Does anyone have any experience with OsCommerce or Zen Cart? I was just wondering which would be the better one to use since Zen Cart seems to be a branch. Thank you. http://www.oscommerce.com/ vs. http://www.zen-cart.com/
I have been using oscommerce for several years now. I have installed and tested zencart, but I have never used it in production. The only good thing about oscommerce is the module developers, but the core team is so dictatorial and draconian that they have driven on all the good developers. If it were me, I would use zencart. It is a better cart and it is being actively developed by a good group. Oscommerce has not had a release since I started using it more then two years ago. Just my two cents. Andy
We have been using OSC for a number of years now. We have fouond the base software to be very easy to use and the core is very easy to expand and develope if yoou want to go down that route. With many modules available for free you can quickly build a cart that you need, and with alittle help from the forums, if you are not a heavy programmer you can easily add other projects should you not be able to find them. Good luck with your project!
I am using both on different sites. I would say they are quite similar. For me, I'm still looking for a froogle feed from Zen. OSC has many more contributions. I think there are actually some more modern products available than either of these. OSC has not had a major new update in quite some time.
I have done a little bit of research in to these two and have choosen Zen Cart. in my opinion osCommerce has grown too big, and the community is starting to seperate. Zen Cart on the other hand is more dynamic, but still stable. osCommerce does have a few more tools online, but that is only because it has been around longer. I think that Zen Cart will have everything that you need in the near future.
A lot of people dog Zen Cart for having excessive sql queries, although I have no problem with speed on my shared web host. There is new version (v1.3) about to be released that cuts sql queries by at least 80%. Note that the excessive sql queries are due to osC code still holding it back and v1.3 finally gets free of that junk. I gave up on osC over a year ago because it is just dead in the water.
i run a very successful oscom shop with 12,000 pages indexed in google.. if i could get rid of it i would. i hate oscom with a passion. honestly i say build your own to suit your needs. in the end you will have exactally what you want, and know what you have.
If you are going to use Oscommerce, you should really look at using OSCMax ( http://www.oscdox.com/ ) or CRE Loaded ( http://www.creloaded.com/index.php ). I use OSCMax, and it works great. My only suggestion is to run it under Linux, not Windows, but that is just my two cents.
oscmax and cre loaded are for lazy people. all those packages do is add a bunch of features that most sites will never use. if you are going to use oscom at all, just find the mods you need and install what you need or pay someone to. do not use oscmax or creloaded... your just adding to the headache later.
I have been using Zencart for the past few weeks and really like it so far. I do wish there were some better credit card modules for customers that do not have merchant accounts (other than Paypal that is).
Try http://www.yourecommerce.com they have (this is from their site, but is really acurate after my experience with them) I haved been with them for about 3 month now. *Fast *FREE Hosting /Domain *Quick Sales Return *No Renewal Fees *Near Zero Dollar Investment
I don't see any support in oscMax for Website Payments Pro (US) ... just the UK. Am I missing something? Thanks!
I have had experiences with both osCommerce and ZenCart and would definately recommend ZenCart. It comes pre-installed with a whole bunch of addons which you would have to install yourself in osCommerce and there are hundreds more available on the ZenCart website. If you want my advice, I would recommend ZenCart.