So you have decided to start your first ecommerce site but confused to choose between free vs paid shopping cart (Hosted Cart)software.Here is our simple guidelines to solve this issue.

As a supplier of various websites ecommerce shopping cart to customers worldwide, there is a particular question we get asked again and again: “Should I use a shopping cart comes with free ecommerce or paid solution? “. My answer is always the same: “This will depend on your specific needs.”

I’ve always said that no one eCommerce solution can cater to every individual customer requirements. We will all have different needs, and we will try to get different end results.

I wanted to look at the pros and cons of these two different types of e-commerce options.

What are the differences?
Usually, a free e-commerce shopping cart will lets you to do everything by yourself. From choosing your domain name, hosting the selection, installation of your software ecommerce design of it, etc.

In another case ,the hosted shopping cart many of the steps i have described above are  already served by the service provider itself. You still have to choose and register your domain name, but Hosting is served by the e-commerce company you choose.

Hopefully taking a look at the pros and cons of each will help you decide what best suits what you are looking for.

Free Ecommerce Shopping
With a free platform will first have to decide on the platform you would like to use. Zen Cart and OS commerce are popular but are aging and increasingly supported. Magento, Presta Shop and X of purchase are the choice of professionals, but have a learning curve.

Pros
It’s free! – You can not get any cheaper than getting something for free ay?
No tie-ins – There are no commitments to free e-commerce solutions. If a particular platform is not working for you, usually you can just start over in another e-commerce platform.
You have full control – The great thing about hosting and managing your own ecommerce store is that you have total control over all aspects of your store and so cn be a bit more flexible. Some people may find a rather restrictive hosted solution.

Cons
Little or no direct support – You usually prudent in their own support when free ecommerce solutions. So if something goes wrong, you need to check the forums to answer yourself, or outsource and hire a developer to fix things for you.
It is more difficult to install a new theme – Depending on the e-commerce solution you choose, install a new theme can be a complicated process. Usually need to access their websites of major files and load your new theme via FTP (File Transfer Protocol) software as file zilla.
Updates – usually by their own when it comes to ensuring your shopping cart software is updated. Some updates for the software you are using might include important security patches or bug fixes.
Security – Protecting Your website is hackers will fall on you and you alone.

Hosted Ecommerce Shopping
There are several companies out there is not providing a hosted solution for a reasonable monthly fee. Each company has its pros and cons, as well as different features wise. You have to invest time deciding which best suits your needs. Great trade, and actinic Volusion are popular choices.

Pros
Free themes – Several free themes are available for hosted e-commerce solutions that are usually just a click away to install.
Better support – Most ecommerce solutions have a useful equipment housed in the local support that can turn if you are having problems with your store.
Updates – The e-commerce company you choose usually ensure that all clients are running the latest versions of your software.
Safety – No company would eCommerce platform – or a website customers being hacked. Most will do everything possible to reduce the chances of this happening.
Easy installation – most hosted solutions are very easy to configure. It’s usually just a case of entering your data.

Cons
Not as flexible – Those who prefer spead its wings and experiment with your store can find a fairly restrictive hosted solution.
You are tied to a monthly fee – Whether your website instantly becomes profitable or not, bind you to pay a monthly fee that will range anything from $ 10 – $ 8 p.m..
Without access to database files – For security reasons hosted solutions will not give access to their websites raw code. Instead, make all aspects of your store using editable size of a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get).

So as you can see, the choice when it comes to e-commerce is not an easy task. I personally prefer the flexibility that electronic trading platforms may provide free; but I can also see why hosted ecommerce solutions are becoming more and more popular.

Editorial Team