SubHub vs Shift4shop: guide for 2024

Final verdict

SubHub and Shift4shop both offer unique advantages, but they cater to different needs and user bases.

SubHub (Overall Grade: 5.6/10)

is tailored for creating and managing membership sites, making it an excellent choice for content creators and entrepreneurs looking to build a community and monetize their content. It emphasizes ease of use and efficiency, with a user-friendly interface and a range of customizable templates. However, it falls short in ecommerce capabilities and lacks some advanced features found in other platforms. When comparing SubHub vs Shift4shop, SubHub is ideal for those focused on membership-based businesses.
Shift4shop (Overall Grade: 6.4/10)

excels as an ecommerce platform, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for online business operations. It provides extensive design flexibility, a wide variety of templates, and robust ecommerce features, including advanced product management and integrated payment processing. While it has a steeper learning curve, its extensive capabilities make it a strong choice for businesses looking to scale their online presence. In the SubHub vs Shift4shop comparison, Shift4shop is better suited for users seeking a powerful and flexible ecommerce solution.

	Overall grade: 5.6	Overall grade: 6.4
Design functionalities & templates	6.8	7.5
Ease of use	7.7	7.0
Ecommerce	5.9	7.6
Website Editors	6.9	7.2
Product testing options	7.0	5.0
Price	6.8	6.7
Hosting quality	5.5	7.8
Website speed optimization	5.6	6.3
Plugins and integrations	5.7	7.3
Marketing features	5.7	8.0
Customer support	6.3	7.9
Security	4.0	8.9
User Management	5.2	7.9

Best for ecommerce

5.9

7.6

Verdict

: SubHub is suitable for membership sites with basic ecommerce needs, while Shift4shop excels as a comprehensive ecommerce platform.

SubHub

: Designed primarily for membership sites, SubHub includes essential ecommerce features like PayPal and Stripe integration, physical and digital product listings, and pay-per-view products. However, it lacks ecommerce-specific templates and has limitations in shipping logistics. When comparing SubHub vs Shift4shop, SubHub scores 5.9 for ecommerce.
Shift4shop

: As a dedicated ecommerce platform, Shift4shop offers a wide range of features, including advanced product management tools, integrated payment processing, and robust SEO capabilities. It provides a more comprehensive solution for online businesses, scoring 7.6 for ecommerce.

Best for informational & business websites

7.2

Verdict

: When it comes to creating informational and business websites, both SubHub and Shift4shop have their unique strengths, making them equally viable options with a score of 7.2 each.

SubHub

: SubHub is tailored for membership sites, making it an excellent choice for content creators and entrepreneurs looking to build a community and monetize their content. Its user-friendly interface and focus on simplicity make it accessible for users without advanced technical skills. However, its design flexibility and range of third-party integrations are somewhat limited compared to Shift4shop.
Shift4shop

: Shift4shop offers a more extensive range of design templates and customization options, making it suitable for a variety of business models, including dropshipping and print-on-demand. While it has a steeper learning curve, its comprehensive set of features, including advanced product management and marketing tools, make it a robust choice for businesses looking to establish a strong online presence. In the SubHub vs Shift4shop comparison, Shift4shop stands out for its versatility and extensive design functionalities.

Detailed comparison

6.8

7.5

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop.

If you’re looking for a platform that offers more extensive design flexibility and a wider variety of templates, Shift4shop is the preferred choice.

SubHub offers a variety of customizable membership website templates designed to cater to different needs and themes, including fitness, yoga, relationship, ministry, learning, craft, wellness, business, and modern living, among others. There are 14 specifically themed templates available, each designed to help users jump-start the design of their membership website homepages. These templates are fully customizable, allowing users to modify layouts, add or remove sections, and tailor content to fit their brand, ensuring flexibility in the design process.

Compared to SubHub, Shift4shop provides a selection of over 100 free eCommerce templates, catering to a wide array of design preferences and brand identities. These templates are professionally designed with an emphasis on optimizing sales, employing the latest in technology and design trends. This variety ensures that businesses can find a design that closely aligns with their brand and aesthetic requirements.

