Format vs Sellfy: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Format and Sellfy both offer unique advantages tailored to different user needs, but they cater to slightly different audiences.

Format (Overall Grade: 5.8/10)

is designed specifically for creative professionals such as photographers, artists, and designers. It excels in providing customizable templates and a user-friendly interface, making it ideal for showcasing portfolios. However, its ecommerce capabilities are basic, and it lacks advanced features compared to Sellfy. When comparing Format vs Sellfy, Format is best suited for users who prioritize design and ease of use over extensive ecommerce functionalities.
Sellfy (Overall Grade: 6.0/10)

stands out as an all-in-one ecommerce platform tailored for creators looking to sell a variety of products, including digital, physical, and subscription-based items. It offers a simple setup process, robust ecommerce features, and a comprehensive set of tools for managing and marketing an online store. Considering Format vs Sellfy, Sellfy is the better choice for users who need a versatile and efficient platform for selling products online.

	Overall grade: 5.8	Overall grade: 6.0
Design functionalities & templates	7.0	5.2
Ease of use	8.3	7.8
Ecommerce	5.2	6.8
Website editors	7.5	6.8
Product testing options	8.3	7.3
Price	7.9	7.9
Hosting quality	5.0	7.3
Website speed optimization	5.0	5.4
Plugins/extensions and integrations	4.9	6.7
Marketing features	5.3	7.1
Customer support	7.0	5.8
Website security	7.4	7.2
AI capabilities	0.0	0
User management	2.8	2.0

Best for ecommerce

5.2

6.8

Verdict

: Format is tailored for creative professionals with basic ecommerce needs, while Sellfy offers a more comprehensive ecommerce solution for creators looking to sell a variety of products.

Format

: Designed for creative professionals such as photographers, artists, and designers, Format provides basic ecommerce functionalities. It includes features like inventory management, discounts, and multiple currency options. However, when comparing Format vs Sellfy, Format’s ecommerce capabilities are limited, making it more suitable for showcasing portfolios rather than running a full-fledged online store.
Sellfy

: An all-in-one ecommerce platform, Sellfy is ideal for creators looking to sell digital, physical, subscription-based, and print-on-demand products. It offers a user-friendly interface, robust payment processing options, and a comprehensive set of marketing tools. Sellfy’s focus on simplifying the ecommerce process makes it a better choice for those looking to manage and scale their online business effectively.

Best for informational & business websites

7.2

5.7

Verdict

: Format is the better choice for informational business websites, especially for creative professionals, while Sellfy is more tailored towards creators looking to sell products.

Format

: Format scores 7.2 for informational business websites, making it a strong contender for creatives like photographers, artists, and designers. Its customizable templates and user-friendly interface make it easy to create visually appealing portfolios and informational sites. Format’s focus on high-quality imagery and mobile-friendly designs ensures that portfolios look professional on any device.
Sellfy

: Sellfy, with a score of 5.7, is more focused on eCommerce, making it less ideal for purely informational websites. However, it offers a simple, user-friendly interface for setting up online stores, which can be integrated into existing websites. Sellfy’s strength lies in its ability to handle a variety of products, including digital, physical, and subscription-based items, making it a versatile platform for creators looking to sell their work online.

Detailed comparison

7.0

5.2

🏆

Winner: Format.

If you’re looking for a platform that offers more creative control and a wide array of design features, Format is the preferred choice.

Format is a website builder specifically designed for creatives, offering nearly 100 customizable templates tailored for various artistic disciplines. It emphasizes high-quality imagery and mobile-friendly designs, ensuring portfolios look professional on any device.

Format Themes

Compared to Format, Sellfy provides a collection of design templates through its theme store, located in the Store Customizer. Users have the option to preview these themes before applying them to their websites. As of the latest information, Sellfy offers five main theme options: Lumi\u00e9re, Noir, Savant, Id\u00e9e, and Mode. These themes cater to various aesthetic preferences and can be published to go live on a user’s website after selection and customization.

