Sellfy vs Hostpapa: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Sellfy and Hostpapa both offer unique advantages, but they cater to different user needs.

Sellfy (Overall Grade: 6.0/10)

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. It offers a simple, user-friendly interface that allows for quick setup of an online store without necessitating advanced technical skills. Sellfy is ideal for creators seeking a straightforward, no-fuss ecommerce platform with a focus on digital and print-on-demand products.
Hostpapa (Overall Grade: 5.4/10)

is designed for small businesses and individuals looking to create a professional online presence. It offers an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder, a variety of templates, and customization options. Hostpapa is better suited for users seeking a more traditional website builder with ecommerce capabilities available in higher-tier plans, making it a reliable choice for small businesses and individuals.

	Overall grade: 6.0	Overall grade: 5.4
Design functionalities & templates	5.2	8.2
Ease of use	7.8	7.8
Ecommerce	6.8	6.6
Website Editors	6.8	6.8
Product testing options	7.3	0.5
Price	7.9	7.9
Hosting quality	7.3	7.5
Website speed optimization	5.4	6.6
Plugins and integrations	6.7	5.0
Marketing features	7.1	3.0
Customer support	5.8	8.0
Security	7.2	8.2
User Management	2.0	2.2

Best for ecommerce

6.8

6.6

Verdict

: Sellfy is tailored for creators with a focus on digital and print-on-demand products, while Hostpapa is better suited for small businesses seeking a traditional website builder with ecommerce capabilities.

Sellfy

: Sellfy is an all-in-one ecommerce platform designed for creators looking to sell digital, physical, subscription-based, and print-on-demand items. It offers a user-friendly interface for quick setup and provides comprehensive tools for managing and marketing an online store. With a best for ecommerce score of 6.8, Sellfy excels in simplifying the ecommerce process for creators.
Hostpapa

: Hostpapa is a web hosting and website builder platform aimed at small businesses and individuals. It features an intuitive drag-and-drop builder and offers ecommerce capabilities in its higher-tier plans. With a best for ecommerce score of 6.6, Hostpapa provides a variety of templates and customization options, making it a solid choice for those looking to create a professional online presence.

Best for informational & business websites

5.7

7.5

Verdict

: Hostpapa is the superior choice for informational business websites, offering a more extensive range of templates, better customization options, and comprehensive support resources compared to Sellfy.

Sellfy

: Sellfy is primarily an eCommerce platform tailored for creators selling various product types. While it offers a simple, user-friendly interface and a collection of design templates, it lacks the depth and variety needed for highly personalized informational websites. Its focus on eCommerce makes it less ideal for purely informational sites, scoring 5.7 in this category.
Hostpapa

: Hostpapa excels with its intuitive drag-and-drop website builder, a wide variety of customizable templates, and robust customer support. It is designed for small businesses and individuals looking to create a professional online presence. Hostpapa’s extensive learning resources and higher hosting quality make it a better fit for informational business websites, scoring 7.5 in this category. When comparing Sellfy vs Hostpapa, Hostpapa stands out for its versatility and user-friendly design.

Detailed comparison

5.2

8.2

🏆

Winner: HostPapa.

HostPapa offers a more extensive range of templates and greater customization flexibility, making it a better choice for users seeking a highly personalized and professional online presence.

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: Lumière, Noir, Savant, Idée, 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.

HostPapa offers a wide variety of templates and designs to cater to the diverse needs of its users, ensuring that there is something for everyone, regardless of their niche or industry. With hundreds of professionally designed templates available, users can easily find a style that perfectly matches their vision and brand identity. These templates are not only abundant in number but also highly customizable, allowing for a high degree of personalization. From sleek and modern designs to more traditional and classic looks, HostPapa’s extensive template library ensures that users can create a unique and appealing website with ease.

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7.8

🏆 Tie

. Both Sellfy and Hostpapa score 7.8 in ease of use, making them equally accessible for users without advanced technical skills. Sellfy offers a straightforward interface tailored for creators selling various product types, while Hostpapa provides an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder suitable for small businesses and individuals.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Hostpapa

. Hostpapa edges out with its extensive range of learning resources, including a detailed knowledge base, video tutorials, and free one-on-one training sessions. Sellfy also offers valuable resources, but Hostpapa’s commitment to user education is more comprehensive.

