Modalyst vs Oberlo: Which Comes Out on Top?

If you’re running an e-commerce store or you intend to in the future, you've probably come across dropshipping before. Namely, because it's arguably the easiest way to dip your toe into the world of ecommerce. Enter: our Modalyst vs. Oberlo review.

There's plenty of sterling reasons to consider drop shipping. You don’t have to store your own inventory or invest your money in products you haven’t sold yet. As such, dropshipping is perhaps the simplest way for new store owners to establish their business without risking significant financial losses.

In fact, almost a third of online retailers have adopted drop shipping as their primary method of order fulfillment; in fact, in 2011, a whopping 34% of products sold by Amazon were drop shipped!

So you’re not alone if you want to get in on that action. Luckily, there are tons of dropshipping plugins you can add to your online store; these make finding trustworthy suppliers way easier than doing all the research yourself.

Two such plugins are Modalyst and Oberlo. But which is better for your business? Continue reading this concise comparison to find out precisely that!

Modalyst vs Oberlo: How Do They Work?

Before we detail the core differences between the two plugins, let’s take a quick look at how they work. If you’re running an online store via ecommerce platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce (which both Modalyst and Oberlo support), you simply install these plugins as an extension inside of your chrome browser.

From there, Modalyst and Oberlo let you browse through their dropshipping providers and their products. When you come across items you like, you can then add their merchandise directly onto your online store.

As we've already said, finding trustworthy suppliers and building relationships with them is one of the most challenging parts of drop shipping.

After all, a significant shortcoming of the model is losing control over the quality of your stock and shipping. But, Oberlo and Modalyst put some of that power back into your hands.

Once you’ve added your desired products, any sales you make go back through Oberlo or Modalyst. They inform the necessary supplier, who then ships the goodies directly to your customers. Simple, right?

It’s worth giving these plugins a shot and trying them out. After all, they both have a basic plan you can access for free! This works wonders for introducing you to their key features.

Modalyst vs Oberlo: Comparison by Stats

As you weigh up whether to opt for Oberlo or Modalyst, bare these figures in mind:

Oberlo:

• Oberlo was founded in 2015 in Lithuania
• More than 85 million products have been sold via Oberlo
• They've achieved a 4.3-star rating on the Shopify app store and a 4.1 out of a 5-star review on Trust Pilot
• They're available worldwide

Modalyst:

• Founded in 2013 in the United States by two MIT graduate students
• Over 150,000 online stores sell Modalyst products
• They've achieved a 4.3-star rating on Shopify

Modalyst vs Oberlo – a Pricing Comparison

Modalyst

Modalyst charges a 5% transaction fee regardless of the pricing plan you opt for. The prices below show the cost per month, but the plugin also bills annually.

The Free Hobby Plan: 

Modalyst’s free plan is intended for the hobbyist or those who are just starting out. You can peruse through an unlimited number of products, but you can only add up to 25 products on your store. It's also worth noting; you can only access their non-premium items.

The Startup Plan: $35 a month 

This plan kicks into action whenever you’re ready to launch a broader assortment of products. The product limit moves up to 250, which should give you plenty of space for a good selection of products.

The Pro Plan: $90 a month  

Modalyst introduces this as their most popular plan. You gain access to premium products, and there is no limit to how many products you can place in your store. If you are looking for unlimited business and work with curated stores from suppliers in the USA and the EU, this might be the plan for you.

Oberlo

All Oberlo Pricing Plans come with unlimited monthly orders, sales reports, inventory updates, and automatic product pricing. Where they differ is the limitations on products in-store and some extra features in the more expensive plans.

The Free Starter Plan

Oberlo‘s free plan gives you access to up to 500 Products and the basic Oberlo functionality, as mentioned above.

The Basic Plan: $29.99 a Month

This plan hikes the product limit to 10,000. You also gain access to bulk orders, order fulfillment monitoring, real-time order tracking, and an affiliate program.

The Pro Plan: $79.90 a Month

This permits you to sell up to 30,000 products on your store. You can also add multiple staff accounts, which comes in useful if you're running a more substantial business managed by several employees.

