meaning that it’s possible to sell both eBooks and paperback copies on the same website, to give an example.
- There are over 100 payment gateways built into the Cart66 Cloud. Unlike other ecommerce plugins where you must install the payment gateways as add-ons, these are included in the main plugin.
- Other features, such as recurring payments, content restriction, and packages are also built into the plugin, meaning that aren’t required to be added by the user.
4. WP eCommerce
WP eCommerce is very similar to WooCommerce and is often touted as its main alternative. If you have used WooCommerce in the past, the dashboard interface, set-up, and pricing model of WP eCommerce will feel very familiar to you. If we look at the pricing, the main difference between the two plugins is WP eCommerce’s Gold Cart extension, which operates as a premium version of the plugin. The base plugin is available for free – with the option to purchase extensions required for your website – whereas Gold Cart is listed for $99 per single site. With Gold Cart, you’ll get features such as premium payment gateways, grid product layout and live search.
Deciding between WP eCommerce and WooCommerce mostly comes down to which functions are most prevalent on your website. An example of this is with product reviews. Product reviews are free to use on WooCommerce but with WP eCommerce, you’ll need to purchase the product review add-on. Alternatively, advanced shipping is bundled into the WP eCommerce plugin, whereas you’ll have to fork out some more cash for the paid-for extension on WooCommerce. There isn’t any real rhyme or reason as to which add-ons are included in the base version of either plugin, so you’ll need to find out the information about each plugin and consider which is best suited to your store.
In terms of support, the WP eCommerce customer support team rates higher in customer satisfaction but the plus side of WooCommerce is that there is such a large online following, so there is more chance of getting help from an online community. The team at WP eCommerce also have a lot of information available to you online, with a large library of articles covering the basics and getting started, working with extensions, and setting up payment gateways. And while there used to be some really great instructional videos available on the developer’s website, these seem to have disappeared for the moment. Hopefully, they’ll be back up and running again soon.
Due to having access to a wealth of instructional information and WP eCommerce’s excellent customer support, I’d recommend this over WooCommerce for those people who are just starting out and feel that they would benefit from a bit of a helping hand at times. That helping hand does come at a bit of a cost though, with premium support costing $49 for 30 days and yearly access set at $499. While this price does sound steep at first, it will save you a heap of time searching through articles and forums looking for solutions that the support team can solve in a heartbeat. Remember, time is money.
Why is WP eCommerce One of the Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins?
- Despite the high cost, the customer support you’ll receive with WP eCommerce is far superior to the support you’ll find with WooCommerce. Therefore, WP eCommerce is better suited to those that require the help of an expert when setting up their online store but still wish to do the bulk of the work themselves.
- The available add-ons allow you to easily expand your store and keep your site looking fresh. If you don’t mind not having these extensions built-in, like with Cloud66, it allows for greater flexibility and personalization. It also helps to keep your dashboard clean and free from features that you don’t use.
- It’s very similar to WooCommerce. So, if you have experience with WooCommerce, you’ll be comfortable with using WP eCommerce in no time at all. This is great for those who have used WooCommerce in the past but found that they could do with a little more support from the developers.
5. Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart
Despite looking a lot like WooCommerce, Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart is actually fairly different. The main difference being that Ecwid is not tied to WordPress and can be used on almost any site. So whether you are using WordPress, Drupal, Squarespace, Adobe Muse, Wix, or almost any platform you choose, you can use Ecwid to set up your online store. This is really handy for website developers who need to work on multiple content management systems but want to stick with the same ecommerce plugin. So, although WooCommerce is a fantastic ecommerce plugin, it can only be used with WordPress, meaning you are limiting yourself to that platform. And depending on the number of extensions you purchase when using plugins like WooCommerce, it’s possible that Ecwid’s monthly (and very reasonable) fee may, in fact, work out cheaper for you. I should mention that the base plugin is totally free to use and contains more built-in features than plugins like WooCommerce.
It’s a similar concept to Cart66 – the fewer add-ons needed, the less confusing it is. So, just like Cart66, Ecwid is great for those looking for a simple and streamlined plugin.
The free version of Ecwid is great for those just starting out in ecommerce and/or those with only a few products in their online store. With the free plugin, you’ll get support for up to 10 products, the ability to sell on multiple sites and a mobile responsive shopping cart. Not a bad deal for a freebie.
