If you sell any sort of service or product on the Internet, you’ve probably heard of SamCart. These guys spend upwards of $15K on daily advertising on Facebook, so there’s a good chance you’ve been served with one of their ads.
That “carpet-bombing” approach to sales also means that you’re going to have some unsatisfied customers. Customers who feel that the sales process itself was better than the actual product.
The product did not live up to the hype. Requested refund and was denied. Felt that sales tactics before purchase were misleading and spammy in nature. I originally gave me email info for a free product offered by the company–I was then bombarded with emails about purchasing their main product (SamCart). – Better Business Bureau Complaint
That’s probably unavoidable. But if you step back a bit and look beyond the hard sell, SamCart does actually have a decent full-featured product. It has all the bells and whistles you might ever need to sell something online. Whether you’re selling a physical or digital product, a consulting service, or collecting donations, SamCart likely has you covered.
That flexibility and appeal to a broad audience, however, also comes with a price. And we’re not just talking about the price of the software itself; more on that later. We’re also talking about the fact that full-featured software products like SamCart can be overkill for a lot of folks. If you’re just starting out – or even if you’re a bit more established – chances are you don’t need an affiliate center or a/b testing or the ability to add multiple users.
Often, features like that make an otherwise good product as difficult to use as the Stripe dashboard itself.
Below, we’ll review a few good SamCart alternatives, but we’ll also throw in two products that you can use if you’re not yet ready to take advantage of all the bells and whistles that come with a software product like SamCart.
The five alternatives are:
ThriveCart
ThriveCart, like SamCart, is a full-featured software tool that caters to more experienced online sellers. Just take a look at this review comparing the two platforms. Or skip that lengthy post and just look at this list comparing features on the two platforms:
Talk about dense…
Both platforms have all the features you might ever need, but unless you’re a user who can truly appreciate the difference between some of these minute differences, ThriveCart might also be overkill.
Top 3 Pros
- One-time price vs. monthly subscription
- Good with membership sites
- Lots of professional-level integrations
Top 3 Cons
- High upfront cost
- Limited checkout page customizations
- No a/b testing
What does it cost?
The price of ThriveCart fluctuates a bit, but right now it’s a one-time fee of $495, which makes it unique among all the tools on this list. The fact that it’s a one-time cost is good and bad. Good if you’re an already established seller and know what you want; it can save you lots of $ over the alternatives, like SamCart, that charge a monthly subscription.
But bad if you’re just getting started and don’t want to (or can’t) shell out $495 right out of the gate.
ChargeKeep
ChargeKeep, our own tool, is one of the two tools mentioned above that is a good alternative to SamCart if you’re not yet an experienced online seller or need a more cost-effective solution. Or, really, if you just want something that’s simpler to use.
Many folks use ChargeKeep for that exact reason… because it’s a really simple way to implement recurring payments with Stripe. Much simpler than using Stripe itself.
Using ChargeKeep, you won’t get affiliate management or a/b testing, or any of the other features experienced marketers use to sell products, but you will get all the tools you need to get started and grow your business:
- various recurring payment options
- customizable payment or checkout forms that you can integrate into your website
- a customer portal where your clients or customers can update their credit card information or alter their subscription details
- a “dunning” option that prevents and manages failed payments
- and even the ability to add multiple Stripe accounts to one ChargeKeep account.
Want to skip ahead and give ChargeKeep a try?
Our Basic plan is just $15/month, with no transaction fees.
Top 3 Pros
- Simple to use and set up
- Entry-level pricing
- No transaction fees
Top 3 Cons
- No affiliate portal
- No hosting of digital products
- No a/b testing
What does it cost?
ChargeKeep is a monthly subscription and starts at $15/month. The Plus plan, which includes a customer portal, dunning, and the ability to add multiple Stripe accounts, is $29/month. That’s still $20 less expensive than SamCart’s entry-level plan, which costs $49 and doesn’t include the aforementioned features.
MoonClerk
MoonClerk, the other entry-level tool in this list, is also a good option for sellers who don’t need order bumps, a/b testing, upsells, funnels, or any of the other “professional” features.
Like ChargeKeep, it’s very simple to use and has all the tools – and then some – you might need to get started with recurring payments. And when you’re ready to step up your sales efforts, you also have the option to add two extra paid features: digital file delivery and a “pro” Mailchimp extension.
All those features will cost you (more on that below) and MoonClerk is US-based so you can only collect payments in US Dollars.
Top 3 Pros
- Digital delivery
- Customer portal
- Credit card and bank payments
Top 3 Cons
- Steep transaction fees
- Outdated look and feel
- US-only
What does it cost?
MoonClerk is not cheap. The basic $15 per month package gets you all the functionality, but as soon as you process more than $2000 in payments, the cost rises significantly, going all the way up to $500 per month.
Personally, I don’t like tools that penalize you for growing your business. If you’re looking for a more cost-effective solution, consider ChargeKeep instead.
Plus, MoonClerk also charges $15 per month extra for the digital delivery and Mailchimp add-ons.
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels is another one of those heavily-marketed tools that will mostly appeal to folks who are really into marketing. As the name implies, it allows you to create sales “funnels,” multi-step sales processes that are meant to nurture then upsell your customers.
If that sounds a little gimmicky or “salesy” well, that’s because it is. The whole idea is to squeeze as much revenue out of a customer during the sales process.
In short, SamCart is a full-featured checkout page builder and ClickFunnels offers not only checkout pages, but also tools to “nurture” your customers before and after the actual sale.
As a SamCart alternative, it can certainly work, but the real purpose of the software is to create a more comprehensive A to Z selling process.
Top 3 Pros
- Lots of built-in features
- Twilio integration
- Good support
Top 3 Cons
- Pricey
- Steep learning curve
- Gimmicky
What does it cost?
PayFunnels is not cheap. Its Basic plan is $97 per month and the more full-featured “Etison Suite” plan goes for $297 per month. The basic plan has lots of limitations and doesn’t include the built-in features that ClickFunnels is known for – email marketing and affiliate management – so for all intents and purposes, ClickFunnels is a $297 per month product.
For those looking for a simple checkout page solution that works with Stripe, ClickFunnels is going to be overkill.
Don’t need a super complicated tool?
Then you’ll love ChargeKeep. Plans start at $15/month (with no extra fees).
PayKickstart
PayKickstart might be the best full-featured alternative to SamCart. It has all the features of SamCart and a few extra features that neither SamCart nor really any of the other tools on this list have.
In addition to all the features of SamCart, it also has tools such as a social proof widget, more payment integrations (think Braintree, Authorize.net, etc), webinar integrations, and Apple and Google apps for your phone.
But, as is true of a lot of full-featured apps, the features themselves often get in the way of getting things done with the platform.
Cons: It can be difficult to navigate if you don’t know what you’re doing – Capterra Review
For those just starting out, PayKickstart will have a bit of a learning curve. The features themselves – like sales funnels – may not be familiar to all and the platform itself – because it is so “cluttered” with every feature under the sun – can be a bit tough to navigate.
Top 3 Pros
- Apple and Android apps
- Social proof widget
- Lots of integrations
Top 3 Cons
- Difficult to configure
- Expensive
- Affiliate features lacking
What does it cost?
The plans range from $29 per month to $149 per month, so it’s not the cheapest of tools and the $29 per month plan doesn’t include some of the cooler features, such as the social proof widget, and it limits you to only selling five products.
So there you have it. Five tools that you can use – three comparable ones and two more entry-level, simpler ones – as an alternative to SamCart.
Now that you’re here…
ChargeKeep is a simpler alternative to the other tools on this list. If you liked this blog post, you’ll probably love ChargeKeep too.