Cartly Slide Cart Drawer vs Essential Upsell & Cross Sellfor Shopify (2026)
Cartly Slide Cart Drawer and Essential Upsell & Cross Sell are both highly-rated (5/5) Shopify apps in the Checkout, Cart Customization, and Upsell & Cross-sell categories. Cartly positions itself as a conversion rate optimization tool focused on enhancing the cart drawer experience with features like a progress bar, free shipping upsells, and quick checkout options. It targets merchants looking to directly influence cart behavior and simplify the checkout process through customization. Essential Upsell & Cross Sell, on the other hand, focuses primarily on boosting AOV through a wide range of upsell and cross-sell strategies, including frequently bought together recommendations, product bundles, and post-purchase offers. The key distinction lies in their primary focus: Cartly optimizes the existing cart and checkout flow, while Essential Upsell & Cross Sell prioritizes increasing the average order value with targeted product recommendations and offers throughout the customer journey, including post-purchase. Cartly is more about instant gratification and reducing friction in the final steps of a purchase. Essential Upsell focuses on strategic upselling for increased revenue. While both offer cart upsell features, Essential Upsell has a wider range of other upsell placement options.
At a Glance
Cartly Slide Cart Drawer
64 reviews
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell
1,004 reviews
Detailed Overview
Cartly Slide Cart Drawer
Boost conversion rate with Cart Upsell Drawer made by Conversion Rate Optimization experts
Key Features
- Cart customization app with free shipping upsell cart goal & discount in cart
- Build trust with ATC payment icons, trust icons, terms and conditions checkbox
- Add fast checkout & express checkout button, buy now button one-click checkout
- Ajax cart drawer upsell app with side cart, up cart timer & product addons
- Upcart with sticky add to cart button, add to cart bar, add to cart sticky bar
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell
One click upsell and cross sell. Show frequently bought together product upsell & related products.
Key Features
- Show frequently bought products (FBT), related products, product recommendations
- Post purchase upsell & cross sell: Product addons, bought together bundles
- Automatic discount promotions: Add discounts to upsell & "also bought" products
- Product page upsell: Add one click upsell & cross-sell products & BOGO bundles
- Cart upsell: Add upsell cart app, cross-sell & product add-ons to cart drawer
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Cartly Slide Cart Drawer5/5 Essential Upsell & Cross Sell5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 64 | 1004 |
Reviews Cartly Slide Cart Drawer64 Essential Upsell & Cross Sell1004 | ||
| Primary Focus | Cart Customization & Checkout Optimization | Upsell & Cross-sell (AOV boosting) |
Primary Focus Cartly Slide Cart DrawerCart Customization & Checkout Optimization Essential Upsell & Cross SellUpsell & Cross-sell (AOV boosting) | ||
| Upsell Strategy | Cart-focused (Free shipping, Discounts) | Broad (FBT, Bundles, Post-Purchase) |
Upsell Strategy Cartly Slide Cart DrawerCart-focused (Free shipping, Discounts) Essential Upsell & Cross SellBroad (FBT, Bundles, Post-Purchase) | ||
| Checkout Enhancement | Quick Checkout, Sticky ATC, Terms | Limited, focuses on product recommendations in cart |
Checkout Enhancement Cartly Slide Cart DrawerQuick Checkout, Sticky ATC, Terms Essential Upsell & Cross SellLimited, focuses on product recommendations in cart | ||
| Ease of Use (Implied) | Potentially simpler, fewer features | Potentially steeper learning curve, more complex features |
Ease of Use (Implied) Cartly Slide Cart DrawerPotentially simpler, fewer features Essential Upsell & Cross SellPotentially steeper learning curve, more complex features | ||
| Target Merchant | Merchants with high cart abandonment, seeking simpler checkout | Merchants focused on AOV growth, with complex product catalogs |
Target Merchant Cartly Slide Cart DrawerMerchants with high cart abandonment, seeking simpler checkout Essential Upsell & Cross SellMerchants focused on AOV growth, with complex product catalogs | ||
| Value Proposition | Increase conversion by optimizing cart and checkout experience | Increase AOV with strategic upsell and cross-sell strategies |
Value Proposition Cartly Slide Cart DrawerIncrease conversion by optimizing cart and checkout experience Essential Upsell & Cross SellIncrease AOV with strategic upsell and cross-sell strategies | ||
Our Verdict
For merchants primarily concerned with streamlining the checkout process and reducing cart abandonment by simplifying the process and gaining more customer trust at the cart stage (e.g., displaying trust badges, order notes), Cartly Slide Cart Drawer is the better choice. Its emphasis on quick checkout options and cart customization is ideal for stores that experience significant drop-off during the final purchase stages.
On the other hand, if the primary goal is to increase the average order value through strategic product recommendations and bundling throughout the customer journey, including post-purchase upsells, Essential Upsell & Cross Sell is the superior option. Its comprehensive suite of upsell and cross-sell features provides more flexibility and control for merchants looking to maximize revenue per transaction. The higher review count also suggests it is a more established solution.
Common Questions
Which app is better for a store with a high cart abandonment rate?
Cartly Slide Cart Drawer is likely the better choice, as it focuses on simplifying the checkout process and building trust at the cart stage with features like quick checkout and trust badges.
Which app offers more comprehensive upsell and cross-sell options?
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell provides a more comprehensive suite of upsell and cross-sell features, including frequently bought together recommendations, product bundles, and post-purchase offers.
Which app is easier to set up and use?
Based on feature set, Cartly Slide Cart Drawer might be easier to set up and use due to its more focused functionality. However, user reviews would be needed to confirm this.
Does Cartly Slide Cart Drawer offer post-purchase upsell options?
The description for Cartly Slide Cart Drawer doesn't mention post-purchase upsell options. Essential Upsell & Cross Sell explicitly includes post-purchase upsell features.
If I only care about optimizing the cart drawer experience, which app should I choose?
Cartly Slide Cart Drawer is specifically designed to enhance the cart drawer experience with features like a progress bar, free shipping upsells, and quick checkout options.
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