Swell

swell.is
E-commerce
1-2 Weeks

Next-level commerce for everyone

How to Replace Swell

Overview

Swell is a future-proof ecommerce platform that enables merchants to launch an online store in minutes. It provides unified commerce capabilities for selling physical and digital goods, subscriptions, and services all-in-one with global reach across 230 currencies and 170 languages.

Features

127 features across 32 categories

Admin & Management(4)

Customized Dashboard

Personalized commerce dashboard with deep customization for managing all store operations

Multi-store Access

Invite users to join any number of Swell stores with single account

Role-based PermissionsPremium

Assign specific roles and permissions to team members for better control

Team Management

Grant other team members access to store and manage permissions based on role

Checkout(6)

Address Autocomplete

Address fields include autocomplete feature to quickly and accurately populate addresses

Cart Item Metadata

Store custom metadata on each shopping cart item using Swell.js

Custom Checkout

Create and own custom checkout experience with any custom fields, payment options, and shipping methods

Guest Checkout

Enable hassle-free checkout by allowing users to complete purchases without creating an account

Hosted Checkout

Complete customizable checkout process managed from the dashboard with seamless security

Universal Cart

Carts tied to single customer allowing use across multiple storefronts

Content Management(1)

Content Management

Manage all product content through admin dashboard with fast image loading via global CDN

Also in: Juro, Notion, WordPress.com

Customer Management(5)

Account Credit

Allow customers to purchase goods with account credits from promotions, loyalty, or refunds

Customer Activity Tracking

Track customer details, order history, lifetime value, and other buying behavior insights

Customer Groups

Set specific store behavior for groups including price rules, discounts, and email marketing

Customer Types

Designate customers as individuals or businesses with collection of business-specific fields

Stored Addresses & Payment Methods

Store and manage shipping and billing addresses and credit cards on customer behalf

Also in: Jobber, QuickBooks, Setmore

Customization(2)

Custom Models

Define own models via API or within model editor

Custom Models & Fields

Integrate business data and custom content with catalog using custom models and fields

Also in: monday.com, Obsidian, Smartsheet

Data Management(2)

Customer Import & Export

Seamlessly import or export customers from CSV files

Product Import & Export

Seamlessly import or export products from CSV files including product categories

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Developer Tools(7)

Backend API

Full CRUD capabilities for all data models with secret key for serverside use

Checkout API

Build custom checkout and payment flows using the same APIs as the hosted checkout

Developer Console

Make API calls and view logs with built-in developer console

Frontend & Backend APIs

Full control over ecommerce system with seamless access to both frontend and backend APIs

Frontend API

Partial CRUD capabilities with public key for usage in browser environments

Real-time Webhooks

Enable real-time webhook calls when carts and orders calculate shipping or taxes for custom calculations

Test Environments

Enable test environment to isolate development and testing from live store

Also in: Jobber, Hugging Face, 1Password

Digital Products(1)

Digital Commerce

Handles complex parts of digital commerce including access management and mixed cart capabilities for digital and physical products

Also in: Gumroad

Extensions(1)

Swell Apps

Extend store functionality with custom full-stack apps built on the Swell platform

Fulfillment(6)

Flexible Fulfillment

Fulfill orders, track inventory, and keep customers informed with line-item shipment tracking

Global Shipping & Tax Calculation

Configure region-specific tax groups and shipping options with centralized dashboard management

Local Pickup

Designate shipping services as local pickup options at checkout

Multi-warehouse Management

Enable retailers to manage multiple shipping locations for faster delivery and wider audience reach

Product Shipping Dimensions

Record product shipping dimensions and weight for accurate pricing calculations

Split Fulfillment

Specify shipping for each order item or entire order

Internationalization(7)

Localizable Content

Localize products, categories, customer-facing settings, email notifications, and checkout content

Localization

Built-in localization support for multiple languages and regions

Manual & Automatic Conversions

Manually enter currency codes or automate price currency conversions with exchange rate calculations

Multi-currency Management

Offer customers ability to purchase in their own currency with manual and automatic price rules

Multi-Currency Support

Price and localize products in 230 currencies with automatic exchange rate conversions and currency-specific pricing rules

Multi-language Configuration

Configure multiple locales for customer experience regardless of geographical location

Multi-Language Support

Support for 170 languages with localized content for customized shopping experiences globally

Inventory Management(1)

Stock Inventory & History

Real-time inventory tracking and history for each product and variant

Marketing Automation(3)

Abandoned Cart Recovery

Send automated reminders about abandoned carts through personalized notifications

