Setting up an online store is tricky enough without having to decide which plugins to add to your WordPress site. You know you need a payment gateway, shipping options, maybe an email marketing plugin, and definitely a contact form.
In this article, we will explore some of the best eCommerce plugins for WordPress. Whether you’re a seasoned online retailer or just starting out, these plugins will provide you with the tools you need to create a seamless and successful eCommerce experience. From inventory management to payment processing, we’ve got you covered.
TL;DR: The most crucial plugin for an eCommerce store is a security plugin because it protects customer information from cyber attacks. Without it, the store is vulnerable to hacking, phishing, and malware, which can result in revenue loss, reputational damage, and legal consequences. MalCare is a best-in-class security plugin with malware scanning, firewall protection to prevent attacks, and one-click malware removal. Create a safe shopping environment for your customers, which will increase trust, loyalty, and drive business growth.
In this article, we’ll cover anything eCommerce-related that you can think of. From building a storefront to managing backups or security, we’ve got you covered. With the sheer number of WordPress eCommerce plugins that we’re talking about in this article, we’ve categorized them so you can find what you’re looking for quickly.
Best WordPress plugins for eCommerce store content and customisation
Best WordPress plugins for eCommerce transactions
WooCommerce Multilingual and Multi Currency
Best WordPress plugins for eCommerce shipping, delivery and fulfilment
Best eCommerce plugins for marketing and sales
Best eCommerce store essentials plugins
Best eCommerce plugins for WordPress
We’ve ranked the WordPress eCommerce plugins with four factors taken into consideration: support, features, free versions, and active installations. These are all signs of good plugins.
Note: Check out the reviews and plugin details before you install them. Make sure you have the right WordPress version and that the plugin is not incompatible with the other themes or plugins you’ve installed. This can cause your site to crash. In fact, we recommend you backup your site with BlogVault before you install any other plugins because it takes real-time backups of your eCommerce store.
1. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce WordPress plugin. It has everything you need, out of the box. It is also fully customizable and integrates with extensions for added functions like memberships, subscriptions or payment gateways. WooCommerce gives you the opportunity to create whatever you wsnt.
What do they do?
Creates custom storefronts
Optimiszes shopping experience
Edits pages with block editor
Sells digital or physical products
Why do we recommend it?
Integrates easily with extensions
Lots of features out of the box
Great documentation and support
Price: Free
2. Really Simple SSL
Have you ever noticed the “Not Secure” warning next to the URL of a site? It will almost always deter visitors. You need to install an SSL certification to encrypt the communication to and from your site, to get rid of that warning and provide a secure experience. If that sounds complicated, relax. Just download the free plugin Really Simple SSL to help you out. Follow the onscreen instructions, and you’ll be good to go.
What does it do?
Migrates HTTP to HTTPS
Offers site health monitors
Helps with site hardening
Detects mixed content
Offers protection for visitors
Helps control privacy features
Why do we recommend it?
Essential for security
Popular for its ease of use
Price: Free
Alternatives: WP Encryption
3. WooCommerce Payments
You need a payment gateway to help you accept payments from a customer. With payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal, you need a plugin that integrates the gateway to your site. WooCommerce Payments has become a popular plugin for users in the US and EU. It’s backed by Stripe and supports over 100 currencies. It has a great interface and fraud prevention tools.
What does it do?
Monitors payments
Manages refunds
Handles disputes
Tracks all deposits
Supports subscriptions
Manages payments from WP Admin
Why do we recommend it?
No monthly fees
One dashboard for everything
Price: Free plugin but there are transaction fees.
Alternatives: Stripe or PayPal
4. RankMath
Speed, content, and user experience can all impact SEO and how you rank on Google. A big chunk of technical SEO entails optimising the site to help googlebot understand your site. An eCommerce SEO plugin can help you with those tasks and provide suggestions on how to improve your content. RankMath is one of the best SEO plugins on the market and has great features for eCommerce stores.
What does it do?
Creates brand categories
Adds basic product information
Generates sitemaps automatically
Includes product descriptions
Suggests meta descriptions
Uses AI for content analysis
Why do we recommend it?
