TL;DR
XootiX’s Side Cart WooCommerce is the most popular side cart plugin in the WordPress ecosystem with 80,000+ active installs. It earned that position. But its free version is deliberately limited, locking basic features like quantity controls and coupons behind a paywall. Caddy’s free version includes those features and much more, while Caddy Pro focuses on analytics and automation that actually grow your revenue.
Best for:
- Caddy: Store owners who want a genuinely powerful free side cart, and those who want Pro features focused on revenue growth (analytics, automation, abandoned cart tracking) rather than paying for basics.
- Side Cart WooCommerce (XootiX): Store owners on a tight budget who only need a minimal side cart display, or those who specifically need express checkout options (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay) in their cart panel.
Overview
With 80,000+ active installs, Side Cart WooCommerce by XootiX is the dominant player in the WooCommerce side cart space. It has a 4.9-star rating from 446 reviews and years of market presence. There is no disputing that track record.
Caddy, built by Tribe Interactive, takes a fundamentally different approach to what “free” and “pro” should mean. With 4,000+ active installs and a ground-up rebuild on modern WordPress architecture (the Interactivity API and WooCommerce Store API), Caddy was designed around a simple principle: the free version should be genuinely useful, and the pro version should earn its higher price by delivering features you cannot get anywhere else.
This comparison matters because these two plugins represent two different philosophies about how to build a WordPress product. One gates essential functionality behind a paywall. The other gives it away and charges for advanced capabilities. Which approach is right for your store depends on what you actually need.
Feature Comparison
Here is the full feature breakdown, showing exactly what you get at each tier.
| Feature | Caddy Free | Caddy Pro | XootiX Free | XootiX Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AJAX Side Cart | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Floating Cart Icon / Bubble | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free Shipping Meter | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Rewards Meter | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Product Recommendations | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Save for Later | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Coupons in Cart | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Quantity Controls | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Announcement Bar | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Menu Widgets / Shortcodes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Custom CSS | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Cart Styling (Width, Height, Color) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sale Price Display | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Responsive + RTL Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Disable on Specific Pages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple Layout Styles | No | No | No | Yes (3) |
| Shipping Calculator | No | No | No | Yes |
| Express Checkout (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay) | No | No | No | Yes |
| Analytics Dashboard | No | Yes | No | No |
| Workflow Automation | No | Yes | No | No |
| Abandoned Cart Tracking | No | Yes | No | No |
| Free Gifts / Offers | No | Yes | No | No |
| Advanced Display Rules | No | Yes | No | No |
| Cart Session Monitoring | No | Yes | No | No |
| HPOS Support | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Unknown |
| Block Theme Compatible | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Unknown |
The pattern is clear. Read on for what it means in practice.
Free Version Comparison: This Is Where It Matters Most
This is the most important section of this comparison. Most WooCommerce store owners start with the free version of a plugin to evaluate it. What you get for free determines whether the plugin actually helps your store or just serves as a teaser for an upsell.
What XootiX gives you for free
XootiX’s free version provides a functional AJAX side cart with a floating basket icon. You can style the cart width, height, and colors. It supports 22+ translations and works on mobile. It will display products with sale prices. You can disable it on specific pages.
That is essentially it. The free version is a cart drawer that opens and shows what the customer added.
What XootiX locks behind its paywall
Here is what you cannot do with the XootiX free version:
- Quantity controls: Customers cannot change item quantities from the side cart. They have to navigate to the full cart page. This is a basic usability feature that virtually every shopper expects.
- Coupons: No coupon field in the side cart. Again, customers must leave the side cart to apply a discount code.
- Product recommendations / upsells / cross-sells: None. The single most effective tool for increasing average order value is locked away.
- Rewards / checkpoints: No progress meters, no spending incentives.
- Save for later: Not available.
- Express checkout: Not available.
- Shipping calculator: Not available.
- Cart notifications: Not available.
In other words, the free version of XootiX is a display-only cart. It shows products. It does not help you sell more of them.
What Caddy gives you for free
Caddy’s free version includes:
- Full quantity controls: Customers can adjust quantities directly in the side cart.
- Coupons in cart: Customers can apply discount codes without leaving the side cart.
- Product recommendations: Display upsells and cross-sells right in the cart panel.
- Free shipping meter: Show customers how close they are to free shipping, one of the most proven AOV-boosting mechanics in ecommerce.
- Rewards meter: Gamify the cart experience with spending milestones.
- Save for later: Let customers bookmark items without abandoning them entirely.
- Announcement bar: Promote sales, shipping thresholds, or messages directly in the cart.
