How to test WooCommerce checkout (8 free plugins)

Checkout is the final step that makes or breaks your store's conversions. If something doesn’t work — the form loads incorrectly, payment fails, or the order isn’t saved — you lose a customer. Testing your WooCommerce checkout ensures everything works smoothly before your users encounter issues.

In this article, we’ll walk you through 8 crucial areas you should test on your checkout page.

For each one, we’ll show a free WordPress plugin that can help.

You’ll also learn how to improve checkout fields with the Flexible Checkout Fields plugin — without writing code.

So, what, when, why, and how to test WooCommerce checkout?

What is checkout testing and how it improves WooCommerce performance?

What: Checkout testing is the process of verifying that your WooCommerce checkout page works as expected.

That means checking form behavior, payment gateways, cart logic, custom fields, redirection, email notifications, page speed, and more.

Why: With good testing habits, you’ll catch errors before they reach customers to repair or optimize WooCommerce checkout. And by using free plugins, you can make this process much easier.

How to test WooCommerce checkout – 8 areas to check with free plugins

1. Test cart and checkout page loading

Use the Health Check & Troubleshooting plugin to isolate conflicts.

Health Check disables all plugins for your user session so you can test your site in a clean environment.

• Temporarily deactivate all other plugins
• Test if checkout loads without errors
• Verify if your theme causes conflicts
• Great for plugin compatibility checks

2. Test payment gateway functionality

The WooCommerce Payments plugin allows you to simulate payments in test mode.

It integrates directly with WooCommerce and supports sandbox testing.

• Enable test mode for credit card payments
• Try valid and invalid test card numbers
• Check if orders are processed correctly
• Ensure no errors appear during submission

3. Test checkout (without payments)

Use the WooCommerce Order Test to test the purchase with "payment".

The plugin to simulate purchase but with no actual payment.

• Check the order processing
• No payment refunds when testing WooCommerce checkout
• Test how order is added
• Check every step of the purchase (except payment)

4. Test discount and coupon code behavior

You don't need a plugin to test the discounts added with coupons of sale prices.

Just check the order in WooCommerce → Orders → Edit order screen to see if discounts are added properly.

But, you may also use Flexible PDF Coupons a plugin to set gift cards and vouchers that use WooCommerce discounts and test them.

5. Test email notifications after checkout

Use WP Mail Logging to monitor outgoing WooCommerce emails.

This plugin can store all emails sent by your site.

• Track order confirmation emails
• Verify email content and format
• Debug issues with missing emails
• See timestamps and recipients

6. Improve mobile responsiveness and UX

Install Fluid Checkout for WooCommerce – Lite for mobile testing and adjusting checkout for mobile.

Testing on real devices is ideal — but plugins help preview changes fast.

• Adjust checkout layout for mobile
• Ensure buttons are visible and accessible
• Add multistep checkout to compare with classic checkout
• Optimize usability

7. Test guest checkout and account registration

To enable guest checkout you may use WooCommerce settings.

Then, you can use User Switching to test different roles quickly.

• Check if guest orders are allowed
• Test customer registration during checkout
• Switch between admin, customer, and guest
• Verify if order meta is saved correctly

8. Test redirection after placing an order

Use the Redirection plugin to manage and test post-checkout URLs.

WooCommerce should take users to the order confirmation page.

• Track checkout redirect behavior
• Create conditional redirect rules
• Log 404 or unexpected redirects
• Improve user flow and reduce confusion

Improve checkout fields with Flexible Checkout Fields (free)

Once your core checkout works, the next step is to optimize the user experience.

Here are some features of the free version:

• Add custom fields like text, textarea, checkbox, and select
• Choose where fields appear: billing, shipping, other
• Hide default WooCommerce fields you don’t need
  

  

• Reorder fields using drag & drop
  

  

• Mark fields as required or optional
• Assign custom labels, placeholders, and tooltips

Flexible Checkout Fields works seamlessly with WooCommerce and is ideal for adding delivery notes, company IDs, or any extra information you want to store.

Extra PRO features worth mentioning

If you need more power, the PRO version adds premium functionality for advanced use cases.

• Additional field types
  

  

• Pricing per field
  

  

• Display fields conditionally based on shipping or payment method
  

  

• Show fields only for specific products in the cart

If you’re running a store that relies on custom delivery details or B2B fields, this upgrade pays off quickly.

Summary: why checkout testing matters and how plugins help

Testing your WooCommerce checkout isn’t just for developers - it’s essential for any store owner. A broken field, a failed payment, or an email that never arrives can cost you real sales.

Thankfully, with the right free plugins, you can test every step of the checkout journey and make sure your store runs smoothly.

Key points

• Test payment, validation, emails, mobile experience, page speed, and more
• Use free plugins from WordPress.org to simulate real scenarios
• Flexible Checkout Fields helps you edit checkout fields easily
• Upgrade to PRO for advanced rules, field types, and conditions
• Regular testing ensures fewer issues and better conversions