ThriveCart or ClickFunnels? Find Out Which One Fits You Best

When it comes to choosing the right tool for managing your online sales and marketing operations, ThriveCart and ClickFunnels are two standout options. Both platforms offer robust features designed to boost conversions, streamline workflows, and make your business grow.

In this article, we will carefully break down their key differences, strengths, and use cases to help you decide which one best suits your goals and budget.

ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: A Quick Comparison

ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: Target Audience and Use Cases

Who is ClickFunnels for?

ClickFunnels is designed for businesses that need an end-to-end solution for creating complete sales funnels. It's ideal for entrepreneurs and marketers who rely on landing pages, email automation, and upsell/downsell sequences to drive conversions. 

This platform is great for launching webinars, promoting digital products, or generating leads through highly customized marketing campaigns; however, it could slow down your sales with its focus on multistep funnels, increasing drop-offs and cart abandons at every step.

Who is ThriveCart for?

ThriveCart is tailored for businesses seeking a streamlined solution for checkout pages and affiliate management. It’s particularly valuable for course creators, e-commerce sellers, and digital product providers.

ThriveCart simplifies payment processing and affiliate tracking, making it an ideal option for businesses prioritizing sales over complex funnel-building operations.

Strategic Alternative: SamCart’s Approach

For those prioritizing lightning-fast and conversion-optimized checkouts , SamCart offers embedded checkouts and express checkout links that are ideal for both digital and physical product sellers.

It’s a strong choice for any online seller, including entrepreneurs, coaches, course creators, and businesses that aim to increase sales while maintaining a high degree of flexibility in product offerings and checkout experiences.

ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: Key Features

ClickFunnels Key Features

Sales funnel builder: ClickFunnels allows users to create multistep sales funnels with landing pages, sales pages, order forms, and upsell/downsell pages using a visual drag-and-drop editor.

Email automation: through Actionetics (in higher-tier plans), users can automate emails and segment their audience based on behavior and funnel stages.

Membership site creation: ClickFunnels includes built-in functionality to create and manage membership sites, allowing course creators to provide gated content.

Integrated CRM: ClickFunnels includes CRM features to track customer journeys, making it easier to follow up and re-engage leads.

Built-in templates: it offers a variety of sales-focused templates for landing pages, opt-ins, webinars, and more.

ThriveCart Key Features

Checkout page optimization: ThriveCart specializes in simple checkout pages with customizable templates focused on maximizing sales and reducing cart abandonment.

One-click upsells and downsells: ThriveCart built-in upsell/downsell functionality allows businesses to boost average order values effortlessly.

A/B testing: ThriveCart offers A/B testing for checkout pages, allowing users to experiment and improve conversion rates based on data-driven insights.

Subscription management: ThriveCart provides features for recurring billing and subscription services, with built-in support for managing renewals and cancellations.

Affiliate management: Includes a fully integrated affiliate management system to track and pay commissions, enabling users to scale their business with affiliate marketing.

SamCart’s Approach

Email Marketing & Automation: SamCart’s App Marketplace provides direct integrations with leading email marketing platforms like ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, AWeber, and more. Users can trigger automations based on customer behavior, such as purchases, abandoned carts, or refunds.

Payment Gateways & Flexibility: SamCart supports a wide range of payment processors, including Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net, offering users multiple ways to process transactions. Unlike ThriveCart, which has limited payment options, and ClickFunnels, which primarily integrates with Stripe and PayPal, SamCart provides greater flexibility with support for one-time payments, subscriptions, and payment plans.

Membership & Learning Platforms: SamCart integrates seamlessly with Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi, and MemberPress, making it a strong choice for course creators who want automated access management.

Affiliate Management: SamCart offers built-in affiliate tracking, enabling users to create and manage affiliate programs effortlessly without needing third-party tools.

Payment Routing (New Feature): SamCart introduces Payment Routing, a feature that allows businesses to dynamically route transactions to different payment gateways based on criteria like currency, product type, or customer location.

ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: User Experience and Learning Curve

When comparing ThriveCart and ClickFunnels, their user experience and learning curve cater to different types of users. While ThriveCart focuses on simplicity and ease of use for a wide range of businesses, ClickFunnels is specially designed for those seeking comprehensive funnel-building capabilities.

ThriveCart makes it quick for users to get started with building simple checkout pages and upsell flows. Its streamlined interface and pre-designed templates keep the learning curve low, which is ideal for those who don’t need advanced funnel-building capabilities. ThriveCart's straightforward, no-frills approach makes it easy for beginners to set up and start selling without getting overwhelmed by extra features.

ClickFunnels offers a comprehensive suite of tools for building entire sales funnels, which can be a bit overwhelming for beginners due to its extensive features like funnel creation, email automation, and membership sites.

While its drag-and-drop editor is intuitive, mastering the wide range of tools and integrations can require a significant time investment. However, ClickFunnels tries to mitigate this with detailed onboarding tutorials, training programs, and a strong user community.

Compared to Thrivecart and ClickFunnels, SamCart stands out for its ease of use, offering an intuitive setup that enables users to quickly create high-converting checkouts.. Features drive up revenue with every purchases - like upsells, upgrades, and order bumps - can be added seamlessly without requiring extensive customization or technical expertise. SamCart’s conversion-focused features are a fit for beginners to advanced sellers doing 8 figures in annual revenue.

Focused primarily on streamlining the checkout process, SamCart allows users to get started efficiently without navigating complex tools or managing multiple integrations. This simplicity makes it an excellent choice for those prioritizing a conversion-optimized checkout experience focused on bringing in more revenue.

ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: Integration Capabilities

ThriveCart

Email marketing: ThriveCart integrates with a wide range of email marketing services, including ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, Drip, and more. Users can automatically add customers to their email lists based on their purchases.

Payment gateways: Thrivecart supports major payment processors like Stripe and PayPal; however, it is limited in extensive support for a wide variety of payment processors.

Membership and learning platforms: ThriveCart offers direct integrations with popular membership and course platforms such as Teachable, Thinkific, and MemberMouse. This makes it easy for course creators to automate access based on purchases.

Affiliate management: it has a built-in affiliate system, allowing users to set up, manage, and track affiliate programs without needing third-party software.

Automation and customization: ThriveCart integrates with Zapier, enabling users to automate tasks and connect with various other apps based on specific triggers.

ClickFunnels

Email marketing and automation: ClickFunnels integrates with major email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, AWeber, and others. For users on higher-tier plans, it includes its own email automation tool, Actionetics.

Payment processors: it supports multiple payment processors, including Stripe, PayPal, and others, giving users flexibility in managing transactions.

Webinars and membership platforms: ClickFunnels connects seamlessly with popular webinar platforms like Zoom and GoToWebinar, and supports integration with membership platforms such as Kajabi or MemberPress.

CRM and custom integrations: ClickFunnels can be connected to various CRMs, making it easier to manage leads and customers. It also provides support for webhooks and API integrations, allowing for more advanced custom setups.

Automation tools: it integrates well with Zapier, enabling users to create automated workflows between ClickFunnels and other apps.

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ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: Pricing and Best Value For Its Price.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels offers multiple pricing plans ranging from $97 to $297 per month. The lower-tier plan provides the basic funnel-building and landing page features, while higher-tier plans include more advanced tools like email automation and the affiliate program manager. 

This pricing reflects its all-in-one nature. It combines funnel building, CRM features, email marketing, membership site capabilities, and more in one platform, which can be highly cost-effective for businesses that need all these functionalities under one roof. However, for those small businesses who only require checkout or basic funnel features, the higher cost may not justify the investment.

Additionally, keep in mind that all-in-one platforms often lack specialization; therefore, they often fall short in certain features that your business may need most. All-in-one platforms are typically a master of none when it comes to their feature set.

If you consider your business may have specific requirements that cannot be fulfilled by an all-in-one platform, we recommend you look for a platform designed to cater to your biggest need with a high degree of expertise.

ThriveCart

ThriveCart is available for a one-time payment of $495, which includes lifetime access to its core features. There is also a Pro version that costs an additional $195, which includes more advanced features like automatic sales tax calculation, affiliate management, and built-in autoresponders.

