3dcart vs Shopify: What Is the best platform for you?

We’re here with another post in our Shopify comparison series about 3dcart vs Shopify! So, if you are having trouble choosing the right 3dcart or Shopify platform for your store, then this article is for you.

Both 3dcart and Shopify are the two most popular e-commerce platforms today with lots of useful features. Shopify stands out with features like limitless scalability, offers a treasure trove of themes, and great customer support. Meanwhile, 3dcart provides you with a powerful inventory management system and a lot of SEO support tools. It’s hard to choose, right?

This article will provide the most detailed comparison of 3dcart vs Shopify, helping you to realize the strengths and weaknesses of the two platforms as well as the most suitable choice for your store.

Overview about 3dcart vs Shopify

3dcart

3dcart is a web-based e-commerce platform similar to Shopify. The “3d” word in the name is the software’s target, the three main dimensions that the software focuses on are shop owners, customers, and search engines.

Started in the late 1990s, 3dcart is considered a leading competitor of e-commerce platforms, especially Shopify. 3dcart now includes leading integrations, applications, and SEO tools. Besides, this software is also constantly improving and updating new features at lower prices and unique customization capabilities to enhance user experience and provide the best solutions for users.

At the end of 2020, 3dcart was acquired by Shift4, a leader in payment technology, and changed its name to Shift4Shop. This change enables 3dcart to provide a fully integrated payment processing solution. Also, 3dcart will offer a free e-commerce plan for US businesses if you switch your credit card processor to Shift4. The free plan will include all the features of the Pro plan (for $229 per month) and the added 3dcart support just like before.

The Pros

Many good inventory management tools
Provide a comprehensive back-end for technical management
Include a lot of integrations and apps
Improved blog functionality suitable for online stores
Management tools are updated continuously and useful
Come up with a solution to build your SEO strategy
After being a part of Shift4, 3dcart offers a fully integrated payment processing solution.

The Cons

Customer support is not good
Some features require a technical understanding, not for beginners
Not optimal on mobile phones

Shopify

Shopify is probably no stranger to us. Began in 2006, Shopify is a web-based e-commerce platform with outstanding theme tailored capabilities.

This type of software is suitable for beginners or shop owners who do not want to spend too much time and money on hiring web design and development. Besides, Shopify also provides API and custom HTML and CSS attributes that advanced customers can design and customize as desired.

The Pros

Diverse sales support features
Good customer support
Support for multi-channel selling across social media and dropshipping
The ability to manage inventory is appreciated
Huge repository of themes and great customization capabilities
There is a community that shares experiences and supports you
Easy to use with the majority of features without any technical knowledge
Many plans with prices suitable for each user.

The Cons

Scalability for large businesses is not yet optimal
If you do not use Shopify payments, you will have to pay transaction fees
Can’t switch templates easily

General assessment (Table)