Unfortunately, if you have more than 10 products in your store, the free version isn’t going to be the plugin for you. Luckily though, the paid-for versions of Ecwid won’t break your bank. Support for up to 100 products will cost you $15 per month, you’ll get up to 2,500 products for $35 per month, or unlimited products for $99 per month.
You might be thinking “That’s going to cost me a lot more than WooCommerce” and at first glance, it does appear that way. But depending on your online store, you may need to purchase a lot of expensive WooCommerce plugins. If you use Ecwid and are selling up to 100 products in your store, you are going to get the following features, plus more, for just $15 per month:
- A Facebook shop.
- A Mobile point of sale.
- A free starter site.
- Discount coupons.
- Abandoned cart saver.
- Social media tools.
- Facebook pixel.
- Automated tax calculations.
- Google Shopping support.
And depending on the amount and type of products you sell, paying for the unlimited $99 monthly plan may also save you money. That’s going to depend entirely on your business.
In terms of functionality, Ecwid has a clean and easy-to-use interface and straightforward setup process. And before handing over any of your hard earned cash, you can download the free version to take it for a test spin and decide if the monthly cost is worth it for your business. As a general rule, if it looks like you are going to need to spend a fortune on add-ons with other plugins, or if you have multiple sales channels (ie. eBay, marketplaces, facebook, etc.), Ecwid is worth having a look into.
Why is Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart One of the Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins?
- You get a free plan for up to 10 products in your store. If you need support for more products, it offers a well-designed installation process, interface, and feature-set for a reasonable monthly cost.
- Ecwid works not just with WordPress, but with a wide selection of website builders. It’s known for its ability to integrate with most website builders and content management systems including WordPress, Squarespace, Adobe Muse and Wix.
- Some plans provide both chat and phone support, free customizations, and even priority support. Check each plan to find out which of these features you will receive.
- With Ecwid, all plugin upgrades are automatic, whereas most WordPress plugins require you to upgrade manually.
- The stores are hosted by Ecwid and it’s PCI-DCC Certified, making it completely secure for transactions between your gateway and bank. A lot of other plugins on the list, require you to attain PCI compliance from your host.
- Ecwid is a strong brand with a high focus on customer support and needs, and allows you to sell instantly on multiple sales channels. Take this feature for example – some of the monthly plans will create Facebook Shops for you, saving you a heap of time and effort, especially if you are new to online retailing. You’ll also find options for mobile point of sales, online marketplaces, regular point of sales, eBay, and Google Shopping.
- Installing Ecwid on one site allows you to transfer all of your store’s data to a different website and even sync the sites so you can sell on multiple platforms.
6. Jigoshop eCommerce
Jigoshop was the original WordPress ecommerce plugin, making it the oldest plugin on this list. It was released back in 2011 by a UK based company called Jigowatt when they had the idea of allowing users to turn their WordPress blogs into an online store.
Being the first to develop an ecommerce platform for WordPress, it stands as the inspiration for all WordPress ecommerce plugins that have followed. But that doesn’t mean that Jigoshop is sitting back and letting the others take the reins. There has been quite a lot of development and progress since its initial release and the Jigoshop eCommerce plugin has seen a fair amount of re-branding and releases of extensive development updates in recent times, making it one of the most modern and fastest ecommerce plugins currently available.
Jigoshop eCommerce was designed as an open-source plugin and remains free for public use to this day. The main advantages to open-source software are 1) it’s free and 2) it is constantly being updated and redeveloped by an army of loyal fans and users. These developers are always working on ways to improve Jigoshop by releasing new updates and fixing any bugs or issues found.
Because many extensions and themes are created by third-party developers, some of the extensions and themes are not free but the base plugin always will be. And most of the prices set by developers are not high, so you can purchase a stunning Jigoshop them for between $0 and $50. There is also a large extension store where you can find both free and paid-for extensions. Like the themes, these extensions range in price but most max out around the fifty dollar mark. The Jigoshop store is actually very similar to the WooCommerce store in terms of content and design. You’ll find categories for networking, marketing, payment gateways, shipping, and much more.
A wide range of product types are supported by Jigoshop eCommerce. It supports both digital and physical products, variable products, and simple products. You’ll also find detailed reports, superb styling tools and a stock management area included. It also tends to work out a little cheaper than using WooCommerce, as the Jigoshop extensions are usually cheaper. And, although the free version is great, it may not cover everything you need, so if you are opening a complex or niche shop, you might have to purchase a few extensions to get things running the way you want.