Automated Abandoned Cart Recovery

Send email reminders about abandoned carts and automate recovery series

Customer Notifications

Alert customers about new products, discounts, reminders, and order updates

Merchandising(1)

Cross-sells & Up-sells

Boost sales with strategic cross-sells and upsells on product pages and at checkout

Order Management(7)

Custom Order Fields

Incorporate custom fields into order models to store data from external systems

Manual Order Creation

Create orders from the admin dashboard to support customers via phone, email, or chat

Order Activity Feed

Maintain detailed record of order history and customer interactions

Order Printout Templates

Store multiple printout templates for packing slips, gift receipts, and more

Post-sale Order EditingPremium

Modify or cancel order items and discounts before and after order finalization

Return Management

Manage refunds with full or partial refunds and options for account credits

Send Order Invoices

Prompt customers to complete purchases by sending invoices from Orders details page

Payments(6)

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)

Integrate with BNPL services like Affirm and Resolve for flexible purchasing options

Cash on Delivery & Bank Deposits

Offer flexible payment options including COD and secure bank deposits

Multiple Payment Gateways

Integrate with trusted payment gateways including Stripe, Authorize.Net, PayPal, and Amazon Pay

Offline Payments

Offer options like in-store pickup, bank transfer, or cash on delivery

Saved Credit Cards

Provide one-click checkout with fully encrypted saved credit cards

Split Payments

Customize payment options for individual order items or entire orders

Performance(1)

Media CDN with Image Transforms

Deliver images and videos at scale with global CDN complete with image transformations

Physical Products(1)

Physical Goods Selling

Powerful backend for product bundling, individual shipping rules, global shipping, and automated tax calculations

Pricing(2)

Bulk Price Rules & Grouping Pricing

Optimize pricing for customer groups like wholesale accounts with tiered price breaks

International Price ListsPremium

Set different price lists per currency and region

Product Management(6)

Categories & Sub-categories

Design intuitive category trees with drag-and-drop management for seamless product discovery

Custom Options

Let customers choose custom options for personalized or made-to-order items with different input types

Custom Product Attributes

Create visible custom attributes for product pages and hidden attributes for internal data or behavior modifications

Product Bundling

Create intelligently curated product bundles to boost revenue and match customer needs

Product Types

Choose product types that provide appropriate fields for creating particular product types

Unlimited Products & Variants

Create unlimited product variations with custom attributes and manage inventory in real-time

Promotions(9)

Bulk Coupon Generation

Generate and export unlimited coupon codes for distribution

Buy X Get Y Promotions

Specify discounted products for customers who meet a set requirement with their purchase

Coupon Code Management

Offer discounts on order total, shipping, specific products, or categories

Coupons & Promotions

Provide different discounts on order totals, shipping, products, and categories with custom options

Discount Rules

Set custom options for discounts like minimum quantities or excluded product categories

Gift Cards

Offer physical and digital gift cards that customers can use as account credits or towards purchases

Limited Time Offers

Add urgency to sale events by setting expiration dates for discounts

Store-wide Discounts

Set up promotional offers with automatic discounts at checkout that can be combined with coupon codes

Usage Limits

Create coupon code limitations and maximum discount thresholds

Reliability(1)

100% Uptime SLAPremium

Guaranteed 100% uptime service level agreement for maximum reliability

Reporting(7)

Advanced ReportsPremium

Access detailed reports including sales, customer, and finance reports for business analytics

Basic Reports

Basic reporting on store performance and metrics

Custom Reports

Create own reports that pull the most relevant data for business

Customer Reports

Get customer metrics with reports on behavior and trends over time

Finance Reports

Assess store financial health with financial reporting

Quick Stats

Get high-level reports on total orders, gross revenue, and trends

Sales Reports

Pull detailed reports on products, customers, coupons, sales events, and more

Sales Channels(1)

Direct-to-Consumer (DTC)

Flexibility and infrastructure to connect directly with customers and scale distinctive brand experiences

Sales Models(1)

Purchase Options

Sell products in multiple ways like one-time pricing, subscription plans, and try-before-you-buy

Shipping(2)

Flexible Shipping Options

Optimize conversions with flat or tiered shipping with real-time rate calculation

Shipping Price Rules

Set price rules for specific geographic zones, services, or price points

Storefront Building(13)

Apps & Themes

Start with official storefront app or customize with themes including Shopify themes

Block-based Layout

Block-based layout editor for building store pages

Color Schemes

Predefined and custom color schemes for store branding

Custom Domains

Setup custom domain in seconds without leaving the Swell dashboard

Headless Storefronts

Build and host own storefront and connect to Swell using language and framework of choice

