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Software · head to head

3dcart vs Saleor

3dcart logo

3dcart

Software

All-in-one ecommerce platform for online retailers

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Saleor logo

Saleor

Software

Open-source, headless e-commerce platform with a GraphQL API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Saleor has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 3dcart limited scalability compared to enterprise e-commerce platforms; Saleor saleor requires development resources to build a storefront, since it ships as an API-only backend without a front-end store out of the box.
  • They diverge on capability: 3dcart covers Store builder, Saleor covers GraphQL API.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 3dcart and Saleor actually diverge.

Attributes where 3dcart and Saleor differ
Attribute3dcartSaleor
Starting price$19/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebweb, api
Founded19972019

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 3dcart

  • Store builder
  • Unlimited products
  • Shopping cart
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Email marketing
  • SEO optimization
  • Mobile responsive

Only in Saleor

  • GraphQL API
  • Admin dashboard
  • Webhooks and apps
  • Omnichannel order processing
  • Configurator CLI
  • OpenTelemetry tracing
  • OpenID Connect support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

3dcart

No use cases recorded yet. See the 3dcart review.

Saleor

  • Custom headless storefrontsnot 3dcart
  • Composable commerce architecturesnot 3dcart
  • Omnichannel retail and B2B commercenot 3dcart
  • Developer-built e-commerce requiring deep API accessnot 3dcart

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

3dcart

  • Limited scalability compared to enterprise e-commerce platforms
  • Payment processing tied to Shift4 Payments after acquisition
  • Fewer advanced marketing and analytics features than competitors

Saleor

  • Saleor requires development resources to build a storefront, since it ships as an API-only backend without a front-end store out of the box.
  • Self-hosting requires managing infrastructure, scaling, and updates, which adds operational overhead compared to fully managed platforms.
  • Saleor Cloud's paid tiers start at $1,599/month, making the managed offering costly for small merchants compared to typical SaaS store builders.
  • The GraphQL-first, code-driven approach has a steeper learning curve for non-technical users than drag-and-drop e-commerce builders.

Pricing, plan by plan

3dcart

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • Unlimited products
    • Basic templates
    • Email support

Saleor

Free
  • Sandboxes (Cloud)Free
    • Free forever tier for prototyping and development
  • Select (Cloud)$1599/month
    • Up to $200,000 GMV monthly
    • 0.8% fee on orders exceeding GMV limit
    • Dedicated Slack channel
  • Volume (Cloud)$3999/month
    • Up to $1,000,000 GMV monthly
    • 0.4% fee on orders exceeding GMV limit
    • Dedicated Slack channel
  • Enterprise (Cloud)$undefined/mo
    • Custom GMV limits
    • Fees negotiable as low as 0.2%
    • Project delivery lead

Which should you pick?

Choose 3dcart if

  • You need store builder.
  • You also want unlimited products.
3dcart review

Choose Saleor if

  • You need graphql api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want admin dashboard.
Saleor review

Questions people ask

Is 3dcart or Saleor better?
Neither clearly leads. 3dcart starts at $19/month and Saleor at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 3dcart or Saleor?
Saleor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for 3dcart and Free for Saleor.
Does 3dcart or Saleor run on more platforms?
3dcart runs on Web. Saleor runs on web, api.
Can I use Saleor for free?
Yes. Saleor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 3dcart starts at $19/month.
What can 3dcart do that Saleor cannot?
3dcart covers Store builder, Unlimited products, Shopping cart, Payment processing. Saleor covers GraphQL API, Admin dashboard, Webhooks and apps, Omnichannel order processing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

3dcart: What is the starting price for 3dcart?

3dcart (now Shift4Shop) starts at $19/month with no setup fees, transaction fees, or hidden fees.

Source
Saleor: Is Saleor free to use?

Yes. Saleor is open source under the BSD-3-Clause license and can be self-hosted for free. Saleor Cloud also offers a free Sandboxes tier for prototyping and development.

Source
3dcart: Does 3dcart include hosting?

Yes. 3dcart includes web hosting, domain support, and built-in website building tools with no separate hosting costs.

Source
Saleor: How much does Saleor Cloud cost?

Saleor Cloud paid plans start at $1,599/month for the Select plan (up to $200,000 monthly GMV), with Volume at $3,999/month and custom Enterprise pricing for larger merchants.

Source
3dcart: What happened to 3dcart?

Shift4 Payments acquired 3dcart in November 2020. The platform is now operated under the name Shift4Shop but maintains the same core functionality and pricing.

Source
Saleor: Does Saleor provide a storefront out of the box?

No. Saleor is an API-only, headless commerce backend built on GraphQL; storefronts must be built separately using the API and are not bundled with the platform.

Source
3dcart: Does 3dcart offer free templates?

Yes. 3dcart provides dozens of professionally designed, industry-specific templates that are mobile-friendly, SEO optimized, and highly customizable.

Source
3dcart: What payment methods does 3dcart support?

3dcart integrates with multiple payment gateways including Shift4 Payments, Stripe, PayPal, and other major payment processors.

Source
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