X-Cart is a Russian based company that was founded in 2001 by three students. Today, it has an international reach and a community of over 30,000 users from all over the world. It offers a unique approach to creating and hosting an eCommerce store by allowing customers to download a licensed software option. Read our X-Cart review below.
OverviewUnlike the majority of online shopping carts that seek to provide a full-service platform, X-Cart is structured a little bit differently. You can choose between a shopping cart with a monthly subscription fee or a software download.
Going the software route means that you will be self-hosting your site on your server. You will also be responsible for ensuring security, purchasing hosting and acting as your customer support.
If you want to go with the cloud-based version, you will enjoy more features and support, but you will end up paying a monthly subscription. The choice comes down to whether you are a tech expert.
Those who don’t mind coding and are comfortable with the software download and installation will enjoy the flexibility and freedom of the shopping cart. Otherwise, make life simpler and go with the cloud version.
Standard features of X-Cart cloud version:
Who is X-Cart designed for?
That all depends. The downloadable version is really meant for those with design experience. It requires a decent amount of prior knowledge that a beginner simply won’t have. On the other hand, the cloud version is easy to use, which means that both novices and experts will be able to create a run an online store.
X-Cart’s particular area of focus
The biggest advantage of choosing X-Cart is that it has international capabilities. If your website needs to be global ready, X-Cart can help.
Limitations of X-Cart
Downloadable Software. The software is designed for those with some website development skill. It seems unfair to call this a limitation. In reality, it is simply a matter of targeting a certain audience and their needs.
Cloud Version. X-Cart comes with bandwidth and storage limitations. Most businesses will want to purchase the Standard plan, which includes 3,000 products, 20GB of bandwidth and 3 GB of storage. While it isn’t uncommon to put caps on these features, there are unlimited options on the market.
Scalability
As with most platforms, X-Cart makes it easy to upgrade your plan. If you need to add more products or use more data, X-Cart can easily adapt as your business grows. This makes it an excellent candidate for long-term use.
Cancelation Policy
This is a gray area for X-Cart. The downloadable software comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. However, the terms and conditions of the cloud version are fuzzy at best. If you are nervous about committing to the platform, you may want to place a call to get the exact details. Although in all likelihood, you can cancel at any time without any penalties, which is pretty standard practice.
Company Reputation
The X-Cart software has been around for a lot longer and has a solid reputation. Designers speak highly of the program and are quick to note that the software is continually being updated and improved. Any current weaknesses are likely to disappear once the latest updates are released.
When it comes to the new cloud version of X-Cart, the jury is still out. This new branch of the company is still gaining traction. There is limited customer feedback but look for more information over the coming months as X-Cart build momentum.
Why Choose X-Cart?
For experienced designers, X-Cart software offers a customizable framework and a simple one-time fee. You can enjoy the freedom of setting up your security preferences, using your favorite hosting company and much more.
For those who want a simple cloud-based shopping cart, X-Cart certainly can provide a significant portion of the features you need. However, it is still growing and coming up to speed with more established competitors. The main reason to choose X-Cart is that it can handle multiple languages and currencies. It is better equipped to handle international sales than most programs.
Key FeaturesThe experts are big fans of X-Cart and quick to recommend it for the right type of business. Those looking for a licensed solution will be pleased with some high-quality features and themes that can be customized to create a truly unique storefront. The main thing to remember is the licensed version comes with a few strings attached. You will need:
If you are already planning on designing your store in this way and not looking for a hosted program, then X-Cart may be your best choice according to the experts.
In fact, expert reviews consistently award X-Cart with 4 to 5 stars. The biggest complaint is the need for coding experience, but as long as you are aware of this ahead of time, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Finally, consumers and experts alike appreciate the international capabilities of the program. It is one of the few solid choices on the market that can handle global transactions and put you in front of potential costumers all over the world.
Perhaps the biggest complaint against X-Cart has to do with ease of use. If you go with the downloadable software version of the program, beware: you will need a decent amount of PHP experience to find your way around. On the other hand, if you choose to go the monthly subscription route, you will notice that some features are missing. While X-Cart bills itself as an all-around solution, it feels like they still have some work to do before it offers all the features customers have come to expect from a shopping cart.
Customers also cited some problems with tech support, although this seems to be par for the course when it comes to customer reviews of any support services. However, it should be noted that you will have to pay extra for support, and it can be difficult to contact someone 24/7 in the event of a problem.The good news is that X-Cart appears to have a loyal base of customers who truly enjoy the program. Satisfied customers enjoy the international reach of the program and the fact that the downloadable version not only comes feature rich but also allows for the addition of plenty of extras.
