Product CSV Import Suite alternative
A free plugin adds a chat to your WP dashboard. Attach your supplier's file with its own column names. Check one card. One Undo trashes the new drafts.
Imports are on the paid plan, not open yet. Simple products, no images. What works now?
- Nothing changes without your OK
- Undo in one click, or a warning first
- No account, no password to share
Needs WP 6.3 to 7.1, PHP 8.0 or newer, and an administrator login. One site per install.
The download is a plugin. Turning it on connects your site to cmshands.com and adds 3 small rescue files. Deleting the plugin removes them and everything it stored. What we send
Imports open with the paid plan. The rest works now.
Product CSV Import Suite is a trademark of its owner. CMSHands is not affiliated with it.
Watch it do this on a real site
You attach the file
The file is a supplier list we made up for our test shop: 300 rows and 6 columns, named SKU, Name, Regular price, Stock, Category and Short description. It went in as it was. Nobody renamed a column to fit a template.
Add these 300 products from my supplier's CSV.
You check one card
It read the file, looked at the shop and checked the import against it. One step failed and it tried again, and the chat says so. About 30 seconds after the request, one card showed the whole job: 300 new products as drafts, prices from 20 to 50, and stock tracking on. The 4 rows it left out were the shop's 4 categories, which already existed. Nothing had changed yet.
One thing the card can't show: your four categories (Mugs, Bowls, Plates, Vases) already exist, so the import just links to them.
- 2 secondsRunning a script on supplier-300.csv
- 9 secondsRunning a script on supplier-300.csv
- 12 secondsReading from your site
- Reading from your site
- 16 secondsReading a help article
- Reading from your site
- 20 secondsRunning a script on supplier-300.csv
- 24 secondsRunning a script on supplier-300.csv
- 26 secondsChecking the import against your site
Added, as drafts
We pressed Import it about 30 seconds later. It added the products 50 at a time, and all 300 were in about a minute after the press. They went in as drafts, so none showed in the shop yet. The Undo link would move all 300 to the trash. We didn't press it this time.
Done. I added 300 products (as drafts where they can be).
A real run on our test site, Quillmoor Pottery (WP 7.1.3, Twenty Twenty-Four), Oct 11, 2026. From asking to done, it took 1 minute 56 seconds. Imports are on the paid plan, which isn't open yet.
That's the whole job, on the paid plan when it opens. The plugin is free today: 3 changes to try it, no account. Nothing changes until you press the button.
Needs WP 6.3 to 7.1, PHP 8.0 or newer, and an administrator login. One site per install.
The download is a plugin. Turning it on connects your site to cmshands.com and adds 3 small rescue files. Deleting the plugin removes them and everything it stored. What we send
Who should keep Product CSV Import Suite
Keep Product CSV Import Suite if your products are more than simple ones. It imports sizes and colors (variations) from a second file, product images by web address, and the extra fields other plugins add. It also exports your catalog back to a CSV, and works with store extensions such as Product Vendors and Google Product Feed (woocommerce.com, read Oct 11, 2026). CMSHands doesn't import variations or those extra fields, doesn't export, and can't add images yet.
How they compare
| CMSHands | Product CSV Import Suite | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A free plugin with a chat in your WP dashboard, the screens you log in to at yoursite.com/wp-admin. You attach the file and say what you want | A paid extension that imports, merges and exports products and variations with CSV files1 |
| Price | The plugin is free. Imports are on the paid plan, which isn't open yet | $59 for 1 year, or $94.40 for 2 years. Includes updates, customer support and 30 days to ask for your money back1 |
| The columns in your file | It works out which column is which, and the card shows the result before anything changes. The run below used the supplier's own column names | Its own names, matched exactly and in lower case, such as post_title and regular_price. Its docs say the import may fail if a header is off2, 3 |
| New products start as | Drafts, unless you ask to publish them | Whatever the file's post_status column says: draft, publish, pending or private3 |
| Products you already have | Found by SKU and updated. Rows that wouldn't change anything are skipped. Paid plan | Merged: rows are matched to products by ID or SKU1 |
| Sizes and colors (variations) | No. Simple products only | Yes, from a second CSV for the variations1 |
| Product images | Not yet | Yes, by web address or file name. The first image is the main one3 |
| Extra fields from other plugins | No | Yes: custom fields and custom taxonomies, with no custom code1 |
| Export to a CSV | No | Yes, drafts included1 |
| Undo the whole import | Yes, one Undo. New products go to the trash for 30 days; changed ones get their old values back | Not listed on its product page or docs, read Oct 11, 20261, 2 |
| One import | Up to 2,000 products, from a file of up to 10 MB | “Create, upload or update thousands of products at once,” its page says1 |
- 1. https://woocommerce.com/products/product-csv-import-suite/, 2026-10-11
- 2. https://woocommerce.com/document/product-csv-import-suite/, 2026-10-11
- 3. https://woocommerce.com/document/product-csv-import-suite-column-header-reference/, 2026-10-11
Product CSV Import Suite is a trademark of its owner; WooCommerce is a trademark of Automattic Inc. CMSHands is not affiliated with either.