Easy to use
Has great WooCommerce-specific tools
Price: Depending on the number of sites and features you’d like, it can range from being free to $499 a year.
Alternatives: Yoast SEO
5. MalCare
Security is complicated but necessary for a site. You need to scan the site for malware and vulnerabilities, be able to remove any malware as soon as possible, and install a firewall to prevent future attacks. MalCare does all of this automatically, in seconds, and with minimal effort from you.
While MalCare has a powerful free version, the pro version is chock-full of features that help you with backups, migration, and so much more. So, it’s a complete maintenance solution for your online store.
What does it do?
Blocks attacks with a real-time firewall
Limits login attempts
Conducts daily malware scans
Monitors for vulnerabilities in plugins and themes
Provides personal support
Blocks bad bots
Removes malware with one-click
Tracks actions with an activity log
Takes incremental backups
1-click staging
Monitors performance
1-click migration
Why do we recommend it?
Packed with features
Complete solution for site management
Price: Depending on the plan you choose, the price can be anywhere from free to $299 a year per site.
6. WooCommerce Multilingual and Multicurrency
The WooCommerce Multilingual and Multi-Currency plugin helps you reach a larger audience. You can expand your online store to sell in other countries. The plugin helps you translate your content to other languages so your customers understand it. It also offers other currencies so they can pick the right currency for their location.
What does it do?
Translates site content
Displays currency options
Adds currency switchers
Enables multiple currencies during checkout
Why do we recommend it?
Easy-to-use plugin
Aids with international transactions
Price: Free
Alternatives: Weglot Translate and CURCY
7. Easy Digital Downloads
While WooCommerce also allows you to sell digital downloads, it doesn’t protect them. Easy Digital Downloads is a complete tool for such sites. It prevents visitors from downloading your products without paying for it. This is because it restricts access to content depending on the type of consumer. It also offers a direct checkout functionality that helps with customer experience.
What do they do?
Creates product catalogues
Adds cart functionality
Offers custom checkouts
Accepts payments
Monitors customer details
Adds discount functionality
Why do we recommend it?
Complete documentation
Compatible with payment gateway plugins
Price: Free
Alternatives: Digital Download Goods Checkout for WooCommerce
8. Airlift
Site speed can make or break a customer’s shopping experience. You also want a fast page load speed to rank better because even Google knows that nobody wants to visit a slow site. Generally, optimising for speed is a backend job that requires coding experience. A plugin like Airlift can be your perfect performance solution.
What does it do?
Offers caching
Optimises images
Includes CDN
Improves CSS
Why do we recommend it?
Quick results
Visible improvement in minutes
Price: Free
Alternatives: W3 Total Cache
9. WPForms
Forms can be a helpful way to gain information from or interact with your customers. Whatever the requirement is—billing details, shipping details, contact forms, etc—WPForms can help. They offer amazing pre-designed form templates that you’d love. It’s an easy plugin to use and creates forms with no effect on your site speed.
What does it do?
Creates custom files
Provides instant notifications
Creates high performance forms
Creates multi-page forms
Offers smart captcha functionality
Offers pre-designed templates
Helps with entry management
Adds functionality to upload files
Why do we recommend it?
Drag-and-drop builder
Easy-to-use
Alternatives: Contact Form 7
10. Site Kit by Google
Google has a lot of very helpful tools like Search Console, Google Analytics, AdSense, PageSpeed Insights, and Tag Manager. They each have their own dashboards and integrations. Site Kit by Google is a plugin that collects all that data from across all those tools and puts them together. It makes it easy to access and analyse all the data in one spot.
What does it do?
Consolidates data
Simplifies data
Provides metrics
Why do we recommend it?
One dashboard for many tools
Easy to set up
Price: Free
Alternatives: Exact Metrics
11. HubSpot
HubSpot is an all-in-one marketing tool for your eCommerce store. It helps with email and social media marketing. It also consolidates data and provides reports on your revenue and return on investment. It’s the only plugin you will need to manage your campaigns and encourage conversions.
