overall Rating
ThriveCart is the program I use to process 95% of the sales of my products. It is a lean but complete checkout page/funnel builder that makes it easy to sell anything.
I use it as an alternative to other, more expensive 3rd party programs like Clickfunnels, Kartra or SamCart.
The only downside is a lack of direct support. However, the Facebook community is helpful and the software is straightforward enough that I've never had serious issues
Pros
Cons
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Functionality
I finally snapped. The software I had been using to manage my sales funnels and affiliate programs simply wasn't working. I had emailed support countless times over the previous 18 months (yes, it was that long of an issue) but still, the issues ensued and I decided they were pretty much telling me to move on to something else.
So I started hunting around for alternatives and stumbled upon a software called ThriveCart.
I was hesitant at first because the price was low compared to alternatives and it was a one time payment. This usually is a sign that the software is never updated and probably wildly overrated.
Against my better judgement though, I pulled the trigger. I wasn't expecting much. I had bought a LOT of different softwares over the years that didn't pan out and this could have been another one of them.
It wasn't.
It took a while to get everything set up since I had so many products already, but the process wasn't terribly difficult. The more I used it, the more I realized that it had features that other software like Clickfunnels, Gumroad, SamCart and Kartra didn't.
Now, several years later, we've processed over $4.5 million through it and haven't looked back.
What Is ThriveCart?
Before you pull the trigger on ThriveCart you need to understand what it's built for and what it's limitations are.
The big question I had when I first started looking into ThriveCart was "Is ThriveCart a standalone solution for my entire website or sales funnel?"
No. ThriveCart is not a standalone solution like Clickfunnels.
ThriveCart is not built to handle...
ThriveCart is built to handle...
I use a program called Thrive Themes on the front end of my websites now. Thrive Themes is NOT related at all to ThriveCart. It's just an unfortunately confusing coincidence.
You can use these or any other web page builder for the front end. WordPress is what I'd recommend though. It provides you with the most flexibility and is known for it's speed and ease of maintenance.
ThriveCart is built for sales, not basic email opt-ins or complete sites. Yes, you can gather emails and do two step order forms but you still need something else on the front end to create a compelling sales page.
Technically, you could send traffic straight to checkout but that is a horrendous idea.
ThriveCart Results
We've slowly added our software (IP Alert and StorefrontStalker Pro), membership programs (OA Vip) and courses (Tactical-Academy, the OA Challenge, Keepa Academy and the Wholesale Challenge) over to ThriveCart and they're converting well.
I'm using ThriveCart for my affiliate management and checkout pages exclusively.
Yes, I stopped using Clickfunnels for these two things.
Keep in mind, ThriveCart does NOT work on the front end like Clickfunnels or WordPress. It is not a standalone product.
It looks like this.
Now, don't be overwhelmed, but this is what it looks like with all the fix'ns.
This flow has helped us do millions of dollars and added over 6 figures of monthly recurring revenue to our business.
So, Is ThriveCart Actually Any Good?
Here is my opinion.
My 4 Favorite "Extra" Features
I couldn't live without the basics like checkout functionality, coupon codes and upsells, but there were a few features I found only after purchasing Thrivecart that turned out to be my favorites.
These were barely even advertised on the sales page but should have been highlighted because they are awesome!
#1 Split Profits with Business Partners Immediately
ThriveCart goes beyond helping you pay your affiliates, they also let you split up revenue with a business partner.
For instance, my friend and business partner Christopher Grant (CleartheShelf.com) is my 50/50 partner on a course and a software.
ThriveCart allowed us to create a "contract" with an automation that sends him 50% of all sales we make. That is after any affiliate payouts and fees.
ThriveCart pays my partner Christopher his 50% cut for me automatically!
Setting these JV contracts up is very easy. You can edit the percentage split but are currently limited to one partner per product.
#2 Advanced Conversion Tracking for Your Affiliates
We've paid out over $732,000+ in affiliate commissions to our partners.