Shift4shop Themes

Get a head start on website creation with AI

Create a custom website tailored to your business needs 10X faster with 10Web AI Website Builder!

Generate Your Website

No credit card required

7.7

7.0

🏆 Winner: SubHub

. Scoring 7.7, SubHub is designed with ease of use in mind, particularly for those looking to create and manage membership sites. Its user-friendly interface and focus on simplicity make it accessible for users without advanced technical skills. Shift4shop, with a score of 7.0, offers a comprehensive set of features but comes with a steeper learning curve, which may be challenging for beginners.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: SubHub

. SubHub provides a range of learning resources, including video guides, tutorials, and a comprehensive FAQ section, ensuring users have the necessary support at every step. Shift4shop also offers extensive learning materials and 24/7 customer support, but its complexity may require more time to master.

Learn more about SubHub’s resources

Learn more about Shift4shop’s resources

5.9

7.6

SubHub is tailored for membership sites but includes ecommerce features like PayPal and Stripe integration, physical and digital product listings, and pay-per-view products. However, it lacks ecommerce-specific templates and has limitations in shipping logistics. Shift4shop, on the other hand, is a dedicated ecommerce platform with a comprehensive suite of features, including advanced product management tools, integrated payment processing, and robust SEO capabilities.


Ecommerce themes and templates	3.0	6.5
Product page customization	6.5	7.8
Payment processing and commissions	7.0	8.4
POS capabilities	0.0	7.0
Payment gateways	6.0	9.0
Product numbers	5.0	7.5
Additional ecommerce features	4.5	7.2

SubHub ecommerce features:

PayPal and Stripe integration
Physical and Digital product listings
Pay-per-view products

Shift4shop ecommerce features:

Payment Gateway integrations
Inventory management
Abandoned cart recovery
Order management

Ecommerce themes & templates

SubHub does not offer ecommerce-specific templates, which might limit the visual appeal and functionality of online stores. In contrast, all templates provided by Shift4shop are designed for online stores, ensuring a professional and cohesive look for ecommerce websites.

Product page customization

SubHub offers a range of product page customization options, including the addition of physical items, digital downloads, and pay-per-view content. Users can manage product variants, upload images, and set visibility preferences. Additional functionalities include member-specific discounts, image carousels, and individualized shipping costs.

Shift4shop provides advanced product page customization features, such as inventory tracking, customizable product layouts, and the ability to showcase products through images, zoom, and video. The Product Designer app further enhances customization for personalized products, offering a detailed and interactive shopping experience.

Payment processing

SubHub supports two main payment gateways: Stripe and PayPal, allowing for secure payment processing for subscriptions and store items without charging commissions on transactions. Shift4shop supports over 200 payment gateways, including major providers like PayPal, Visa, and Stripe, without additional transaction fees from the platform itself. Merchants may incur standard fees from their chosen payment providers, typically ranging from 2-3% per sale. Shift4shop also facilitates POS capabilities through third-party integrations, enabling both online and physical store sales.

Considering the features, availability, cost, and flexibility, Shift4shop appears to be a more robust and flexible ecommerce solution compared to SubHub. However, if your primary focus is on membership sites with some ecommerce capabilities, SubHub might still be worth considering.

6.9

7.2

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop, with a score of 7.2, offers a comprehensive website builder with a focus on e-commerce, enabling the creation of various types of websites with an array of templates and customization options including a drag-and-drop editor. It integrates advanced features for product management, payment processing, and SEO optimization, alongside marketing tools for social media and email campaigns. Security measures and customer support options are in place, although reviews on support quality vary.

SubHub’s editor, scoring 6.9, is tailored for creating and managing membership sites, catering to content creators and entrepreneurs aiming to monetize their offerings. Its features encompass customizable templates, diverse content publishing options, and flexible subscription plans with seamless integration for recurring revenue through payment processors. While it is user-friendly and efficient for membership sites, it faces limitations in customization options and the range of third-party integrations.