	3dcart	Shopify
Ease of use	Learning how to use features like inventory management or blogging can be confusing. Besides, with additional customization you need to know about CSS and HTML.	Shopify offers an easier experience than 3dcart. Shopify's backend is considered clear and easy to understand. Plus, the advanced functions can be easily found in the application market, and just press a button to integrate them into your store.
Basic Features	- Inventory management - Handle calculation of shipping charges efficiently - Various payment gateway options - Apps and Add-ons (available over 100 apps and add-ons) - SEO capabilities - Basic customization capabilities - Integrated blogging functionality - Multi-channel marketing - Order management - Integrations and extensions
Selling	Including SEO prompts and an extensive back-end. However, it has the limitation that there is no mobile app.	Offering the best selling tools on the market with unlimited products on all bundles, built-in abandoned shopping cart recovery, mobile apps, and access to a variety of third-party integrations to help with selling on Shopify is even more convenient and easy.
Designs	Offering 91 free templates and premium themes costing from $99 to $199. However, some lack basic features or do not have a mobile editor.	Shopify has hundreds of free and premium options (include third-party sites) costing from $80. Besides, the themes come with specific and relevant features for each industry, helping you to save time and effort on customization.
Customer Support	Having 24/7 support but the function is limited.	Offering 24/7 live chat, email, and social media support.
Payment Processing and POS	- Provide a fully integrated payment processing solution and advance in Shift4’s payment technology instantly. - Over 100 different payments without transaction fees. - Take and manage payments offline. - Integrating with a variety of POS solutions, syncing your offline and online store.	- About 70 gateway payments but there are transaction fees to consider with all of them, accept for Shopify Payments - Take and manage payments offline - Shopify POS is available for $89 per month with extra function.
Pricing Plans	3dcart has 4 monthly pricing plans: - Startup Store: $19 per month - Basic Store: $29 per month - Plus Store: $79 per month - Pro Store: $299 per month	There are 3 standard Shopify plans: - Shopify Lite: $9 per month - Basic Shopify: $29 per month - Shopify: $79 per month - Advanced Shopify: $299 per month There is also Shopify Lite with $9 monthly and Shopify Plus for enterprise solutions.

Ease of use

Two platforms, 3dcart vs Shopify, are considered easy to use compared to other platforms. However, if you put it on the bench to compare carefully, Shopify is likely to offer a slightly simpler experience than 3dcart.

Let’s go to the detailed analysis of the ease of use of these two platforms.

3dcart

Although 3dcart includes many outstanding features like inventory management, blogging, or SEO support, it must be said that it is not easy to use and build a store for you.

According to a survey, people who have used 3dcart argued that the font and color scheme were inconsistent, there was no “undo” button and didn’t provide any keyboard shortcuts. In short, the features are not streamlined.

Besides, if you want advanced customization, you need to have API knowledge. Or, editing the core theme also requires you to have knowledge of CSS and HTML. However, the plus point of 3dcart is that its core theme follows the design conventions that Google prefers, giving your store a chance to rank high on the search page.

Shopify

Shopify is much easier to use than 3dcart. It supplies a huge range of excellent ecommerce features, and anyone can use them.

The disadvantages of 3dcart are all overcome by Shopify with the “undo” button that makes it easy to fix wrong designs or have dozens of keyboard shortcuts to help you find everything quickly. Plus, Shopify uses a consistent color scheme and typography to make its theme look professional and improve user experience better. Learning how to use Shopify is also simple, even for beginners.

With a clean and easy-to-use back-end, everything becomes intuitive. Shopify even provides special themes suitable for each category so you can choose from your website. However, one small disadvantage is that if you want to change the theme, you will have to rebuild your entire website.

Key Features of 3dcart vs Shopify

Besides the basic features to help build your website, both Shopify and 3dcart have other outstanding features that will be outlined below.

The similar features between Shopify and 3dcart

To be able to build your website in the most perfect way, both platforms require a financial investment and time to get your store going. Basic e-commerce store functionality or advanced theme customization and automatic shipping calculation are both available on 2 platforms. Here are the features available on Shopify and 3dcart

Each platform has a programming interface that makes it easy to integrate apps and add-ons according to your individual needs

Basic Customized Function

Both platforms allow you to customize the logo, branding colors on the sales page. Besides, if you have programming knowledge, Shopify and 3dcart also allow you to customize premium themes.

Inventory Management

3dcart and Shopify give you special inventory management options. Depending on the plan package that you choose will allow different quantities of products. For example, with the $9 monthly Shopify package, you will have 25 products while the other packages you will have an unlimited number of products.

Another special thing is that 3dcart is integrated with the POS system, helping you to sync online and offline sales.

Gateway Payments

Both Shopify and 3dcart have a lot of payment gateways to choose. Shopify, they have a separate payment system called Shopify Payments; if you use this payment gateway, you will not lose transaction fees. And vice versa with other payment gateways depending on the plan you will have to pay transaction fees.

