You have landed at the right place if looking for the best shopping cart software. This post will provide you with the five best shopping cart software for your online store.
A shopping cart solution is essential for an eCommerce site, even if you sell a simple digital product like an eBook. It is an essential element of your sales funnel. If you don’t provide your buyers the best experience during checkout, they may opt-out at the last moment, and you will lose sales.
All your efforts in nurturing them and bringing them to the last stage will be in vain. A poorly designed shopping cart affects the conversion negatively.
A good shopping cart software makes the process easy for sellers and buyers.
You will find many shopping cart platforms offering you their services; however, selecting the best according to your requirements can be daunting. Therefore, I am writing this blog post so you can pick the best shopping cart platform for you.
What Is a Shopping Cart Software Platform?
A shopping cart software is software or a platform that facilitates the purchase of products or services. It collects payment from customers, delivers the product (if digital), and provides the seller with payment and all necessary information about buyers.
These are the minimum requirements for shopping cart software. However, shopping cart platforms have evolved and offer many more services, such as up-sell, down-sell, cross-sells, one-click upselling, and cart abandonment.
Let’s get started.
5 Best Shopping Cart Software
Here, we will discuss the five best shopping cart software platforms:
- SamCart
- GrooveSell
- ThriveCart
- PayKickstart
- CartFlows
#1. SamCart
Scott Moran and Brian Moran launched SamCart as a third-party shopping cart software platform.
SamCart is the most popular shopping cart software and helps sellers sell their digital and physical products. It has many conversion-optimized templates to design checkout pages; you can select the template best suited to your requirements and customize it per your branding and requirements.
It also allows you to create membership sites and sell online courses. It has a native payment processor, “SamPay,” allows you to collect payment without using third-party services such as Stripe or 2Checkout.
With SamCart, you can easily sell your digital products. You can easily integrate SamCart with many third-party services such as email marketing, WordPress, online course platform, and payment processor.
It also has Zapier integration, which lets you connect with thousands of applications.
SamCart allows one-click upsells and order bumps during checkout that increase conversion. You can have a payment plan, free or paid trial, with SamCart.
Main Features of SamCart
- Payment plan
- Apple Pay
- Native payment processor
- Custom domain
- Smart tracking pixel
- Cart abandonment
- CRM integration
- Partial refunds
- A/B split testing
- Bump offers
- 1-click upsells
- Affiliate management
Who Should Use SamCart?
If you have an established business selling digital, physical products, or online courses and are looking for a robust and reliable shopping cart solution, you can go for SamCart.
Pros
- In-depth reporting
- In-depth knowledge base
- Free SSL certificate
- Effortless setup
Cons
- Expensive
- A smaller number of payment integration options
- Two-day email response in the basic plan
- Custom branding with a basic plan
SamCart Pricing Details
SamCart has three pricing plans:
- Launch: The price is 59 USD per month; on a yearly plan, it reduces to 39 USD.
- Grow: The price is 119 USD per month; on a yearly plan, it reduces to 79 USD.
- Scale: The price is 299 USD; on a yearly plan, it reduces to 199 USD.
SamCart offers a 7-day free trial. If you want to try their features, subscribe to their trial plan.
Read my SamCart review.
#2. GrooveSell
GrooveSell is the newest shopping cart platform making buzz because of its pricing plan. It is available for free and offers some great features. It is part of GrooveFunnels and developed by Marketing Legend Mike Filsaime.
I am a premium lifetime user of this software and am disappointed with their support. They will respond to you if you send them a pre-sales query; however, once you buy the software and money back guarantee period passes, they won’t respond to your email.
If you post your concerns on the Facebook group, they will block your messages and finally be banned from the group.
So, avoid this platform and their marketing gimmicks; they are very good at it.
GrooveSell Pricing Details
GrooveSell has changed their pricing so often that even their customer care people cannot explain, and I have also stopped updating the pricing details.
You must create a free account and upgrade the plan to see the pricing details.
Read my GrooveSell review.
