CS-Cart
CS-Cart is a privately held, bootstrapped eCommerce software company founded in 2005, offering self-hosted, open-source multi-vendor marketplace and online store platforms serving 50,000+ businesses across 170+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What CS-Cart does
CS-Cart is a privately held, bootstrapped eCommerce software company founded in 2005 that develops self-hosted, open-source platforms for building online marketplaces and stores. The company's two core products are Marketplace Builder (Multi-Vendor), which enables B2B and B2C multi-vendor marketplaces with built-in vendor management, commission systems, split payments via Stripe Connect and PayPal Commerce Platform, multi-storefront capabilities, and vendor mobile dashboards; and Store Builder, a single-vendor eCommerce store platform with 500+ built-in features. The platform is PHP-based with MySQL, uses Smarty templating, React Native for mobile apps, and is tested for 15M+ products and 4,000+ requests per second. CS-Cart supports 26+ languages, 90+ payment and shipping options, and is distributed through direct sales, self-serve 14-day free demos, and a network of 250+ certified partner developers and 350+ technology partners worldwide, with a distributed team across the USA, UK, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, and Georgia.
The company monetizes through a tiered pricing model combining annual subscriptions (Multi-Vendor Standard at $725/year list to Ultimate at $3,599/year), lifetime licenses (Store Builder ranging from $1,490 to $7,990 and Multi-Vendor Unlim at $19,990), recurring Customer Care support subscriptions ($215-$392/month), and managed cloud hosting via its Scalesta partnership ($45-$799/month). Revenue also comes from custom development services, setup packages, update subscriptions, and App Market add-on/theme licensing royalties from partner developers. Pricing and go-to-market are deliberately bifurcated: a sales-led motion targets enterprise and mid-market customers with consultation and demos, while a product-led-growth motion and channel-partner motion address SMB marketplace founders and long-tail customers across diverse verticals including apparel, food, agriculture, healthcare, automotive, and digital products. CS-Cart claims 50,000+ businesses have used its software, 35,000 live stores, and 2,000+ marketplaces launched across 170+ countries, with no transaction fees on marketplace revenue and full source-code ownership as core differentiators versus SaaS marketplace competitors.
The platform has remained under founder ownership with no disclosed external funding rounds, no parent company, and no public financial disclosure. Most recent strategic activity includes the CS-Cart 4.20 platform release in 2025, expansion of the native mobile application product line, deepening of payment integrations (Stripe Connect, PayPal Commerce Platform), and continued build-out of the partner and App Market ecosystem to extend distribution without proportional headcount investment.
CS-Cart firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CS-Cart
- Website
- https://cs-cart.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- CS-Cart is a privately held, bootstrapped eCommerce software company founded in 2005, offering self-hosted, open-source multi-vendor marketplace and online store platforms serving 50,000+ businesses across 170+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CS-Cart industry classification
Industry- Product category
- eCommerce Platform Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Retail-Computer & Computer Software Stores (5734)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Generalist Marketplaces & Online Malls (BPAMAGAA)
Keywords
Where CS-Cart is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
CS-Cart business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licenses (Annual Subscription): Annual subscription licenses for Multi-Vendor and Store Builder platforms with tiered pricing (Standard, Plus, Ultimate, Unlim). Includes customer care support and software updates.
- Software Licenses (Lifetime): One-time payment lifetime licenses providing permanent access to the software with varying periods of included updates and support.
- Customer Care Subscriptions: Premium technical support services including Plus (unlimited requests, 4 modifications/month, proactive assistance) and Ultimate (7 modifications/month, dedicated engineer, live chat, mobile app maintenance) tiers.
- Cloud Hosting (Scalesta): Managed hosting services on pre-configured servers optimized for CS-Cart, with tiered plans from Development ($45/mo) to Omega ($799/mo).
- Update Subscriptions: Annual update subscriptions allowing access to the latest platform updates, patches, and new features.
- Custom Development Services: In-house professional services for custom marketplace development, ERP/CRM integrations, UI/UX improvements, migrations, and long-term technical support.
- Setup Packages: 5-hour and 10-hour setup packages offering catalog configuration, SEO setup, payment/shipping configuration, design customization, and vendor onboarding assistance.
