Building an online store can be incredibly exciting, but choosing the right tools can make or break your success. In my 10+ years in content marketing, I’ve seen firsthand how the right checkout plugin can be a game-changer.
Choosing the right checkout plugin for your WordPress site can feel overwhelming with so many options available. A seamless and user-friendly checkout experience is crucial for converting visitors into paying customers.
In this article, I’ll dive into the best checkout plugins for WordPress, examining their pros, cons, and key features to help you make an informed decision.
What Is a WordPress Checkout Plugin?
A WordPress checkout plugin is the software that bridges the gap between browsing and buying on your ecommerce site. It’s the tool that handles the entire checkout process, from the moment a customer adds an item to their cart to the final payment confirmation.
Traditionally, building an online store involved complex setups with custom code and third-party payment gateways. You’d need to worry about security, PCI compliance, and integrating various components.
This approach, while powerful, often created a barrier for smaller businesses or those without technical expertise. It also often resulted in clunky checkout experiences that led to abandoned carts and lost sales.
That’s where WordPress checkout plugins shine. They streamline the process, offering a user-friendly way to set up secure and efficient checkouts without needing to write a single line of code.
They come packed with features designed to improve conversions, such as guest checkout options, pre-filled forms, and mobile-optimized interfaces.
How I Tested the Best Checkout Plugins
To ensure I’m recommending only the most reliable and effective solutions, I put each checkout plugin through a rigorous testing process. My evaluation focused on the following key criteria:
- Ease of Use: A checkout plugin should be easy to install, configure, and use, even for beginners. I looked for plugins with intuitive interfaces and clear documentation.
- Features: A great checkout plugin should offer a robust set of features to enhance the customer experience and boost conversions. I prioritized plugins that offer guest checkout, multiple payment gateway integrations, order management tools, and customizable checkout pages.
- Pricing: While some premium plugins offer advanced features, I prioritized those with either a free version or a free trial period so you can test the waters before committing.
- Customer Support: Reliable customer support is crucial when running an online store. I considered the availability and responsiveness of support channels like live chat, email, and documentation.
- Security: Protecting your customers’ data should be a top priority. I looked for plugins that are PCI compliant and offer secure payment processing.
Best Checkout Plugins for WordPress
| Plugin Name | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 🥇 WooCommerce | Best overall choice | Free |
| 🥈 SeedProd | Customization | Free, Pro from $119.50/year |
| 🥉 BigCommerce | Enterprise growth | From $29.95/month |
| 4. MemberPress | Memberships & courses | From $179/year |
| 5. Easy Digital Downloads | Digital products | From $99/year |
| 6. WP Simple Pay | Simple payments | Free, Pro from $99.50/year |
| 7. Shopify | Non WordPress stores | From $29/month |
| 8. Direct Checkout for WooCommerce | Direct checkouts | Free, Pro from $20/year |
| 9. WooCommerce One Page Checkout | One page checkouts | From $79/year |
| 10. YITH WooCommerce Checkout Manager | Checkout customization | Free, Pro from $69.99/year |
1. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the most popular checkout plugin on the market. In addition, it’s the most popular eCommerce plugin in the world.
With WooCommerce, you can sell both digital and physical goods, with the option for customers to download purchases instantly. You can also use WooCommerce to sell affiliate products from online marketplaces.
There are options for flat rate and free shipping, along with the ability to create real-time payment calculations during the checkout process.
Key Features:
- Free and paid extensions to enhance your WooCommerce store
- The option to ship goods globally
- Supports both digital and physical goods
- Complete inventory management tools
- Built-in support for popular payment gateways
- Excellent documentation and experienced community
Pros:
- Free and open-source
- Highly customizable
- Large and active community for support
- Scalable to accommodate business growth
Cons:
- Can become expensive with premium extensions
- Steeper learning curve for advanced features
Price: WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress.
What is WooCommerce Good For?
WooCommerce is an excellent choice for any type of eCommerce website. It offers tons of themes and extensions, support for multilingual websites, and great free and paid support options.
2. SeedProd
SeedProd is the best WordPress drag-and-drop landing page builder. It makes building and customizing landing pages in WordPress easy, with no coding required.
