SamCart vs ClickFunnels [2024] Pricing, Pros and Cons

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14.9% of all retail purchases happen online. 1 I even buy cake online. There’s one in my refrigerator right now. 

Why are people like me doing so much online shopping? Duh – it’s the convenience! 

Your business will only be successful if you provide the convenient checkout process people expect. And how can you master the art of online checkout? By using a platform like SamCart or ClickFunnels. 

Let’s dig into the SamCart vs ClickFunnels debate like I’m about to dig my face into that delicious cake to figure out which is best for your online business. 

SamCart vs ClickFunnels Overview

Both companies in the SamCart vs ClickFunnels discussion offer software for running an online business – but they’re as different as chocolate and vanilla.

SamCart is primarily a provider of checkout software, but they also give you templates for adding sales pages to your website.

ClickFunnels is a more comprehensive platform that focuses on creating sales funnels. They also have a robust checkout feature.

SamCart is a yummy cupcake. ClickFunnels is a big ol’ cake with layers of smooth, sweet frosting and soft, uh, cake-like cake.

Next, I’ll walk you through the details of each side in the ClickFunnels vs SamCart debate. 

What Is SamCart and How Does SamCart Work?

SamCart is software that helps online business owners implement a seamless checkout process.

Consumers expect online purchases to be quick and easy. For your business to be successful, you need your checkout process to meet these expectations. That’s what SamCart gives you.

SamCart is a major company – just look at the statistics:

  • 77,532 businesses use SamCart
  • Over 10 million products sold
  • More than $4 billion processed

What makes SamCart so popular? It’s that they offer such a fantastic checkout experience.

With SamCart, you can:

  • Give customers an express checkout option
  • Create engaging sales pages (sort of like a funnel – making this a relevant point in the SamCart vs ClickFunnels debate)
  • Embed checkout options on any page of your website
  • Offer multiple payment options
  • Recommend additional products during checkout
  • Integrate your checkout process with other sales and marketing tools
  • Create an affiliate marketing program
  • Offer recurring subscriptions to your customers

All of these features accomplish two main goals: Making the user experience better for customers and increasing sales. 

Interested in using SamCart for your online business? Go to the official SamCart website and click Get Started.

A screenshot of what the SamCart checkout process looks like for customers.
SamCart gives you a seamless checkout process for your online business.

What Is ClickFunnels and How Does ClickFunnels Work?

ClickFunnels is an all-encompassing platform for building and marketing an online business. 

Their specialty is sales funnels (or series of webpages that steer people through your website while encouraging them to buy your products). You can also use ClickFunnels for practically every aspect of managing your business’s online presence.

Here’s a quick rundown of what ClickFunnels offers:

  • Sales funnels
  • Website builder
  • Course builder
  • A/B testing and advanced analytics
  • Membership sites
  • Blogs
  • Community features 
  • Checkout system
  • Email marketing

Believe it or not, that’s not even a complete list. In the world of online business software, ClickFunnels is about as comprehensive as it gets.

You might have noticed that ClickFunnels has a cashout feature. See why the conversation about SamCart vs ClickFunnels is so interesting? They both offer this essential service.

Let’s zoom in on the ClickFunnels SMART Checkout feature. It offers perks like:

  • One-click checkout. SMART Checkout can recognize visitors to your website and autocomplete their payment info.
  • Customizable checkout. ClickFunnels will give you templates for your checkout pages, and you can change them according to your branding. 
  • One-time offers at checkout. This is a great way to convince customers to spend even more.
  • Different Shipping profiles. This is what allows you to offer customers both standard and expedited shipping.
  • Upgrades and downgrades for subscriptions. Want your customers to be able to move between subscription packages? ClickFunnels can make it easier for them.

Checkout isn’t ClickFunnels’ flagship feature. But it’s not a crappy tack-on, either. 

The ClickFunnels SMART Checkout feature is legit – meaning either side in the ClickFunnels vs SamCart debate could help you manage digital transactions. 

An example of checkout screens available for ClickFunnels users.
ClickFunnels offers a checkout solution along with a ton of other sales and marketing features.

ClickFunnels can be a way:

SamCart vs ClickFunnels Pricing / SamCart vs ClickFunnels Cost 

You can’t judge a cake baking competition without considering the fluffiness factor, and you can’t settle the SamCart vs ClickFunnels contest without examining the pricing.

Note to self: Do NOT eat the cake in the refrigerator. It’s for a special occasion.

Let’s look at the various pricing plans each platform offers and then decide which provides better value.