Mobile editor/app

4.0

🏆

Winner: SubHub

. When it comes to mobile editing capabilities, both SubHub and Shift4shop fall short as neither offers a dedicated mobile editor app. However, SubHub allows users to manage some content on their website using a mobile browser, although it does not support changing the layout and design of the website on mobile.

Shift4shop, on the other hand, does not provide any mobile editing capabilities, making it less flexible for users who need to make adjustments on the go.

In summary, while both platforms have significant limitations in mobile editing, SubHub edges out Shift4shop by offering minimal content management through a mobile browser.

7.0

5.0

Overall Result

:

SubHub wins

. SubHub scores 7.0, offering a 14-day free trial and a 7-day money-back guarantee, allowing users to test premium features comprehensively. Shift4shop scores 5.0, providing a free plan with essential features but no trial version or money-back guarantee, limiting the ability to test premium features.


Free Plan	No	Yes, only for US customers
Trial Duration	14 days	No
Testing Premium Features	During the free trial	All the features within its free plan
Money-back Guarantee	7-day money-back guarantee	No

6.8

6.7

SubHub offers tiered pricing plans with a discount for annual billing, while Shift4shop provides a free plan with essential features and a paid plan for additional payment processor support.

	Offerings	Offerings
Free	No offering at this amount.	Free Plan ($0/month): Requires minimum $500/month processed payments with their Shift4shop payment with 2.90% + 30 Cents transaction fees. Unlimited Products, SEO & Marketing Tools, Unlimited Staff Users, Integrated Blog, Unlimited Bandwidth, 24/7 Customer Support, No Revenue Caps, API Access, Secure Online Payments. This plan allows to manage only 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered.
$25-$50	Starter ($47/month): Up to 500 members, 5 GB storage, secure payment processing, course builder, 5 landing pages, e-commerce. Value for Price: 6.5	Paid Plan ($29/month): All features of the free plan with support for other payment processors such as PayPal. This plan allows to manage only 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for Price: 8.5
$90-$100	Pro ($97/month): Up to 2000 members, 50 GB storage, removes SubHub branding, 15 landing pages, along with Starter features. Value for Price: 7.5	No offering at this amount.
$100+	Premium ($147/month): Unlimited members, 200 GB storage, email white labelling, 30 landing pages, plus all Pro features. 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.

5.5

7.8

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop

Shift4shop outperforms SubHub with its unlimited bandwidth and storage, daily backups, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. SubHub, while offering managed cloud hosting, lacks transparency in uptime statistics and data center locations, making Shift4shop the more reliable choice for hosting.


Do they offer hosting?	Yes, from 5GB to 200GB storage limitation depending on the plan and daily backups.	Yes, with unlimited bandwidth and storage, daily backups.
Data Centers:	Subhub does not disclose the locations of its data centers	Shift4shop does not disclose the locations of its data centers
Type of hosting:	Managed Cloud Hosting	Managed Cloud Hosting
Uptime:	Subhub does not provide uptime statistics or guarantees	99.9%
Uptime Guarantee:	No	99.9%

5.6

6.3

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

Both SubHub and Shift4shop have implemented various strategies to enhance website speed, but Shift4shop has a slight edge due to its more comprehensive approach.


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

SubHub is a website builder designed specifically for creating and managing membership sites. It offers tools tailored for content creators and entrepreneurs aiming to build a community and monetize their content. SubHub emphasizes ease of use and efficiency, allowing users to create professional and secure websites without advanced technical skills. For speed optimization, SubHub focuses on image optimization, caching, and mobile-optimized design. However, the platform does not provide specific information on load times, PageSpeed scores, or Core Web Vitals improvements, making it difficult to gauge its overall performance in this area.

