Ecwid by Lightspeed vs OpenCart
A side-by-side look at Ecwid by Lightspeed and OpenCart. On our scoring, Ecwid by Lightspeed comes out ahead — but the right pick depends on your priorities.
| Platform | Ecwid by LightspeedAll-in-one | OpenCartOpen-source |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| SellingScene score | 4.2/5 | 3.8/5 |
| User rating | 4.2 | 3.7 |
| Reviews | 1,080 | 640 |
| Pricing | ||
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Pricing model | free plan + paid tiers | free core + hosting & extensions |
| Transaction fees | 0% (processing applies) | 0% (processor fees apply) |
| Hosting & setup | ||
| Hosting type | Embeddable widget | Self-hosted |
| Free trial | Free plan available | Free core |
| Staff accounts | By plan | Unlimited (role-based) |
| Product limit | 5 free; unlimited on paid | Unlimited |
| Payments & security | ||
| Payment gateways | 70+ payment providers | Many via extensions |
| SSL included | Yes | Yes |
| PCI compliant | Yes | Yes |
| Gift cards | Yes | Yes |
| Catalog & content | ||
| Themes / templates | Inherits host site design | Theme marketplace |
| App marketplace | App market & integrations | 13,000+ extensions |
| Multi-currency | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-language | Yes | Yes |
| POS included | Yes | No |
| Abandoned cart recovery | Yes | No |
| Built-in blog | No | No |
| Tools & flexibility | ||
| Drag-and-drop editor | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No |
| Support channels | Email, chat, phone (higher tiers) | Community forum, paid commercial support |
| Actions | Read review | Read review |
Why pick Ecwid by Lightspeed?
Ecwid is the easiest way to bolt a real store onto a site you already own, syncing one catalog across web, social, and marketplaces. It is not meant to be your primary site builder, so design control stays limited.
Best for: Adding a cart to a site you already have
Read the full Ecwid by Lightspeed reviewWhy pick OpenCart?
OpenCart is a lean, genuinely free cart that is easy to spin up and supports multiple stores from one admin. Its core stays minimal, so you will lean on the paid extension marketplace and your own hosting know-how.
Best for: Developers wanting a simple, free self-hosted cart
Read the full OpenCart review