Feeling the pain of poor conversion rates and suspect you’re losing sales due to a clunky checkout process?
Your product might be right, but something else clearly isn't working.
Statistics from 2025 data show a staggering average cart abandonment rate of 70.19%.
That’s a lot of potential revenue slipping through people's fingers.
Tools like SamCart and ClickFunnels are designed to help tackle these pain points, allowing you to recover lost sales, boost revenue, and create a seamless purchasing experience.
They are quite different in their focus, however, so let's take a look at what they do, how they compare, who they serve well, and why Checkout Page may be a better alternative.
SamCart vs ClickFunnels: The headlines
What is SamCart?
SamCart, launched in 2014, is a platform designed to help businesses create high-converting checkout pages. While its core strength lies in optimizing the checkout experience, SamCart is more than just a cart tool—with features like its course app that help digital creators build and sell online courses.
SamCart’s main strength is its ability to maximize revenue at the point of purchase, making it a popular choice for those focused on optimizing their checkout experience.
Key features of SamCart:
- High-converting checkout pages: Professionally designed, customizable templates optimized to convert.
- One-click upsells and order bumps: Tools to increase average order value (AOV) effortlessly.
- Abandoned cart recovery: Email and SMS tools to recover lost sales.
- A/B testing: Test different versions of checkout pages to find the best-performing design.
- Subscription management: Built-in tools for managing recurring payments such as subscriptions and memberships.
- Affordable pricing: Plans start at $59/month (paid annually), making it accessible for smaller businesses—although this plan lacks a lot of the features above.
What is ClickFunnels?
ClickFunnels is an all-in-one sales funnel builder that allows users to create complete marketing funnels from start to finish rather than focusing on the point of sale.
Launched in 2014 by Russell Brunson, it’s a favorite among marketers, product developers, and businesses looking for a comprehensive solution to build, automate, and optimize their sales processes from initial lead generation to ongoing CRM.
Key features of ClickFunnels:
- Advanced funnel-building tools: Enables users to create complex funnels with upsells, downsells, and tripwires.
- Built-in email marketing: Automate email campaigns directly within the platform.
- Drag-and-drop editor: Customize each part of your sales funnel without coding knowledge.
- Membership sites: Built-in tools for creating and managing membership areas.
- Affiliate management: Built-in system for managing your affiliate programs.
- A/B testing: This enables you to test entire funnels to optimize performance.
- eCommerce stores & courses: In-built functionality to create websites, storefronts, and host courses all in one platform.
Key differences between SamCart and ClickFunnels
While there is undoubtedly some cross-over in the features of these platforms, they have quite distinct focuses and strengths:
| Aspect | SamCart | ClickFunnels |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Specializes in checkout pages and cart management. | Focuses on building entire sales funnels from start to finish. |
| Pricing | More affordable, starting at $59/month, but the lowest tier is missing many of the best features. | Higher pricing, starting at $81/month, but the cheaper plan is still feature rich. |
| Ease of use | Simple and intuitive, ideal for beginners. | Steeper learning curve due to advanced features. |
| Best use cases | Optimizing checkout processes and selling digital products. | Creating complex, multi-step funnels and automating marketing workflows. |
| Free trial? | Yes - 7 day free trial | Yes - 14 day free trial |
| Live human support? | Yes, for an extra $19 per month | Yes, for higher tier customers |
The range of focus of each platform
To demonstrate the difference in the range of focus, below is a diagram from ClickFunnels showing how their product supports the entire sales journey.
SamCart's focus would be on the 'Sell' and 'Upsell' portions of this journey.
Being clear on whether you need a broad spectrum platform like ClickFunnels is going to be key to the kind of solution that meets your needs.
A vital thing to consider is that a platform that does many things is unlikely to do all of them amazingly. A more focused software is likely a better bet if you need support on a specific area rather than the whole process.
SamCart vs ClickFunnels: Feature-by-feature comparison
To help you decide which platform may be a good candidate for your business, let’s break down the key features of SamCart and ClickFunnels in detail. This side-by-side comparison will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each tool so you can make an informed decision.
1. Pricing and value
SamCart
We're starting with pricing and features because, as you'll notice, a lot of SamCart's most appealing features are not accessible on their cheapest plan.