We’ve included SeedProd on this list because it works seamlessly with WooCommerce to create high-converting checkout pages. With its responsive landing page templates, you can create pages for your online store in minutes, including:
- Shopping carts
- Checkout pages
- Product pages
- Pricing pages
…and even custom WordPress login pages.
In addition, customizing your pages is a breeze. Just use the drag-and-drop visual editor to add powerful content blocks, like product grids, add-to-cart buttons, vertical pricing tables, and see your changes in real-time.
This makes it even easier to position your goods in a compelling and motivating way for potential customers while offering a seamless user experience.
Key Features:
- Powerful content blocks designed for lead generation and conversions
- 170+ responsive landing page templates
- Built-in maintenance, coming soon, 404, and login page modes
- Easy integration with WooCommerce
- Dynamic text replacement to show personalized pages
- Access controls to limit access to your store
- Domain mapping to point landing pages to different domains
- Live mobile previews and mobile editing
- Email marketing integration
Pros:
- User-friendly drag-and-drop interface
- Stunning, conversion-optimized checkout pages
- Customization options beyond the checkout
- Integrations with email marketing services and more
Cons:
- Free version is limited in features
- Advanced checkout features require a premium plan
Price: SeedProd offers a free version that allows you to create simple landing pages. To create a checkout for WooCommerce, you’ll need SeedProd Elite, which starts from $239.60 per year.
What is SeedProd Good For?
SeedProd is the best checkout plugin for WordPress when used with the WooCommerce plugin. It offers fully customizable landing page templates, so you can quickly build checkout pages, shopping carts, and more visually without hiring a developer.
3. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is another excellent checkout plugin for WordPress. This fully hosted eCommerce platform makes it easy to embed your products in WordPress.
It automatically creates important pages for your online store, such as cart pages, account pages, login pages, and more. And because it’s highly scalable, it can easily support your store as you grow.
Key Features:
- Enterprise-grade security, high performance, and easy scalability
- Keeps your eCommerce content separate from your WordPress content for minimal maintenance
- Sell across many channels, including social media, Amazon, and more
- Choose from several payment gateways with no transaction charges
Pros:
- No need to manage WordPress updates or security
- Handles high volumes of traffic and orders with ease
- Streamlined multi-channel selling
- Feature-rich platform out of the box
Cons:
- Less design flexibility compared to WordPress-specific plugins
- Can be more expensive than starting with a free plugin
- Limited control over certain aspects of your online store
Price: BigCommerce pricing starts from $29 per month for their standard plan. This plan is capped at up to $50k in sales.
What is BigCommerce Good For?
BigCommerce is best for growing eCommerce sites that don’t want to worry about scalability and security. It takes care of the technical side of things so you can focus on growing your eCommerce business.
Get Started with BigCommerce or check out these BigCommerce alternatives.
4. MemberPress
MemberPress is a plugin for selling digital products and services on a subscription basis. It is one of the best WordPress membership plugins on the market.
MemberPress is beginner-friendly, allowing you to start charging users to access your content instantly. And with the courses addon, you can easily build and sell courses directly from your WordPress website.
Key Features:
- Sell subscription products, pay-per-view content, and memberships in WordPress easily
- Control who can access your content based on different user levels
- Built-in course builder to create and sell courses from WordPress
- Release paid content over time with content dripping
- Easily integrate with WooCommerce, LearnDash LMS, and more
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly interface
- Powerful content dripping features
- Integrated course builder
- Excellent for selling digital products and subscriptions
Cons:
- Limited payment gateway options compared to some other plugins
- Can be more expensive than some alternatives
Price: MemberPress starts from $179.50 per year.
What is MemberPress Good For?
MemberPress is an excellent eCommerce plugin for businesses looking to sell memberships, courses, and subscriptions and build a membership site. It’s easy to use and offers a wide range of add-ons to extend your site’s functionality.
5. Easy Digital Downloads
As the name suggests, Easy Digital Downloads is a powerful WordPress checkout plugin that allows you to sell digital goods online. It’s a user-friendly plugin with all the features you need to create a successful digital goods store online.
With the full shopping cart system, customers can buy multiple downloads at once. You can also monitor your store’s performance and download activity tracking.
