WooCommerce powers millions of WordPress stores, but it isn’t perfect for every scenario. Many store owners and developers are searching for WooCommerce alternatives – the EasyCommerce founder even noted over 3,500 monthly searches for “WooCommerce alternatives”[1]. Reasons vary: maybe you only sell digital goods, crave better performance, or want built-in features that WooCommerce lacks. Below we look at three popular options – Easy Digital Downloads (EDD), SureCart, and EasyCommerce – to see how they compare. We’ll explain each, and show why EasyCommerce stands out as the most complete solution.

Why Consider WooCommerce Alternatives?

WooCommerce is free, powerful, and well-supported. But it stores products as WordPress posts[2] and relies heavily on plugins for key features. As stores grow, a WooCommerce site can become slow and complex. It’s also primarily geared toward physical products out of the box. That’s why some businesses look elsewhere:

• Digital-only stores: If you sell mostly downloads, a streamlined tool may be better. For example, Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) was “built from the ground up to sell downloads”[3], with features like license keys and file delivery designed in. In fact, experts note EDD “removes the unnecessary complexity” of general e-commerce tools when you only need digital sales[4].
• Performance & architecture: WooCommerce keeps most data in wp_posts/wp_postmeta tables[2]. This can slow sites with large catalogs. Some alternatives use custom tables or cloud backends to stay snappier. As one EasyCommerce FAQ explains, “unlike other platforms, EasyCommerce stores product data in separate tables,” which yields faster queries even on big stores[5][6].
• Hosted (SaaS) vs Self-Hosted: Plugins like SureCart shift data to a cloud service, simplifying updates but locking you into their system. Others (like EasyCommerce) keep everything on your server, giving you control. One reviewer bluntly warned that SureCart’s WordPress plugin is “basically a bridge to their cloud application” – meaning your store depends on SureCart’s servers (stop paying and “your store would cease to function”)[7].
• Built-in features: Some alternative platforms bundle features WooCommerce needs plugins for. For instance, abandoned-cart recovery, coupons, or email marketing might come built-in. When evaluating alternatives, check which capabilities are included versus which require extra add-ons.

In short, the “best” alternative depends on your needs. Below we explore our top picks:

Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) – Best for Digital Products

Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) shines for stores selling files, software, eBooks, music, etc. It was “built from the ground up to sell downloads”[3], so everything from its dashboard to its payment flows is optimized for digital sales.

• Digital focus: EDD’s core strength is handling digital goods. It supports unlimited downloads, purchase logs, and file access controls. Built-in features include software license management and recurring payments for subscriptions – exactly what many software/membership sites need. In fact, WPBeginner notes that for purely digital stores, EDD “handles software licensing, file delivery, and digital product management better than any general-purpose eCommerce platform”[8].
• Easy setup: Creating an EDD “Download” is similar to a normal WordPress post, making it familiar to set up. The screenshot above shows EDD’s product table and add-new-download screens, which many find user-friendly. By default it comes with common payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal) and plenty of add-ons for email marketing, licensing, and analytics.
• Limitations for physical goods: EDD does not natively support complex physical inventory or shipping. Its docs admit you can only sell simple physical items via an extra “Simple Shipping” extension[9], and recommend other platforms for “advanced physical products”[10]. In other words, if you sell mainly downloads with perhaps a t-shirt on the side, EDD is fine. But a store with lots of shippable products will need a different solution.

Key takeaways for EDD: – Designed for online downloads (software, music, videos, etc.)[3]. Great license and subscription support.
– Free core is fairly powerful. Many needed features (discounts, email, reports) can be extended via add-ons.
– Not ideal for physical products. Selling tangible goods requires extra extensions and is not EDD’s focus[10].

SureCart – A Cloud-Backed Simpler Store

SureCart is a newer e-commerce plugin that takes a different approach: it’s essentially a cloud SaaS platform with a WordPress plugin as a connector. This brings some trade-offs:

• Modern, all-in-one checkout: SureCart lets you design nice checkout forms (even “Buy Now” quick purchases) without custom coding. It includes features like subscriptions, affiliates, and email automations out of the box. Many store owners love its sleek admin interface and built-in tools. You can sell digital or physical products, track affiliates, and handle recurring billing all within SureCart’s dashboard.
• Cloud data storage: The trade-off is that product and customer data are stored on SureCart’s servers. SureCart’s own GDPR documentation states clearly that “customer data will be stored on our secure servers”[11]. In practice, your WordPress site just serves as a front-end; the “guts of your store are definitely dependent upon [SureCart’s] cloud service”[7]. This means if the SureCart service goes down (or your subscription lapses), your store cannot function.
• Little server load: Because SureCart offloads processing to its cloud, your site itself stays lightweight. This can be great for performance. But it also means you are at the mercy of their platform and pricing. SureCart may also charge monthly fees, whereas WooCommerce/EasyCommerce only cost you host fees and optional plugins.
• Developer notes: SureCart offers APIs and integrates with Zapier/SureTriggers, but you cannot tweak its server-side code like you can with WooCommerce/EasyCommerce. The code running your checkout process is on SureCart’s cloud, not on your server[7]. Essentially, it’s plug-and-play but less hackable.

