What is OpenCart used for?

OpenCart is a free, open-source PHP e-commerce platform that online merchants install on their own hosting to run a web store. It is a good fit for launching an online store on your own hosting and running a small merchant shop.

Is OpenCart open source?

Yes. OpenCart is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at opencart/opencart and is written mainly in PHP.

Yes. OpenCart is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host OpenCart?

Yes. OpenCart can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is OpenCart an alternative to?

OpenCart is an open-source alternative to Shopify, BigCommerce, Square Online and Big Cartel. Other open-source alternatives to Shopify include PrestaShop, WooCommerce and Bagisto.

Is OpenCart actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to OpenCart was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 4.1.0.4, published on 11 August 2026. The project has 8.2k stars on GitHub.

OpenCart: open-source alternative to Shopify, BigCommerce

About OpenCart

OpenCart is a free and open-source e-commerce platform for online merchants. It is a PHP-based shopping cart system that you install on your own web hosting and use as the foundation of an online store, with JavaScript and HTML on the storefront side.

The repository includes installation and upgrade instructions that ship with the download, and the project directs users to a community forum, a GitHub bug tracker and a changelog for the master branch. Bug reports must relate to the core code, since problems with third-party modules or server configuration are referred back to the extension developer, the forum or commercial partners. Security issues are handled through private messages to moderators instead of public posts.

Contributions follow a documented guide covering environment setup, coding standards and pull request expectations. The repository lists a licence of other, so check the project for its exact terms before redistributing. A hosted version of the store software is not described in the repository.

Key features

PHP-based shopping cart system
Self-installed on your own hosting
Documented upgrade path between versions
Community forum and bug tracker
Extension ecosystem from third-party developers

Good fit for

→Launching an online store on your own hosting
→Running a small merchant shop

Built with: PHP; JavaScript
Tags: ecommerce; shopping-cart; php; online-store; self-hosted; open-source; javascript

OpenCart: questions and answers

What is OpenCart used for?: OpenCart is a free, open-source PHP e-commerce platform that online merchants install on their own hosting to run a web store. It is a good fit for launching an online store on your own hosting and running a small merchant shop.
Is OpenCart open source?: Yes. OpenCart is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at opencart/opencart and is written mainly in PHP.
Is OpenCart free?: Yes. OpenCart is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host OpenCart?: Yes. OpenCart can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is OpenCart an alternative to?: OpenCart is an open-source alternative to Shopify, BigCommerce, Square Online and Big Cartel. Other open-source alternatives to Shopify include PrestaShop, WooCommerce and Bagisto.
Is OpenCart actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to OpenCart was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 4.1.0.4, published on 11 August 2026. The project has 8.2k stars on GitHub.