Learning to use Jigoshop may take a little more time than some of the more beginner-friendly options like Cart66 or Ecwid but for those willing to invest a bit of time, the results are definitely worth it. As it has received a complete facelift over the past few years, you are going to find some amazing new features incorporated into this time-tested plugin. Because of the upgrade and the fact that it is developed in an open-source environment, some users may come across a few teething issues and this is reflected in the user reviews. Some love it, while others wanted a more user-friendly product. All-in-all though, the interface and themes look great. Another thing that people really loved about it, is that it’s fast. Very fast, according to some.
Why is Jigoshop eCommerce One of the Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins?
- Jigoshop eCommerce is the original WordPress ecommerce plugin that inspired the wave of plugins that followed. I feel that its longevity speaks volumes. The original plugin has been completely revamped to a smarter, faster version. It is definitely worth a look.
- It is an open-source, free project, making it a good option for all businesses, no matter of size. Small businesses and beginners are able to save money, while it gives advanced developers the opportunity to customize in any way they please.
- Stylish yet affordable templates can be found on the theme store and they have a large range that covers most businesses and industries.
- Most paid extensions are cheaper than their WooCommerce equivalents.
- Because of the massive community of Jigoshop users, you’ll find a heap of documentation, instructional videos, blogs, and other support documents to help you develop your store.
- While direct support isn’t available, it’s possible to pay for premium support, which starts at around $40 for email support. The support prices vary and range all the way up to $800+ for full website management. If you don’t want to pay for support, there is an active forum where you can ask for help from both moderators and other users.
7. WP EasyCart Shopping Cart and eCommerce Store
WP EasyCart Shopping Cart and eCommerce Store is an up and coming WordPress plugin that is gaining more and more attention lately. And the attention is well-deserved. What WP EasyCart does, is simplify the online store building process in a way that WooCommerce or even Cart66 don’t. It is designed for small business owners who want to create a stunning website that will draw attention to their business but don’t have the time to sit and learn to use an ecommerce plugin. The store still runs on the WordPress platform but WP EasyCart ensures an amazingly fast configuration process, complete with tools that are super easy to understand for anyone without any developer knowledge.
The really clever part about WP EasyCart is that it is designed to sync with other software – like Quickbooks – that the developers know are used by many small business owners. It also offers email marketing integration for MailChimp and integration with TaxCloud and ShipStation for easy and efficient processing.
WP EasyCart is a very versatile plugin, able to support any products – from physical retail goods, to digital items such as downloads, gift cards, and subscriptions. You also have the option to sell video content, send out invoices, post eBooks, and even ask for donations.
Despite being a WordPress plugin, WP EasyCart works more like a SaaS platform such as Wix or Squarespace. You’ll find all the simple tools there – ready to use, the difference being that you have total control over your website with WordPress and your own hosting.
The free version of WP EasyCart boasts an impressive array of features, with support for unlimited products, advanced product variants, and live shipping calculators. If you want to upgrade from the free version, the $69 per year version will eliminate any transaction fees that come with the free version. The most expensive plan will set you back $99 per year and with it comes great features like Quickbooks integration, Stamps.com, AffiliateWP, subscription selling, and much more.
Just by looking at the basic features such as B2B, promotions, coupons, and subscriptions, you can tell that WP EasyCart is a serious WooCommerce competitor. Add to that the wide variety of small business integrations and you’ll see that it really is a powerful plugin that will yield amazing results for startups, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. The paid-for versions come with a free 14 day trial to enable you to try out the features before you commit to buying and free customer support is available through the support center, video tutorials, online documentation, forums, and more. You can also get paid customer support should you need extra help.
Why is WP EasyCart One of the Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins?
- You can use the free version that supports unlimited products and comes with several free tools covering things like product variants, selling videos and taxes.
- The premium plans are great for small businesses, and most importantly, they are affordable. $99 per year is very reasonable considering all the extensions developed for small businesses.
- Each of the extensions is cleanly made, easy to use and designed for small businesses. They include options such as AffiliateWP, Quickbooks, MailChimp, Stamps.com, and a Groupon Importer.
