Disclosure: WowCodes makes BidKing, one of the scripts in this comparison. We've tried to be fair. Every competitor fact below comes from that vendor's own product page, read on 14 October 2026, and is linked so you can check it. Where a page doesn't state something, we say "not stated" rather than guess. We left out ratings and sales counts on purpose, including our own.
Search for "PHP auction script" and most of what comes back is marketplace listings, old directory pages and forum threads. There's very little that compares the options side by side. This article does that for the self-hosted scripts we could verify, with what each vendor actually says about its product.
How we compared them
- Self-hosted only, or with a self-hosted option. The code runs on your server, so you hold the data and pay no per-sale platform fee.
- Facts from the vendor's own page. That means the vendor's site, its CodeCanyon item page, or its code repository. We didn't use review sites or third-party listings.
- Prices as shown on 14 October 2026. Marketplace prices change and sales come and go, so check the page on the day you buy.
- Still available. We excluded products whose pages we couldn't open, and flagged ones that are no longer maintained.
The comparison
| Script | Licence & price | Stack | Auction types stated | Multi-vendor | Last update stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHP Pro Bid | Licence £399 once; or hosted from £63/month (Cloud) or £159/month (Managed VPS) | PHP, full source; version not stated | Timed auctions, auction events, charity auctions, estate sales | Yes | v10.0; date not stated |
| iScripts AuctionLogic | $299 one-time; support and upgrades free for 3 months, then paid | PHP with AJAX; version not stated | Penny auctions, plus "lots of auction types" | Not stated | Not stated |
| ViserBid | CodeCanyon regular licence $34 (sale price shown) | Laravel 13, PHP 8.x | Not stated | Yes (merchant panel) | v3.0, June 2026 |
| BidLab | CodeCanyon regular licence $35 (sale price shown) | Laravel 13, PHP 8.x | Not stated | Not stated | v3.0, June 2026 |
| Bidout | CodeCanyon regular licence $39 | Laravel 12, PHP 8.4 | Timed bidding | Yes (merchant shops) | v1.2.0, June 2026 |
| LaraBid | CodeCanyon regular licence $59 | Laravel 10, PHP 8.1+ | Not stated | Not stated | v4.0.1, April 2023 |
| PHP Auctions Script | CodeCanyon regular licence $59 | CodeIgniter, PHP 7.3+ | Bidding plus buy-it-now | Not stated | July 2024 |
| BidKing (ours) | One-time: Starter $29, Plus $49, Pro $59 on our store | Plain PHP 8.2+ with MariaDB/MySQL, plugin architecture | English, reverse, sealed, penny, lowest unique bid, highest unique bid | Yes, from Plus | Kernel 1.1.175, October 2026 |
Payment gateways. PHP Pro Bid mentions Stripe and PayPal. iScripts names PayPal plus "a wide number of integrated payment processors". ViserBid says "20+" and names bKash, Binance, Aamarpay, SslCommerz, Checkout and NMI. BidLab's changelog names a similar set. LaraBid lists PayPal and Stripe. PHP Auctions Script lists PayPal, Stripe and bank or manual payment. BidKing bundles 11 gateways in every edition (Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, PayU, 2Checkout, Authorize.net, Checkout.com, Mollie, GoCardless, Cashfree, Instamojo), with more sold as add-ons from Add-ons in your admin panel.
Open source. WeBid is the best-known free PHP auction project, but its GitHub repository has been archived and read-only since September 2021. It's useful to study, but we wouldn't run a new business on it.
Notes on each script
PHP Pro Bid
The only product here that offers the same software as a hosted service and a self-hosted licence. That's handy if you want to start hosted and move later. Its page focuses on timed auctions, auction events, charity and estate sales, with seller stores. Branded mobile apps and "unbranding" are listed as separate paid options on some plans.
iScripts AuctionLogic
A long-standing penny auction script with a one-time licence. Budget for the extras its pricing page lists: copyright removal, installation, and support and upgrades after the first three months.
ViserBid and BidLab
Two Laravel scripts from the same vendor, both recently updated to Laravel 13. ViserBid is the multi-vendor one, with a merchant panel. If your team already works in Laravel, these will feel familiar.
Bidout
A newer Laravel 12 multi-vendor script. It mentions multi-language with right-to-left support, and direct selling alongside auctions.
LaraBid and PHP Auctions Script
Both are still listed. By their own pages, LaraBid was last updated in April 2023, and PHP Auctions Script targets PHP 7.3+ with a last update in July 2024. Check that they run on the PHP version your host provides before you buy.
BidKing (ours)
BidKing is written in plain PHP (no framework) with a plugin system, and sold in three editions:
- Starter: single seller.
- Plus: adds multi-vendor selling, a shop, coupons and gift cards.
- Pro: adds anti-sniping, an auto-bidder, fraud prevention and staff roles.
It's the only script in this list whose page states reverse, sealed, penny and unique-bid formats. What it doesn't do:
- No hosted version. You run the server.
- The auction page checks for new bids every few seconds rather than pushing them instantly.
- The mobile app isn't included in any edition.
When a WooCommerce plugin is the better choice
If you already sell through WooCommerce and want auctions as one more way to sell your existing products, a WooCommerce auction plugin keeps your catalogue, checkout and customers in one place. A standalone script makes more sense when the auctions are the business. Our guide to adding auctions to WooCommerce covers that route.
How to choose
- Need penny, reverse or unique-bid auctions? Shortlist the scripts that say so on their page, then try the demo.
- Laravel team? A Laravel script will be easier for your developers to extend.
- Don't want to run a server? Look at a hosted plan. Of the products here, only PHP Pro Bid offers one.
- Check the update date. An auction site handles money. Prefer a script updated in the last year that supports a current PHP version.
- Check the gateway you need, by name, for your country.
- Count the extras: installation, support renewals, branding removal and add-ons can cost more than the licence.
Common questions
What is the best PHP auction script?
It depends on the auction formats, gateways and stack you need. Compare scripts on the formats their own page states, when they were last updated, and the total cost including support and extras, then try each demo. We make BidKing, so we're not neutral; that's why every fact in this comparison links to the vendor's own page.
Are there free PHP auction scripts?
WeBid is the best-known open-source one, but its repository has been archived since 2021. For a live business handling payments, a maintained script is the safer choice.
Should I buy on CodeCanyon or directly from the developer?
Either can work. Check where the developer publishes updates and offers support, and what licence you get for your use. We now sell BidKing directly on our own store.
Do PHP auction scripts support penny auctions?
Some do. Among the scripts here, iScripts AuctionLogic and BidKing state penny auctions on their pages. For the others it's not stated, so ask the vendor or test the demo.