Meanwhile, 3dcart accepts more than 200 payment gateways, and you do not have to pay transaction fees for any payment gateway.

Multi-channel Marketing

Both Shopify and 3dcart offer multi-channel marketing solutions, especially with SEO optimization capabilities that help your website increase the number of organic visitors.

Besides, 2 platforms also integrate blogging functionality, which is said to be very effective for e-commerce stores. A blog allows you to tell a story to facilitate sales – something that is emerging as a major e-commerce trend to boost sales for your store.

Order management

The customer can request to return the label (RMA) and order the invoice. They can also request to change shipping addresses or reorder products of their favorites.

Integrations and extensions

Both platforms are integrated with several 3rd parties such as PayPal, Stripe payment gateway, social media Facebook, some suppliers, and shipping…

Besides, Shopify and 3dcart also have over 100 apps and add-ons that provide other advanced functions.

Online store builder

In addition to a diverse collection of themes as well as basic theme customization features, 3DCart and Shopify online store has a built-in blog, SEO tools, and functions for the Facebook store, a POS module for inventory management, and Google’s shopping feed.

Plus, one of the standout and highly competitive features between these platforms and other e-commerce platforms is its drag-and-drop editor suitable for every salesperson of all skill levels. Thanks to this feature even beginners are easy to access, with just one click you can customize your store quickly and easily. Not only basic customizations, but with this feature you can edit both the HTML and CSS of your website.

3dcart’s standout feature

According to the 3DCart website, their platform has over 200 built-in features, providing everything you need for your e-commerce business in one place. Here are the outstanding features of 3dcart:

CRM and email integration

3dcart also provides a content management system that comes with management software to help you manage your website more easily.

Another highlight, 3dcart has a built-in email integration feature, so if you have not set up an external email, 3dcart will do it for you. It saves you time and effort.

No transaction fees

3dcart gives you the ability to use multiple payment gateways at no transaction fees. Some of the outstanding payment gateways are Stripe, PayPal, Square, and about 100 other payment gateways to choose from at no additional transaction fees or integration fees.

Coupons and discounts

With 3dcart, you can easily add coupons or product discounts in any of the plans while Shopify only offers this feature for premium plans. The convenience of this feature will help you increase your sales even as a new store.

Shipping

Shipping rates on 3dcart are displayed in real-time from carriers, including flat and discount or free, then print the shipping label directly from your store on 3dcart. Besides, you also have the ability to install shipping and handling insurance issues as well as integrate with 3rd parties.

Flexible revenue caps

Usually, when your store’s revenue reaches a certain level, other platforms will automatically lift your plan package as your store has grown. However, 3dcart will only suggest an upgrade plan that is not required.

Shopify’s standout feature

Shopify has a reputation for providing business owners with the most powerful and easy-to-use set of e-commerce features, even for beginners. Here are the top Shopify features:

Shopping cart

Shopify offers you a lot of shopping cart features such as abandoned shopping cart recovery, set up your own shipping rates, receive real-time rates from top suppliers, and connect to fulfillment services. Also, Shopify’s shopping cart also has built-in automatic tax calculation based on your location and optimized payment process for mobile devices.

These are the standout features that help increase the customer experience on your website, which in turn boosts sales.

Customer Segmentation

Shopify also helps you collect your customers’ buying habits, thereby segmenting your customers. This helps you to have a marketing strategy as well as a store design that is suitable for each audience.

Custom themes

Shopify has hundreds of themes, including free and paid options to choose from. Although Shopify has provided suitable themes for each industry, you can also tailor the theme with just a few simple steps to make your store stand out.

Mobile integration

With Shopify, your online store is optimized for mobile devices, including your website and shopping cart. Also, unlike 3dcart, Shopify offers a free business mobile app in which you can manage your business wherever you are.

With the Shopify App on your phone, you can take orders, manage your ads and products, track trends, and everything is automatically synced between the app and your online store.