#3. ThriveCart
ThriveCart is a cheaper, feature-rich, and user-friendly shopping cart software.
With ThriveCart, you can build conversion-focused checkouts without technical and designing skills. It is one of the best shopping cart platforms for selling digital products. ThriveCart lets you share your funnel. This is an important feature and saves time when designing a sales funnel.
You can use a better checkout page or funnel designed by another user quickly. SamCart does not have this feature.
ThriveCart supports Apple Pay; many other shopping cart platforms lack this feature. Apple Pay lets your customers pay you using their thumbprint from any compatible device. They don’t have to fill in all their payment and billing information. It is a conversion booster feature.
You can easily connect with email marketing services such as GetResponse, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, and AWeber. This is a useful feature to re-target users.
As of now, this platform is available on a time purchase offer. If you are interested, you can buy a lifetime offer before they switch to only a monthly payment plan.
However, if you purchase the software with one-time pricing, you will be locked with the same version and won’t get any major software upgrades.
Main Features of ThriveCart
- Many integrations
- Affiliate management
- Native sales calculation
- 1-click upsell
- Bump offer
- Embeddable shopping cart
- Apple Pay
- A/B testing
- Discount coupon
- Re-targeting
Who Should Use ThriveCart?
If you are selling any digital product and looking for a reliable and robust platform with easy customization and many integrations, you can go for it.
Pros
- Helpful in-depth reporting
- Affordable price
- Easy interface
- Frequently updated with new features
- Apple Pay support
Cons
- Limited payment options
- Rigid templates
- No live chat or phone support
- No Trial plan
ThriveCart Pricing Details
Currently, ThriveCart has two pricing plans:
- ThriveCart standard with a 495 USD one-time fee.
- ThriveCart Pro with a 690 USD one-time fee. The Pro plan has advanced features such as an affiliate center, subscription saver functionality (dunning), automatic sales tax calculation, intelligent business projections, JV contracts, advanced user management, client usage rights, custom domain name functionality, etc.
Read my ThriveCart review.
#4. PayKickstart
PayKickstart is a shopping cart software that lets you sell digital products, services, or physical products. It is a reliable and robust platform with minimal features.
Although PayKickstart has fewer features than its competitors, it is easier to use, and you can have your conversion-focused checkout pages quickly. You can click on any element of your checkout page and edit the element.
If you have a global audience, they will see a checkout page in their native language. PayKickstart supports 12 languages.
You can have a one-time, split, or recurring payment or offer a free trial. You can enable affiliate management, connect to email marketing services to use autoresponders and target users who abandoned the cart to increase conversion.
PayKickstart has dunning management that notifies buyers about their credit card expiry date, subscription renewal, and end-of-trial for smooth transactions.
Main Features of PayKickstart
- Autocomplete address
- Real-time analytics
- Payment plans
- Coupon codes
- 1-click upsells
- Address auto-complete
- Order bumps
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Exit-intent pop-ups
- Re-targeting and tracking pixels
- Affiliate management
- Pre-filled checkout page for returning customers
Who Should Use PayKickstart?
If you are selling digital and physical products and looking for a robust, reliable, and affordable shopping cart solution, you can go for PayKickstart.
Pros
- Free trial
- Robust platform
- No transaction fee
- Coupon codes and discounts
- Affiliate management
- Inbuilt fraud protection
- Handles accounting tasks
- Live chat support
Cons
- Learning curve
- No Apple Pay
- No A/B testing
- The interface is a little outdated
PayKickstart Pricing Details
PayKickstart has four pricing plans:
- Starter: The monthly price is 99 USD, suitable for revenue up to 10,000 USD per month. This plan will have one credit card and PayPal payment integration, one-time and subscriptions, free and paid trials, one-click upsells, coupons, customizable checkout pages, dunning management, import subscriptions, 3rd party integrations, reporting and analytics, etc.
- Growth: The monthly price is 199 USD, suitable for revenue up to 50,000 USD per month. In this plan, you get everything from the Starter plan plus the affiliate management center, user-based roles and permissions, customer billing portal, cancellation saver, advanced dunning, API Access, etc.
