20 free eCommerce software packages

When you want to open an eCommerce site, one time or another comes the question of choosing your shopping cart software. You should carefully think through it since it wouldn't be easy to change it.

Shopping cart software is used in eCommerce to assist people making purchases online.

In this post, I'll provide you with a list of the top free online shopping cart software packages in order to help you make the best choice for your business, as well as a list of online shopping cart modules for Joomla, WordPress, and Drupal.

Top free eCommerce software packages

• OsCommerce

OsCommerce online merchant is one of the best known open source eCommerce solution that is available for free. It features a rich set of online shopping cart functionality that allows store owners to setup, run, and maintain online stores with minimum effort and with no costs, fees, or limitations involved. OsCommerce's community include more than 235,000 shop owners and 6,000 add-ons.

• Zen Cart

Zen Cart is an off branch of osCommerce that comes with several of the most popular modules built into it.

• CubeCart

CubeCart offers version 3 of their software for free but charges for version 4 (after a free 30 day trial). Its features include upload, inventory management, shipping modules, etc.

• Magento

Magento is a feature-rich eCommerce platform built on open-source technology that provides online merchants with great flexibility and control over the look, content and functionality of their eCommerce store. Magento's intuitive administration interface features powerful marketing, SEO and catalog-management tools to give merchants the power to create sites that are tailored to their unique business needs. The professional and enterprise versions include many more offerings.

• PrestaShop

PrestaShop is a free professional eCommerce shopping cart enabling store admins to manage the inventory, orders, customers & payments easily. You can create unlimited categories, sub-categories and image pictures.

• Digistore

Digistore is a fully featured open source eCommerce solution based on osCommerce with improvements notably in administration and end user experience.

• OpenCart

OpenCart is an eCommerce solution enabling merchants to create their own online business at a minimal cost. It's designed feature rich, easy to use, search engine friendly and with a visually rather appealing interface.

• JadaSite

JadaSite is a bit unusual since it’s Java based, as well as fully integrated with a CMS.

• Quick Cart

Quick Cart offers a free version allowing you to build a simple online store. Two more robust levels of the same program (premium versions) have more features.

• CRE Loaded

CRE Loaded is an e-commerce system that makes your store fully compliant with all Payment Card Industry (PCI) security rules. You can easily organize, manage and ship your products from your online store. It also accept credit card transactions safely.

• Spree Commerce 

Spree Commerce provides one of the most flexible commerce platforms available.

Shopping cart modules for Joomla

• VirtueMart

VirtueMart is a free shopping cart solution built specially for integration with Joomla and Mambo CMS. It can work in store and catalog mode.

• RokQuickCart

RokQuickCart is a simple shopping cart for Joomla. It takes a simple, yet elegant, shopping cart script and integrates directly into Joomla. It allows you to showcase products, inclusive of images, descriptions and additional options, and purchase these items, with support for shipping and tax calculation.

• Seber Cart

Seber Cart is a free shopping cart solution allowing any Joomla site owner to sell products on line via their web site. One of the primary goals of Seber Cart is to allow the store owner complete control over their store. Orders and products are easy to manage via an easy to use interface.

Shopping cart modules for Wordpress

• ShopperPress

ShopperPress is a fully featured shopping cart plugin for Wordpress CMS, allowing you to sell any types of products, services, and digital downloads online. ShopperPress has built in support for multiple payment gateways allowing you to accept product payments online.

• Fat Free Cart

FatFreeCart is a free shopping cart which can work inside your website, blog and MySpace page. It's simply a copy-paste cart and it doesn't require any installation. It works with PayPal and Google Checkout and supports product variations, shipping, handling and sales tax.

• WordPress E-Commerce

WordPress e-Commerce is a shopping cart plugin for WordPress making easy to sell your products and services online.

• eShop

eShop is an accessible shopping cart plugin for WordPress, packed with various features. It gives you notably the ability to add a PayPal powered store to your site and allows one item per post or page.

• Quick Shop

Quick Shop is a shopping cart plugin for your WordPress blog.

Shopping cart module for Drupal

•  UberCart

Ubercart is a full-featured shopping cart that can be integrated within a Drupal-powered site so that you can build a community around your store or featured products.

Do you know other great free eCommerce software packages?