This means that the initial appearance of being a cheaper option than ClickFunnels doesn't hold up if you want access to one-click upsells, subscriptions, cart abandonment features, and AB testing.
| Plan | Monthly cost | Yearly cost | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | $79/mo | $59/mo billed annually | Checkout Anywhere, One-Click Checkout, Digital Payment Options, No-Code Sales Pages, Pre-Built Templates, 1 Admin User |
| Grow | $159/mo | $119/mo billed annually | Everything above + Checkout Automations, One-Click Upsells, Add-Ons and Order Bumps, Subscription Management, Cart Abandonment, 3 Admin Users |
| Scale | $319/mo | $239/mo billed annually | Everything above + A/B Testing, Access to SamCart's API, Subscription Saver, Affiliate Center, CRM Integrations |
ClickFunnels
| Plan | Monthly cost | Annual plan | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Startup | $97/mo | $81/mo billed annually | 3 Brand Workspaces, 3 Team Members, Unlimited: Funnels, Courses, Members, Contacts, Pages, Domains |
| Pro | $297/mo | $248/mo billed annually | As above, with 10 Brand Workspaces, 10 Team Members |
🏅 Overall winner
Tie, because although SamCart's entry point is lower, you're unlikely to want to miss out on the features on the more expensive plan.
2. Checkout pages
SamCart
One of SamCart’s major pulls is its high-converting checkout page builder. Its templates are professionally designed and optimized for conversions, with features like one-click upsells, downsells, and order bumps, all designed to increase your average order value (AOV).
The platform also supports A/B testing, allowing you to experiment with different designs and copy to see which performs best.
Best for: Businesses that want to hone in on optimizing the final stage of the sales process.
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels provides basic checkout pages as part of its broader funnel-building ecosystem. These pages are functional but lack the refined customization and conversion-boosting features SamCart offers.
ClickFunnels’ checkout pages are designed to fit within the larger funnel
structure, which results in them being more utilitarian than specialized.
Best for: Businesses that prioritize funnel versatility over checkout-specific optimization.
🏅 Overall winner
SamCart is the stronger platform since this is where a high proportion of its focus is as a product.
3. Abandoned cart recovery
SamCart
SamCart offers advanced tools for recovering abandoned carts, including email and SMS reminders. These features effectively reduce lost sales, especially for businesses with high cart abandonment rates.
The platform also provides analytics to track the effectiveness of the recovery tools.
Best for: Businesses looking to recover lost sales and improve conversion rates.
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels provides basic abandoned cart email features, but they lack the depth and flexibility of SamCart’s tools. They may not be as effective for businesses that rely heavily on cart recovery to boost their revenue.
Best for: Businesses that only need basic cart recovery features as part of a larger funnel strategy.
🏅 Overall winner:
SamCart wins this one due to its specialist focus on checkout and cart recovery.
4. Funnel building features
SamCart
SamCart primarily focuses on checkout optimization but does offer some funnel-building capabilities, such as sales page templates and upsell/downsell sequences. However, it’s not designed for creating complex, multi-step funnels.
Best for: Businesses that want to maximize conversions at the point of sale.
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels is the OG funnel building. Its drag-and-drop editor enables its users to create intricate, multi-step funnels tailored to any business model. From lead capture pages to webinar funnels, ClickFunnels provides unparalleled flexibility.
Best for: Businesses that need to design and automate complex, multi-step funnels that span the entire sales journey.
🏅 Overall winner
ClickFunnels is the undisputed champion.
5. Affiliate management
SamCart
SamCart includes a simple affiliate center but is only available in higher-tier plans. It lacks the advanced features found in ClickFunnels’ Backpack.
Best for: Businesses that need basic affiliate management tools.
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels comes with Backpack, an affiliate management system available in premium plans. It allows businesses to create and manage affiliate programs, track performance, and automate affiliate payouts
Best for: Businesses looking to scale through affiliate marketing.
🏅 Overall winner
ClickFunnels has a more comprehensive affiliate management system.
6. Drag-and-drop tools
SamCart
SamCart’s drag-and-drop functionality is limited to checkout page customization. While easy to use, it doesn’t offer the same flexibility as ClickFunnels.
Best for: Businesses that need simple, intuitive tools for checkout page design.
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels features a full drag-and-drop editor for building and customizing entire funnels. This makes it highly versatile but also more complex to use.
Best for: Businesses that need extensive customization options for their funnels.
🏅 Overall winner
Tie-they both have good drag-and-drop build functionality but with different areas of focus.
7. A/B split testing
SamCart
SamCart’s A/B testing is limited to checkout pages and is only available in higher-tier plans.
Best for: Businesses that want to test and hone checkout page performance only.
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels allows users to A/B test entire funnels, providing insights into what works best at each process stage. This feature is available in all plans.
Best for: Businesses that want to optimize their entire funnel for maximum conversions.
🏅 Overall winner
Tie - both do well but with different focuses
8. Email marketing and automation
SamCart
SamCart does not have built-in email marketing features but allows you to integrate with third-party solutions (e.g., Mailchimp).
Best for: Businesses that already have a preferred email marketing tool.
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels includes Actionetics, a built-in email marketing and automation tool, in its premium plans. This makes it a more all-in-one solution for businesses so long as they are willing to pay for the premium tier.