What does it do?
Provides revenue reports
Monitors return on investment
Helps with email marketing
Adds calls-to-action on blogs
Helps with content strategy
Monitors customer interactions
Adds live chat functionality
Why do we recommend it?
Easy to use
Great for marketing on multiple platforms
Price: The plugin can be free or go as high as $3600 a month for an enterprise.
Alternatives: OptinMonster
12. BlogVault
Backups are recommended for the same reason as health insurance. You never want to be in a position to need to restore a backup. But, if anything goes awry, you will be grateful to have a reliable backup. Backups are copies of your site that get stored for a rainy day. With eCommerce stores, we recommend BlogVault because it takes real-time backups. This offers security against ever losing any amount of customer or order data.
What does it do?
Takes daily automatic backups
Stores 90-365 days of backups
Includes free staging feature
Monitors site’s uptime
Helps with easy migration
Offers visual regression tests
Auto-updates for WordPress, plugins, and themes
Personal support for customers
Includes site security features
Easy backup restore functionality
Why do we recommend it?
Easy backup and restore
Necessary for every site
Price: Depending on the plan you choose, the price can range from $89 a year to $299 per site.
13. Elementor
We’ve talked about how to set up a basic WordPress eCommerce store. Elementor is the key to taking it to the next level. It is especially compatible with WooCommerce and helps you create beautifully functional product, cart, and checkout pages. But it also has stunning pre-designed templates and themes for different kinds of sites that save you time and effort.
What do they do?
Creates pixel-perfect pages
Customises responsive pages
Offers pre-designed templates
Designs pages in real-time
Can globalise colours and typography
Adds text, images, or buttons etc
Why do we recommend it?
Doesn’t affect speed
Easy to use
Great WooCommerce-specific widgets
Price: 4 plans that start from $99 to $399 a year
Alternatives: Divi, Beaver Builder, WPBakery, & Gutenberg
14. Revive Social
In an era where a lot of people shop off of their social media accounts, it’s important to be able to sell on those platforms seamlessly. Instagram and Facebook have become really popular spots for buying and selling. Revive Social helps you share on multiple platforms ranging from Tumblr and Google My Business to Facebook and Instagram.
What does it do?
Shares posts on multiple platforms
Controls how much is shared
Optimises hashtags based on tags
Shares posts on a repeated cycle
Shares posts as soon as published
Why do we recommend it?
Easy setup and install
Full control over shares
Price: Depending on the number of sites you manage, it can cost from $88 to $352 a year.
Alternatives: Sassy Social Share
15. WooCommerce Tax
Understanding how much tax you owe and/or need to collect can be painstaking. WooCommerce Tax, another plugin in the WooCommerce ecosystem, helps you do just that. As long as you live in the US, Canada, Australia or UK, this plugin can be a boon.
What does it do?
Collects sales tax
Calculates sales tax
Why do we recommend it?
Easy to use
Well-reviewed
Price: Free
Alternatives: EU/UK VAT Compliance Assistant for WooCommerce
16. MemberPress
MemberPress helps you to monetise exclusive content or courses that can be sold to viewers. You can also build communities focused on a shared interest, encouraging engagement. You can also do other things like creating coupons and help you tease content.
What do they do?
Helps you sell courses
Helps create community
Sets access rules
Helps create coupons
Customises pricing pages
Offers paywall power
Helps tease content
Why do we recommend it?
Easy setup
Integrates well with plugins
Great reviews
Price: Three plans ranging from $179.50 to $319.60 a year
Alternatives: Simple Memberships
17. WooCommerce Shipstation
Shipping involves a lot of things: understanding what your customer wants, recognising which carriers offer that experience, print labels that offer the correct order information, and tracking the order till it reaches your customer. While a plugin can’t do the packing or actual delivery, it can do everything else. This is why we recommend WooCommerce Shipstation.
What does it do?
Syncs orders across platforms
Offers custom shipping options
Provides product information
Adds customer notes functionality
Provides shipping updates
Why do we recommend it?