Those with coding skills also appreciate the capabilities of the software. This allows your website to be both scalable and fully customizable. X-Cart can also be easily integrated with the other major shopping carts that will help you handle social media, shipping and payment processing.
Other consumer reviews made positive references to:
That being said, X-Cart is still relatively new, so there isn’t a tremendous amount of feedback to draw
from.
Perhaps the biggest complaint against X-Cart has to do with ease of use. If you go with the downloadable software version of the program, beware: you will need a decent amount of PHP experience to find your way around. On the other hand, if you choose to go the monthly subscription route, you will notice that some features are missing. While X-Cart bills itself as an all-around solution, it feels like they still have some work to do before it offers all the features customers have come to expect from a shopping cart.
Customers also cited some problems with tech support, although this seems to be par for the course when it comes to customer reviews of any support services. However, it should be noted that you will have to pay extra for support, and it can be difficult to contact someone 24/7 in the event of a problem.
Design & CustomizationSince the software allows you to customize your site entirely, it makes the most sense to focus on the design features of the newer, cloud-based version. Here, your options are very limited. You are provided with a choice of four free themes. If you enroll in one of the higher tier packages, you can access CSS and Java to customize your site. Otherwise, you will have to use a default theme and add your logo and images under the “look and feel tab.” Making these changes is easy, but your site will not have a fully customized look.
For some businesses, tweaking the default theme will be enough. However, the design doesn’t lend itself well to all products. You don’t want a generic site for very specialized products.
Website Builder Interface
While there isn’t a whole lot of room to make changes, the design interface is user-friendly considering its limitations. A drag and drop editor allows you to add quickly products and images. If you want to go beyond necessary changes, you will have to insert code. This means using the downloadable software or purchasing a premium plan.
Content Management and Site Navigation
Inserting your menus and adding content is easy using X-Cart. The backend offers a clean design that is easy to navigate. You won’t waste time searching for the right tab to make changes. If you have ever added posts to a blog, you will be able to handle X-Cart without any problems.
Themes and Templates
Free: You have your choice of four free themes that can be customized to reflect your brand.
Premium: Choose a template that is best suited for your business. Different designs will help highlight different products. Prices start at around $99 and go up from there.
Social Media Integration: Available add-ons make it easy to integrate your social media accounts into your new site.
Custom Design Services: You can purchase custom design services through X-Cart. They will provide you with an individualized quote. While prices will vary, most custom projects will start at $1,500 at the very least. Depending on the amount of work involved, you can spend $8,000 – $10,000 on a custom website.
Features & Tools | Feature | Overview |
|---|---|
| Online Store Setup | Although the cloud version doesn’t offer a setup wizard, getting started just takes a few minutes. All you have to do is visit the “store setup” section in your admin and fill in the required data |
| Bandwidth and Storage | There are usage limitations, so take note when you purchase your plan. Most business will want to start with the Standard plan, which includes 3,000 products, 20 GB of bandwidth and 3 GB of storage for $59.95 per month. This should be plenty of room even for established businesses |
| Shopping Cart Add-on and Extensions | If you choose the lease expensive Basic plan, you will be limited to about six add-ons. However, the other plans offer plenty of ways to extend the functionality of your website. Some of the more popular extensions, like Google Analytics, can be added for free. Other add-ons vary widely when it comes to price |
| Order Management | There are plenty of order management tools to help you run your store. You can organize orders into payment status and fulfillment categories. You can also support multiple transactions in one order. The admin section even allows you to edit orders for customers |
| Inventory Management | The X-Cart admin homepage prominently displays product numbers and other vital inventory information so that you can easily monitor levels and make adjustments |
| Shipment Tracking | Enjoy shipment tracking tools courtesy of USPS. The downloadable version also works with FedEx and UPS, so it is probably only a matter of time before the other version adds these partners |
| CRM Features | This is another area where X-Cart may be looking to make improvements in the near future. If you are finding it hard to communicate with customers and address issues, you may consider adding an email program like MailChimp |
| Templates and Themes | To experience what X-Cart can do, you will want to upgrade your plan to gain access to CSS and Java. Otherwise, the available templates are more than acceptable and provide a solid foundation for your eCommerce store |
| Mobile eCommerce | All the available templates are mobile friendly so that your customers can shop using any device |