A Quick Roundup

Upon a quick glance, Oberlo provides the cheaper option and grants you more product space, even in their free plan. Where Modalyst forces you to upgrade if you want to list more than 250 products on your online store, Oberlo gives you this immediately. Plus, they provide tons of product space before you even think about going pro.

Modalyst vs Oberlo – What Features do They Offer?

Modalyst offers a curated marketplace brimming with EU and US sellers. Other than Spocket, this is virtually unheard of in the dropshipping space. But, the key difference here is that Modalyst prides itself on putting you in contact with top-quality suppliers offering fast shipping to the USA.

Another great feature is that you can communicate with Modalyst's suppliers directly. This gives you that extra peace of mind when it comes to checking your pending shipments. Not to mention, all their items are updated in real-time regarding their supplier's stock levels, imagery, descriptions, and pricing. So, if anything changes, you'll be the first to know!

Modalyst offers products from over 40 niches and categories, so no matter who your target audience is, you'll probably find something to put a smile on their face. But it's worth bearing in mind that Modalyst, focuses on four types of dropshipping inventory:

Name Brands

Modalyst lists over 100 big-named brands for you to sell on your store. With wholesale prices like these, selling luxury goodies has never been easier. To date, Modalyst can ship well-renown labels to over 120 countries around the world. So, if you have an international audience, never fear. What’s more, these products are guaranteed to be delivered to your customer in under 5 business days.

Indie Brands

Modalyst has curated over 650 indie brands. So, if you want your online store to stand out from the crowd, look no further.

Trendy Suppliers

Modalyst has put lots of time and energy into finding the trendiest wholesale clothing and jewelry lines for women, teens, and plus size niches. So, if you're running an online boutique, Modalyst is undoubtedly worth more than a second glance.

Private Label Suppliers

Modalyst has a section dedicated to working with private label suppliers. These suppliers allow you to slap your own branding and hangtags on products that they manufacture. This is a unique opportunity for online shops as it gives you control over the branding, resulting in more repeat, loyal customers.

What About Oberlo's Features?

Oberlo offers tons of fabulous features, so for your convenience, we're going to lists them:

• Within seconds you can add products from AliExpress to your online store
• Oberlo updates your product inventory automatically. So, if your supplier's run out of a product you've listed on your website, you won't be caught out!
• You can
  customize the product details
• You can set pricing rules to automate the cost of your products
• Fulfill and track orders automatically
• Monitor your sales
• You can create several user accounts
• Access ePacket deliveries

Oberlo also offers 24/7 customer support, this trumps Modalyst as they only offer a limited to 9-5 availability (weekends included).

All in all, the feature set for both these plugins is quite similar. Both offer you the chance to make data-driven decisions by providing you info on current product trends. You also get millions of products to browse through and can automate your order fulfillment tasks.

Modalyst vs Oberlo: Which Will Suit You Best? 

When it comes down to it, both platforms provide similar services and offer basic free plans. These come in handy for getting you started, so there's no reason not to try both!

If you're looking at pricing and features, Oberlo‘s a little clearer on their website about what you get for your money. Even its cheaper plans allow you to upload plenty of products onto your store.

So if creating a vast product catalog is your most significant concern and you want the most value for your money in terms of space and features, Oberlo is straight-up cheaper and doesn’t push you towards a more expensive plan (at least not as quickly as Modalyst does).

On the other hand, if you're looking to sell specific types of product, namely from the EU or US, or if you're searching for independent and ethical suppliers, Modalyst is your best bet so long as you're willing to pay a little more! They also specialize in fast shipping, with most US drop shipping suppliers delivering items within 7 business days.

Overall, Oberlo is a little more established with its worldwide reach and 24/7 support. So if this is important to you, Oberlo comes up trumps.

Many users trust both apps and they both share a high rating on Shopify. So really, you can’t go wrong with either of them!

Hopefully, this article has helped you choose between Oberlo and Modalyst. So which will it be for you? Let us know in the comments box below which one you prefer using and why. Speak soon!