Spoiler: ClickFunnels has more features, and SamCart is the cheaper option in the ClickFunnels vs SamCart battle.

SamCart Pricing

SamCart offers three different pricing plans:

  • Launch – $59 per month (billed annually). This gives you everything you need to create a customized checkout process for your business.
  • Grow – $119 per month (billed annually). With extra features like checkout automations and one-click upsells, this plan could help your business increase sales. SamCart says this is its most popular plan.
  • Scale – $239 per month (billed annually). This plan is designed for larger businesses. It offers A/B testing, affiliate marketing assistance, and other features that can help a business expand. 

All of these plans cost significantly more if you choose to be billed monthly (rather than annually). For example, the Launch plan increases to $79 per month when billed monthly. 

SamCart offers a 7-day free trial for all its plans. And if you pay for an annual plan upfront, there’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

The three pricing plans available for SamCart.
SamCart offers 3 different pricing tiers – with the popular Grow plan costing $119 per month. 

ClickFunnels Pricing

ClickFunnels has a 2-tiered pricing model, and you can save money by opting for annual billing.

Here’s a quick look at the 2 ClickFunnels plans:

  • Startup – $81 per month (billed annually). This is for smaller businesses or solo entrepreneurs. You’ll get 3 brand workspaces and access for up to 3 team members – and together, you can build unlimited funnels, courses, and webpages.
  • Pro – $248 per month (billed annually). Built for larger companies, this plan includes 10 brand workspaces and access for up to 10 team members.

You can try out either plan with a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

The two pricing plans ClickFunnels has available.
ClickFunnels offers 2 plans, and even the cheaper option includes unlimited sales funnels.

If you’re having trouble finding the money to pay for SamCart or ClickFunnels, I can help you. See my resources:

SamCart vs ClickFunnels Pros and Cons 

There’s no clear winner in the ClickFunnels vs SamCart debate. These are both fantastic platforms, depending on your business needs.

Note to self: I NEED that piece of cake! No, I can have self-control.

Neither SamCart nor ClickFunnels is perfect, so let’s take a look at each side’s pros and cons.

SamCart Pros and Cons

SamCart Pros:

  • They’re checkout specialists. Want to give your customers a smooth checkout experience? That’s what SamCart is all about.
  • The basic Launch plan is super affordable. For just $59 per month (with annual billing), you can create a customized checkout experience for your customers. 
  • There are tons of available integrations. While SamCart itself isn’t a comprehensive platform, you can use it alongside marketing and sales solutions like Skillshare and Mailchimp. 

SamCart Cons:

  • The variety of available features is smaller. With its focus on checkout, SamCart is the less versatile option in the SamCart vs ClickFunnels debate.
  • There’s no way to build a classic sales funnel. SamCart does help you create sales pages, but you won’t find multi-page funnel templates.
  • The free trial only lasts 7 days. That might not be enough time to decide if SamCart is the right checkout solution for your business. 

Note to self: OK, I’ll eat just one slice of the cake to satisfy my craving. Then I’ll be good.

ClickFunnels Pros and Cons

ClickFunnels Pros:

  • The platform is truly comprehensive. From cashout to email marketing, ClickFunnels does almost everything. (At this point, I’m surprised they don’t do your laundry, too!)
  • Their funnel templates are designed to boost sales. The goal of ClickFunnels is to guide people through your website until they’re face-to-face with the “Buy Now” button.
  • The checkout feature has all the bells and whistles. Checkout might not be ClickFunnels’s specialty, but they still do it right.

ClickFunnels Cons:

  • The plans are a bit pricier. The cheapest ClickFunnels plan costs $81 per month (with annual billing), which is more than SamCart’s most affordable option.
  • The checkout customization is lacking. This is unsurprising since, for ClickFunnels, checkout is just one of many features.
  • Reviewers commonly complain about customer service. The good news is that these complaints aren’t very common. ClickFunnels gets an average of 4.3 stars from users on Trustpilot. 

ClickFunnels is for people who are serious about digital marketing. If you’re not sure if that’s you, check out hobbies to make money instead. Or check out referral bonus apps that earn 20 dollars per referral.

SamCart vs ClickFunnels Reviews

I couldn't find any reviews where users directly discuss the ClickFunnels vs SamCart question. But, I did find plenty of reviews for each platform on Trustpilot.

SamCart’s average rating on Trustpilot is 2.6 stars. That’s…awful. Sorry, SamCart – just telling it like it is.

