7 Free WordPress E-Commerce Plugins You Need to Know About!
WordPress can be a great option for entry-level online stores, especially when budget is to be taken into consideration. Not only is WordPress arguably one of the best Content Management Systems for blogs, but its e-commerce plugins also make it extremely easy for anyone with a small inventory to set up their online shop and get selling!
While WordPress has plenty of free e-commerce plugins to choose from, most of them have terrible documentation. And if you happen to encounter problems with any of the free plugins, you might not receive good customer support; worse, you may be required to pay for fixes!
Don’t let this worry you because there are a lot of amazing WordPress e-commerce plugins out there. Use the free versions or buy premium extensions if you can by cutting down on website hosting costs by using a WPEngine coupon!
Here are 7 free WordPress e-commerce plugins that you need to know about.
#1 WooCommerce
WooCommerce has an impressive rating of 4.1/5 and is fairly simple to use for you and your customers. It has a huge library of free add-ons and premium extensions to make buying more enjoyable for your customers.
WooCommerce has quite a few interesting features as follows:
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Built according to WordPress best practices
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Strength and flexibility
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Compatible with WordPress themes
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Customizable
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Several payment options plus PayPal gateway and Mijireh checkout
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Google Analytics
#2 Cart66 Lite
The professional paid version called Cart66 has just about everything your WordPress store needs to run smoothly. This plugin offers basic shopping cart functionality and is recommended for selling digital downloads like MP3s and videos, and handling recurring billing, for example, subscriptions.
The free Cart66 Lite version includes features like:
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Mijireh checkout
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Multiple currency and shipping options
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Integrates with Amazon S3
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Custom fields for products and product variations
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Customizable e-mail receipts
#3 Jigoshop
The WooCommerce plugin was built on the Jigoshop codebase, so you’ll get to see some similarities between the two in terms of user experience from the front and the back end. However, both plugins are developed by different teams so don’t expect WooCommerce and Jigoshop to be the same!
Jigoshop has enough features to help you run your e-commerce store without glitches, but you can purchase premium add-ons and themes from its library.
Here are some basic features of Jigoshop:
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Detailed reporting including stock reports and sales graphs
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Short codes and widgets
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User-friendly inventory system with inventory tracking
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Multiple product, payment, and shipping options
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Secure payment gateway
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Single-page checkout
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Highly customizable
#4 WP eCommerce
WP eCommerce was one of the first WordPress e-commerce plugins, and though its user rating isn’t impressive, it is a very popular plugin. Like other plugins, you can upgrade and expand WP eCommerce by installing add-ons.
WP eCommerce may not be as good as WooCommerce in terms of functionality, but has a few great features like:
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Short codes, widget support, and template tags
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Customizable HTML and CSS Options like cross-sells, cross-page promotion, quantity discounts, flexible coupon codes, etc.
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Single-page checkout
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Seamless integration with payment and other third-party platforms
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SSL certificates
#5 Ecwid
Ecwid is the best plugin for individuals or companies that don’t want to start a new website for their online shop. This plugin is popular for the fact that it can be integrated into your old website easily in just a few minutes. Ecwid also allows you to mirror the system onto other sites you intend to sell on, and sync between devices like your smartphone, tablet, and computer.
Out of the four plans that Ecwid offers, one is free with features as follows:
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Product options and product search
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Multiple payment options and currencies
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Real-time shipping rates from multiple providers
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Printable invoices with logo
Premium plans come with features like volume discounts, inventory management, coupon codes, etc.
#6 Easy Digital Downloads
Easy Digital Downloads follows a pricing strategy that’s similar to WooCommerce but it’s different in that it is created for stores that will be selling digital content like audio, video, and image files, eBooks, and other non-physical products. Due to this, it has a relatively small number of users despite its positive user rating of 4.8/5.
The list of extensions is huge, but the basic features are good enough.
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Can re-download files
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Can bundle purchases
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Cart system
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Download multiple files at once
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Promotional code system
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Multiple and secure payment gateways
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Payment history Sales charts
#7 MarketPress
This is a simple yet powerful plugin that helps you set up a stylish online store in minutes. If you want your users to have an enjoyable shopping experience, MarketPress is what you need.
Here are some of the features of this plugin:
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AJAX based Compatible with WordPress, Multisite, and BuddyPress
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Product variations
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Sales pricing and shipping coupons
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Several payment gateways
Conclusion
Starting an online store can be a challenge for small businesses that are struggling to stay within their budget. But with WordPress and its free e-commerce plugins, selling goods and services online is not only a breeze but inexpensive too! Now that you know about these free WordPress e-commerce plugins, you needn’t wait to set up your online store any longer. With the information provided here, decide what’s best for your needs and choose accordingly.