WooCommerce to OpenCart Migration

Why You Should Switch from WooCommerce to OpenCart

Switching your eCommerce store from WooCommerce to OpenCart can be a game-changer, particularly if you’re aiming to improve performance, lower costs, and simplify management.

Here are compelling reasons why OpenCart may be the smarter choice:

Lighter, Faster Performance

Lean core system: OpenCart is a standalone platform built specifically for online stores. It doesn’t carry the overhead of WordPress themes, plugins, and meta-data layers. That means faster page loads, especially for product pages.

Improved speed for medium-size catalogs: If your WooCommerce store has grown large (many products, many plugins), performance can slow down unless you’re heavily optimizing. OpenCart often handles moderate product inventories more efficiently out of the box.

Cost Efficiency with Extensions and Maintenance

Fewer dependencies: WooCommerce often requires multiple plugins for features like advanced SEO, security, caching, shipping rules, etc. OpenCart includes many features built-in or available via extensions without overly relying on external plugins. This can lower both monetary and maintenance overhead.

Simpler updates and fewer compatibility issues: With fewer moving parts (themes + plugins) interfering with each other, updates tend to be smoother, reducing risk of version conflicts.

Better Control Over Store Management

Multi-store from a single admin panel: OpenCart lets you manage multiple stores / storefronts with just one installation. If you plan to expand portfolios (for example, country-specific stores or separate verticals), this gives you streamlined control.

Straightforward product / Category management: OpenCart’s product architecture is more direct; there’s no extra abstraction through WordPress’ post & meta system, which can simplify how you organize, update, and query your catalog. This makes handling many SKUs less burdensome.

Security and Stability

Smaller attack surface: Since OpenCart is focused specifically on eCommerce, and does not depend on a broader CMS ecosystem, there are fewer chances for plugin/theme vulnerabilities leaking in. Every added component in WooCommerce (WordPress + plugins + themes) is another possible risk vector.

Built-in security tools: OpenCart includes built-in tools and features to safeguard payments, manage user permissions, and monitor fraud, which might otherwise require paying for separate WooCommerce plugins.

SEO Trade-offs and Potential Upside

OpenCart offers essential SEO features like customizable meta titles/descriptions, SEO-friendly URLs, canonical tags, and XML sitemaps (often via extensions). However, based on our migration experts’ experience, SEO performance with OpenCart extensions is not as strong as with WooCommerce (WordPress).

While WooCommerce (with WordPress) has a richer SEO plugin ecosystem (Yoast, RankMath etc.), the simplicity of OpenCart means less overhead and fewer conflicting SEO plugins slowing your site. If you’re technically competent, you can fine-tune OpenCart SEO for strong rankings.

Simplified Overheads & Dedicated eCommerce Focus

No blogging or CMS bloat (unless you add it): If your primary goal is selling products, not publishing content, OpenCart gives you a focused platform. There’s less to maintain, fewer theme/plugin conflicts.

Easier to host & optimize: Because OpenCart tends to use fewer resources, hosting costs for good performance may be lower. Tuning for speed (caching, optimized code, lighter theme) is often easier.

To better understand why you should migrate from WooCommerce to OpenCart, read our comprehensive OpenCart vs. WooCommerce comparison written by our eCommerce platform expert.

WooCommerce to OpenCart Migration: Step-by-Step

To start the WooCommerce to OpenCart migration, register or log in to LitExtension. Click Free Demo, then Sign Up with your details or via Facebook/Google. If you already have an account, just Login with your email and password. Use Remember Me for faster access next time.

Step 1: Set Up Source & Target Carts

On the Migration Page screen, select Create New Migration.

Set Up Source Cart

In Source Cart Setup section, select WooCommerce as your Source Cart Type from the drop-down menu and enter your Source Cart URL.

Each cart type requires different information, which will be shown once you select your Source Cart. There are three ways to connect your store:

• Install Connector for open-source carts.
• Provide API Keys for hosted carts.
• Import CSV Files if your store has crashed, you have security concerns, face technical issues, or use a cloud server.

Detailed instructions will appear on the right side of your screen at each step to guide you through the process.

Setup Target Cart

In Target Cart Setup section, select OpenCart as your Target Cart Type from the drop-down menu and enter your Target Cart URL. Follow the same process in the Source Cart Setup section to connect LitExtension to your OpenCart store using a Connector, API, or CSV file.

Step 2: Configure WooCommerce to OpenCart Migration

After setting up the Source and Target Carts, the next step in the WooCommerce to OpenCart migration is to configure the data you want to transfer (entities selection). You can also enable additional options to enhance performance and SEO for your OpenCart store.

Entities Selection

In Entities To Migrate section, select the entities you want to migrate, or click Select All to transfer everything. The available entities vary by shopping cart, but Customers, Products, and Orders are always included.

This step is crucial, choose carefully to maintain data integrity on your OpenCart store. For data you want to migrate that is not listed here, please contact LitExtension experts so we can assist and advise on alternative solutions.

Additional Options

After selecting your data, configure the Additional Options section. These vary by Hosted (like Shopify) or Open-source (like WooCommerce) carts, but common choices include:

• Clear target cart data before migration.
• Preserve IDs for products, customers, and orders.
• Create 301 Redirects from source to target cart.

If you need help, you can always reach out to LitExtension experts.

Step 3: Perform WooCommerce to OpenCart Migration

After selecting your data and configuring additional options, continue with the Full Migration. Simply tick Skip Demo Migration and click Start Full Migration to begin.

The migration process may take a few minutes or longer depending on the number of entities being transferred. Since LitExtension runs on a cloud-based system, you don’t need to keep your browser or internet connection active during the migration.

Before starting, you’ll be asked to complete the payment. LitExtension supports multiple payment methods, including PayPal, Skrill, Western Union, Bank Transfer, and Cryptocurrencies. For detailed instructions, you can refer to the Payment Guide. Don’t forget to apply a coupon code if you have one to reduce the cost.

Once the WooCommerce to OpenCart migration is complete, check your OpenCart store carefully. Some data may require adjustment due to cart-specific configurations, so verifying the results helps ensure everything is displayed properly. If you encounter any issues, LitExtension’s support team is always available to help you resolve them quickly and ensure a smooth transition.