WP Simple PayPal Shopping VS eStore Plugin

WP Simple PayPal Shopping VS eStore Plugin talks about the difference between both Shopping Cart plugins and more.

Last Updated: December 7, 2019

Latest News: Fixed a broken and updated the documentation.

Many keep asking questions and making requests to improve WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart Plugin. Some of the requests might never be implemented and some might take a long time before they are added. WSPSC “WordPress Simply PayPal Shopping Cart” plugin is very similar to eStore plugin.

The idea behind this check list is to point out the potential of each plugin and the difference between each plugin. When developing an online store or eCommerce site you require certain functionality. In some cases you might only require the minimum basic features for a basic online store, which is great. But for eCommerce online store like eBay, you require more functionality and much more control. These extra features and functionalities might be having more payment gateways available, a contact form with more fields, integration with many wp plugins and more.

I decided to publish this comparison check list to help you choose between these two plugins. Both plugins work really well and are up to date with the latest WordPress version. Both plugins are constantly supported by the staff in their respective forum. You can’t go wrong with either one.

Note: This check list only shows some of the most common features one looks for in a membership plugin. To learn more about each plugin, click on each plugins documentation link located at the end of this post.

WP Simple PayPal Shopping VS eStore Plugin

This list will change from time to time as improvements, changes and implementations are added to either plugin by the developers.

Features and Integration Both Plugins Can Do

In some of these features and integrations eStore has more control and flexibility than WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart. But both do a great job.

1. Acronym = WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart = WSPSC
2. Easily create “add to cart” button with options if needed (price, shipping, options variations). The cart’s shortcode can be displayed on posts or pages. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
3. Use a function to add dynamic “add to cart” button directly in your theme. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
4. Minimal number of configuration items to keep the plugin lightweight.= WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
5. Sell any kind of tangible products from your site. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
6. Ability to sell services from your your site.= WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
7. Sell any type of media file that you upload to your WordPress site. For example: you can sell ebooks (PDF), music files (MP3), audio files, videos, photos, images etc. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
8. Your customers will automatically get an email with the media file that they paid for. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
9. Show a nicely formatted product display box on the fly using a simple shortcode. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
10. You can use Paypal sandbox to do testing if needed (before you go live). = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
11. Collect special instructions from your customers on the PayPal checkout page. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
12. The orders menu will show you all the orders that you have received from your site. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
13. Ability to configure an email that will get sent to your buyers after they purchase your product. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
14. Ability to configure a sale notification email that gets sent to the site admin when a customer purchase your item(s). = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
15. Ability to configure discount coupons. Offer special discounts on your store/shop. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
16. You can create coupons and give to your customers. When they use coupons during the checkout they will receive a discount. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
17. Create discount coupons with an expiry date. The coupon code automatically expires after the date you set. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
18. Compatible with WordPress Multi-site Installation. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
19. Ability to specify SKU (item number) for each of your products in the shortcode. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
20. Ability to customize the add to cart button image and use a custom image for your purchase buttons. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
21. Track coupons with the order to see which customer used which coupon code. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
22. Ability to add a compact shopping cart to your site using a shortcode. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
23. Ability to show shopping cart with product image thumbnails. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
24. Ability to use a custom checkout page style. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
25. Ability to open checkout page in a new browser tab/window. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
26. Works nicely with responsive WordPress themes. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
27. Can be translated into any language. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
28. Easy Streamlined Checkout. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
29. Light Weight Shopping Cart. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
30. Ease of Design and Usage. = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
31. PayPal Payment Gateway  = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
32. Create Buy Now Buttons = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
33. Plugin Stability = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes (The code-base for both plugins is very stable. The developers put a lot of effort into testing and developing the plugins so it doesn’t break your site after you install or upgrade.)
34. Discount Coupons = WSPSC Yes (Limited) = eStore Yes (Advanced)
35. Works with HTTPS Pages = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
36. Product Grid Display Option = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
37. NextGen Gallery Integration = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes
38. Compatible with WP Security Plugins = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes

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Both Require Paid Plugins

Affiliate Software Integration = WSPSC Yes = eStore Yes

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Applicable only to eStore

1. Free Future Upgrades
2. Multi Site License

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Available Only In eStore

1. These are integrated into eStore plugin.
2. Secure Download Manager
3. Autoresponder Integration (AWeber, MailChimp, GetResponse, Mad Mimi).
4. Elegant Product Display Templates (You can read more about it from the following URL stylish-product-display-options-for-wp-estore)
5. Extensive Shortcode Library
6. Lots of Free Addons (You can read more about it from the following URL wp-estore-addons-list)
7. Lots of Payment Gateways = WSPSC No = eStore Yes (PayPal, Authorize.net, 2Checkout, Google Wallet, BitCoin via BitPay, Braintree, eWay Rapid 3.0, Offline payment method (payment via cheque, cash or bank transfer). There is a premium gateway module to add even more payment gateways if needed.
8. PayPal Subscription Button
9. Sell License or Serial Keys (You can read more about it from the following URL how-to-use-the-seriallicense-key-code-selling-feature.)
10. Show Customers Their Purchase History (Also allows them to re-download the digital items they purchased.)
11. Sell Using a Link (Quoted from Tips & Tricks HQ Website)
12. You can use this plugin to sell your products via a link. This can be very useful if you have created a landing page using a landing page creator software and you just needed a link to accommodate the item purchase process.
13. Pay What You Want Price Option (Quoted from Tips & Tricks HQ Website)
14. You can enable a “pay what you want” or “custom” price option for your products so the customers can enter the amount they wish to pay for the item. You can specify a minimum amount for the custom price also.
15. Amazon S3 Integration
16. E-Commerce Tracking (Quoted from Tips & Tricks HQ Website)
17. Integrates with Google Analytics eCommerce tracking. Your product sales will be tracked in your Google Analytics account (if you are using one).
18. Create Donation Buttons
19. Shorten Encrypted Download Links (Quoted from Tips & Tricks HQ Website)
20. You can choose to deliver a shortened version of the encrypted download links. The links are shortened using the free Bitly link shortening service.
21. Use inside a Pricing Table (Quoted from Tips & Tricks HQ Website)
22. WP eStore plugin is very handy when you need to put Buy or Subscribe buttons inside a price list or pricing table of your landing page.

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I hope the above helps you make the correct decision when choosing between both plugins. To learn more about each plugin please read their extensive documentation from the URLs below.

• WordPress eStore Documentation you might like to read my tutorial WordPress eStore Plugin Complete Selling Online Solution.
• WordPress imple PayPal Shopping Cart Documentation you might like to read my tutorial Simple Shopping Cart.

If you have any questions please let me know. Remember that I will be updating this comparison report from time to time.

Enjoy.