osCommerce
Learn more about the osCommerce e-commerce platform with customer reviews, pricing info, and frequently asked questions.
Updated on December 23rd, 2022
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Updates:
Updated 18th of February 2022
We've updated mentions of Magento to Adobe Commerce.
Updated 30th of December 2021
We've updated our review to cover osCommerce's pros, cons, and reputation, as well as a comparison section to three of the company's top competitors.
osCommerce is a free and open-source e-commerce platform that businesses can use to set up and manage their online stores. The self-hosted software provides users with a range of features, including payment processing, technical support, and multi-currency support. In addition, the software can also be integrated on websites or web servers.
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Pricing:
osCommerce is a free, open-source e-commerce platform. For more assistance and information, visit oscommerce.com and click "Support" in the main homepage menu.
Review:
Founded in 2000, osCommerce has been used by thousands of store owners and has a strong community of over 280,000 developers and service providers. The platform is highly customizable and features a wide range of free, community-developed add-ons for increased functionality.
While the platform is free to download and install, it does require development skills for enhanced modifications and is less easy to scale, making it better-suited to smaller businesses.
Pros:
- osCommerce is free to download and install.
- The open-source architecture makes the platform highly customizable.
- osComemrce's Apps Marketplace features over 9,000 add-ons for increased functionality.
- The platform supports multiple currencies.
- osCommerce has a large community of developers and store owners for support.
- The platform can be integrated with any website with MySQL and PHP functionality.
- osCommerce features a range of payment integrations, including PayPal and Sage Pay.
- The platform features unlimited products and categories.
- Users can sell both physical and digital products with osCommerce.
Cons:
- Advanced modifications require coding skills.
- osCommerce is more difficult to scale than other open-sourced platforms, such as Adobe Commerce.
- Most of the technical support comes from the community of developers and store owners.
- osCommerce's basic template is dated and lacks extensive customization tools.
Reputation:
Reviews on G2 were mixed and users gave the platform a 3.2 out of 5 star rating. Customers praised the platform's open-source architecture, extensive community forums, wide range of add-ons, and ease of use. Negative feedback cited the outdated user interface, security vulnerabilities, and lack of themes as shortcomings.
At a Glance:
Feature | osCommerce |
|---|---|
Starting Price | Free. |
Open-source | ✓ |
Transaction fee | 0% - 3.5% depending on the payment gateway. |
Abandoned cart recovery | ✓ (via add-on) |
Supports multiple currencies | ✓ |
Mobile app | x |
osCommerce vs. WooCommerce:
WooCommerce is a free plugin that gives WordPress websites e-commerce functionality. While osCommerce is free and open-source, WooCommerce has a greater range of built-in features and is an easier platform to use. osCommerce is a smaller platform that is more difficult to configure and scale, although it can integrate with any existing website.
osCommerce vs. WooCommerce Comparison:
Offer | osCommerce | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
Starting price | Free. | From $6.95 /mo for hosting. |
Free version | Yes. | WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress websites. |
Transaction fee | 0% - 3.5% depending on the payment gateway. | 0% |
Sales channels | Online store and online marketplaces. | Various channels are available via extensions. |
Open-source | ✓ | ✓ |
Abandoned cart recovery | ✓ (via add-on) | x |
24/7 customer support | No. | No. |
Mobile app | x | ✓ |
Supports multiple currencies | ✓ | Available via extensions. |
osCommerce vs. OpenCart:
Both OpenCart and osCommerce are free, open-source e-commerce platforms that feature an extensive marketplace of add-ons and plugins. While both platforms require development knowledge for advanced modifications, OpenCart is more user-friendly and comes with a greater feature-set straight out of the box.
osCommerce vs. OpenCart Comparison:
Offer | osCommerce | OpenCart |
|---|---|---|
Starting price | Free. | Free. |
Free version | Yes. | Yes. |
Transaction fee | 0% - 3.5% depending on the payment gateway. | 0% - 3% depending on the plan. |
Sales channels | Online store and online marketplaces. | Online store, social media, online marketplaces, and physical stores. |
Open-source | ✓ | ✓ |
Abandoned cart recovery | ✓ (Via add-on) | ✓ |
24/7 customer support | No. | No. |
Mobile app | x | ✓ |
Supports multiple currencies | ✓ | ✓ |
osCommerce vs. PrestaShop:
Like osCommerce, PrestaShop is open-source, giving users a large degree of flexibility and many customization options. Both platforms are free to download and best suited to smaller businesses, although PrestaShop's add-ons may be costlier than osCommerce's, which offers many free plugins.
osCommerce vs. PrestaShop Comparison:
Offer | osCommerce | PrestaShop |
|---|---|---|
Starting price | Free. | Free. |
Free version | Yes. | Yes. |
Transaction fee | 0% - 3.5% depending on the payment gateway. | 0% |
Sales channels | Online store and online marketplaces. | Online store, social media, online marketplaces, and physical stores. |
Open-source | ✓ | ✓ |
Abandoned cart recovery | ✓ (Via add-on) | ✓ (Via add-on) |
24/7 customer support | No. | No. |
Mobile app | x | ✓ |
Supports multiple currencies | ✓ | ✓ |
Key Information:
Legal Name | osCommerce, Ltd. |
Founder | |
Founding Date | Mar 12, 2000 |
Address | Paradise Farm, Kempsford Gloucestershire, GL7 4EU U.K. |
Number of Employees | 30 |
Number of Customers | 350000 |
Website |
FAQs:
What is osCommerce?
osCommerce is a free and open-source e-commerce platform that businesses can use to set up and manage their online stores.
How much does osCommerce cost?
osCommerce is a free to download.
How do I install osCommerce?
- Download osCommerce.
- Upload osCommerce to your web server.
- Create a database.
- Create a username and password.
- Update the user permissions.
- Visit your osCommerce URL.
- Enter your database name, username, and password.
- Add your online store settings.
Is there an osCommerce free trial?
No. osCommerce is a free e-commerce platform.