- Menu widgets and shortcodes: Embed cart functionality anywhere in your theme.
- Custom CSS: Full styling control without touching theme files.
- HPOS support: Compatible with WooCommerce’s High-Performance Order Storage.
- Block theme compatible: Works with modern WordPress block themes out of the box.
Every one of these features is available the moment you install Caddy from WordPress.org. No credit card. No trial period. No feature gates.
Why this difference matters
The features XootiX locks behind its $29/year Pro plan (quantity controls, coupons, recommendations, rewards, save for later) are not premium features. They are table stakes for a useful side cart. Caddy treats them that way.
This is not about XootiX being a bad product. It is about a business model choice. XootiX chose to make the free version a gateway to an upsell. Caddy chose to make the free version a genuine tool that helps store owners sell more.
Pro Version Comparison
If both plugins give you a working side cart (Caddy for free, XootiX for $29/year), then the real question becomes: what do the pro versions add beyond the basics?
XootiX Pro ($29/year, 1 site)
XootiX Pro unlocks the features listed above (quantity controls, coupons, recommendations, rewards, save for later), plus:
- 3 layout styles for different cart designs
- Shipping calculator in the cart panel
- Express checkout with PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Amazon Pay
- Cart notifications for customer messaging
Express checkout is XootiX Pro’s standout feature. If your store relies heavily on express payment methods and you want those options directly inside the side cart, XootiX is currently the only side cart plugin offering this.
Caddy Pro ($99/year, 1 site)
Since Caddy’s free version already includes quantity controls, coupons, recommendations, rewards, and save for later, Caddy Pro focuses entirely on a different tier of capability:
- Analytics dashboard: Track revenue attributed to the side cart, conversion rates, most-added products, and abandonment patterns. Know exactly what is working and what is not.
- Workflow automation: Set up automated actions triggered by cart behavior. Apply discounts when a cart reaches a threshold, show targeted recommendations based on cart contents, trigger free gift offers based on spending.
- Abandoned cart tracking: Monitor which carts are being abandoned and what they contained. Understand your abandonment patterns without a separate plugin.
- Free gifts and offers: Automatically add free products to the cart based on rules you define. “Spend $75, get a free sample,” configured in minutes.
- Advanced display rules: Control exactly when and where the side cart appears, which features show for which customer segments, and how the cart behaves on different pages.
- Cart session monitoring: See active cart sessions in real time. Understand what your customers are doing right now.
The fundamental difference
XootiX Pro gives you features that Caddy gives away for free, plus express checkout.
Caddy Pro gives you data, automation, and revenue intelligence that no other side cart plugin offers at any price.
If you are comparing purely on “what do I get when I pay,” Caddy Pro delivers capabilities that go far beyond making the cart functional. It turns the cart into a revenue optimization engine.
Performance and Architecture
Caddy: Built on Modern WordPress APIs
Caddy 3.0 was rebuilt from the ground up on two modern foundations:
- WordPress Interactivity API: The same framework WordPress core uses for interactive blocks. This means Caddy renders and updates the cart using the same patterns WordPress itself uses, resulting in tighter integration, fewer conflicts, and better performance with block themes.
- WooCommerce Store API: The official, supported API for headless and interactive cart operations. This is the API WooCommerce actively maintains and optimizes. Building on it means Caddy benefits from every WooCommerce performance improvement automatically.
This architecture matters for three practical reasons:
- Fewer plugin conflicts. Caddy uses the same APIs that WordPress and WooCommerce are standardizing around. Plugins that follow modern WordPress conventions will work well alongside it.
- Better performance. The Interactivity API handles DOM updates efficiently without loading heavy JavaScript frameworks. Cart updates feel instant.
- Future-proof. As WordPress and WooCommerce continue investing in these APIs, Caddy’s compatibility and performance will improve alongside them.
XootiX: Traditional AJAX + PHP Templates
XootiX uses a conventional approach: traditional AJAX calls paired with server-rendered PHP templates. This is proven technology that has worked for years across the WordPress ecosystem.
However, this older architecture has known friction points:
- Caching conflicts. Multiple users on the WordPress.org support forum have reported conflicts between XootiX and WP Rocket, one of the most popular caching plugins. Page caching and AJAX-based cart plugins have always had a tense relationship, and traditional implementations are more susceptible to these issues.
- Support responsiveness. XootiX has a low support resolution rate on WordPress.org. This does not mean they never provide support, but it is a data point worth noting. Check their support forum for the current numbers.