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8.3

7.8

🏆 Winner: Format

. Scoring 8.3, Format edges out Sellfy, which scored 7.8, in terms of ease of use. Format’s user-friendly interface and customizable templates make it a great choice for creative professionals. Sellfy, while also user-friendly, is more suited for creators looking to sell a variety of products.

Learning Resources

Both Format and Sellfy offer learning resources to help users navigate their platforms. Format provides a comprehensive help center and a YouTube channel with tutorials and updates. Sellfy, on the other hand, offers a documentation page with various guides.

Learn Format

Learn Sellfy

5.2

6.8

When it comes to ecommerce, Sellfy outperforms Format with a score of 6.8 compared to Format’s 5.2. Sellfy is an all-in-one ecommerce platform tailored for creators looking to sell a wide array of products including digital, physical, subscription-based, and print-on-demand items. On the other hand, Format is a website builder specifically designed for creative professionals such as photographers, artists, designers, and illustrators, offering basic ecommerce functionalities for selling physical and digital products.


Ecommerce themes and templates	4.0	7.0
Product page customization	5.5	6.5
Payment processing and commissions	4.5	8.0
POS capabilities	0.0	4.0
Payment gateways	6.5	6.0
Product numbers	5.0	7.5
Additional ecommerce features	3.5	6.5

Format ecommerce features:

Inventory management and tracking
Discounts
Multiple currency options

Format website builder add a product

Sellfy ecommerce features:

Product Listings
Payment Gateways integration
Product categories

Ecommerce themes & templates

Format does not offer ecommerce specific templates, focusing more on portfolio showcases. On the other hand, all the templates of Sellfy are designed for online stores, providing a more ecommerce-centric design approach.

Product page customization

Format offers limited specific details on product page customization, focusing more on showcasing products through high-quality imagery and detailed descriptions. Sellfy, however, supports a diverse range of products including digital goods like music, videos, ebooks, and software, as well as physical products and print-on-demand merchandise such as t-shirts and mugs. The platform enables the sale of subscriptions, offering a means for recurring revenue.

Payment processing

Format offers integration with major payment gateways, including Paypal and Stripe, but charges a commission on sales. Sellfy supports two primary payment gateways, Stripe and PayPal, allowing for various payment options including credit/debit cards and localized payment methods in Europe. The platform does not charge transaction fees beyond its subscription cost, making it a more cost-effective option for businesses. However, neither platform offers built-in POS (Point of Sale) capabilities, indicating a focus on ecommerce rather than physical retail transactions.

7.5

6.8

🏆

Winner: Format

. Format, with a score of 7.5, offers a variety of features for creating online portfolios. It provides nearly 100 professionally designed templates and thousands of design variations without requiring any coding. Users can express creativity with custom pages, incorporating unique gallery layouts, colors, text formatting, and custom code embeds. The templates and pages are fully responsive, ensuring a mobile-first experience. Format also supports direct video hosting, high-quality image rendering, and easy template switching to give sites a new look. Additionally, it includes studio management tools, e-commerce capabilities, and SEO tools.

Format editor

Sellfy’s editor, scoring 6.8, offers a straightforward and user-friendly platform for creating online stores, focusing on simplicity over advanced customization. It supports the sale of digital, physical, subscription-based, and print-on-demand products, alongside integrated marketing tools for promotion and sales optimization. Payment processing is secure and direct, utilizing popular gateways like Stripe and PayPal with no transaction fees. Despite some limitations in design customization and app integrations, Sellfy aims to provide a comprehensive e-commerce solution for entrepreneurs and creators.

Mobile editor/app

4.0

7.5

🏆

Winner: Sellfy

. Both Format and Sellfy offer different mobile experiences, but they cater to different needs. Format, designed for creative professionals, does not offer a dedicated mobile app for editing, which can be a disadvantage for users who prefer to make changes on the go.