- Their customer support is just about the best you’ll find. Don’t expect to speak with someone on the phone or through email without paying for the privilege though. But the good news is that the forums are active and the video tutorials are clear, informative and helpful.
- Several unique products are supported by the WP EasyCart plugin. Products such as donations, invoices, eBooks, and video content.
- The $69 and $99 plans are much cheaper than buying the advanced add-ons from WooCommerce.
- It features one of the simplest and easy-to-use interfaces for small business owners who want to get their site up and running fast, giving themselves more time to work on their day-to-day business activities.
8. BigCommerce WordPress Plugin
After running its own ecommerce platform for quite a while now, with its own hosting and content management, BigCommerce is now trying to muscle its way into the WordPress arena, with an early version of its beta development. Currently, you need to apply in order to gain access to it but I’m hopeful that this will change in the near future.
BigCommerce’s number one goal is to attract companies that are using WordPress built sites – as before this plugin was developed, you had to choose either one or the other – WordPress or BigCommerce – there was no way to combine the two. BigCommerce is hoping to attract those businesses that use WordPress but want to utilize the superior selling power of BigCommerce. They are also targeting WordPress bloggers that want to start selling products on their website but might be intimidated by the idea of leaving WordPress for something they are not familiar with.
Combining the page building power of WordPress with the selling power of BigCommerce really sounds like a fantastic idea to me. It actually functions quite similarly to Ecwid, given that you can place the BigCommerce module on multiple sites and have them all sync. This means that all of your sales and inventory are managed from one dashboard, making it a streamlined product that alleviates the confusion that comes with having too many variables that require changing separately. BigCommerce also incorporates what they call ‘headless commerce’, where WordPress resources are controlled on the frontend – in order to free up space and speed up payment processing times, and catalog management is handled on the backend.
As I said earlier, at the moment, you need to apply to be accepted into this program as it appears to still be in its testing phase. But, if you have the chance, it’s definitely worth checking out if you are a WordPress user interested in the large number of features that BigCommerce offers.
Why is BigCommerce One of the Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins?
- It has the ability to combine the best content management system available (WordPress) with one of the top ecommerce platforms (BigCommerce).
- They partner with many processing companies and are often capable of getting much better credit card processing fees for users.
- The ecommerce portion of your website runs on the backend, while content is managed on the frontend. This helps to speed up your site and also has the potential to save you money on hosting costs.
- BigCommerce takes care of all PCI Compliance. This isn’t the case with plugins like WooCommerce, who require you to organize PCI with your host.
- BigCommerce can run on multiple sites. The sites are synced so that any changes occur on all sites.
Summary
Just because something is the most popular, doesn’t mean that it is going to be the right fit for you and your business. Sure, WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads are fantastic plugins that produce stunning online sales platforms with relative ease. There is a reason that they are the most popular plugins – they work great, they look great and there is a wealth of support and information about these plugins available.
The thing I love about WordPress is how diverse it is. There are so many options available to suit individual businesses and enable them to customize their websites in a way that gives their business the edge they are looking for.
And while I can’t recommend plugins like WooCommerce enough, it’s important to consider which plugin is right for you. So, which plugin is best suited to your business?
- Developers who wantheaps of customization tools – WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, or Jigoshop. Bigcommerce is also a good option if you are ready to try something different
- Total beginners with no ecommerce experience – Cart66 or WP EasyCart. But, if you are even a little computer savvy, you should be able to pick-up WooCommerce pretty quick.
- You’d like plenty of features designed for small businesses – WP EasyCart.
- You’re looking for a free core ecommerce plugin – WooCommerce or WP eCommerce.
- You’d like to keep your costs down with fewer add-ons – Cart66 Cloud or WP EasyCart.
- You like the idea of add-ons – WooCommerce, Jigoshop, or WP eCommerce.
- You’re only selling digital products – Easy Digital Downloads.
- You’d like to sell on many channels – Ecwid, or BigCommerce
- You like the idea of combining BigCommerce with WordPress – consider the BigCommerce Beta.
So, there we go. The top eight WordPress ecommerce plugins. All these plugins work great for launching, developing and managing an online store. The key to choosing the plugin that will work best for you is to consider which elements of each plugin would best complement your store. It’s also important to consider your level of experience and need for customer support. If you have any questions about the best WordPress ecommerce plugins, leave a comment below. Thanks for reading and good luck finding the plugin that will take your business to the next level.