Key Features:
- The user interface is both easy to navigate and use from the start
- Choose from hundreds of extensions and addons for marketing platforms, payment gateways, and more
- Works with any WordPress theme and offers native Easy Digital Downloads WordPress themes
- Access free support forums, videos, IRC chat rooms, and priority support for premium users
Pros:
- Incredibly easy to set up and use
- Specifically designed for selling digital products
- Active community and excellent documentation
Cons:
- Not suitable for selling physical products
- Some essential features require paid extensions
Price: Easy Digital Downloads pricing starts from $99 per year.
What is Easy Digital Downloads Good For?
Easy Digital Downloads is one of the best plugins for selling digital goods online. It’s a great choice for both smaller and larger businesses.
Get Started with Easy Digital Downloads
6. WP Simple Pay
WP Simple Pay is the perfect solution if you don’t want to set up a complex shopping cart system on your WordPress site. With this plugin, you can start accepting Stripe payments right away without adding any code.
You can collect one-time payments for products and services, accept donations, create custom amount payments, and even set up recurring payments for subscriptions and installments.
Key Features:
- Easily accept payments without setting up a shopping cart
- Accept one-time payments or recurring payments
- User-friendly drag-and-drop payment form builder
- Ability to give your customers coupon codes
- Multi-language and currency support
Pros:
- Extremely easy to use
- No need for a full-fledged shopping cart
- Affordable premium plans for advanced features
Cons:
- Limited to Stripe as a payment gateway
- Not ideal for selling a large catalog of products
Price: There is a free version available. To get more powerful features, you can upgrade your plan starting at $49.50 per year.
What is WP Simple Pay Good For?
WP Simple Pay is best for non-techies that want to sell products or services online without having to set up a full shopping cart system. It works perfectly for smaller and larger businesses.
Get Started with WP Simple Pay
7. Shopify
Shopify is a popular eCommerce platform that handles your online store for you. Even though it isn’t a WordPress plugin, it’s still an excellent, hassle-free platform for business owners to consider.
With Shopify, you don’t need to worry about the technical side of running your store. Everything is taken care of, allowing you to focus more on your business.
Key Features:
- Easy for beginners to use right out of the box
- Supports both physical and digital goods
- Inventory management with inventory editor, bulk importer, and order tracker
- Accept payments via credit card both online and in-person
- Integrates easily with Facebook and Pinterest
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly and easy to use
- Handles all technical aspects of your online store
- Scalable plans to accommodate business growth
- Extensive app store for added functionality
Cons:
- No direct WordPress integration
- Can be more expensive than some WordPress-specific solutions
- Limited customization options compared to self-hosted platforms
Price: Shopify starts from $29 per month.
What is Shopify Good For?
Shopify doesn’t offer WordPress integration, so it’s best used by businesses who don’t use WordPress to run their eCommerce site. If you’d like a similar solution for WordPress, we suggest using BigCommerce. It offers everything that you get with Shopify, along with seamless WordPress integration.
8. Direct Checkout for WooCommerce
Direct Checkout for WooCommerce is an excellent plugin designed to simplify the checkout process by skipping the cart page. This can significantly reduce cart abandonment rates and improve conversion rates.
With this plugin, customers can be redirected directly to the checkout page, making the purchase process faster and more efficient. It also offers customization options for the checkout button text and allows you to add a quick purchase button on product pages.
Key Features:
- Skip the cart page and go directly to checkout
- Customizable checkout button text
- Quick purchase button on product pages
- Compatibility with WooCommerce themes and plugins
Pros:
- Can potentially reduce cart abandonment rates
- Simplifies the checkout process
- Easy to use and customize
Cons:
- Limited impact on stores with multi-product carts
- Advanced features require the premium version
Price: Direct Checkout for WooCommerce offers a free version. For more advanced features, you can opt for the premium version starting at $49 per year.
What is Direct Checkout for WooCommerce Good For?
Direct Checkout for WooCommerce is perfect for stores looking to streamline the checkout process and reduce cart abandonment rates. It’s particularly useful for stores with repeat customers who prefer a quicker checkout experience.
Get Started with Direct Checkout for WooCommerce
9. WooCommerce One Page Checkout
WooCommerce One Page Checkout is a powerful plugin that allows you to create a one-page shopping experience, where customers can add products to their cart and complete the purchase on the same page. This reduces friction and can lead to higher conversion rates.