But there are positive SamCart reviews mixed in. One person gave the platform 5 stars, saying the low price made it “fantastic value.”

A five star SamCart review someone posted on Trustpilot.
A SamCart user praises the platform’s price and customer service.

In another 5-star SamCart review, someone said the platform’s payment features helped them scale their business “by 200 percent in one year.” Can’t argue with those results!

A 5-star SamCart review from someone who claims the tool has helped them sell more products.
A SamCart user says they appreciate the platform’s wide variety of features. 

Now I’ll share a negative review (I have to when there are so many of them!). One person claimed SamCart’s business “is literally built on scamming people.” 

Apparently, this user paid for a webinar and then got billed automatically for $144 a year later.

This same complaint appeared in several other reviews. 

Moral of the story? Read the small print when buying webinars and other products from SamCart. I’m not ready to call SamCart scammers (they have too strong a reputation for that), but clearly, they’ve confused a lot of people with their billing practices. 

A negative SamCart review from a customer that had issues with the billing department.
In a 1-star SamCart review, someone accuses the company of deceptive billing. 

Now let’s shift to ClickFunnels, which earns an impressive 4.3 stars on Trustpilot. (Yeah, they ran away with this portion of the SamCart vs ClickFunnels race).

In a 5-star review, a user called ClickFunnels “the best software and entrepreneurial community ever.” 

A 5-star ClickFunnels review from a customer who believes it is the "best software ever."
A user calls ClickFunnels “the best software ever” in an enthusiastic 5-star review.

Another user applauded a specific customer support representative for being “swift, professional, accurate and above all friendly.” 

A positive ClickFunnels review from someone who had an amazing customer service experience.
In a 5-star ClickFunnels review, a user raves about their customer support experience.

Interestingly, another user slammed the customer support in a 1-star ClickFunnels review. They said it took 3 days to sort out an issue with the verification process for their domain.

A negative ClickFunnels review from a customer who did not have a great customer service experience.
A ClickFunnels user complains that it took too long for customer support to resolve an issue.

Note to self: My stomach hurts. Damn, lack of self-control. Also, how do I remove icing from my keyboard without squishing it into the computer?

SamCart vs ClickFunnels: Which Is Better?

It’s time to answer the ultimate question of who you should choose in the SamCart vs ClickFunnels debate.

The answer depends on what your business needs. 

Let’s say you want an all-in-one platform that can help you with practically every aspect of running an online business. In that case, ClickFunnels is the obvious choice. 

ClickFunnels isn’t just checkout software. ClickFunnels can help you build your website, market your products, and analyze the metrics behind your growth.

But what if you already have a website and a platform for email marketing, and all you need is solid checkout software? 

Then you, my friend, are a perfect candidate for SamCart. Remember, these people are checkout masters – the Serena Williams of completing online transactions. They won’t manage your entire online business, but they’ll give you a checkout process that’s truly top-of-the-line.

So, do you need a sales and marketing generalist (ClickFunnels) or a checkout specialist (SamCart?) That’s the question at the heart of the SamCart vs ClickFunnels debate. 

ClickFunnels is a top tool for learning how to make money online for beginners. Once you have your business systems in place and you’re making a profit, you can offer your online business for sale. I worked for a couple who did exactly that! 

Commonly Asked Questions About SamCart vs ClickFunnels

What Is The Difference Between SamCart and ClickFunnels?

SamCart and ClickFunnels offer many of the same features, but they have a different focus. 

SamCart is slightly cheaper, and it focuses on providing a seamless checkout process.

ClickFunnels offers a wider variety of sales and marketing tools, and it specializes in building sales funnels.

ClickFunnels is more of a one-stop solution that can do just about everything for your business.

Does SamCart Have Funnels?

SamCart doesn’t offer traditional, multi-page sales funnels. Instead, it helps you build a single sales page with an efficient checkout process. If you’d prefer to build multi-page funnels, ClickFunnels is a better platform. 

Alternatives to SamCart / Alternatives to ClickFunnels? 

SamCart alternatives and ClickFunnels alternatives:

Or you can do it all yourself with the:

Is SamCart Better Than ClickFunnels? 

ClickFunnels is better for most businesses compared to SamCart. If the only piece your business needs is a checkout process, consider SamCart. But if you want landing pages, email, sales funnels, etc., ClickFunnels is for you.

Whether you use SamCart or ClickFunnels, online marketing is a proven way:

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Related:

Sources:

1 – https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/22/online-shopping-has-grown-rapidly-in-u-s-but-most-sales-are-still-in-stores/