It's one of our biggest "plain sight" secrets for growing sales fast (read my article on starting an affiliate program if you want to learn the 80/20 of managing a successful one).
Affiliates will be more likely to run paid ads to your products (if allowed) because they can track their conversions!
Most affiliate marketers are gun shy to run our ads because they can't track conversions. ThriveCart lets them do this.
This means affiliates will be more likely to push and spend to promote.
#3 Instant Digital Bonuses for Your Affiliates
Bonuses are HUGE for boosting conversions for people who promote your products. ThriveCart lets your affiliates upload their own digital bonuses and they get delivered when someone buys from their link automatically.
Dramatically increase conversions by offering instant bonuses when people buy your affiliate products. Here is what I offer (a free 30 minute phone call sign up link) when people purchase ThriveCart through my link.
I'm actually doing this myself for a number of products that are ran through ThriveCart.
That includes...ThriveCart itself!
Grab a lifetime copy Thrive Cart through this link and you'll receive a free 60 minute coaching call with me.
#4 Connect Coupon Code to Affiliate
Another huge feature that will boost the efforts of your affiliates. Give them a discount that they can share on places they can't share links as easily (podcasts etc) and you'll get more promotion action.
ThriveCart FAQ
Here are some of the most common questions I see about ThriveCart or that I had personally before I signed up.
#1 Is ThriveCart the same as Thrive Themes?
No, they are completely separate companies and products. If you follow the blog, you know that EntreResource was built with Thrive Themes.
#2 Is ThriveCart a standalone product? Will it replace products like Clickfunnels, WordPress, etc?
No, ThriveCart does not offer the front end functionality that other softwares like Clickfunnels, Kartra or SamCart do.
ThriveCart is an alternative to affiliate management software like Backpack but not an entire replacement to tools like Clickfunnels.
#3 Does ThriveCart integrate with other software (ie: email marketing programs, etc).
Yes, ThriveCart has many different integrations. I integrate with ConvertKit, Zapier and several others.
NOTE: Zapier greatly expands upon the list of Thrive Cart integrations. Just because something isn't listed above does NOT mean that you can't use it with ThriveCart.
Although you won't find it on the Zapier list of integrations (at the time of posting) ThriveCart DOES integrate with Zapier. The integration is shown to ThriveCart users inside of ThriveCart exclusively. I'm sure this will change soon and it will be listed on the Zapier website.
#4 Does ThriveCart allow you to offer upsells and downsells?
Yes it does. You can do up to 5 upsells and then 5 downsells for each.
You can also add one click order bumps. These convert pretty well for me.
Selling an additional license for $29 converted at about 12% and added several hundred dollars in additional revenue.
#5 Does ThriveCart allow you to run A/B tests?
Yes. Keep in mind, these tests are only on the pages you make with ThriveCart. To test your front end pages you'll need something else. Clickfunnels has built in split testing functionality and so does Thrive Themes.
#6 Does ThriveCart allow you to offer coupon codes?
Yep. You can do % or $ amount off. As mentioned above, you can also make the coupon codes tag an affiliate.
#8 What is the difference between ThriveCart and ThriveCart Pro?
I highly recommend you get the pro version. Here all all the features you receive with Pro. I've starred the biggest reasons in the list below.
- **Affiliate Center**
- Subscription Saver Functionality (Dunning)
- Automatic Sales Tax Calculation
- Intelligent Business Projections
- **JV Contracts**
- Advanced User Management
- Client Usage Rights
- **Custom domain name functionality**
It is only $195 more and the affiliate center is a must have.
ThriveCart Pricing
The value is absolutely insane...
Currently, you can get the Thrive Cart lifetime deal for a one time payment of just $495 for lifetime access. You will want to also get the Pro upgrade for $195, for the reasons I just mentioned above.
This pricepoint makes ThriveCart the best value on the market for any affiliate management/checkout page software.
They also have a "Pays for Itself in 30 days" guarantee. If you don't feel that you've made your money back in 30 days, they will give you a full refund.