ThriveCart's one-time pricing model provides good initial value for businesses looking to avoid high monthly subscriptions.

However, many key features needed may not be available on their standard version.

SamCart

SamCart offers flexible pricing plans designed to provide businesses with high-converting checkout solutions at every level. Unlike all-in-one platforms, SamCart specializes in optimized checkouts, conversion-focused features, and payment flexibility. Every plan includes Checkout Anywhere, allowing users to embed checkout pages across websites, social media, and emails.

Additionally, all plans support multiple payment options, including one-time purchases, subscriptions, payment plans, and even SamCart’s new Payment Routing feature, ensuring seamless transactions tailored to business needs.

ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: Customer Support

ClickFunnels

It offers a comprehensive customer support experience with 24/7 live chat and email support, providing quick access to assistance at any time.

Additionally, it features a well-rounded knowledge base with detailed guides, tutorials, and a vibrant user community, as well as exclusive training programs like Funnel Hacking and the One Funnel Away Challenge to help users master the platform.

ThriveCart

The platform focuses on email-based support, known for its prompt and effective responses. It provides users with a robust knowledge base that includes setup guides, video tutorials, and FAQs, catering to those who prefer a self-service approach to troubleshooting and platform mastery.

SamCart’s Approach

SamCart provides reliable customer support through responsive email assistance, live chat, and a comprehensive knowledge base, ensuring users have access to the resources they need to resolve common issues independently. These tools are designed to help users maximize the platform’s features with minimal downtime.

For those requiring immediate help, SamCart also offers live chat support during business hours, providing timely and personalized assistance. This combination of resources makes SamCart an excellent choice for users who value efficient and accessible customer support.

ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: Pros And Cons

ClickFunnels

Pros:

• Comprehensive all-in-one platform with a wide range of features including funnel building, email automation, CRM, and membership site creation.
• Intuitive drag-and-drop editor for creating customized sales funnels and landing pages.
• Strong community support and access to extensive training resources.
• Great for creating complex, multi-step funnels and lead-generation strategies
  

Cons:

• Higher cost due to the subscription-based model, especially for advanced features.
• Steeper learning curve due to its broad range of tools and functionalities.
• May be overkill for users who only need a simple checkout or basic sales funnel setup.
• An all-in-one platform is actually a con. Without a focus on one area, features will be lacking across all areas, whether that’s lead generation or checkout.
• The idea of a funnel lowers conversions and increases cart abandonment. Online sellers boost conversions by simplifying their funnels and allowing people to check out more quickly. Every click is a sale lost.

A platform like SamCart addresses this challenge by offering lightning-fast checkout experiences you can place anywhere your audience is online. SamCart’s streamlined, conversion-focused embedded checkouts and express checkouts, enable customers to complete purchases quickly with minimal steps, reducing abandonment rates significantly.

ThriveCart

Pros:

• One-time payment option, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses wanting to avoid ongoing subscription fees.
• Optimized for checkout processes with built-in features like one-click upsells, downsells, and A/B testing.
• Easy-to-use interface with a quick setup, ideal for users focused on increasing order value and managing affiliates.
• An integrated affiliate management system that simplifies tracking and payouts.

Cons:

• Limited design and customization options compared to a full funnel builder like ClickFunnels.
• Lack of built-in email automation and CRM features, requiring additional tools for more complex marketing strategies.
• Focuses primarily on checkout and post-purchase, making it less suitable for users who need extensive sales funnel capabilities.

User feedback often mentions lower conversion rates than other leading checkout platforms. For example, companies like Mindfulness Exercise have reported tremendous revenue and conversion boosts switching from ThriveCart to SamCart.

Final Thoughts

Whether you sell online courses, run a coaching program, or have a subscription business, choosing the right checkout platform is critical to your success. The checkout is where you lose or gain a customer and is ultimately driving the revenue of your business.

There are several checkout options at your disposal to handle and maximize your online sales. Be sure to evaluate them carefully - the checkout is the last, and the most important, step in your funnel.