ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: Detailed comparison with pros, cons & costs

Looking for a solution to convert visitors into paying customers and want to know how ThriveCart and ClickFunnels compare?

While the platform's goals are almost identical (convert visitors into paying customers), their scope is not: they cater to different business needs, complexity, and budgets.

ClickFunnels is an end-to-end sales funnel. ThriveCart focuses on high-converting checkout experiences.

Below, we will compare each platform's features, pros, cons, and costs to help you make the best choice.

We’ll also introduce you to Checkout Page, our no-code Checkout Page builder that helps you create high-converting checkout pages at a fraction of the cost of many other platforms.

But first things first…

ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: Pros and cons

🕡 Short on time? Let’s start with the headlines on each platform's features and limitations. We'll then dive into the details further down the article.

ThriveCart pros

✅ Acts as a specialized shopping cart and checkout page builder.
✅ Optimizes sales conversions for digital product sellers by streamlining the checkout process.
✅ Features powerful upsells, downsells, cross-sells, and order bumps to increase average order value.
✅ Flexible payment options are available, including subscription installment plans and more.
✅ Includes essential affiliate management to track and reward referrals.

ThriveCart cons

❌ It does not provide extensive marketing automation features or email marketing capabilities.
❌ It lacks comprehensive sales funnel management tools, as its primary focus is on the checkout phase.
❌ It does not have a website creation feature (although it can be embedded on existing sites).

ClickFunnels pros

✅ Serves as an all-in-one sales funnel builder that creates complete online sales strategies.
✅ Enables building of website, sales pages, and complex sales funnels.
✅ Integrates email marketing and automation, allowing for detailed follow-up sequences with leads.
✅ Offers advanced features for managing membership sites and hosting online courses.
✅ Includes a range of analytics tools for tracking customer behavior and funnel performance.

ClickFunnels cons

❌ It will likely be too complex and feature-heavy for small businesses with more straightforward sales needs.
❌ It has a higher price point and ongoing monthly fees, which can add up compared to Thrivecart's one-time payment model.
❌ It can lock users into its ecosystem, making it challenging to migrate away from the platform in the future.

ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: Feature comparison chart

Let’s take a look at things side-by-side and see how ThriveCart and ClickFunnels measure up against each other in terms of their features, costs, support, and free trial status:

ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: Key comparisons

Having got an overview of how the features compare, let's explore three areas that will be key to many of you who are deciding what kind of platform your business needs.

We'll look at which platform we think performs best in each of those areas: ThriveCart or ClickFunnels?

Cost

ThriveCart:

• One-time payment of $495 for lifetime access.
• Includes essential features like customizable checkout pages, upsells, and affiliate management.
• No recurring fees, making it cost-effective for long-term use.

ClickFunnels:

• Subscription-based pricing, starting at $97/month for the basic plan and $297/month for advanced features.
• Yearly costs can exceed $2,300, which adds up over time.

🏅 Winner on cost: ThriveCart, for its one-time payment model and no ongoing fees.

Sales funnel features

ClickFunnels:

• Comprehensive, multi-step funnels guide customers through the entire buying process.
• Ideal for businesses needing advanced funnel-building capabilities.

ThriveCart:

• Offers basic sales funnel functionalities, such as product pages, checkout, and thank-you pages.
• Lacks the depth and complexity of ClickFunnels’ funnel-building tools.

🏅 Winner on sales funnel: ClickFunnels, for its advanced funnel-building features.

Sales-boosters

ThriveCart:

• Streamlines the checkout process with one-click upsells, order bumps, and flexible payment options (subscriptions, installment plans, etc.).
• Focuses on maximizing average order value during checkout.

ClickFunnels:

• Offers broader marketing tools but has less streamlined checkout features.
• Checkout-related setups can be more complex and less intuitive.

🏅 Winner on sales-boosters: ThriveCart, for its dedicated checkout optimization tools.

Integration capabilities

ThriveCart:

• Supports native integrations with email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign), CRMs (HubSpot), and membership sites (Kajabi).
• Offers API for custom integrations and works with multiple payment gateways.

ClickFunnels:

• Limited native integrations; relies on middleware like Zapier for less common tools.
• Built-in features (email marketing, affiliate management) reduce the need for external tools.

🏅 Winner: ThriveCart, for offering much broader integration flexibility.

Customer support

ThriveCart:

• Email support and a comprehensive knowledge base (tutorials, FAQs, documentation).
• There is no live chat or phone support, but the resources are well-organized.

ClickFunnels:

• Offers email support, live chat, and a library of training materials (videos, forums).
• Weekly live training sessions help users master advanced features.

🏅 Winner: ClickFunnels provides more hands-on support options.

Ease of use & user experience

ThriveCart:

• Clean, intuitive interface with minimal learning curve.
• Ideal for users who prefer simplicity and straightforward navigation.

