osCommerce is a free option for an online shopping cart. It is a basic, quick, and easy Open Source eCommerce solution for setting up an e-store. It is PHP based and uses the MySQL database. This is an option that requires little to no effort to get up and running (at its basic level), has several add-on features, and it has been released under GNU General Public License.<\/em><\/p>\n This solution has remained very popular and continues to be used by a large number of start-up businesses. While updates are not very frequent, its users help each other and have a lot of participation in the development of new extensions. It’s the base design for other shopping carts that have been developed, so they clearly did something right.<\/p>\n Zen Cart is also another free online shopping cart.\u00c2\u00a0 This solution was also written in PHP and used the MySQL database. It has also has been released under GNU General Public License. It was initially developed from osCommerce, but it became its own project in 2003.<\/p>\n Zen Cart is extremely user-friendly with its inbuilt system of sub-pages management and it has a very intuitive interface for admin. Users can add product information and make changes to the configuration with ease. Some desirable features of this solution are its built-in coupon code system, template system, HTML editor, product attributes managers, and even the option to customize what credit cards the store will accept.<\/p>\n For the beginner, osCommerce is probably the best choice. It’s just a basic shopping cart. People without experience in the development of e-stores will find the installation very easy. This platform comes already equipped with all the features needed to build a successful online store. Its simplicity is what makes it so popular for start-ups, however, it does have a smaller list of features for now.<\/p>\n This is also a good option for someone that’s just looking for a basic shopping cart that runs well. Sometimes e-stores can drown in their own options and users can become confused or discouraged with too many options. This solution eliminates that.<\/p>\n Some common complaints have been the time and cost of installing all the add-ons, difficulty with modifying the design, and also the lack of updates.<\/p>\n Zen Cart is a better option for the more seasoned online businesses. It includes a template system and new functionality which may be confusing for beginners and slow the start-up process. For people more familiar with open source PHP software, the extra options will allow the business able to provide a more pleasing and customized experience for their online customers. Seasoned users have claimed this solution is the easiest to manage and to maintain. The main selling point here is options, options, and more options.<\/p>\n A major complaint with this solution is that an option called the Easy Populate contribution is not working. Also, even though this solution was born from osCommerce, most osCommerce contributions add-ons will not work with Zen Cart.<\/p>\n To sum it all up, they are both free options, and they are both really good choices. The decision to use one or the other really depends on what you’re looking for. Since one was born from the other, they are alike in a lot of ways. Both run well and are very stable. You have your basic version – osCommerce shopping cart, and the highly updated option of Zen Cart.<\/p>\nZen Cart<\/h2>\n
For Beginners and Start-Ups – osCommerce<\/h2>\n
Seasoned Businesses and Users – Zen Cart<\/h2>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n