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E-Commerce · head to head

Drip vs OpenCart

Drip logo

Drip

E-Commerce

Ecommerce email marketing and automation priced purely on contact count

From
$39/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenCart logo

OpenCart

E-Commerce

Self-hosted open source shopping cart written in PHP, released under the MIT licence

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenCart has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Drip drip SMS is closed to new accounts and was US-only when it was open, so the multichannel positioning that competitors offer is not actually available to a new customer.; OpenCart extensions modify core behaviour through an XML patching system, so two modules that patch the same file conflict in ways that surface as broken checkout rather than as an installation error, and resolving that requires a developer reading both patches.
  • They diverge on capability: Drip covers Ecommerce data sync, OpenCart covers MIT licensed source.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Drip and OpenCart actually diverge.

Attributes where Drip and OpenCart differ
AttributeDripOpenCart
Starting price$39/monthFree
Pricing modelPer month by contact countopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Drip

  • Ecommerce data sync
  • Visual workflow builder
  • Behavioural segmentation
  • Onsite forms and popups
  • Unlimited sends
  • No feature gating
  • Product recommendations
  • A/B testing

Only in OpenCart

  • MIT licensed source
  • Self-hosted PHP and MySQL
  • No transaction fees
  • Multi-store
  • Extension marketplace
  • Multi-currency and multi-language
  • OCMod modification system
  • Full data access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Drip

  • A Shopify retailer wants abandoned cart, winback and post-purchase automation without the tier-by-tier feature gating that makes Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign quotes unpredictable.not OpenCart
  • A store with a mid-sized list finds Klaviyo expensive for the volume it sends and wants a comparable ecommerce data model at a lower monthly cost.not OpenCart
  • A marketer needs onsite capture forms and popups included rather than paying separately for a popup tool alongside the email platform.not OpenCart
  • A team sends high email volume to a modest list, such as daily deals or frequent restocks, where unlimited sends on a contact-based price is materially cheaper than send-metered plans.not OpenCart

OpenCart

  • A merchant with volume high enough that a percentage transaction fee costs more than a developernot Drip
  • An agency building client stores where the client must own the code and the data outrightnot Drip
  • A store with unusual catalogue or pricing logic that a hosted platform will not permitnot Drip
  • Selling in a market where the local payment gateway is not supported by the mainstream SaaS platformsnot Drip

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Drip

  • Drip SMS is closed to new accounts and was US-only when it was open, so the multichannel positioning that competitors offer is not actually available to a new customer.
  • Pricing scales on total contacts regardless of engagement, so an unpruned list of lapsed subscribers costs the same as an active one and list hygiene becomes a direct budget item.
  • Analytics and revenue attribution are thinner than Klaviyo, with no predictive lifetime value or churn scoring, so a data-led ecommerce team hits the ceiling on measurement before it hits it on sending.
  • The integration catalogue is far smaller than Klaviyo or Mailchimp, and outside the main ecommerce platforms and Zapier you will often be writing against the API yourself.
  • It sits inside Leadpages rather than being an independent company, and as the smaller of the two products its roadmap is subject to a parent whose primary business is landing pages rather than ecommerce email.

OpenCart

  • Extensions modify core behaviour through an XML patching system, so two modules that patch the same file conflict in ways that surface as broken checkout rather than as an installation error, and resolving that requires a developer reading both patches.
  • Major version upgrades have broken third party extension compatibility, so moving between them means re-purchasing or re-commissioning modules and effectively rebuilding parts of the store rather than clicking update.
  • Hosting, patching, backups and PCI scope are all your responsibility, so a security update you postpone is a breach you own, and there is no vendor obligation to notify or protect you.
  • Extension quality on the marketplace is uneven and modules are sold as one-off purchases with no guaranteed maintenance, so a module central to your store can simply stop being updated and leave you holding the code.
  • The core project is maintained by a very small team relative to the platforms it competes with, so security fixes, compatibility with new PHP versions and feature work all arrive at a pace you cannot influence or pay to accelerate.

Pricing, plan by plan

Drip

$39/month
  • Up to 2,500 contacts$39/month
    • Unlimited email sends
    • All workflows and segmentation
    • Onsite forms and popups
  • Up to 5,000 contacts$89/month
    • Identical feature set
    • Unlimited email sends
  • Up to 10,000 contacts$154/month
    • Identical feature set
    • Unlimited email sends
    • Price continues to scale with contact count above this

OpenCart

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Core ecommerce features
    • Free support
    • Extensions available

Which should you pick?

Choose Drip if

  • You need ecommerce data sync.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want visual workflow builder.
Drip review

Choose OpenCart if

  • You need mit licensed source.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want self-hosted php and mysql.
OpenCart review

Questions people ask

Is Drip or OpenCart better?
Neither clearly leads. Drip starts at $39/month and OpenCart at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Drip or OpenCart?
OpenCart has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $39/month for Drip and Free for OpenCart.
Does Drip or OpenCart run on more platforms?
Drip runs on Web, API. OpenCart runs on Web.
Can I use OpenCart for free?
Yes. OpenCart has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Drip starts at $39/month.
What is Drip best used for?
Drip is most often used for a shopify retailer wants abandoned cart, winback and post-purchase automation without the tier-by-tier feature gating that makes mailchimp and activecampaign quotes unpredictable., a store with a mid-sized list finds klaviyo expensive for the volume it sends and wants a comparable ecommerce data model at a lower monthly cost., a marketer needs onsite capture forms and popups included rather than paying separately for a popup tool alongside the email platform., a team sends high email volume to a modest list, such as daily deals or frequent restocks, where unlimited sends on a contact-based price is materially cheaper than send-metered plans.. Of those, a shopify retailer wants abandoned cart, winback and post-purchase automation without the tier-by-tier feature gating that makes mailchimp and activecampaign quotes unpredictable. and a store with a mid-sized list finds klaviyo expensive for the volume it sends and wants a comparable ecommerce data model at a lower monthly cost. are not what OpenCart is typically brought in for.
What can Drip do that OpenCart cannot?
Drip covers Ecommerce data sync, Visual workflow builder, Behavioural segmentation, Onsite forms and popups. OpenCart covers MIT licensed source, Self-hosted PHP and MySQL, No transaction fees, Multi-store.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Drip: Does Drip do SMS?

Not for new customers. Drip SMS is closed to new accounts and was only ever available in the United States, so treat Drip as an email and onsite platform.

OpenCart: Is OpenCart really free?

The software is MIT licensed with no paid edition. The costs are hosting, extensions, and a developer, and for a low volume store those can exceed a SaaS subscription.

Drip: How is Drip priced?

Entirely by contact count, from 39 US dollars a month for 2,500 contacts. Email sends are unlimited and no features are held back on lower tiers.

OpenCart: Does it charge transaction fees?

No. There is no platform cut and no surcharge for using your own payment gateway, which is the main financial argument for self-hosting at volume.

Drip: Who owns Drip?

Leadpages, which acquired it in 2016. Drip retains its own name, site and product.

OpenCart: How hard is customisation?

Theme changes are ordinary PHP templates and are approachable. Changing behaviour means the OCMod patching system, which conflicts between extensions and needs a developer.

Drip: How does it compare to Klaviyo?

Cheaper at small and mid list sizes with a similar ecommerce data model, but weaker on analytics, predictive segmentation and the breadth of its app ecosystem.

OpenCart: What is the biggest hidden cost?

Upgrades. Version transitions have broken extension compatibility before, so budget for a partial rebuild rather than assuming updates are routine maintenance.

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