Learn more about Sellfy’s resources

Learn more about Hostpapa’s resources

6.8

6.6

Sellfy is tailored for creators looking to sell a wide array of products, including digital, physical, subscription-based, and print-on-demand items. It offers a simple, user-friendly interface that allows for quick setup of an online store without necessitating advanced technical skills. Hostpapa, on the other hand, is designed for small businesses and individuals looking to create a professional online presence with its intuitive drag-and-drop website builder and ecommerce capabilities available in its Enterprise plan.


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

Sellfy ecommerce features:

Product Listings
Payment Gateways integration
Product categories

Hostpapa ecommerce features:

Payment Gateways integration
Inventory management
Ecommerce specific templates

Ecommerce themes & templates

Sellfy’s templates are specifically designed for online stores, ensuring a streamlined and cohesive look for ecommerce sites. Hostpapa offers over 230 templates, catering to individuals and small businesses. However, ecommerce capabilities are only available with the Enterprise plan, which includes features like unlimited product listings and support for over 45 payment gateways.

Product page customization

Sellfy supports a diverse range of products, including digital goods, physical products, and print-on-demand merchandise. It also enables the sale of subscriptions, offering a means for recurring revenue. Sellfy provides tools for product protection and piracy prevention, ensuring secure file hosting and delivery.

Hostpapa’s Website Builder allows users to tailor product offerings by adding various options such as size and color, set product availability, and manage inventory with detailed controls. The platform supports a wide range of currencies and languages, adapting to the customer’s preferences automatically. Advanced functionalities include customizable “Buy now” buttons, product combinations for different variants, and suggestions for related products to enhance the shopping experience.

Payment processing

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, though payment processors’ standard fees apply.

Hostpapa supports a variety of payment gateways, including popular services like PayPal, Square, and Stripe, catering to both online and offline payment methods for businesses. The platform does not charge transaction fees itself, the fees primarily depend on the chosen payment gateway.

In summary, Sellfy is ideal for creators looking for a straightforward, no-fuss ecommerce platform with a focus on digital and print-on-demand products. Hostpapa is better suited for small businesses and individuals seeking a more traditional website builder with ecommerce capabilities available in higher-tier plans.

6.8

🏆

Tie: Sellfy and Hostpapa

. Both Sellfy and Hostpapa have a website editors score of 6.8, indicating that they offer comparable performance in terms of their website editing capabilities.

Sellfy’s website builder 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.

HostPapa’s website editor is designed to be user-friendly, featuring a drag-and-drop interface for easy web page construction without the need for coding. It offers a variety of responsive and mobile-friendly templates that cater to different needs and preferences, allowing for significant customization. HostPapa’s service is enhanced by its robust customer support, including 24/7 access to the PapaSquad for assistance. Additionally, for those preferring a hands-off approach, HostPapa provides a Do-It-For-Me service, taking care of all aspects of website building from design to content creation.

Mobile editor/app

7.5

🏆

Winner: Sellfy

. Sellfy offers a mobile app that allows store owners to manage their online stores on the go. The app provides functionalities such as viewing store performance metrics, managing and tracking orders, and receiving customized notifications. Users can also access summary reports of their store’s performance on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Designed as an extension of the Sellfy dashboard, the app ensures efficient store management and keeps users informed about important store activities and trends. However, it does not allow for changes to the layout or design of the website itself.

Hostpapa, on the other hand, does not offer a dedicated mobile editor app, which limits the ability to manage and edit websites from mobile devices. This absence makes Sellfy the more versatile option for users who need mobile management capabilities.

7.3

0.5

Overall Result

:

Sellfy wins

. Sellfy scores 7.3, significantly higher than Hostpapa’s 0.5, due to its more flexible and user-friendly product testing options. Sellfy offers a 14-day free trial during which all premium features can be tested, along with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Hostpapa, on the other hand, does not provide a trial version or the ability to test premium features before purchase, although it does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.


Free Plan	No	No
Trial Duration	14 days	No
Testing Premium Features	During the free trial	Not possible
Money Back Guarantee	30-day money back guarantee	30-day money back guarantee

7.9

Sellfy and Hostpapa offer competitive pricing, with Sellfy focusing on ecommerce features and Hostpapa providing a range of website building options.

