If you want to sell products from a WordPress website, you need the right shopping cart plugin. A good plugin can help you accept payments, manage products, send order emails, and make the checkout process easier for customers.
Many old WordPress shopping cart plugins are no longer popular today, so it is important to choose a plugin that is still maintained and works well with modern WordPress websites.
In this updated guide, we will look at some of the best WordPress shopping cart plugins for selling physical products, digital downloads, services, and simple online payments.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is one of the most popular WordPress shopping cart plugins. It can be used for physical products, digital products, subscriptions, bookings, and many other types of online stores.
WooCommerce is a good choice if you want a full online store with product pages, cart, checkout, coupons, taxes, shipping, and many extension options.
It may feel bigger than necessary for a very small website, but it is still one of the strongest choices for building a complete WordPress ecommerce store.
Easy Digital Downloads
Easy Digital Downloads is a good choice if you mainly sell digital products such as ebooks, software, templates, music, graphics, or downloadable files.
For digital sellers, Easy Digital Downloads can be easier to manage than a large full-store plugin. It focuses on digital product sales, file delivery, payment records, discount codes, and customer management.
If your website sells digital downloads only, this plugin is worth considering.
Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart
Ecwid is another option for adding a shopping cart to a WordPress website. It can work well for users who want an online store that can also connect with other sales channels.
Ecwid may be useful if you want a store system that is not fully locked into WordPress only. It supports online payments, product management, and selling through different platforms.
For some small business owners, Ecwid can be easier than managing many separate WooCommerce extensions.
WP Simple Pay
WP Simple Pay is not a full shopping cart plugin, but it is useful if you only need to accept simple payments through Stripe.
For example, you can use it for service payments, donations, one-time payments, recurring payments, or simple product payments without building a full ecommerce store.
If you do not need product pages, cart pages, and shipping settings, WP Simple Pay may be simpler than a full shopping cart system.
Which WordPress Shopping Cart Plugin Should You Choose?
The best WordPress shopping cart plugin depends on what you want to sell.
If you want to build a full online store, WooCommerce is usually the strongest choice.
If you sell digital downloads, Easy Digital Downloads may be a better fit.
If you want a store that can connect with other platforms, Ecwid is worth checking.
If you only need simple payments and do not need a full cart system, WP Simple Pay may be enough.
Final Thoughts
WordPress shopping cart plugins have changed a lot over the years. Some older plugins are no longer active, while modern ecommerce plugins now offer better payment options, better security, and better support for digital products.
Before choosing a plugin, think about what you sell, how many products you have, what payment method you need, and whether you want a full store or just a simple payment form.
For most WordPress users, WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, Ecwid, and WP Simple Pay are good places to start.