Sellfy, on the other hand, is an eCommerce platform that provides a mobile app allowing users to manage their online stores efficiently. The app offers functionalities such as viewing store performance metrics, managing and tracking orders, and receiving customized notifications. However, it does not allow users to change the layout or design of the website itself.

In summary, Sellfy receives a higher rating due to its efficient store management capabilities and the convenience of mobile notifications, while Format may be better suited for users who prefer desktop editing.

8.3

7.3

Overall Result

:

Format wins

. Format scores 8.3 in product testing options, slightly higher than Sellfy’s 7.3. Both Format and Sellfy offer a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money back guarantee. However, Format’s higher score suggests it may provide a more comprehensive or user-friendly testing experience.


Free Plan	No (14-day free trial)	No (14-day free trial)
Trial Duration	14 days	14 days
Testing Premium Features	During the free trial	During the free trial

7.9

Format and Sellfy have the same price score, indicating similar value for money.

Both offer multiple price plans with different features, allowing users to choose a plan that best suits their needs. Format offers a discount of 30-60% depending on the plan, while Sellfy offers a 20% discount on annual billing. Neither of the builders offer an enterprise plan.

	Offerings	Offerings
$10-$20	Basic ($12.00/month): Offers core services like mobile-optimized site, up to 10 web pages, and up to 70 high-resolution images. 3 client galleries, up to 2GB file transfers. No video uploads or custom code editor. Value for price: 5.0	No offering at this amount.
$20-$30	Pro ($24.00/month): Includes all from Basic, plus unlimited web pages, 1500 high-resolution images,15 mins video hosting, 100GB cloud storage, a free custom domain, Online Store with up to 15 products, 50 client galleries and up to 5GB file transfers. Value for price: 7.5	Starter ($29/month): Ideal for growing businesses with sales up to $10k/year. Offers unlimited products, digital and subscription products, domain connection, and 2,000 email credits. Annual savings available. Value for price: 7.5
$30-$40	Pro Plus ($36.00/month): Adds on Pro features with priority support, unlimited pages and high-res images, 120 mins video hosting, and 1TB cloud storage. Online Store with up to 1000 products, 250 client galleries and 10GB file transfers. Value for price: 8.5	No offering at this amount.
$70-$80	No offering at this amount.	Business ($79/month): Targets businesses with up to $50k in yearly sales, offering everything in the Starter plan plus 10,000 email credits, product and store design migration, product upselling, cart abandonment tools, and Sellfy branding removal. Value for price: 8.0
$100+	No offering at this amount.	Premium ($159/month): For businesses with up to $200k/year in sales. Includes everything in the Business plan plus 50,000 email credits, product migration, and priority support. Annual savings are also offered. Value for Price: 8.5

In some cases companies have different prices based on various components like a
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.

5.0

7.3

🏆

Winner: Sellfy

Sellfy scores higher in hosting quality, despite the lack of detailed information about its hosting services. Both Format and Sellfy offer hosting services, but neither discloses the type of hosting they provide or the location of their data centers. Sellfy, however, has a reported uptime of 99.99%, which gives it an edge over Format, which does not disclose its uptime statistics.


Do they offer hosting?	Yes	Yes
Data Centers:	Not disclosed	Not disclosed
Type of hosting:	Not disclosed	Not disclosed
Uptime:	Not disclosed	99.99%
Uptime Guarantee:	Not disclosed	No

5.0

5.4

🏆 Winner: Sellfy

Both Format and Sellfy have similar scores in website speed optimization, but Sellfy has a slightly higher score.


Focus	Image and video optimization	Code Minification, Caching, Image Optimization
Performance Tools	Not specified	Not specified
Key Strategies	Image and video optimization	Code Minification, Caching, Image Optimization
Load Times	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity
Page Speed Scores Range	Not specified	Not specified
Core Web Vitals Improvement	Not disclosed	Not provided

Format focuses on image and video optimization for website speed optimization. However, it does not provide specific information on load times, PageSpeed score ranges, or Core Web Vital improvements.