	Offerings	Offerings
$0-$10	No offering at this amount.	Starter ($3.99/month): Free domain registration, Up to 2 pages, Mobile-friendly, responsive design templates. This plan allows to manage 1 website. Value for Price: 4.0
$10-$20	No offering at this amount.	Business ($10.99/month): Free domain registration, Up to 1000 pages, Mobile-friendly, responsive design templates. This plan allows to manage 1 website. Value for Price: 6.5
$20-$30	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	Premium ($20.99/month): Free domain registration, Up to 1000 pages, Mobile-friendly, responsive design templates, Advanced HTML & CSS editing, Header/footer code injection. This plan allows to manage 1 website. Value for Price: 7.5
$40-$80	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	Enterprise ($40.99/month): Free domain registration, Up to 1000 pages, Mobile-friendly, responsive design templates, Advanced HTML & CSS editing, Header/footer code injection, eCommerce enabled, 45+ payment gateways, No additional transaction fees, Digital goods functionality, Inventory tracking, Sell on Facebook. This plan allows to manage 1 website. Value for Price: 9.0
$100+	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	No offering at this amount.

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.

7.3

7.5

🏆

Winner: Hostpapa

Hostpapa slightly edges out Sellfy with a higher hosting quality score and a disclosed uptime guarantee. While Sellfy offers a high uptime, it lacks transparency in hosting type and data center locations. Hostpapa’s shared hosting and multiple data centers provide a more reliable and transparent hosting solution.


Do they offer hosting?	Yes	Yes
Data Centers:	Sellfy does not disclose the locations of its data centers	3 Data Centers: California(US), Burlington(Ontario, Canada) and one in the Netherlands
Type of hosting:	Sellfy does not disclose the hosting type	Shared Hosting
Uptime:	99.99%	99.9%
Uptime Guarantee:	No	Yes, 99.9%

5.4

6.6

🏆 Winner: Hostpapa

Both Sellfy and Hostpapa employ various strategies to optimize website speed, but Hostpapa has a slight edge due to its broader range of optimization techniques and better overall performance scores.


Focus	Code Minification, Caching, Image Optimization	Image optimization, Caching, HTTP requests minimization
Performance Tools	Varies	Varies
Key Strategies	Code Minification, Caching, Image Optimization	Image optimization, Caching, HTTP requests minimization
Load Times	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity	Varies widely, depending on optimization and website complexity
Page Speed Scores Range	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity	Varies widely, depending on optimization and website complexity
Core Web Vitals Improvement	No information provided	Implementing various performance optimization techniques

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. It offers a simple, user-friendly interface that allows for quick setup of an online store without necessitating advanced technical skills. Sellfy focuses on simplifying the eCommerce process for creators, providing them with a comprehensive set of tools to manage, market, and scale their online business effectively. For speed optimization, Sellfy employs strategies such as code minification, caching, and image optimization. However, Sellfy does not provide specific information on Core Web Vitals improvements, and its load times and PageSpeed scores vary depending on optimization and website complexity.

Hostpapa, on the other hand, is a web hosting and website builder platform designed for small businesses and individuals looking to create a professional online presence. It offers an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder that makes it easy for users to design and customize their websites without needing any coding knowledge. Hostpapa provides a variety of templates and customization options, allowing users to create unique, mobile-responsive websites. Additionally, it offers features such as basic SEO tools and e-commerce capabilities to help users enhance their website’s functionality and reach a wider audience. Hostpapa employs strategies for speed optimization, including image optimization, caching, and minimizing HTTP requests. It also implements various performance optimization techniques to improve Core Web Vitals. Like Sellfy, Hostpapa’s load times and PageSpeed scores vary widely depending on optimization and website complexity, but it generally performs better in terms of speed optimization.

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6.7

5.0

🏆 Winner: Sellfy.

Sellfy scores 6.7, offering a range of integrations that significantly enhance its e-commerce capabilities. With key integrations like Google Analytics, Zapier, and social media tools, Sellfy provides a robust set of options for automating workflows and expanding online store functionalities. Hostpapa, scoring 5.0, offers basic integrations such as Google Maps and social media icons, but lacks the depth and variety of Sellfy’s offerings, making it more suitable for simpler websites.