- App Market Add-ons and Themes: Third-party add-ons and themes available through the marketplace, developed by 250+ partner developers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Multi-Vendor Standard - Starter plan for launching marketplace |
| Subscription | Annual | Multi-Vendor Plus - Expanded marketplace capabilities |
| Subscription | Annual | Multi-Vendor Ultimate - Best in class, level-up business |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Multi-Vendor Unlim - Unlock limitless growth |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Store Builder Plus - Launch small/medium online store |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Store Builder Ultimate - Expand with multiple storefronts |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Store Builder Unlim - 5 years updates + premium support |
| Subscription | Monthly | Customer Care Plus - Premium technical support |
| Subscription | Monthly | Customer Care Ultimate - Dedicated premium support |
| Subscription | Monthly | Cloud Hosting - Scalesta Managed Servers |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
CS-Cart product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CS-Cart develops and sells eCommerce software platforms used by merchants and entrepreneurs to build online stores and multi-vendor marketplaces. Its two flagship products are Marketplace Builder (Multi-Vendor) for creating multi-seller marketplaces and Store Builder for single-vendor online stores. The software is open-source, self-hosted, written in PHP/MySQL, and ships with hundreds of built-in features for storefronts, vendor management, checkout, and admin operations.
Product overview
CS-Cart is an eCommerce software platform offering two core products: Marketplace Builder (Multi-Vendor) for launching multi-vendor B2B/B2C marketplaces, and Store Builder for single-vendor online stores. Both are self-hosted, open-source solutions with full code access and modular architecture. The platform operates on a tiered pricing model with Standard, Plus, Ultimate, and Unlim editions, where higher tiers add advanced features like unlimited storefronts, premium support, and extended update periods. Supporting services include managed cloud hosting via Scalesta, Customer Care support tiers (Standard, Plus, Ultimate), update subscriptions, and an App Market with 2,000+ add-ons and themes. The ecosystem also encompasses custom development services for tailored marketplace and store solutions, plus mobile applications for both marketplace vendors and customers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Marketplace Builder (Multi-Vendor) A turnkey PHP/MySQL platform for building online marketplaces where multiple independent vendors list and sell products through a unified storefront. Includes vendor management, commissions, payouts, product moderation, and admin tools. Targeted at entrepreneurs and businesses launching multi-seller marketplaces.
- Store Builder A self-hosted, PHP-based eCommerce storefront software for merchants operating a single-vendor online store. Provides product catalog, checkout, payments, shipping, taxes, promotions, customer management, and admin back-office functionality.
- Enterprise eCommerce Solution An enterprise-tier eCommerce storefront built on the CS-Cart platform, intended for businesses with large product catalogs, advanced customization needs, and high traffic volumes. Includes extended feature set compared with the standard Store Builder.
- B2B Marketplace A Multi-Vendor edition configured for business-to-business transactions, supporting features such as negotiated pricing, quote-based ordering, buyer groups, and bulk catalog workflows for B2B marketplaces.
- Multi-Vendor Mobile Application A React Native-based mobile application that extends a CS-Cart Multi-Vendor marketplace to iOS and Android devices, enabling shopping, vendor onboarding, or vendor management via mobile.
- Custom Marketplace Development Custom engineering services delivered by CS-Cart's team to build, customize, or extend Multi-Vendor marketplace projects for clients with bespoke requirements.
- Custom Online Store Development
Quantifiable outcome
- Launch marketplace within several weeks (1-3 months average)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CS-Cart
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CS-Cart technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration23 records
Feature6 records
CS-Cart partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- ScalestacoreScalesta provides managed cloud hosting specifically optimized for CS-Cart platforms. Servers are pre-configured for CS-Cart, ensuring seamless integration and top performance. CS-Cart clients receive complimentary trial month with pre-configured servers. Scalesta offers 24/7 monitoring and proactive server management for optimal platform performance.
- Stripe ConnectcoreIntegrated payment gateway for marketplace payout systems enabling split payments and automated vendor earnings distribution in multi-vendor marketplace operations.
- PayPal Commerce PlatformcoreIntegrated payment solution for marketplace transactions and vendor payouts, providing hassle-free money distribution for marketplace operators.
- Authorized Resellersmajor250+ certified partner developers worldwide who are personally trained and certified by CS-Cart to provide custom development, design, integrations, and localization services for marketplace implementations.