- Scale: The monthly price is 299 USD, suitable for revenue up to 200,000 USD per month. This includes everything from the Growth plan, a designated account manager, demographics, customer feedback surveys, audience builder, uptime monitoring, social proof, etc. This plan has all the PayKickstart features.
- Custom: If your earnings are above 200,000 USD, contact PayKickstart customer care for a custom quote.
All plans allow you to sell unlimited digital and physical products.
PayKickstart offers a 14-day free trial; if you are interested in their services, you can join their trial plan and test it for 14 days.
#5. CartFlows
CartFlows is a shopping cart software for WordPress sites, available in free and paid versions. Since CartFlows is WordPress-based, so you can use it with any landing page builder.
Not only do you get beautiful checkout pages with CartFlows, but you can also create product funnels, membership funnels, tripwire funnels, live demo funnels, etc.
CartFlows lets you sell digital and physical products; you can also use drop shipping to sell your products.
Main Features of CartFlows
- Custom checkout field
- One-click unlimited up-sells and down-sells
- Global checkout
- Analytics and tracking
- Cart abandonment
- Bum offers
- A/B testing
- Unlimited funnels
CartFlows is a useful shopping cart software; however, it lacks one crucial feature: A/B testing.
Who Should Use CartFlows?
If you want a WordPress-specific and affordable shopping cart solution, you can go for CartFlows.
Pros
- Easy-to-use software
- Affordable
- All-in-one solution
- Responsive customer support
Cons
- No split testing
- Only works with WordPress-based sites
- Need to install WooCommerce
- No built-in affiliate management
- No in-depth tutorials
CartFlows Pricing Details
CartFlows has three pricing plans:
- CartFlows Starter: The price is 79 USD per year.
- CartFlows Plus: The price is 149 USD per year.
- CartFlows Pro: The price is 269 USD per year.
CartFlows has a 30-day no questions asked money-back guarantee. If you don’t like their product, you can ask for a refund, which will be quick.
Read my CartFlows review.
A Few Better Alternatives to Shopping Cart Software
Until now, we have discussed dedicated shopping cart platforms. Now we will talk about other platforms that can provide you with shopping cart features with many more exciting features in the same or lower price range. Review these options, consider using them instead of a dedicated shopping cart platform, and connect them with other sales funnel elements.
Building a sales funnel using different services is not the best choice, especially when you can get a better solution with the possibility of a lower price. Sales funnel platforms cost between 100 USD to 300 USD and provide you with all the services you need to sell your products. They provide a landing page builder platform, complete email marketing service, hosting, and a shopping cart platform. You can also have affiliate management and create a helpdesk.
So I recommend seriously considering using a sales funnel platform for your online business.
Now, I will discuss three sales funnel platforms. These platforms are most popular and supported by renowned marketers, and you will never go wrong with any of these platforms.
Systeme.io
Systeme.io is a new sales funnel platform and is my favorite. It is the closest competitor of Kartra and ClickFunnels and has many features similar to these platforms at an affordable price.
Systeme.io is an all-in-one sales funnel solution.
I am a user of this platform and use it regularly.
The following are the main features of Systeme.io:
- Powerful drag-and-drop page editor
- Beautifully designed templates
- Unlimited landing pages
- Unlimited sales funnels
- Free hosting and bandwidth
- Conversion funnels
- Website builder
- Membership platform
- Lead management
- Email marketing
- Shopping cart system
- Video hosting
- Affiliate management
- A/B testing
Kartra
Kartra is a popular sales funnel platform with many exciting features not seen elsewhere.
It has a complete shopping cart solution – Kartra Checkout. With this, you can sell your digital as well as physical products.
It is the closest competitor of ClickFunnels; for many, it is better than ClickFunnels. I used Kartra before subscribing to GrooveFunnels, and it is a good sales funnel platform.
Kartra’s affiliate management is very powerful. You can have a flexible commission, payment milestones, custom landing page, affiliate tagging, multiple commission tires, etc.
