Zen Cart
vs. NexternalThis video discusses the top 3 reasons why merchants migrate to Nexternal from Zen Cart.
| Criteria | Nexternal | Zen Cart |
| Customer Service | Yes. Dedicated Customer Service Rep. Unlimited support. | No phone or email support. Online knowledge base & forums only. |
| Setup / Installation | Turnkey. | Highly technical. |
| Security | Managed by Nexternal. | Responsibility of Merchant. |
| Backups | Managed by Nexternal. | Responsibility of Merchant or Web Host. |
| Reliability | Nexternal hosts and maintains the application with 24/7 monitoring. | Zen Cart is hosted by a third party. Reliability varies. |
| Load Balancing | Yes. | No, software sits on a single server. |
| Software Updates | Automatic and frequent. | Merchant must download and install. |
| Always On Screen Shopping Cart | Yes. | No. |
| Direct Checkout | Yes. | No. |
| Integrated Shipping | Yes. Real-time rates, label creation, and tracking with all major carriers. | Add on module with rates only. |
| Marketplace Feeds | Automated - run daily. | Must manually create and submit data files. |
| Dashboard | Yes. | No. |
| Drop-Ship Module | Yes. | No. |
| Batch Order Processing | Yes. | No. |
| Affiliate Program | Included. | Add on module |
| Multiple Ship To Address | Yes. | No. |
| Preferred Delivery Date Selection | Yes. | No. |
| Inventory Kits/Product Bundles | Supported | Not supported. |
| McAfee SECURE | Yes. Scanned daily. Merchants can display badge. | Not included with Zen Cart. |
| Security Certificate | Included. | Separate charge. |
| Multiple Admin Access Levels | Yes. 7 different access levels. | Not standard. Need to install add-on module. |
| Storage Limits | None. | Depends on host. |
| Product Limits | No. | Varies depending upon hosting. |
Zen Cart is a Trademark of Zen Ventures, LLC.
This comparison is produced and hosted by Nexternal Solutions.
The Zen Cart comparison information on this page was believed to be correct as of 9/1/2009. Information was collected from Zen Cart's website (www.zen-cart.com) in order to compare it to Nexternal's shopping cart application. To report an error or discrepancy, please email
"Our monthly sales have gone up more than 100% since we went live with Nexternal."
Ellen Warner
Alzheimer's Store
Cumming, GA