Sellfy, on the other hand, uses code minification, caching, and image optimization as strategies for website speed optimization. Like Format, Sellfy does not provide specific information on load times, PageSpeed score ranges, or Core Web Vital improvements. However, the additional strategies used by Sellfy for speed optimization give it a slight edge over Format.

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4.9

6.7

🏆 Winner: Sellfy.

Sellfy scores 6.7, offering a wider range of integrations that enhance ecommerce functionality and automate workflows. Format, with a score of 4.9, offers a limited selection of plugins/integrations, which may not be sufficient for users looking for a more extensive suite of tools to customize and enhance their website’s functionality.

While Format does offer key integrations like Adobe Lightroom, Mailchimp, and Google Analytics, Sellfy’s integrations with Google Analytics, Facebook Live Chat, Zapier, and social media advertising tools provide a more comprehensive set of tools for managing, marketing, and scaling an online business effectively.

5.3

7.1

🏆

Overall Winner: Sellfy

. Sellfy stands out for its comprehensive suite of marketing tools tailored for creators and small businesses, especially in SEO, email marketing, and ads and promotions. Format, while offering a range of basic marketing tools, lacks in advanced features and integrations.


SEO Tools	Basic SEO tools for page titles, meta descriptions, and image alt tags	Comprehensive SEO settings for storefronts, meta titles, descriptions, and product page optimization
Email Marketing	Limited email marketing features with integration of branded email and email form subscriptions	Robust email marketing features with custom emails to selected audience
Blogging	Blog posts and comments	No blogging features
Social Media Integration	Direct Instagram integration	Social media profile integrations and “Buy Now” buttons for easy sales channel integration
Analytics and Reporting	Google Analytics integration for tracking visitor traffic and page views	Comprehensive analytics and reporting tools for insights into sales, traffic, conversion rates, and product performance
Ads and Promotions	Basic promotional features with discounts and discount codes	Advanced promotional tools with email marketing, discount codes, upselling and cross-selling options

7.0

5.8

🏆 Winner: Format

. Comparing Format vs Sellfy, Format takes the lead in this category with a customer support score of 7.0. Format offers 24/7 customer support through email and live chat, ensuring users can get help whenever they need it. The support team is distributed across different countries, which helps maintain round-the-clock availability.

Sellfy, on the other hand, provides 24/7 support but lacks phone and live chat options, which limits the immediacy of assistance. Users can primarily rely on email support and possibly a knowledge base for self-service. With a customer support score of 5.8, Sellfy falls short in comparison to Format’s more accessible and versatile support options.

7.4

7.2

🏆

Winner: Format

. Format edges out Sellfy with a slightly higher security score. Format emphasizes the security of user data through encrypted data storage, both in transit and at rest, and employs strict access controls. The platform regularly updates its security measures to protect against new threats and complies with data protection regulations like GDPR. Users are also provided with resources to help secure their accounts, including strong password guidelines and two-factor authentication options.

On the other hand, Sellfy employs several security measures to safeguard sellers and their digital products from unauthorized access, fraud, and piracy. These measures include the use of secure payment processors like Stripe and PayPal, unique download links for each purchase, limited download attempts, and additional tools like PDF stamping to deter content sharing. While these strategies significantly mitigate risks, Sellfy also recognizes the inherent challenges of completely eliminating piracy in the digital space. The platform takes a pragmatic approach by providing tools that both protect creators’ content and assist in handling disputes effectively.

0.0


Personalized Design
SEO Optimization
Customer Behavior Analysis
Sales Predictions
Inventory Management
Content Generation

Neither Format nor Sellfy offer AI capabilities. Both platforms focus on providing a user-friendly interface and a range of features for building and managing online presence or ecommerce, but they do not utilize AI to enhance these features or offer additional functionalities. Therefore, there is no winner in this category.

