3dcart Review for 2021: Features, Pricing, Alternatives

If you’re starting an e-commerce business, you’ll need a software platform that accommodates your specific needs. 3dcart is an all-in-one platform that offers impressive functionality, payment-processing options, advanced tools and scalability — all at a competitive cost.

Although 3dcart may not be as user-friendly and intuitive as some competitors, it’s still well-worth considering. This guide can help you decide if it’s a good fit for your business.

3dcart offers a number of features that support e-commerce businesses.

With 3dcart, you can choose from over 100 different mobile-functional themes, including 50 free themes, to create your e-commerce website. After you’ve picked a theme, your entire store can be customized to your business using standard HTML/CSS coding. You can edit templates right in your browser or use FTP to download templates as needed.

Additionally, you can use the 3dcart content management system to add an unlimited number of pages, all of which can be modified and updated as you see fit. You can utilize the built-in blog to add article pages to your online store as well.

3dcart includes secure, PCI-compliant web hosting for your e-commerce website and allows you to choose a unique domain name, which it registers and renews for you annually, at no additional cost. If you already own a domain from another business website and want to transfer it, 3dcart can do that as well. In addition, 3dcart offers unlimited bandwidth, email hosting and disk space, monthly software upgrades, daily backups, an included SSL certificate and FTP access to files. Furthermore, 3dcart gives you the ability to create multiple staff users with role-based security.

Although 3dcart does not offer its own payment processing service, it gives you the ability to accept payments online with over 100 payment gateway integration options. 3dcart works with top processing providers like Stripe, Square, Authorize.Net, Fattmerchant and more. Additionally, 3dcart includes other payment-related capabilities with its service, like the ability to integrate with PayPal, offer Visa Checkout, Masterpass, Apple Pay, Google Pay, financing and pay later options, accept Bitcoin and keep customer cards on file for future purchases.

With 3dcart’s shopping cart, your customers can shop for and add products to their cart and complete checkout quickly and easily. You can optimize your checkout page, utilizing single page or multi-page checkout flows. You can show your customers real-time shipping rates, different payment options and taxes based on your location.

3dcart also provides shopping cart tools like abandoned cart recovery, customer wish lists, gift registry and saved carts, as well as a “multiple ship to” option. Moreover, if you already have a website on another platform and want to simply add a shopping cart, 3dcart allows you to do so. 3dcart has established connections for WordPress, PayPal, Google, Amazon and Square, but you can connect to any website by creating a subdomain and linking it to your 3dcart storefront.

You can easily add, edit and manage all of your e-commerce products using the 3dcart interface. 3dcart gives you the ability to add an unlimited number of products and organize them with categories, SmartCategories, options and variations. You also can include video, as well as multiple product images, which are displayed with built-in zoom capabilities.

3dcart allows you to upsell and cross-sell your products, offer discounts, sell digital products and create waiting lists. You also can enable product questions and answers, customer reviews and detailed product reports as well as handle inventory purchase orders.

Once customers have completed checkout within your online store, you can manage and fulfill their orders using 3dcart’s built-in tools. Process orders quickly by printing single or multiple orders with one click, printing shipping labels, marking orders as shipped and connecting with major shipping providers. You also can use the 3dcart drop-shipping support, process returns and accept phone orders.

3dcart also gives your customers the ability to create accounts, which you can then use to segment them into customer groups with customized pricing and promotions. You can communicate with and manage your customers with 3dcart’s included CRM tool.

3dcart includes a number of specific features to help you promote and grow your online business. All 3dcart stores are wholly optimized for SEO and include advanced SEO tools like a sitemap builder, 301 redirector, custom file names and more. 3dcart also gives you the ability to connect to Google Analytics, as well as view additional store statistics right from its dashboard.

Additionally, you can use 3dcart to create email marketing campaigns, offer promotions, coupons and gift cards, as well as develop both affiliate and reward programs. You can also integrate your 3dcart store with a variety of social networks and utilize free credits to advertise your business online using platforms like Facebook, Amazon and Bing.

In addition to social network integration capabilities, 3dcart also gives you the ability to integrate with other business tools using its app store. The 3dcart app store includes free and paid add-ons in over 21 different categories, including well-known products like Mailchimp, Shipstation, QuickBooks, Xero, Avalara and more. 3dcart allows you to choose from over 100 payment integration options and gives you the opportunity to connect your online store to various other sales channels, like eBay, Amazon, Google shopping, Shopzilla, Facebook Shop, Walmart and Square point-of-sale.

3dcart offers 24/7/365 U.S.-based customer support via ticketing system, phone or live chat. The 3dcart website includes self-service resources like a knowledge base, HTML guide, user manual, video tutorials and its e-commerce university. You can also access the 3dcart expert database to find designers, marketers, developers and photographers you can hire for more personalized, hands-on support.

