How to compare 3D product configurators
Every demo looks good. What separates configurators is what reaches your cart, who builds the models, what each order costs and where AR works.
A sofa turning slowly on a white background tells you very little. Every configurator can do that. The differences show up later: when a finished build goes into your cart, when you have forty products instead of one, and when the bill arrives after your busiest month.
This is the checklist we would use if we were the ones buying. We have added our own answers, including the places where we stop.
Does the build reach your cart
Ask to see a finished build go into the cart on your own platform, not in a mockup. Then look at the order the way the person who packs it will: every option readable, at the right price.
With Amaspace, the build goes into the cart on Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix and custom sites as one item at its full price. On Etsy it travels as a design code, because Etsy does not allow a price inside the configurator. The limit: it is one item, not one line per part. If your warehouse needs separate lines, ask about that first.
Is it real 3D or stacked pictures
Some tools layer a 2D picture for each option. That is fine for a mug with a name on it. It falls apart on a sofa where the arm style changes the shape, or a kitchen with twelve cabinets. Ask each vendor to rotate the product in your range with the most options.
Who builds the 3D models
This is where most projects stall. Ask who makes the models, from what, and who approves them before launch.
Our team builds them from your photos, specs or CAD, and you approve every model before it goes live. Larger ranges are quoted per job. How we build the models has the details.
What it costs per order
Pricing comes in three shapes: a monthly plan, a fee per order, or a fee per product. A fee per order looks small in a quiet month and grows with every sale. Work out what you would pay in your best month, not your average one.
Our plans start at $23 a month with no fee per order. Plans differ by how many products you can configure: 5, 10, 40 or unlimited. The $23 plan is not in the Shopify app listing, so check Pricing for what each plan includes.
Where AR works
Ask whether shoppers need to install an app. With Amaspace they don't: AR opens in Safari on iPhone and Chrome on Android, and a desktop visitor gets a QR code to scan. It does need a phone or tablet. On a computer, the QR code is as far as it goes.
Do the rules stop impossible builds
If some options can't go together, the configurator should hide them, not let a buyer order them and leave your team to call back. We wrote about this in Only show what you can build.
A ten-minute test
Pick your hardest product. Ask each vendor to configure it, then put a test order through your own store. That tells you more than any feature table. You can start with our live demos, or start a trial on Pricing.