Shift4shop, on the other hand, is an eCommerce platform that offers a variety of professional, customizable, and mobile-friendly website templates. It supports various business models, including dropshipping and print-on-demand, and provides tools for website creation, payment processing, marketing, and business management. Shift4shop adopts a more comprehensive approach to speed optimization, including CDN, code minification, image optimization, and caching. While specific load times and PageSpeed scores are not provided, the platform’s broader range of optimization strategies gives it an edge over SubHub in terms of website speed optimization.

Get a head start on website creation with AI

Create a custom website tailored to your business needs 10X faster with 10Web AI Website Builder!

Generate Your Website

No credit card required

5.7

7.3

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop.

Shift4shop scores 7.3, offering a robust ecosystem of plugins and extensions that cater to a wide range of ecommerce needs. Its extensive app store and diverse pricing options provide flexibility and scalability for businesses. SubHub, with a score of 5.7, focuses on simplicity and integrated functionalities for membership sites, but its range of third-party integrations is more limited compared to Shift4shop.

It is worth noting that SubHub’s built-in features are tailored for ease of use, making it a suitable choice for users with minimal technical expertise.

Shift4shop Applications

Shift4shop integrations

5.7

8.0

🏆

Overall Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop excels with its comprehensive marketing tools, particularly in social media integration and analytics. SubHub, while effective for membership sites, lacks some advanced marketing functionalities.


SEO Tools	✓	✓
Email Marketing	✓ (via Mailchimp and Zapier)	✓
Blogging	✓	✓
Social Media Integration	No	✓
Analytics and Reporting	Google Analytics integration	Robust analytics and CRM
Ads and Promotions	Promotional codes and coupon codes	Discounts, coupons, and affiliate program

6.3

7.9

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

. Comparing SubHub vs Shift4shop, Shift4shop takes the lead in this category with its 24/7/365 customer support availability. Users can reach out via US chat support, phone support, and European support, ensuring that assistance is always available regardless of the time zone. This round-the-clock support is particularly beneficial for businesses that operate globally and need immediate resolutions to their issues.

SubHub, on the other hand, offers customer support primarily through email and a support portal. While they provide an FAQ section for quick answers, their support is not as extensive or immediately accessible as Shift4shop’s. This can be a limitation for users who require prompt assistance, especially outside of regular business hours.

4.0

8.9

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop excels in security with a robust set of features including PCI compliance, daily backups, advanced fraud protection, and DDoS defense. These measures ensure that eCommerce businesses can operate securely, protecting both the business and its customers. The platform’s commitment to security is reflected in its high security score of 8.9.

SubHub, on the other hand, has a lower security score of 4.0 and lacks detailed information about specific website security measures. While it emphasizes compliance with GDPR and CCPA regulations for data protection, it does not provide the same level of comprehensive security features as Shift4shop. This makes Shift4shop the superior choice for users prioritizing security in their website builder.


AI Builder	None	None
AI Ecommerce Features	None	None
AI Content Generation	None	None
Additional AI Features	None	None

🏆 Winner: None

. Both SubHub and Shift4shop do not offer any AI capabilities. They focus on providing robust website building tools without incorporating AI-driven features.

5.2

7.9

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

. Managing your online team with SubHub and Shift4shop involves different approaches to website editing access.

SubHub allows multiple user accounts, but the platform does not specify the number of accounts supported.
Shift4shop allows for multiple users to manage and edit a website, with the number of staff user slots varying by plan. Additional users can be added as needed through the purchase of extra Staff User seats at $10 per user per month.

Both platforms support customizable roles and permissions, enabling efficient distribution of website management tasks among team members.

SubHub User Roles and Access Levels:

Role	Description	Access Highlights
Administrator	Full access to the platform except for Homepage and Course Editor.	Can manage all aspects of the platform, including content, store, and member management.
Content Management	Focuses on managing and organizing content within the platform.	Can access and manage content-related features but does not have access to Homepage or Course Editor.
Store (access only)	Specializes in handling the platform’s store features.	Limited to store management functions; no access to Homepage, Course Editor, or member management.
Member Manager (access only)	Oversees member accounts, roles, and subscriptions.	Can manage members and their subscriptions but cannot access Homepage, Course Editor, or store management.
Origin Admin Email	The initial administrator with the highest level of access, including Homepage and Course Editor.	Exclusive access to Homepage and Course Editor, on top of what the Administrator role provides.