3dcart offers four different core plans on a monthly subscription basis — the Startup Store, Basic Store, Plus Store and Pro Store. The plan you choose will dictate the specific 3dcart features you receive, with each plan level increasing in price as well as platform functionality.

The Startup Store, the first plan 3dcart offers, costs $19 per month. You can receive a 10% discount on this price — or the monthly price of any plan — if you purchase 12 prepaid months of a 3dcart subscription. The Startup Store includes the following features:

• 1 staff user.

• Unlimited products.

• Unlimited bandwidth.

• 2 email accounts.

• API access.

• FTP access.

• Real-time shipping.

• Shipping labels.

• Unlimited product variants.

• Categories and smart categories.

• Product images and zoom.

• Inventory control.

• Advanced product options.

• Bulk quality discounts.

• Single-page checkout.

• Multiple ship-to checkout.

• Digital downloads.

• Reports and dashboards.

• Tax rates.

• QuickBooks connector.

• Product reviews.

• Google customer reviews.

• Gift wrapping.

• Visitor IP blocking.

• Upsell and cross-sell.

• Saved carts.

• Built-in SEO tools.

• Built-in blog.

• Social wish lists.

• Gift certificates.

• Coupons and discounts.

• Mailchimp integration.

• Aweber integration.

• Mobile store.

• Facebook shop.

• Phone orders.

• POS module.

• Drop shipping support.

• DOBA drop shipping.

• Google shopping feed.

• Online chat and customer support tickets.

• Up to $50,000 in online sales per year.

The second plan 3dcart offers, the Basic Store, costs $29 per month. This plan includes all of the functionality of the Startup plan, as well as:

• 2 staff users.

• 5 email accounts.

• Returns RMA module.

• Customer relationship management.

• 3dFeedback.

• Daily deals.

• Group deals.

• eBay integration.

• Amazon order sync.

• 24/7 phone support.

• Up to $100,000 in online sales per year.

The next plan, the Plus Store, costs $79 per month and offers all of the features of the first two plans, in addition to:

• 5 staff users.

• 10 email accounts.

• Customer groups.

• Purchase order module.

• Product comparison.

• Product Q&A.

• Make-an-offer.

• Store credits.

• Abandoned cart saver.

• Email marketing newsletters.

• Gift registry.

• Reward loyalty program.

• Facebook dynamic ads.

• Up to $500,000 in online sales per year.

The Pro Store plan, at $229 per month, is the final core service offering from 3dcart and includes all of the capabilities of the previous plans, plus:

• 15 staff users.

• 30 email accounts.

• Automation rules.

• Pre-orders.

• Autoship recurring orders.

• Waiting list and back-in-stock alerts.

• Autoresponder campaigns.

• Houzz order import.

• Sales rep module.

• Up to $1 million in online sales per year.

If your business’s sales volume exceeds $1 million in 12 months, you can qualify for the 3dcart enterprise solution. 3dcart offers its enterprise service starting at $499 per month, with additional features, like advanced shipping modules, product management and automation to accommodate high volume merchants.

3dcart does not charge setup, transaction or PCI-compliance fees. You can sign up for a free 15 day trial of 3dcart, no credit card required. Although 3dcart does not charge a cancellation fee and you can cancel your account at any time, it does not offer refunds; therefore, if you paid a yearly subscription and cancel after six months, you will not receive any money back for the six months you’re not using.

In addition to the monthly subscription cost of 3dcart’s service, you’ll have to pay for payment processing. 3dcart does not offer its own processing solution, so you’ll need to choose a third-party provider to work with. You can integrate with any of the processor add-ons that 3dcart offers without paying additional transaction or integration fees. The only credit card processing fees that you’ll incur will come directly from your payment processor.

3dcart partners with particular providers to offer discounted credit card processing rates for each of its four core plans. To be eligible for these rates you have to be a U.S.-based company, a new 3dcart client and submit an application (and be approved) for an account with the third-party partner. The discounted rates for all 3dcart plans start at 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction. For the Plus and Pro plans, the rates can drop as low as 2.7% and 2.5%, respectively.

Perhaps one of the most significant benefits of the 3dcart e-commerce software is the robust feature set. 3dcart includes an impressive amount of functionality without requiring the highest plan level or relying solely on integrations. Even the most basic 3dcart plan offers capabilities you don’t always receive with other platforms, like single-page checkout, a built-in blog, product and customer reviews, digital downloads and more. Additionally, if you do require functionality that isn’t included with 3dcart, you can utilize a variety of free and paid add-ons from the 3dcart app store.