ClickFunnels:

• Drag-and-drop editor and pre-built templates simplify funnel creation.
• Advanced features and customization options can feel overwhelming for beginners.

🏅 Winner: ThriveCart excels in simplicity over ClickFunnels.

ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels: Which one is right for you?

Overall, unless you need broad and complex sales funnel capabilities, we believe ThriveCart will be the better-suited platform for many of our readers, especially those selling digital products.

If you want to see these platforms in action through a couple of use cases, we'll do that in the next section to help you put things in context.

If you know that ClickFunnels' features are overkill for you, jump ahead to our section on Checkout Page and see how it makes a great alternative! 🦘

ThriveCart use case: Sophia, the creative writing enthusiast

👋 Meet Sophia.

She runs an online course focused on helping enthusiasts develop their creative writing skills. She also sells various related products, including coaching sessions and e-guides.

While she has an established website and social media following, she wants to enhance her checkout process to improve sales conversion rates.

How ThriveCart supports Sophia:

• Streamlined checkout pages: ThriveCart allows Sophia to create user-friendly, customizable checkout pages that can be embedded directly on her website. This streamlined process minimizes distractions and encourages quick purchases from her customers.
• Upsell opportunities: As Sophia sells her online course, ThriveCart enables her to offer relevant upsells during checkout. For example, she can present an e-guide on "Creative Writing: Mistakes I made, so you don’t have to!" when someone purchases the course, adding more value and increasing her average order value.
• Order bumps: ThriveCart’s order bump feature lets Sophia suggest additional services, like a coaching session, right on the checkout page. This increases both engagement and revenue without complicating the purchasing experience.
• Analytics and monitoring: Sophia can monitor her sales performance through real-time analytics, identifying which e-guides and coaching offers are most popular. This data enables her to adjust her offerings to make them as enticing as possible for her audience.

ClickFunnels use case: Nathan, the fitness training entrepreneur

👋🏼 Meet Nathan.

He is an entrepreneur who provides business training for personal trainers. He is developing a platform featuring a range of courses and membership options, including a community platform, premium fitness training packages, and exclusive webinar sessions.

How ClickFunnels supports Nathan:

• Comprehensive sales funnel creation: With ClickFunnels, Nathan can turn his social media following and email lists into sales using multi-step funnels explicitly designed for his industry. This helps him create detailed sales processes that guide his audience from awareness to conversion and nurturing ongoing customer relationships.
• Membership platform: With ClickFunnels, Nathan can easily set up membership sites for subscribers. This allows him to deliver exclusive content, host discussions, and create a community space for personal trainers to interact, share experiences, and gain insights that help him shape his sales funnels.
• Webinar funnels: If Nathan hosts live webinars as part of his marketing strategy, ClickFunnels provides the necessary tools to create and manage these events. He can capture leads via registration pages and follow up to convert attendees into paying customers.

Checkout Page as a ThriveCart alternative

If you are leaning toward ThriveCart because your focus is optimizing your customer’s checkout experience and boosting conversion, but you feel the search for the right platform is not over yet, allow us to introduce the Checkout Page.

We're an innovative platform designed to help you create high-converting no-code checkout pages in minutes that offer:

✅ No-code checkout page builder: Create custom, branded checkout pages in minutes without any technical skills.

✅ One-click upsells & order bumps: Boost revenue by offering additional products seamlessly during checkout.

✅ Flexible billing models: Support for one-time payments, subscriptions, payment plans, pay-what-you-want, donations, and more.

✅ Unlimited pages & products: Create unlimited checkout pages, event pages, form pages, and digital products.

✅ White-label branding: Fully customizable branding with no Checkout Page logos or mentions visible to customers.

✅ Global payment options: Accept payments in all major currencies, with support for Apple Pay, Google Pay, Buy Now Pay Later, and more.

✅ Advanced analytics & reporting: Track sales performance, conversion rates, and customer data with live dashboards and weekly reports.

✅ Multi-step checkout & forms: Create multi-step experiences with pre-filled fields and conditional logic for a smoother customer journey.

✅ Winning customer support: Our founder-led support team is available on Live Chat to support you in getting the best out of the platform.

Conclusion

Checkout Page is a strong contender as an alternative to ThriveCart and ClickFunnels. It matches many of its features and its low monthly subscription costs with zero hidden fees, making it extremely flexible and budget-friendly.

The flexible billing option is perfect for those who want to test product ideas, sell event tickets, retreats, conferences and more.

If you’d like to try it, our 7-day free trial requires no card and allows you to try out all of our features, which we know you’ll find user-friendly and intuitive.

Visit our features page to learn more about the full suite of features that Checkout Page offers.

We wish you a smooth search for the right platform and hope that we can support you along the way.