Shift4shop User Roles and Access Levels:

Role	Description	Access Highlights
Admin	Full control over the platform, responsible for setting up and managing all aspects of the online store.	Complete access to all areas including configuration, order management, product listings, user management, and analytics.
Manager	Oversees day-to-day operations, including order processing, inventory management, and customer service.	Access to order management, inventory, reports, and limited settings for day-to-day operations. Does not have access to high-level configurations.
Sales Rep	Focuses on customer interaction, order entry, and sales tracking.	Access to customer information, order creation, and sales reporting tools. Cannot alter product listings or configurations.
Content Creator	Generates product descriptions, blog posts, and marketing material.	Access to content management systems, blog, and marketing tools. No access to order management or configurations.
Customer Service Rep	Handles customer inquiries, returns, and complaints.	Access to customer information, order status, and communication tools. Limited access to order modifications.

Additional Features


SSL Certificate	✓	✓
Custom Domain	✓	✓
Free Custom Domain Included	X	X
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	✓	✓

User Feedback

SubHub

11 reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

Shift4shop

34 reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

User feedback on SubHub presents a mix of positive and negative experiences, emphasizing the platform’s feature-rich environment and customizable templates. Users appreciate the flexibility and the quality of customer service, highlighting the platform’s continual updates and support as key benefits. However, some users express dissatisfaction with aspects such as the platform’s interface, lack of community features, and service fees for ticket resale. Concerns were also raised about the custom design service and mobile-friendly solutions taking longer than expected.

Shift4Shop reviews present a mixed but generally positive perspective from users. They appreciate the platform’s feature-rich storefront capabilities, ease of use, and versatility in integrating various services, which facilitates online sales and efficient eCommerce management. However, critiques focus on the less intuitive user experience, occasional technical issues such as slow site loading, and the perceived degradation of customer service quality since the Shift4Shop takeover. Additionally, some users find the setup process and system architecture to be overly complex and dated. Despite these criticisms, Shift4Shop is recognized for its cost-effectiveness, support for different customer types, and the ability to solve a variety of eCommerce-related problems, benefiting users by enhancing their online sales capabilities and operational efficiency.

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 building a membership site, SubHub or Shift4shop?

SubHub is specifically designed for creating and managing membership sites, offering tools tailored for content creators and entrepreneurs who aim to build a community and monetize their content. Shift4shop, while robust in ecommerce, is not specialized in membership functionalities.

Can I use both SubHub and Shift4shop for ecommerce purposes?

Yes, both platforms can be used for ecommerce. However, Shift4shop provides a more comprehensive set of ecommerce tools, making it the better choice for dedicated online stores. SubHub offers basic ecommerce functionalities suitable for membership-oriented sites.

How do SubHub and Shift4shop compare in terms of customization and design flexibility?

Shift4shop offers more extensive design flexibility and a wider variety of templates compared to SubHub. SubHub provides customizable templates specifically for membership sites, but Shift4shop caters to a broader range of business models with its design options.

What are the major differences in pricing between SubHub and Shift4shop?

SubHub offers tiered pricing plans with a focus on membership site features, while Shift4shop provides a free plan with essential ecommerce features and a paid plan for additional payment processor support. Shift4shop’s free plan is particularly attractive for new businesses looking to minimize upfront costs.

Which platform offers better customer support, SubHub or Shift4shop?

Shift4shop takes the lead with its 24/7/365 customer support, which includes US chat support, US phone support, and European support. SubHub offers support primarily through email and a support portal, which may not be as immediate or comprehensive as Shift4shop’s offerings.