All Shopify online stores support SEO best practices and can work with Google Analytics. It can be said that Shopify provides the best SEO optimization solution and customization compared to all of its competitors, including 3dcart.

Discover more:

Top best Shopify SEO apps you should have for your website in 2024

15+ Best Shopify Themes for SEO to Drive More Traffic (Free & Premium)

Comparison: Customer Support

With the many features provided, you will surely have questions that need to be answered from Shopify and 3dcart. If you can get help quickly, it’s easy to avoid mistakes and vice versa. At customer support, Shopify will be appreciated for the following reasons.

3dcart

3dcart provides you with support from live chat 24/7 but you don’t always get a quick response. You also cannot contact 3dcart via email, so you should call them to get help quickly. In contrast, Shopify has better end-to-end customer care.

Shopify

Shopify offers excellent customer service that includes live chat, 24/7 chat, email, phone and knowledge center. It even has a community of users so people can share and ask questions. Besides, with more expensive plans, you will get support from experts.

>>> Also discover about Demandware vs Shopify?

3dcart vs Shopify’ Pricing Plans

3dcart

3dcart has 4 plans including Startup, Basic, Plus, and Pro. Each plan will have its own set of features and supports.

Besides the basic features, some features only start from the basic plan package upwards:

Feature	Startup	Basic	Plus	Pro
CRM and Returns RMA module		yes	yes	yes
eBay and Amazon integration		yes	yes	yes
24/7 phone support		yes	yes	yes
POS			yes	yes
Product Q&A			yes	yes
Pre-orders				yes
Email marketing newsletters			yes	yes
Loyalty programs			yes	yes
Abandoned cart saver			yes	yes
Gift registry			yes	yes
Store credits			yes	yes
Facebook Dynamic Ads			yes	yes
Auto-ship recurring orders				yes
Shipment delivery notifications				yes
Add waiting lists and alert				yes
Autoresponder campaigns				yes
Track commissions				yes
Suitable for	beginners	small store	Upgrade if your business is established and making profit	Growing businesses that are interested in automating sales and marketing systems

Shopify

Shopify has 3 standard plans, basic Shopify, Shopify, and Shopify advanced. Besides, Shopify also offers a 10% discount on the annual Shopify plan and a 20% discount on the Shopify plan every two years with prepayment.

These features are available in Shopify pricing plans:

Feature	Basic Shopify	Shopify	Advanced Shopify
Gift cards		yes	yes
3rd-party shipping rate			yes
POS		yes	yes
Canceled cart recovery	yes	yes	yes
Free SSL Certificate	yes	yes	yes
Fraud Analysis		yes	yes
Personal report		yes	yes
Professional report		yes	yes
Previous report generator			yes
Real-time shipping fee			yes
24/7	yes	yes	yes
Suitable for	beginners	the store with good sales	the store with significant sales

In addition, Shopify also offers two plans, Shopify Lite for $9 a month for those who sell on Facebook, blog or website and Shopify Plus for large businesses.

Conclusion: 3dcart vs Shopify – Which one is better?

Both 3dcart vs Shopify platforms offer the best and most useful e-commerce features. You will not lack any features when using these 2 platforms including many payment gateway options, inventory management, order management, lots of plugins with effective extension features,…

However, to come to a final conclusion about which platform you should use it will be based on your needs.

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use, time-less-to-learn platform, a secure website with an SSL certificate, lots of features, and the potential to scale quickly, Shopify is a great choice.

On the other hand, 3dcart has an extensive inventory, it’s relatively cheap and has many built-in features for your website. It also allows you to integrate with more than 1000 plugins to enhance your website’s performance. However, it requires some knowledge of technology, in other words, it is more difficult to use than Shopify. Overall, it has users who want a strong foundation but are not afraid to learn about complex technologies.

In short, I would still be more inclined to Shopify as it is easy to use, good customer support, and its features are sufficient for your website.