Pros of SureCart: – Clean, user-friendly checkout and store setup with many features built-in.
– Offloads work to the cloud, so it can be faster than WooCommerce out of the box.
– Good for sites that prefer a SaaS-style platform with 24/7 support.

Cons of SureCart: – Data & control: Customer orders and products are stored remotely[11], so you lose some control and depend on SureCart’s service[7].
– Vendor lock-in: As one developer warns, “if you stopped paying for their cloud service, your store would cease to function”[7]. Migrating away later can be a headache.
– Customization limits: You have fewer low-level hooks and must rely on SureCart’s roadmap or APIs. Integrations beyond their offerings require workarounds (via Zapier or custom code).

EasyCommerce – The All-In-One WordPress Store (Our Top Pick)

EasyCommerce is a newer WordPress e-commerce plugin that aims to combine speed, flexibility, and rich features. In our view, it leans ahead of the pack because it addresses many WooCommerce pain points while staying self-hosted. Key advantages:

• Blazing-Fast Performance: EasyCommerce is architected with performance in mind. Unlike WooCommerce (which keeps products and orders in the default wp_posts table[2]), EasyCommerce “uses dedicated database tables for products, orders, customers, etc.”[6]. This separate-table design dramatically reduces database load. In practice, it means even very large stores can query products and orders without lag. EasyCommerce’s docs say this yields “blazing-fast queries and page loads” regardless of catalog size[6]. As one customer put it, switching to EasyCommerce felt “like a breath of fresh air – it’s fast, simple to manage, and doesn’t break when I update something” (compared to WooCommerce).
• All Data on Your Server: Like WooCommerce, EasyCommerce is fully self-hosted. All product, order, and customer data live in your WordPress database, not on some third-party cloud. This means you retain full control over your store data and aren’t locked into monthly fees for basic operation. (It’s worth noting that SureCart explicitly stores data offsite[11], while EasyCommerce keeps it local.) Because it “links your server to the front end seamlessly”[5], your site remains fast without sacrificing ownership or privacy.
• Unified Physical & Digital Sales: EasyCommerce lets you sell physical and digital products side-by-side. You can even attach a digital variant to a physical product (for example, a printed book plus an eBook download)[12]. This is built into the platform (no extra plugin needed). It means one store can handle t-shirts, ebooks, courses, downloads, etc. (Memberships and subscriptions support is coming soon, per their roadmap.) In short, EasyCommerce covers every product type in a unified shop.
• Feature-Rich (Out of the Box): EasyCommerce bundles many ecommerce essentials for free, reducing the need for multiple plugins:
• Built-in checkout and payments: Integrates with Stripe, PayPal, and more (via free add-ons) so you can accept credit cards and wallets worldwide.
• Abandoned Cart Recovery: Automatically emails customers reminders about left carts. This marketing power is free in EasyCommerce[13], whereas in WooCommerce it usually requires an extra plugin.
• Coupons & Discounts: A flexible coupon system is included by default[14]. You can create percentage or fixed discounts with usage limits and conditions – no extra costs or add-ons needed (WooCommerce typically needs plugins for advanced coupons).
• Tax and Shipping Calculators: EasyCommerce automatically calculates taxes (based on customer location) and allows weight-based or location-based shipping rules. These come built-in for international compliance and smooth checkout.
• Dashboard & Analytics: A modern dashboard shows real-time sales, top products, and customer insights, saving you from cobbling together charts. Again, this is built into the plugin at no extra charge.
• Email Customization: You can create personalized order-confirmation emails and abandoned-cart emails with dynamic content. EasyCommerce supports sending these directly from your site.
• Developer-Friendly: The plugin is built with developers in mind. It follows WordPress coding standards and works with Gutenberg and other page builders. If you need a custom feature, EasyCommerce provides hooks and a clear codebase so you or an agency can extend it. In fact, EasyCommerce’s site notes you can build your own add-ons and “use it with EasyCommerce without facing compatibility issues”[15]. In short, it’s as hackable as WooCommerce (if not more) because it’s open-source and runs on your server.
• Free Core, No Transaction Fees: Importantly, EasyCommerce’s core plugin is 100% free[16]. There are no hidden per-order charges or revenue cuts – you only pay for optional add-ons if you need extra features. This is similar to WooCommerce, but contrasted with many hosted carts that levy transaction fees or monthly plans. EasyCommerce does offer premium addons (for things like advanced shipping or payment gateways), but the free plugin alone already handles most store needs.