| Web Hosting | Web hosting is a part of all cloud-based package plans |
| App Store | Simply visit the X-Cart website to shop their app store for plugins and add-ons |
| Blogging | To add a blogging function, visit the X-Cart marketplace and locate the best extension for the job |
| SEO and Marketing | Marketing tools include: customer loyalty programs, abandoned cart reminder, coupons, and product ratings and reviews |
| Newsletters | You can use MailChimp to build mailing lists and send newsletters as often as you want |
| Security Features | X-Cart offers a level of security that meets industry standards. It comes with SSL certificates, secure checkouts, and automatic updates. Remember that you will have to purchase and implement your security plan if you go with the software version |
| PCI Certification | X-Cart is PCI certified to protect your customers and their personal information |
| Content Creation | Adding content to your website is simple. You can easily transfer products from an existing site and use the drag and drop editor |
| Gift Certificates | Sell gift certificates and offer special discounts and coupons with just a few clicks |
| Payment Options | There aren’t as many payment options as you might expect from a shopping cart. However, expect to see more additions shortly. Currently, customers can use PayPal, which will make your shopping cart accessible to the majority of shoppers. You can also add 2Checkout, and Authorize.net to process payments |
| Tax and Shipping Calculators | Instantly calculate tax and shipping based on location |
| Reports | X-Cart offers all the reporting tools you would expect from a shopping cart. You can easily track orders, view inventory and stay up-to-date on all aspects of your business. Perhaps best of all, the most important information is displayed right on your homepage for easy access |
| Site Statistics | The standard site statistic tools are pretty basic. If you want to work on promoting your site and tracking a broad range of site data, consider adding Google Analytics |
Plans & Pricing Let’s start with your most affordable options. If you are a coding hotshot, you can use the free edition of X-Cart’s downloadable software. This will provide you with the essential tools to start your store. If you want additional features, the Business edition costs a one-time fee of $495 for a lifetime license.
Just be aware that the price only includes one year of free updates. You will have to pay a yearly subscription fee to keep the software current.
Most of you will be interested in the cloud pricing packages. In general, X-Cart’s pricing is in-line with the competition. The basic plan is $19.95 per month. As mentioned before, the Standard plan is the most popular at $59.95 per month. This places X-Cart at the high end of available shopping carts.
Different plans offer various levels of data, storage, and customer support. The more you pay, the better access you have to reliable help.
The good news is that X-Cart doesn’t tack on any hidden fees. You won’t have to worry about transaction fees, which helps justify the higher monthly fee. If you want to get to know the features for yourself, you can sign up for a 15-day free trial.
Customer Support From the looks of it, the customer support section of X-Cart is still in development. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of ways to get in contact with experts, including:
Unfortunately, not all of these resources are available 24/7. Technical support is available 07:00-24:00 GMT+3. Otherwise, you can turn to the knowledge base and community forums for answers.
So far, X-Cart has received positive feedback about the quality of their customer support. Answers are usually provided relatively quickly, and you can expect sound advice. Hopefully, they will continue to expand this area and as the shopping cart continues to evolve.
Ease of Use Most business owners purchase a shopping cart platform because they are concerned with ease of use. They don’t want to have to deal with coding custom pages and having to add a bunch of plugins. X-Cart delivers a simple and easy to navigate admin section.
Adding content including products and specifications is as straightforward as possible. The drag and drop editor eliminates the need for coding. A beginner can easily find their way around without the help of a setup wizard and design a start a store in a few minutes.
Despite the fact that the X-Cart cloud solution is still new to the market, it offers a user-friendly interface that is on par with more seasoned competitors.
Conclusion Is X-Cart the Right Choice for You?
Maybe. If you want a simple way to get started yet still be able to handle international transactions, then yes. X-Cart is the right choice. That isn’t to say that X-Cart isn’t a great all-around option.
The problem is more that it simply feels unfinished. A lot of the features that you would expect from a fully developed shopping cart are available in the downloadable software. This leads a lot of industry experts to believe that it is just a matter of time before those features are transferred over to the cloud-based version.
The potential is all there. It just seems that X-Cart is more focused on building and promoting their software, which can make the cloud platform seem more like an afterthought.
On a final note, the X-Cart software is the right choice for you if you are a programming expert and want a combination of freedom and support when it comes to building your store.
Otherwise, go with a different option and keep your eye out as X-Cart continues to develop and come into its own.
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