Best for: Businesses that want an integrated email marketing solution.
🏅 Overall winner
ClickFunnels, for its integrated email marketing system
9. One-click upsells
SamCart
SamCart does really well at one-click upsells and order bumps, making it easy to increase your average order value. These features can be easily integrated into the checkout process.
Best for: Businesses focused on maximizing revenue per transaction.
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels offers similar features but integrates them into broader funnel stages. While effective, they may not be as streamlined as SamCart’s implementation.
Best for: Businesses that want upsells as part of a larger funnel strategy
🏅 Overall winner
SamCart, for making it super easy to offer one-click upsells.
10. Ease of use
SamCart
SamCart is designed with simplicity in mind. Its intuitive interface makes it easy for beginners to set up and optimize checkout pages without needing technical expertise or a steep learning curve.
Best for: Businesses that want a straightforward, user-friendly tool.
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels has a more complex interface due to its extensive feature set. This can be overwhelming for beginners and frustrating for even the technically adept. Because the platform does so much, there are regular reports of some features being complex or frustrating.
Best for: Businesses that need advanced features and are willing to invest time in learning the platform.
🏅 Overall winner
SamCart wins for ease of use
11. Customer support
SamCart
SamCart has a good reputation for its customer support, which includes email and chatbot options; however, for live chat with a human, you'll need to pay an extra $19 per month.
Best for: Businesses that value responsiveness but not immediate support.
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels provides 24/7 customer support, including live chat and a comprehensive knowledge base. Premium plans also include priority support.
Best for: Businesses that need round-the-clock assistance.
🏅 Overall winner:
Tie-both have pretty good reputations, but you'll pay a premium for live support from a human.
SamCart vs ClickFunnels: Winner?
It’s clear that these platforms serve distinct purposes and cater to different business requirements, and for that reason, an obvious winner based on features and costs is hard to call.
SamCart excels when it comes to optimizing the checkout process, making it an ideal choice for businesses focused on maximizing conversions and increasing average order value at the point of sale.
However, the fact you need to be on the higher-tier pricing to benefit from these essential features is a major drawback, especially for those on a smaller budget and starting out.
ClickFunnels wins at helping you build comprehensive, multi-step sales funnels. It’s a better fit for businesses that need an all-in-one solution to automate their marketing workflows, manage memberships, and scale through affiliate programs.
We think that ClickFunnels' steeper learning curve and price point may make it unappealing for businesses that don’t require such extensive functionality (and that's likely most of you reading this).
We think SamCart edges out as the overall winner for its simplicity, focus, and effectiveness in tackling the critical pain point of cart abandonment.
However, the fact you need to invest in the higher tiers to unlock all the major benefits stands in the way of it being the clear winner.
Checkout Page as an alternative
If you are feeling unclear as to whether either of the solutions we've covered feels right for your business, allow us to introduce our platform, Checkout Page.
We're a no-code checkout page solution focused on features that help you convert.
We're all about simplicity, so there won't be a steep learning curve. Our customers love that we put them in the driving seat by enabling them to rapidly craft pages and sales funnels that can be embedded on their own websites for a seamless payment experience for their customers.
Our plans start at $24 per month, and there are no fees, no hidden costs, and you can cancel at any time.
10 key features that make Checkout Page a great alternative
- Unlimited custom checkout, event, and form pages
Create as many pages as you need, embed them into your website or funnels, and tailor them to fit any campaign or product. - One-click upsells and order bumps
Boost revenue by offering additional products or upgrades with a single click, increasing average order value. - Flexible subscription and billing models
Support for one-time payments, subscriptions, payment plans, donations, and tiered pricing, with features like free trials. - Multi-step checkout pages
Reduce cart abandonment with multi-step checkouts and pre-filled fields, creating a frictionless buying experience. - White-label branding and customization
Fully customize pages with your logo, colors, and CSS, ensuring a professional, on-brand experience for customers. - Advanced analytics and tracking
Track sales performance, conversion rates, and payment history with built-in support for Google Analytics, Tag Manager, and custom pixels. - Global payment methods and currencies
Accept payments worldwide with Stripe, with support for major currencies, digital wallets, and "Buy Now, Pay Later" services like Klarna and Afterpay. - For sales funnels: Embeddable checkout pages, one-click upsells, and multi-step checkouts integrate seamlessly into your funnel strategy while analytics help optimize performance.
- For subscriptions: Flexible billing models, tiered pricing, and a white-label customer portal make it easy to manage recurring revenue and customer accounts.
- Customer support: We are proud of our founder-led support team, who you can speak to via Live Chat to ensure you are getting the most from our platform.
If you think we might be a good fit for your business, why not give us a try? We offer a 7-day free trial, no credit card needed!
There's no tricky setup; just connect your Stripe account, and you are ready to go.