Another notable benefit of 3dcart is flexibility with the way you use the platform, as well as flexibility in your design, payment processing and selling options. First, 3dcart gives you the ability to choose from multiple unique themes, all of which can be customized to your specifications. Moreover, 3dcart provides over 100 payment processor integrations, so you can compare prices and choose from top providers or use the provider you currently work with. Finally, in addition to your 3dcart online store, you can use the 3dcart platform to sell in a variety of different ways, including using popular selling channels like Facebook, Amazon and eBay.

With a starting price of $19 per month and no additional transaction, compliance or other fees, 3dcart certainly offers its service at a competitive price. Although some of the more advanced features, like email marketing newsletters and abandoned cart recovery, require higher-level plans, both the Startup and Basic plans offer great functionality at an affordable cost.

Since you can choose from a number of top credit card processing companies, you have the ability to shop around and find the provider that can give you the best rates. Moreover, 3dcart does not charge an extra fee for payment processing integration and even offers discounted credit card rates for qualified customers with certain third-party providers.

Even though 3dcart offers a variety of themes that are all customizable, its free themes are limited — and as a whole, the theme designs don’t seem as modern and clean as competitors like Shopify. Additionally, whereas many e-commerce platforms implement simple drag-and-drop builders to appeal to a wide consumer base, 3dcart’s themes require HTML or CSS editing. Although this is a common coding language, this editing style could still be a barrier to entry for many business owners.

The 3dcart interface as a whole could be more intuitive and less complex. Many 3dcart customers find the platform difficult to navigate. Although 3dcart’s immense functionality can be a benefit, it can also be a drawback. If you don’t actually need all of these features, the platform can seem overwhelming and it can be difficult to find the tools you do need.

Price is both a benefit and a drawback, because although 3dcart offers affordable plans and impressive payment processing options, there are ways the cost of this platform could quickly add up. If you require specific advanced functionality, like loyalty programs, abandoned cart tools or customer groups, you’ll need to select, at a minimum, the $79 Plus Store plan. Even though 3dcart gives you the opportunity to build your store for free (other than the monthly cost), additional costs can easily rise if you choose a premium theme or need any paid integrations.

Generally, 3dcart reviews are average, with reviews that skew both positively and negatively, as well as mixed. On the whole, there are some common threads between these various 3dcart reviews.

In terms of positive 3dcart reviews, customers often mention the platform’s diverse features, customization abilities and payment processing options. Moreover, reviewers like the built-in SEO products, as well as the frequent software updates 3dcart makes. On the other hand, negative 3dcart reviews say that the platform is unintuitive and can be difficult to navigate. Additionally, these reviewers feel that you have to do a lot of the setup work yourself and there are limited options for free themes.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of these 3dcart reviews is what reviewers have to say about customer support. Customers seem to have very strong opinions on 3dcart’s customer service, either saying that it’s extremely helpful and accessible or, conversely, that it’s inadequate and difficult. Overall, even with the variety of 3dcart reviews, customers are generally satisfied with this service.

Alternatives

Before deciding whether 3dcart is the right solution for your online store, it’s wise to also explore top competitors.

If you’re interested in much of what 3dcart has to offer, you might consider Shopify. The platforms are incredibly similar, with a few key differences. Like 3dcart, Shopify offers four different plans, as well as an enterprise solution. The plans include much of the same features and are priced almost identically to 3dcart. Where Shopify stands out is in its design and usability.

Shopify is known as one of the most user-friendly e-commerce platforms, allowing you to customize and launch your store quickly and easily. Shopify uses a drag-and-drop editor, giving you the ability to modify your store without any coding. Additionally, Shopify’s themes look more modern and clean in comparison to 3dcart’s offerings.

Shopify offers its own payment processing solution, a free mobile app and perhaps one of the most robust app stores in the industry. If you’re looking for some of the intuitiveness and usability that 3dcart is missing, Shopify is a great alternative.

Like Shopify, BigCommerce is actually very similar to 3dcart; however, this platform also has some differences that make it a worthy alternative. On the whole, BigCommerce is an all-inclusive platform with multiple, competitively-priced plans to choose from. However, BigCommerce offers a few features in all of its plans that you can only get with the higher level 3dcart plans like unlimited staff accounts and eBay and Amazon integration.

BigCommerce offers discounted payment processing, and the discounted rates it offers go even lower than those 3dcart offers. Moreover, an important difference between BigCommerce and 3dcart is store building. BigCommerce utilizes a storefront editor, allowing you to customize your store without code. Plus, BigCommerce is known for the user-friendliness of its platform — with some BigCommerce vs. Shopify comparisons suggesting that BigCommerce is even more intuitive. Therefore, if you’re looking for similar functionality and pricing to 3dcart with more approachability, you’ll certainly want to look into BigCommerce.