It is however worth mentioning that there are more free plugins available for Hostpapa compared to Sellfy.

7.1

3.0

🏆

Overall Winner: Sellfy

. Sellfy excels with its comprehensive marketing tools, especially in email marketing and ads/promotions, making it ideal for creators and small businesses. Hostpapa, while user-friendly, offers more basic marketing features.


SEO Tools	✓	✓
Email Marketing	✓
Blogging		✓
Social Media Integration	Basic customization options, including social media profiles	Limited to adding icons
Analytics and Reporting	Comprehensive suite for sales, traffic, and conversion rates	Basic integration with Google Analytics
Ads and Promotions	Discount codes, upselling, cross-selling

5.8

8.0

🏆 Winner: Hostpapa

. In the comparison of Sellfy vs Hostpapa, Hostpapa takes the lead with its comprehensive 24/7/365 customer support. Hostpapa offers multiple support channels, including phone, email, and live chat, ensuring users can get help whenever they need it. Additionally, Hostpapa’s unique one-on-one video training sessions provide personalized assistance, which is a significant advantage for users requiring extra help.

Sellfy, on the other hand, provides 24/7 support but lacks phone and live chat options, limiting the ways users can receive assistance. While Sellfy’s email support and knowledge base are helpful, they do not match the versatility and comprehensiveness of Hostpapa’s support offerings.

7.2

8.2

🏆

Winner: Hostpapa

. Hostpapa excels in security with a comprehensive suite of measures including automatic SSL certification, server firewalls, DDoS attack prevention, and the Protection Power Security Software. These features ensure robust protection against a wide array of cyber threats, making it a reliable choice for users prioritizing security.

Sellfy, while offering essential security features like secure payment processors, unique download links, and PDF stamping, falls short in comparison. Its focus on protecting digital products is commendable, but it lacks the extensive security infrastructure that Hostpapa provides. This makes Hostpapa the better option for users seeking a more secure and resilient platform.


AI Builder	No	No
AI Ecommerce Features	No	No
AI Content Generation	No	No
Additional AI Features	No	No

🏆 Winner: None

. Both Sellfy and Hostpapa do not offer any AI capabilities. This means that users looking for AI-driven features such as automated content generation, personalized design suggestions, or advanced ecommerce tools will need to consider other platforms.

2.0

2.2

🏆 Winner: Hostpapa

. Both Sellfy and Hostpapa have limited user management capabilities, but Hostpapa slightly edges out Sellfy in this category.

Sellfy does not support adding multiple users or staff to a single account, making it less suitable for collaborative efforts.
Hostpapa does not explicitly mention support for multiple users, but it is possible that the website builder does support this feature.

User Management Scores:

Sellfy: 2.0
Hostpapa: 2.2

Additional Features


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

User Feedback

Sellfy

52 reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

Hostpapa

0 reviews

0 out of 5 stars

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.

Hostpapa, on the other hand, does not have any reviews on the G2 platform, making it challenging to gauge user satisfaction directly. However, its general description suggests it is designed for small businesses and individuals looking to create a professional online presence with an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder. This could appeal to users seeking a straightforward, customizable website solution with basic SEO tools and e-commerce capabilities.

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 beginners, Sellfy or Hostpapa?

Sellfy and Hostpapa are both user-friendly, but Sellfy is particularly tailored for creators with no advanced technical skills, making it slightly more accessible for beginners.

Can I use both Sellfy and Hostpapa for selling products internationally?

Yes, both platforms support international sales. Sellfy offers straightforward integration with major payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe, which are well-suited for international transactions. Hostpapa also supports various payment gateways and includes multilingual site capabilities, making it viable for international sales.

How do Sellfy and Hostpapa differ in terms of customization and design flexibility?

Hostpapa offers a broader range of templates and customization options, making it ideal for users seeking a highly personalized website. Sellfy provides essential customization suitable for ecommerce but with limited design flexibility compared to Hostpapa.

What are the major differences in pricing and value between Sellfy and Hostpapa?

Sellfy offers plans that are specifically tailored for ecommerce, with features that support a wide range of products. Hostpapa provides more general website building plans that include ecommerce features at higher tiers, making it versatile but potentially more costly for full ecommerce functionality.