- App Market Developersmajor250+ partner developers creating add-ons and themes available in the CS-Cart marketplace, extending platform functionality with ready-to-use features including SEO tools, checkout solutions, security enhancements, and vendor page extensions.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CS-Cart competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PrestaShop: PrestaShop is an open-source PHP e-commerce platform with multi-store capabilities and a large module marketplace. It competes head-to-head with CS-Cart Store Builder for SMB online store founders.
- Mirakl: Mirakl is an enterprise marketplace platform that enables retailers and B2B companies to launch third-party seller marketplaces. It competes with CS-Cart's enterprise marketplace offering, with a stronger enterprise sales footprint and a higher price point.
- Magento (Adobe Commerce): Adobe Commerce is the closest open-source e-commerce platform peer, offering multi-store, multi-vendor, and B2B capabilities on a similar self-hosted/open-source architecture. Both target enterprise and mid-market merchants needing customizable marketplace functionality.
- Shopware: Shopware is an open-source e-commerce platform with strong multi-vendor and B2B marketplace capabilities, particularly in European markets. Both Shopware and CS-Cart target the customizable, open-source segment of merchants seeking multi-vendor functionality.
- WooCommerce: WooCommerce is the leading open-source WordPress-based e-commerce plugin with extensive marketplace extensions. It competes with CS-Cart in the SMB online-store segment, with a much larger developer community but a less specialized multi-vendor core.
- OpenCart: OpenCart is an open-source PHP-based shopping cart platform with a similar technical foundation to CS-Cart. Both target SMBs launching online stores, with comparable extension ecosystems and customization approaches.
- Sharetribe: Sharetribe is a SaaS marketplace builder purpose-built for peer-to-peer and multi-vendor marketplaces. It directly competes with CS-Cart Multi-Vendor in the marketplace-founders segment, though Sharetribe is cloud-hosted while CS-Cart is self-hosted.
Emerging players
- Arcadier: Arcadier is a SaaS marketplace builder focused on SMB and industry-specific marketplaces. It overlaps with CS-Cart in the multi-vendor segment but differentiates through a hosted, subscription-first model.
Broad incumbents
- Shopify: Shopify is the dominant SMB e-commerce platform with extensive marketplace-style extensions and an enormous app ecosystem. It is the largest competitive threat to CS-Cart in the SMB and mid-market entry tier despite CS-Cart's multi-vendor specialization.
- BigCommerce: BigCommerce is a leading SaaS e-commerce platform with B2B and multi-storefront capabilities. It competes with CS-Cart Enterprise and Store Builder for mid-market and enterprise merchants preferring cloud-hosted solutions.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CS-Cart social profiles
Digital presenceCS-Cart financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CS-Cart leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
CS-Cart funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CS-Cart M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CS-Cart
What does CS-Cart do?
CS-Cart develops and sells eCommerce software platforms used by merchants and entrepreneurs to build online stores and multi-vendor marketplaces. Its two flagship products are Marketplace Builder (Multi-Vendor) for creating multi-seller marketplaces and Store Builder for single-vendor online stores. The software is open-source, self-hosted, written in PHP/MySQL, and ships with hundreds of built-in features for storefronts, vendor management, checkout, and admin operations.
Is CS-Cart a public or private company?
CS-Cart is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CS-Cart founded?
CS-Cart was founded in 2005. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is CS-Cart based?
CS-Cart is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does CS-Cart make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses (Annual Subscription) is the primary driver. The others are software Licenses (Lifetime), customer Care Subscriptions, cloud Hosting (Scalesta), update Subscriptions, custom Development Services, setup Packages and app Market Add-ons and Themes.
Who are CS-Cart's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PrestaShop, Mirakl, Magento (Adobe Commerce), Shopware, WooCommerce, OpenCart and Sharetribe. Arcadier is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Shopify and BigCommerce.
Does CS-Cart have an API?
Yes. CS-Cart provides an Open API for marketplace integrations and customizations. The platform includes a Vendor Panel API that allows tailoring the vendor experience. The API supports marketplace-specific payment workflows including Stripe Connect and PayPal Commerce Platform. The platform also offers REST API capabilities for admins, enabling external system integrations. Documentation is available at docs.cs-cart.com. Developer documentation is at docs.cs-cart.com.
What industry is CS-Cart in?
CS-Cart's product category is eCommerce Platform Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAGAA, Generalist Marketplaces & Online Malls. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 5734.