Can you use both?
Yes, once imports open with the paid plan. Until then, the free plugin helps with other jobs. It tells you which products are out of stock. It updates a plugin from the WP plugin directory, or changes the words on a page, once you approve. Keep the Suite for exports and for products with variations. We haven't tested the two side by side on our test site yet. Import each file with one of them, not both, or you won't know which one changed what.
Needs WP 6.3 to 7.1, PHP 8.0 or newer, and an administrator login. One site per install.
The download is a plugin. Turning it on connects your site to cmshands.com and adds 3 small rescue files. Deleting the plugin removes them and everything it stored. What we send
What it won't do here
Imports wait for the paid plan
Simple products only
No product images yet
No exports or extra fields
Up to 2,000 products in one import
Questions
What can the free plugin do for my store today?
Answer questions and make small changes, when you ask in the chat. Ask “Which of my products are out of stock?” and it lists them, changing nothing. It can update a plugin from the WP plugin directory and check the site after, or change the words on a page. You get 3 changes with no account, then 10 a month with your email. Imports wait for the paid plan.
Is CMSHands part of Product CSV Import Suite?
No. CMSHands is a separate product from a separate company. It isn't affiliated with Product CSV Import Suite or with WooCommerce. If you bought the Suite and need help with it, its page on woocommerce.com has the docs and a support link.
What does Product CSV Import Suite cost?
$59 for a 1-year plan, or $94.40 for 2 years. The plan covers updates, customer support and 30 days to ask for your money back. We read these prices on woocommerce.com on Oct 11, 2026. The page can show prices in your own currency, so check there for today's.
Do I need it, or is WooCommerce's own importer enough?
Often the built-in one is enough. The Suite's own page says the importer that comes with WooCommerce works well for simple and variable products. You'll find it under Tools › Import › WooCommerce products (CSV). The Suite adds custom fields, custom taxonomies and data for extensions like Product Vendors. Its docs also say it will be phased out over time, with its features moving into WooCommerce itself (woocommerce.com, read Oct 11, 2026).
What column names does Product CSV Import Suite need?
Its own list, matched exactly and in lower case: post_title for the name, regular_price for the price, sku, and tax:product_type for the kind of product. Its docs say the import may fail if a header is off. Their tip for a template: make one product by hand, export it, and delete the ID column (woocommerce.com docs, read Oct 11, 2026).
Can CMSHands import product images or variations?
Not images yet, and not variations. On the paid plan, which isn't open yet, it adds and updates simple products. In the run above it filled in the name, SKU, price, stock, short description and categories. Add pictures to each product after the import. If your file has sizes and colors, keep a tool that handles variations, such as the Suite.
Written by CMSHands team. Checked on WP 7.1, Oct 11, 2026.
Try it on your own site
Needs WP 6.3 to 7.1, PHP 8.0 or newer, and an administrator login. One site per install.
The download is a plugin. Turning it on connects your site to cmshands.com and adds 3 small rescue files. Deleting the plugin removes them and everything it stored. What we send
Download the plugin.
It's free: 3 changes to try it. No account, no card.
Upload and activate it.
In your dashboard: Plugins › Add Plugin › Upload Plugin (Add New Plugin on older WP). Choose the file, press Install Now, then Activate Plugin.
Press Turn on.
Press Turn on CMSHands. No account, no key, no password.