Why EasyCommerce “wins”: In practice, EasyCommerce gives you the best of both worlds. It stays fully under your control (self-hosted, no SaaS lock-in), yet modernizes the experience. Its architecture delivers speed (dedicated tables[6]), its feature set includes many things WooCommerce lacks natively (like abandoned-cart email and dynamic coupons[13][14]), and it handles all product types in one unified system[12]. For developers, this means fewer performance headaches and a cleaner codebase to work with. For store owners, it means an all-in-one plugin with gentle learning curve and robust support.

To summarize EasyCommerce’s strengths: – Dedicated DB tables: Stores products, orders, customers, etc. separately for fast lookups[6][5].
– Self-hosted control: Everything stays in your WordPress install (no third-party cloud dependence).
– Supports physical & digital: Sell any mix of products. (Subscriptions/memberships coming soon.)[12]
– Built-in sales tools: Free abandoned-cart emails, coupons, taxes, shipping, dashboard, and more[13][14].
– 100% free core: No hidden fees – you keep your margins[16].
– Developer-friendly: Gutenberg-ready, extensible via add-ons and custom code.

Given all this, EasyCommerce often ends up as the top choice unless you have a very specific need. It outpaces WooCommerce in performance and covers what EDD and SureCart do (and more) in a single plugin.

EasyCommerce – AI-Powered, Blazing-Fast WordPress Ecommerce Plugin

Other Notable Mentions

For completeness, there are a few other WordPress e-commerce options worth a quick nod:

• BigCommerce for WordPress: A hybrid solution that lets you use BigCommerce (hosted) for product management while keeping WordPress as the front end. It’s reliable and scalable, but it involves a separate BigCommerce account and usually a monthly fee.
• Shopify (via WP integration): Some stores embed Shopify buy buttons or blogs via plugins. Shopify is very polished and fully hosted, but this moves you off WordPress for the main cart, so it’s a bit outside the typical “plugin” category.
• WP EasyCart: An older WooCommerce-style plugin with lots of add-ons. It’s self-hosted but has a smaller ecosystem.
• MemberPress or WP Simple Pay: These aren’t full carts, but can handle payments for memberships or single products via forms. They’re simpler if you don’t need a full store.
• WPForms / NinjaForms: Contact form plugins that accept payments. Great for single-item sales (e.g. services or donations), but not true stores.

Each has pros/cons, but for most store owners running a WordPress site, the battle really comes down to a few big players – EDD (for digital), SureCart (SaaS-style), and EasyCommerce (all-in-one self-hosted).

Conclusion: Choosing the Best WooCommerce Alternative

In the end, the best WooCommerce alternative depends on your store’s focus:

• If you sell only digital products or downloads, Easy Digital Downloads is a lightweight, dedicated solution[3][4]. It simplifies digital sales and includes license/subscription addons, but it can feel limited for physical inventory (you’ll need add-ons for shipping)[10].
• If you prefer an all-in-one cloud experience with minimal tech maintenance, SureCart is attractive. It handles checkouts, subscriptions, and affiliates out of the box, but remember that your data lives on their servers[11][7]. It’s essentially a SaaS platform, so you trade some control for convenience.
• For maximum flexibility and performance on WordPress, EasyCommerce clearly stands out. It combines the speed of a modern architecture (dedicated tables[6]), with the flexibility to sell any product type and the extensibility of a typical WP plugin. Its rich feature set (coupons, abandoned cart emails, intuitive dashboard, etc.) comes free, meaning you don’t need a half-dozen plugins to run a store. Unlike a SaaS, you maintain full ownership of your data and can customize the code as needed. This is why EasyCommerce is often the “winner” for developers and store owners who want a powerful WooCommerce alternative that stays within the WordPress ecosystem.

Ultimately, every project is different. But with the information above – plus citations from plugin docs and expert reviews – you should have a clear sense of each platform’s strengths. Whether your priority is digital downloads, ease of use, or raw performance, there’s a WooCommerce alternative to match your needs. And for those who want it all on WordPress, EasyCommerce deserves a very close look.

Sources: Official docs and reviews for each plugin, including EasyCommerce FAQs[5][6][12][13][14], SureCart documentation[11][7], and Easy Digital Downloads guides[3]. These informed the feature comparisons above.