2.8

2.0

🏆 Winner: Format

. Both Format and Sellfy have limited user management capabilities, but Format scores slightly higher.

Format allows only one user to manage and edit websites.
Sellfy does not support adding multiple users or staff to a single account.

There are no user roles and access levels provided for either builder.

Additional Features


SSL Certificate
Custom Domain
Free Custom Domain Included
International Domains
Mobile Responsive
Page Speed
Website Builder Mobile App
Convert a Website To An App
Website Analytics
Multilingual Sites
Multiple Users

User Feedback

Format

24 reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars

Sellfy

52 reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

Users highly praise Format for its user-friendly website builder, particularly noting the ease of adding images and the effectiveness of customer service. Many reviewers appreciate the variety of modern templates and the platform’s suitability for users without technical expertise, especially photographers. Format’s mobile app and proofing section receive special mentions for their convenience and functionality. However, some users desire more customization options, particularly for mobile views, and mention minor limitations in template flexibility and SEO functionality. Overall, Format is celebrated for its ability to provide a professional online presence easily and efficiently, solving users’ needs for showcasing work and attracting new clients.

The user feedback on Sellfy highlights its strengths in providing an efficient, compact online store setup that caters to specific needs with affordable pricing, including a 14-day trial period to familiarize users with the product. Many appreciate its user-friendly interface, internal marketing tools, and customization options, which enable sellers to tailor their storefronts to their brand, along with integrations for payment processing like PayPal and Stripe. However, criticisms include issues with mobile site speed, a desire for clearer insights, limitations on customization, and some customer service inefficiencies.

The making of this blog

We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.

Our Ranking Criteria

FAQ

Which platform is better for creative professionals, Format or Sellfy?

Format is specifically designed for creative professionals like photographers, artists, and designers. It offers customizable templates and features tailored to showcase portfolios, making it the better choice for creatives.

Can I sell digital and physical products on both platforms?

Yes, both Format and Sellfy allow you to sell digital and physical products. However, Sellfy is more focused on ecommerce capabilities, offering a more robust platform for selling a wide range of products including subscriptions and print-on-demand items.

Which platform offers better customer support?

Format takes the lead in customer support with a higher score, offering 24/7 support through email and live chat. Sellfy also provides 24/7 email support but lacks live chat options.

How do Format and Sellfy compare in terms of ecommerce features?

Sellfy outperforms Format in ecommerce features, making it the superior choice for users looking to build and scale their online stores. Sellfy provides comprehensive tools for selling digital, physical, subscription-based, and print-on-demand products.

Which platform is easier to use?

Format scores slightly higher in ease of use, offering a user-friendly interface and customizable templates that cater to creative professionals. Sellfy is also user-friendly but is more focused on ecommerce functionalities.

Are there any AI capabilities in Format or Sellfy?

Neither Format nor Sellfy offer AI capabilities. Both platforms focus on providing a range of features for building and managing online presence or ecommerce without utilizing AI for additional functionalities.

Which platform is better for hosting quality and website speed?

Sellfy scores higher in hosting quality and website speed optimization, indicating a slight edge over Format in these areas. Sellfy uses strategies like code minification, caching, and image optimization to enhance website performance.

Can I manage multiple users with either Format or Sellfy?

Format and Sellfy have limited user management capabilities, with Format scoring slightly higher. However, both platforms primarily allow only one user to manage and edit websites, with Sellfy offering some level of multiple user support.

Which platform offers more design and customization options?

Format is the winner in design functionalities and templates, providing nearly 100 customizable templates tailored for various artistic disciplines, making it ideal for creatives seeking more design control and customization options.

How do the platforms compare in terms of pricing and value for money?

Format and Sellfy have the same price score, indicating similar value for money. Both offer multiple pricing plans with different features, allowing users to choose based on their specific needs and budget considerations.