Magento 2 Vs CS-Cart: Which One to Choose?

Today, we’re going to help you guys decide which eCommerce platform to choose between CS-Cart and Magento 2.

As you might already know that both CS-Cart & Magento 2 platforms are considered as one of the best eCommerce platforms in the market.

But, there are many differences between both of these platforms that one needs to consider before making a choice.

And in this post, we’re going to share a comprehensive comparison of CS-Cart Vs Magento 2 so that you can decide which eCommerce platform would be a perfect fit for your business.

CS-Cart Overview

CS-Cart is an open-source eCommerce platform that was first launched in 2005. Today, there are more than 35,000+ online stores worldwide using CS-Cart.

CS-Cart helps to manage all sizes of eCommerce stores, small to multi-vendor stores. In addition, CS-Cart supports around 70 online payment gateways including Paypal, EWay, Webmoney, etc. 

Besides this, CS-Cart has also won multiple awards & recognitions like Customers’ Choice by Software Suggest in 2020, Quality Choice by Crozdesk in 2020, and more.

Overall, CS-Cart is definitely a good eCommerce platform that you can consider if it matches your specific business requirements.

Magento 2 Overview

Magento 2 is one of the leading and most powerful eCommerce platforms out there. It is also an open-source eCommerce platform that is built on PHP & Zend Framework.

Magento 2 is best known for its incredible flexibility and unlimited scalability that lets you customize everything effortlessly. And if you want to add more advanced features, there are an unlimited number of extensions available in the market.

Overall, Magento 2 is the most potent eCommerce platform for developing online stores and is also being used by many major brands including Coca-Cola, Nike, and many others.

CS-Cart Vs Magento 2: A Comprehensive Comparison

Now that you know the basics about both eCommerce platforms, let’s check out the comparison between CS-Cart and Magento 2.

1 – B2B Features

Magento 2 is one of the best platforms for both B2B & B2C online stores. 

For B2B online stores, Magento 2 provides a brilliant set of features that can help to generate more revenue and make more profits. 

Magento 2 B2B Features:

• Self-service tools to manage company accounts, purchases, quotes & credit
• Price terms negotiation
• Roles & permissions
• B2B-focused reports
• Payments on account
• Exceptional support
• Quote requests management
• Large orders handling
• Quick order
• Expedite restocking
• Quick reordering
• Custom catalogs & pricing

Apart from this, you can always add more advanced B2B features with the help of third-party extensions available in the Magento marketplace. 

CS-Cart, on the other hand, has also powered a huge amount of B2B online stores and handled over 100,000 products without any difficulties. 

To be specific, CS-Cart is a good choice for wholesale & manufacturing companies that require advanced B2B features.

CS-Cart B2B Features:

• Close storefront & hide prices
• Personal prices for customers
• Easy re-ordering
• Easy integration with third-party services
• Multiple storefronts
• 45 product parameters
• Multiple users in one customer account
• Automatic invoice generation
• Inventory tracking in various warehouses
• Set different levels of access to the admin panel
• Fast order creation
• Order status notifications
• Product variations
• Price list downloading
• In-stock notifications for customers
• Personal manager information block
• Add products to cart in bulk

2 – Performance

Compared to Magento 2, CS-Cart is notably easier to implement as well as faster to operate. This is because of its simple architecture than the Magento 2.

As a result, CS-Cart can be hosted on simple servers, which can bring down the cost.

Magento 2, however, has a more complicated architecture and because of that, it requires competent servers from advanced hosting providers like SiteGround, HostGator, etc.

3 – Extensions

CS-Cart & Magento 2 are both equal in the Extensions department. Both of these platforms have their own marketplaces with a massive number of third-party extensions to add more advanced features.

However, if we consider the exact numbers, Magento 2 is the clear winner with more than 4,000 extensions as well as integrations. 

In addition, there are also thousands of custom modules being developed and shared by Magento service providers all over the world.

4 – Pricing

Magento 2 offers three different plans based on the size of your eCommerce business.

• Magento Community Edition
• Magento Enterprise Edition
• Magento Commerce Cloud

Out of the above 3 plans, the Magento Community Edition is free to use and is best suited for small eCommerce businesses that only require basic features. 

The other two plans are suited for medium to large businesses that require long-term scalability and other advanced features.

Below is the table of pricing for Magento Enterprise & Magento Commerce Cloud plans:

CS-Cart, on the other hand, also offers three different plans for both B2B & B2C eCommerce platforms:

• B2C Software – $385 (one-time payment)
• B2B Software – $390/month
• Combination of B2C & B2B – $790/month

Apart from this, CS-Cart also has 3 separate plans for setting up a  multi-vendor online store:

• Multi-Vendor – $1,450 (one-time payment)
• Multi-Vendor Plus – $3,500 (one-time payment)
• Multi-Vendor Ultimate – $7,500 (one-time payment)

5 – Support

The last key aspect to consider before choosing between CS-Cart & Magento 2 is Support.

Now, both CS-Cart and Magento 2 provide incredible support from both the platform as well as the community. 

CS-Cart includes support on setting up CS-Cart, functionalities, solving any issue that may occur during software operation. 

However, Magento 2 is still the winner when it comes to supporting software operation. This is because Magento 2 is a widely known and the oldest eCommerce platform, meaning there are abundant developers available in the market with exceptional skills.

On top of that, Magento 2 also has a massive community & forum to help you resolve any query you might have.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, it’s difficult to declare one eCommerce platform is better than the other and the final answer clearly depends on the primary requirements of your eCommerce business. 

Both platforms are suitable for small, medium, as well as large businesses. However, we believe Magento 2 is definitely a better choice considering its flexibility, scalability, and customization. 

But, if you still have any doubts regarding Magento 2 platform and need professional assistance, feel free to contact us anytime.