Kartra Checkout is modern and has many great features, such as:
- Unlimited products
- Gorgeous checkout pages
- Multiple pricing points
- One-click transactions
- Tagging buyers
- Upsells, down-sells, and order bumps.
- Installment, a one-time sale, recurring payment, trial, etc.
- Promotion and discounts
- Single the multi-step checkout form
- Upsells, down-sells, cross-sales, and order bumps
- Sales tax calculations
- 12 checkout languages, 40 currencies
- Cart abandonment
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels is the most popular sales funnel platform and provides a reliable shopping cart solution. With ClickFunnels, you can launch your online business from scratch within minutes. It is an all-in-one solution.
ClickFunnels provides shopping cart solutions that you can use to sell your products. I will not say it is the best, but it works well. Note that the price of ClickFunnels’ base plan is 97 USD per month, and it gives you a page builder, hosting, shopping cart solution, custom domain, etc.
ClickFunnels allows you to design your checkout page as you wish with their powerful drag-and-drop builder. It has an excellent split-testing feature that lets you optimize your checkout page.
The main features of ClickFunnels are:
- Drag and drop editor
- Built-in affiliate center
- A/B testing
- Sharing funnels
- One-click upsells, down-sells, and order bump
- Integrated analytics
- Custom domains
Though ClickFunnels is a good choice, it is expensive for beginners, and the basic plan is limited to three payment gateways.
Read ClickFunnels Review.
FAQs: Best Shopping Cart Software
Q1: What is shopping cart software?
Shopping cart software allows online businesses to manage and operate eCommerce stores. It provides features such as product catalog management, inventory tracking, secure payment processing, and order management.
Q2: Why do I need shopping cart software?
Shopping cart software is essential for online businesses as it simplifies setting up and running an eCommerce store. It provides a user-friendly interface for managing products, processing payments, and tracking orders, making it easier to sell products, courses, or services online.
Q3: What should I look for in shopping cart software?
When choosing shopping cart software, consider factors like ease of use, scalability, security features, payment gateway compatibility, customization options, mobile responsiveness, integration with other tools, and customer support. These factors ensure a smooth and successful eCommerce experience.
Q4: Is shopping cart software suitable for small businesses?
Yes, shopping cart software serves all sizes of businesses. Many solutions offer pricing plans that are scalable and affordable for small businesses. Look for software that aligns with your specific business needs and budget.
Q5: Can I integrate shopping cart software with my existing website?
Yes, you can. Most shopping cart software allows integration with existing websites. It can be integrated seamlessly by embedding the shopping cart functionality into your website’s pages or using a plugin or API provided by the software provider.
Check for compatibility and integration options before subscribing to any shopping cart software.
Q6: What are some popular shopping cart software options?
Several popular shopping cart software options are available, including SamCart, ThriveCart, CartFlows, etc. Each has its strengths and features, so it’s essential to evaluate them based on your business requirements.
Q7: Are there open-source or free shopping cart software options?
Some shopping cart software options are open-source or offer free versions with limited features. Examples include OpenCart, PrestaShop, and osCommerce. However, remember that free solutions may have limitations and might not offer the same level of support or advanced features as paid options.
Q8: Can shopping cart software handle multiple currencies and languages?
Most shopping cart software supports multiple currencies and languages. This feature is important if you plan to sell internationally or cater to customers from different regions.
Check before subscribing that your chosen software supports multiple currencies and languages.
Q9: How secure is shopping cart software for handling customer data?
Reputable shopping cart software providers prioritize security and employ measures like SSL encryption and PCI compliance to protect customer data during transactions. Look for software that adheres to industry standards and provides security features to ensure a safe shopping experience for your customers.
Conclusion
If you are looking for the best online shopping cart platform, SamCart is your best choice.
It has many exciting features and offers a modern platform.
The second best choice is ThriveCart. It is cheaper, has more features than SamCart, and is available for a one-time fee with lifetime access.
However, I recommend you try Systeme.io as well. It offers a free plan and a fully functional shopping cart solution.
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