Tie-ups with carriers
Easy to use
Price: Costs range from $9.99 to $299.90 a month, depending on the number of monthly shipments.
Alternatives: ELEX WooCommerce USPS Shipping Plugin
How to pick the best eCommerce plugin for a WordPress site?
Besides the features and price, what else do you need to consider when picking the best eCommerce plugin for a WordPress site? The following list will work for any kind of plugin and is a great rule of thumb:
Compatibility: The plugin needs to be compatible with the WordPress version, the active theme, and all the other plugins you’re using. Additionally, check WordPress support forums and/or Reddit to see reviews. What do people have issues with? You’ll often find people talking about a plugin not being compatible with another.
Rate of updates: How often a plugin is updated is a good sign that the developers haven’t abandoned it. Updates have bug fixes and address any vulnerabilities. We mentioned earlier that a vulnerable plugin can be used to hack your site. We can’t reiterate enough the importance of installing a plugin like MalCare that can constantly scan and warn you of any problems.
Support team: Sometimes, a plugin can have personalised support or a community based support team. Depending on how much help and what kind of help you want, these could be very helpful. Sometimes you will get a response in hours and other times it can take about a day.
Documentation: If you’re the kind of person that follows the instructions on a manual before you build furniture or set up a device, documentation is going to be helpful. It contains information about how to install, how to use features, etc.
Active installations: This is the number of active users that are using the plugin. This information may not be readily available with premium plugins. But if it is available, we definitely recommend using plugins that have a higher number. It’s a good bet that the plugin is good.
Why use WordPress eCommerce plugins?
Can you build your eCommerce store without plugins? Sure. WordPress is an open source software. So, you can definitely do with it as you wish. Do we recommend it? No. The following is a list of reasons why:
Requires no coding: Plugin files have all the code it requires. Just buy and/or install it on your site. You’re all set. The plugin is now ready for you to start using.
Helps save time: While you could easily write code to add forms to your site, installing WPForms is definitely faster. If you can install plugins that take care of most of your tasks, you have more time to spend on other things like growth and strategy.
Avoids human error: You don’t have to manually scan each line of code for malware. MalCare can do it automatically. You don’t have to backup your site manually. BlogVault can do it.
Adds functionality easily: There is so much a plugin can do. You can use it to accept payments, to calculate taxes, to add a storefront, and more. All you need to do is install it and take a few minutes to customise it to your site.
Avoids edits to core files: A plugin essentially plugs into the core filters with hooks. They use actions and filters to determine how a site acts when an event occurs. This allows plugins to be installed and removed, with no effect on the core files.
Final thoughts
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we’d like to reiterate the importance of security plugins. MalCare is the best way to protect you and your customers from letting important data fall in the wrong hands.
That’s a wrap on our best eCommerce plugins for WordPress. We hope you’ve found this list helpful and wish you all the luck with your eCommerce site.
FAQs
What is the best eCommerce plugin for WordPress?
The best WordPress plugins for eCommerce store are:
WooCommerce
Easy Digital Downloads
MemberPress
Elementor
WooCommerce Payments
WooCommerce Multilingual and Multi-Currency
WooCommerce Tax
WooCommerce Shipstation
RankMath
Site Kit by Google
Revive Social
WPForms
HubSpot
BlogVault
MalCare
Really Simple SSL
Airlift
What plugins do I need for the WordPress eCommerce store?
You need the following plugins for a WordPress eCommerce store:
WooCommerce
Easy Digital Downloads
MemberPress
Elementor
WooCommerce Payments
WooCommerce Multilingual and Multi-Currency
WooCommerce Tax
WooCommerce Shipstation
RankMath
Site Kit by Google
Revive Social
WPForms
HubSpot
BlogVault
MalCare
Really Simple SSL
Airlift
How do I integrate eCommerce into my WordPress site?
Install and set up WooCommerce to integrate eCommerce functionality with your WordPress site. It may be basic but you can use extensions and plugins to add more functionality to your store.
The post Top 17 WordPress Plugins For eCommerce Sites (2023) appeared first on MalCare.
