Shopping Carts Comparison Overview

If you are not experienced with online stores based on a CMS system and want to start with something simple and convenient, then you will choose osCommerce. osCommerce has a set of standard functions, necessary for an online store; it's easy to manage and simple to use. The design is already built in, all you have to do is to pick up the template, complete several steps for installation and enter your list of products; that's all.  The store is now completely ready for business. osCommerce is the most popular online store engine.

If you need a flexible management interface and a more advanced instrument for online trade, which is still easy to manage, then consider the Zen Cart system. It has everything essential for online business. This system will let you change its configuration without problems, simply by way of the admin panel. A built-in system of subpages will let you easily add your information about products and services, and there is a set of modules for operation with the most popular payment processors - to make it easy to set up an online payment system. You can download the Zen Cart engine here.

CRE Loaded is the most advanced trade portal with many instruments for promotion of your products. Many, many options for payment and shipping modules, affiliate systems, sales makers, subpages and many others - all in CRE Loaded.  The CRE Loaded cart comes completely supplied with a full range of functions for the goals of any large online store. CRE Loaded is the most comprehensive CMS for online trade with the most popular modules and functions fully implemented. You can download CRE Loaded engine here.

Contributions
(additional modules designed by outside developers)

osCommerce is a basic and one of the first online CMS stores. The output system is arranged by using an object-oriented approach (osCommerce is object oriented because the code is written to an object oriented standard). It consists of 3 main parts: boxes, pages and modules.  Boxes are logically separate parts for output.  Pages are separated, each can display content and may include boxes and modules.  Modules are physically separate files and can be included into the pages for content output.
Example: "product_listing.php" is the module for the products list output. The layout in osCommerce is table-based.

CRE Loaded is a modification of osCommerce. Actually, CRE is a combination of osCommerce's template system and the most popular innovations for osCommerce which were then built into the engine. The engine performs a redirection to the template. Many code parts, which are responsible for the unloading/recording of information into the database, are inserted into the templates. The algorithm of CRE Loaded is the following: upon inquiry to any page, the engine defines the template that was selected as main and then switches on the page from the template for content display.
There is also a system for boxes management, and it's possible to place a box in the column - right or left. The layout in CRE Loaded is table-based as well.

Zen Cart is a separate project with its own structure and program solutions. The main feature of Zen Cart is the template system, based on XHTML (in versions 1.3 and higher). The templates are the only visual part; there are no other codes except for the contents output.
In the original package there are some optional features, such as the subpages arrangement system and the addition/subtraction of the side columns.