Inline Editing

Edit content directly inline for faster design workflow

Instant Publishing

Publish store changes instantly without delays

Navigation Menus

Create multi-level navigation menus with images, promos, and links for headers and footers

Nested Navigation Menus

Create nested navigation menus for complex site structures

Responsive Design

Automatic responsive design for all devices and screen sizes

Theme Editor

Visual theme editor allowing customization of store content without code

Unique Page Templates

Access unique page templates for different store pages

Visual Store Builder

Block-based layout editor with inline editing and responsive design for building storefronts without code

Subscriptions(12)

Automatic Retry & Dunning

Retry failed credit card payments automatically to improve subscriber retention

Dashboard Management for Subscriptions

Create subscription plans, manage invoicing, and handle payments in one place

Flexible Order Schedules

Offer subscription products on monthly, yearly, or custom schedule

Flexible Subscription Checkout

Add subscription products to cart or have custom checkout flow for subscriptions

Mixed Carts

Combine one-time and subscription products into unified shopping cart for simultaneous checkout

One-time Purchase or Subscription

Allow customers to add one-time or recurring items to future orders without managing multiple products

Pause & Resume Subscriptions

Enable customers to suspend subscriptions for any period and resume when they want

Separate Invoicing from Fulfillment

Bill customers on custom intervals and ship items according to different recurring order schedule

Subscription Commerce

Flexible billing models, automated workflows, and retention tools for selling subscriptions with unlimited potential

Subscription Notifications

Notify customers when new subscriptions are placed and when their card is expiring

Subscription Products

Sell physical and virtual products as subscriptions with flexible order schedules and separate invoicing from fulfillment

Subscription Upgrade/Downgrade

Make it easy for subscribers to upgrade or downgrade plans with custom invoices

Support(2)

Developer SupportPremium

Technical support for developers including API and integration assistance

Priority SupportPremium

Get prioritized responses from support team for critical issues

Taxes(2)

Location-based Tax Settings

Create multiple tax rules and group by region to apply to shipping, products and categories

Tax Rules & Integrations

Automatically calculate taxes and integrate with services like Avalara and TaxJar

Tracking(1)

Real-time Tracking

Real-time tracking that incorporates data across all types of sales and product cost tracking

Wholesale(6)

Customer Groups & Discounts

Manage specific customer groups to incentivize bulk purchases or reward loyalty

Multi-part Payments

Provide option to pay in installments to help with cash flow and budget management

Volume-based Pricing

Use price rules to sell wholesale and offer price breaks for large quantities

Wholesale & B2B

Streamline wholesale operations with complex inventory management, customer-specific pricing, custom payment terms, and bulk ordering workflows

Wholesale Invoicing

Make it easy for wholesale customers to manage and pay invoices online

Wholesale User Permissions

Set up system management permissions for wholesale team based on roles and authority levels

Pricing

Starter

$29/month
  • Up to 2 admin users
  • Annual sales USD $50K
  • Basic reports
  • 100K monthly API requests
  • 1GB data storage
  • 2% percentage fee on sales above revenue ceiling

Basic

Popular
$79/month
  • Up to 5 admin users
  • Annual sales USD $250K
  • Basic reports
  • 500K monthly API requests
  • 3GB data storage
  • 1.5% percentage fee on sales above revenue ceiling

Standard

$299/month
  • Up to 15 admin users
  • Annual sales USD $1M
  • Advanced reports
  • 2M monthly API requests
  • 10GB data storage
  • International price lists available
  • Priority support
  • 1% percentage fee on sales above revenue ceiling

Unlimited

$2250/month
  • Unlimited admin users
  • Annual sales USD $5M
  • Advanced reports
  • Role-based permissions
  • Developer support
  • 100% uptime SLA
  • 0.4% percentage fee on sales above revenue ceiling

Custom

Custom
  • Priority technical support
  • Negotiated pricing
  • Ideal for merchants doing over $10M in sales annually

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Swell

Monthly$29/mo
Yearly$348/yr
5-Year Total$1.7k

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~19 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyModerate

Total Cost Comparison

1 YearSave $108
SaaS
$348
DIY
$240
3 YearsSave $324
SaaS
$1k
DIY
$720
5 YearsSave $540
SaaS
$1.7k
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 127 features at moderate complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Swell alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 127 features.

Buy Swell

Better Value
Monthly cost$290/mo
3-year total$10,440
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$156,000
Maintenance$2,340/mo
3-year total$240,240
Dev time~13 months

Buying Swell saves ~$229,800 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 127 features and a BuildScore of 3/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

9 known integrations

AffirmAmazon PayAuthorize.NetAvalaraBraintreePayPalResolveStripeTaxJar