The plugin provides various layout templates, making it easy to customize the one-page checkout experience according to your store’s needs. It’s also compatible with most WooCommerce themes and plugins.
Key Features:
- Add products and checkout on the same page
- Multiple layout templates for customization
- Easy integration with existing WooCommerce stores
- Supports various product types, including variable and subscription products
- Compatible with most WooCommerce themes and plugins
Pros:
- Can improve checkout speed and reduce friction
- Ideal for mobile shoppers and repeat customers
- Customization options for branding and layout
Cons:
- May not be suitable for stores with complex checkout processes
- No free version available
Price: WooCommerce One Page Checkout starts at $79 per year.
What is WooCommerce One Page Checkout Good For?
WooCommerce One Page Checkout is ideal for stores that want to simplify the checkout process and provide a seamless shopping experience. It’s especially beneficial for stores with a high volume of repeat customers.
Get Started with WooCommerce One Page Checkout
10. YITH WooCommerce Checkout Manager
YITH WooCommerce Checkout Manager allows you to customize your checkout page to fit your store’s needs. You can add, remove, or rearrange fields on the checkout page, ensuring you collect all necessary information while providing a smooth user experience.
This plugin is highly flexible and provides options to create conditional fields, making the checkout process more dynamic and responsive to user inputs.
Key Features:
- Customize checkout fields (add, remove, rearrange)
- Create conditional fields for a dynamic checkout experience
- Enable or disable fields based on user roles
- Compatible with most WooCommerce themes and plugins
- Easy to use with a drag-and-drop interface
Pros:
- Unmatched flexibility for checkout customization
- Conditional logic for a personalized experience
- User-friendly drag-and-drop interface
Cons:
- Advanced features and conditional logic can be complex to set up
- The free version has limited features
Price: YITH WooCommerce Checkout Manager offers a free version. For more advanced features, you can opt for the premium version starting at $69.99 per year.
What is YITH WooCommerce Checkout Manager Good For?
YITH WooCommerce Checkout Manager is perfect for stores that need to customize their checkout pages extensively. It’s especially useful for businesses that require additional customer information or want to improve the user experience with dynamic field options.
Get Started with YITH WooCommerce Checkout Manager
What’s the Best Checkout Plugin for WordPress?
After comparing the top contenders above, we can conclude that WooCommerce and SeedProd are the best checkout plugins for WordPress when used together.
WooCommerce has the most control, flexibility, and features of all the plugins on this list. And when combined with SeedProd, you can create fully customized pages for your eCommerce store without coding or hiring a developer.
How Do I Add a Checkout to My WordPress Site?
Adding a checkout to your WordPress site and customizing it with SeedProd is super-easy. Check out this step-by-step guide on how to customize your WooCommerce checkout page easily.
Checkout Plugin Frequently Asked Questions
To improve the security of your WordPress checkout, consider implementing the following measures:
- Use a secure and reputable checkout plugin that offers encryption and complies with industry security standards.
- Keep your WordPress installation, themes, and plugins up to date.
- Install an SSL certificate on your website to encrypt data transfer between your site and your users.
- Use a reliable web hosting provider that prioritizes security.
Some checkout plugins for WordPress include features for tax and shipping calculations, while others may require additional plugins or add-ons. Before choosing a checkout plugin, check its feature list first.
To ensure that your chosen checkout plugin complies with GDPR, follow these steps:
- Check the plugin’s documentation and feature list for GDPR compliance, such as opt-in consent checkboxes, data deletion, and export tools, or privacy policy templates.
- Keep your plugin updated, as developers may release updates to address regulatory changes or improve compliance features.
- Consult with a legal expert or data protection officer to ensure your site and checkout process align with current data privacy regulations in your region.
That’s all, folks!
We hope this article helped you find the best checkout plugin for your WordPress site.
You might also like the following best plugin roundups:
- Best WooCommerce Product Rating Plugins
- Best WooCommerce Affiliate Plugins to Maximize Your Sales
- Best WooCommerce SEO Plugins for Better Rankings
- Best Stripe Payment Plugins for WordPress
- Best WordPress PayPal Plugins for Easier Store Payments
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