- Legacy architecture. As WooCommerce continues its push toward the Store API and block-based checkout, plugins built on older patterns will eventually need to be rewritten or risk falling behind on compatibility.
Bottom line on performance
Both plugins work. XootiX’s approach is battle-tested across 80,000 installs. But Caddy’s modern architecture is built for where WordPress and WooCommerce are headed, not where they have been.
Pricing
| Plan | Caddy Pro | XootiX Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Site | $99/year | $29/year |
| 5 Sites | $199/year | $89/year |
| Unlimited Sites | $399/year | $149/year |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 14 days | Varies |
XootiX Pro is significantly cheaper. That is a fact.
But here is the question you should actually ask: what are you paying for?
With XootiX, your $29/year buys features like quantity controls, coupons, and product recommendations, features that Caddy includes for free.
With Caddy, your $99/year buys analytics, automation, abandoned cart tracking, free gifts, display rules, and session monitoring, features that XootiX does not offer at any price.
If you only need the features XootiX Pro provides, you can get most of them from Caddy’s free version and pay nothing.
If you need the revenue intelligence and automation that Caddy Pro provides, XootiX cannot deliver that regardless of price.
The real cost comparison:
| What You Need | Caddy Cost | XootiX Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity controls, coupons, recommendations, rewards, save for later | Free | $29/year |
| Analytics, automation, abandoned cart tracking, free gifts | $99/year | Not available |
| Express checkout (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay) | Not available | $29/year |
Integrations and Compatibility
Caddy
Caddy has been tested with and supports:
- WooCommerce extensions: WooCommerce Subscriptions, WooCommerce Product Bundles
- Page builders: Elementor, Divi
- Themes: GeneratePress, Flatsome, Astra, Kadence, OceanWP, Storefront
- WooCommerce standards: HPOS (High-Performance Order Storage), block theme compatible
Because Caddy is built on the WooCommerce Store API, it inherits compatibility with any plugin or theme that follows WooCommerce’s modern development standards.
XootiX
XootiX supports most standard WooCommerce setups and includes 22+ language translations and RTL support out of the box. Its long market presence means it has been tested against a wide range of configurations.
However, reported caching plugin conflicts (particularly with WP Rocket) are worth testing in your specific environment before committing.
Use Case Fit
Choose Caddy if:
- You want a feature-rich side cart without paying anything. Caddy’s free version covers what most stores need.
- You care about revenue data: which products drive the most add-to-carts, what your abandonment rate looks like, and which cart features are actually moving the needle.
- You want to automate cart-based offers (free gifts at spending thresholds, targeted recommendations, conditional discounts) without installing additional plugins.
- You are building on modern WordPress (block themes, HPOS) and want a plugin architected for that stack.
- You run a growing store where understanding cart behavior is worth more than saving $70/year on a plugin.
Choose XootiX if:
- You need express checkout (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay) directly in the side cart. This is a feature Caddy does not currently offer, and for some stores it is a dealbreaker.
- You are on a very tight budget and need pro features at the lowest possible price point.
- You want the reassurance of an 80,000+ install base and years of market presence.
- Your store is simple enough that you do not need analytics or automation. You just need a functional side cart with basic upsells.
- You are running a multi-site network and need the lowest per-site cost ($149 unlimited vs $499 unlimited).
Final Verdict
XootiX earned its 80,000+ installs. It has been around longer, it has more reviews, and it costs less. Those are real advantages, and we respect the position they have built.
But the plugin landscape has changed. Store owners should not have to pay for quantity controls and coupon fields in their side cart. These are expected functionality, not premium features.
Caddy is the better choice for most WooCommerce stores. The free version alone outperforms XootiX Pro on core cart functionality. And if you upgrade to Caddy Pro, you get an analytics and automation layer that transforms your side cart from a convenience feature into a revenue growth tool. No other side cart plugin offers that.
XootiX is the right choice if express checkout in the side cart is a must-have, or if your budget is the primary constraint and you need pro features at the $29/year price point. It is a reliable plugin with a proven track record.
For everyone else: install Caddy’s free version from WordPress.org. Use it for a week. Compare what you get for free against what XootiX charges $29/year for. The difference speaks for itself.
Get Started with Caddy
- Try Caddy free: Download from WordPress.org. Full quantity controls, coupons, recommendations, free shipping meter, rewards, save for later, and more. No account required.
- Explore Caddy Pro: See all Pro features. Analytics, automation, abandoned cart tracking, free gifts, and display rules. 14-day money-back guarantee.
- Questions? Visit usecaddy.com for documentation, tutorials, and support.
