Magento Vs. XCart

Future of Xcart and Magento

Xcart is not OOP product, it is based on PHP functions, just like outdated osCommerce. Current Xcart branch is the last in history of the Xcart, so if you will purchase Xcart today, it means that in several month/years (the date is unknown) you will stay with completely outdated, "zombie" product and it will be needed to migrate to "LiteCommerce/Xcart 5/Xcart Next" platform. Here is some most important statements from this FAQ:  

Will you release new X-Cart 4 versions? Although we will release new X-Cart 4 versions, the releases will include bug-fixes only, no new features. The reason is that we are working on a brand new e-commerce platform (also known as "X-Cart 5") and it doesn't make sense to develop a feature for two platforms at the same time. When will you release "X-Cart 5"? If you are referring to the future X-Cart solution based on the new platform, there is no release date yet. Will X-Cart 4 themes and modifications work for "X-Cart 5"? No, the new platform has a completely different architecture and is not compatible with themes and custom modifications made for X-Cart 4. Will I be able to upgrade my X-Cart 4 store to X-Cart 5 later? Since the platforms have a completely different architecture, there will be no automatic upgrade scripts. However, a data migration tool importing your product data from XC4 may be released later. Does "X-Cart 5" have less features than X-Cart 4? Technically - yes, the new platform itself has less features than X-Cart 4. Will there be a Pro version of "X-Cart 5"? Unfortunately, in the near future we don't plan to release a "Pro" version of the new platform. Perhaps, it will be released as a module later either by us or by a third-party developer.

  So as you see, in any case you will need to migrate all your customizations, designs, customers, orders history, products reviews, email templates and URLs structure (important for SEO) in the nearest future to the new platform with limited features. Magento is supported not only by PayPal & eBay, Magento have giant ecosystem of developers, designers and modules vendors. There are more than 4500 modules for Magento in MagentoConnect marketplace, and 30% of all these Magento modules are free. The future of Magento is bright and clear for everyone. More and more online marketers choose Magento as the platform for their eCommerce businesses.  

Magento VS Xcart Comparison

Architecture Magento: Modern, modular architecture based on Zend Framework. Xcart: Obsolete architecture, functions based and not modular. Multi-store capabilities Magento: Stable multi-store solution. Xcart: Not supported by Xcart 4 and 5. Xcart 5 will not have Pro version, which means that it will have no milti-vendor capabilities as well. Upgrades & migration to the new version Magento: 100% upgradable architecture. It is easy to upgrade Magento and Magento theme design. Xcart: Upgrade procedure is almost manual (.DIFF files application). It will be not possible to upgrade to Xcart 5 from Xcart 4. Future of the product: Magento: Clear roadmap and clear release dates. Investments from PayPal & eBay. Xcart: Not clear strategy of product development. No release dates available at the moment. Development of current Xcart 4 product is frozen.  

Conclusion

Today over 100,000 merchants worldwide use Magento, including such big brands like Skype, Olympus, Nokia, Samsung, Lenovo, Ford, Tool King, FOX, GoodYear, Ford and many others. Choosing right eCommerce platform for your business today, you invest money in your company. Magento is right solution, you will avoid a lot of troubles and pitfalls in the future with Magento. Here are some other "Magento VS Xcart" articles that compare eCommerce features and could be useful: - Templatemonster.com: Deeper Look into X-Cart eCommerce Engine - Molotovbliss.com: Magento VS X-Cart