Over the years, Volusion has updated and improved its platform to keep up with trends and add new features. But in recent years, it has struggled with a shrinking user base and tough competition from newer, more advanced platforms.
This Volusion review focuses on helping you determine whether this platform is the right fit for your business. We’ll break down the following key aspects:
- Pricing;
- Ease of use;
- Themes & design;
- Sales features;
- Apps & integration;
- SEO & marketing;
- Security;
- Help & support.
Let’s get started!
What is Volusion?
Founded in 1999, Volusion is an eCommerce platform designed to help small to medium-sized businesses launch and grow their online stores with beginner-friendly tools.
Currently, over 5,000 online stores run on Volusion, but this number used to be much higher. Over the years, the platform has experienced a steady decline in active stores, with a 0.1% drop quarter-over-quarter and a 17% decrease year-over-year as of late 2024.
This is a G2 review of a life-long Volusion user about the disadvantage of the platform:
They seem unable to keep up with technology.
So, what’s behind this decline? Volusion filed for bankruptcy in 2020, raising concerns about its long-term stability. While the platform continues to operate, some users have reported limited support for older versions, making upgrades and maintenance more challenging. These factors may contribute to why businesses are looking elsewhere for more future-proof solutions.
To keep up with the game in 2025, Volusion has updated its platform with features like premium checkout, an upgraded site designer, a new Volusion help center, and an enhanced login experience. These efforts aim to keep the platform competitive, as you’ll see in this Volusion review.
Volusion Pros & Cons
Before going further into our Volusion review, let's explore the platform's strengths and weaknesses. This will provide a solid foundation for understanding its features in greater detail.
Volusion pros | Volusion cons |
|
|
Now that we’ve covered the overview of Volusion, let’s take a closer look at all the features this platform offers!
Pricing
Our scoring: 3/5
To start the Volusion review in detail, we will look at Volusion pricing. Currently, there are four Volusion plans for you to choose from, with different features included in each plan.
Plan | Pricing | Features |
Personal Plan | $35/month | - Up to 100 products - Annual sales limit: $50,000 - 1 staff account - Basic support options |
Professional Plan | $79/month | - Up to 1,000 products - Annual sales limit: $100,000 - 5 staff accounts - Enhanced support (phone support included) |
Business Plan | $299/month | - Unlimited products - Annual sales limit: $500,000 - 15 staff accounts - API access and advanced integrations |
Prime Plan | Custom pricing | - Tailored for enterprises - Dedicated Client Success Manager - Priority support and early access to new features |
One big plus of Volusion is that it doesn’t charge transaction fees on any plan. This is great for businesses with high sales volumes since you keep more of your earnings.
However, each plan comes with an annual sales limit. If your total sales over the past 12 months go over that limit, Volusion will automatically upgrade you to the next plan. While this gives you access to more features, it also means higher costs as your business grows. For example, if your sales exceed the limit, you might see an increase of $300–$1,500 per year, depending on the plan. Keep this in mind when choosing a plan, especially if you expect your sales to increase quickly.
Volusion claims to offer a low total cost of ownership (TCO), so we took a closer look to see if that holds true. After factoring in subscription fees, SSL certificates, fraud protection, and automatic plan upgrades due to sales limits, we found that the TCO ranges from $593 to over $6,617 annually.
Based on our analysis for this Volusion review, Volusion’s TCO is generally higher than Shopify and Wix for smaller businesses. For example, a small business might pay around $1,200–$1,500 per year with Volusion, compared to $900–$1,200 on Shopify. However, for businesses that make a lot of sales and want to avoid transaction fees, Volusion can still be a smart choice because the savings on fees can add up quickly.
Ease of Use
Our scoring: 4.3/5
When setting up your store, Volusion guides you step by step with a wizard-like interface. You’ll pick a template, upload your logo, and add products effortlessly. Most users can get the basics of their store up and running in just minutes.
The simplicity doesn’t stop there. Volusion’s dashboard is divided into clear sections for managing orders, products, customers, and design. This layout ensures everything is where you’d expect it to be, so you won’t feel overwhelmed or lost.
Here's a review from a real user on Capterra:
Volusion is a very user-friendly platform. Our team used it for several years, and every member of our team was able to log on and make necessary edits and updates regardless of limited technical knowledge.
However, it’s worth noting that most platforms like Shopify, Wix, and others have already reached—and even surpassed—this level of user-friendliness. In comparison, Volusion doesn’t really offer anything that stands out or feels unique compared to these competitors. For beginners, it gets the job done, but it might not be the most exciting option.
Themes & Design
Our scoring: 3.2/5
To continue, this Volusion review will look into the design flexibility. Volusion provides around 24 free pre-built themes that you can quickly apply using its Site Designer. For more variety, the platform also offers a collection of around 40 eCommerce themes, including 11 free themes and 34 premium themes priced at $180 each.
While the selection is enough to get started, it’s still smaller than what platforms like Wix or Squarespace provide. If you want your site to stand out, you’ll likely need to spend extra time customizing the design to fit your brand.
Here’s where things get tricky. Customizing your Volusion website isn’t as easy as you might hope. The site builder doesn’t give much guidance, so you’re left figuring things out on your own. For beginners, this can feel frustrating and overwhelming.
Compared to Wix’s simple drag-and-drop tools or Squarespace’s sleek and clean design process, Volusion’s editor feels cluttered and hard to navigate. For example, just editing a text box requires finding a small blue button tucked away on the right-hand side. Tasks like reordering or resizing elements don’t work as smoothly as expected, making even basic changes challenging.
Sales Features
Our scoring: 4.5/5
Our Volusion review would be incomplete if we didn’t take a look at the tools and features to help your eCommerce business thrive. Here are the sales features you will find on your Volusion store:
1. Inventory management
Adding products is quick and simple. You can use Volusion’s admin dashboard to fill in details like descriptions, images, and prices for each item. One standout feature is “suggested products”, which recommends related items to customers in the format of videos. This is a great way to boost sales and gives Volusion an edge over Shopify, which needs third-party apps for this feature.
But there’s one downside: Volusion does not directly support those businesses selling you digital products. If you’re planning to sell things like ebooks, music, or digital art, this platform won’t work for you.
2. Payment
Volusion supports over 30 payment gateways, including popular options like PayPal, Stripe, and Square. No matter which plan you choose, Volusion doesn’t charge transaction fees, which is a huge plus for keeping your costs predictable. Keep in mind, though, that standard credit card processing fees still apply.
For a more integrated solution, you can check out Volusion's in-house payment gateway – Volusion Payments, powered by Stripe. It allows you to accept credit card payments directly through your store without relying on third-party processors. With fast payouts, built-in fraud protection, and seamless integration, it provides a convenient way to manage transactions in one place.
3. Shipping
Managing shipping is easy with Volusion’s integration with tools like ShipStation and Shippo. These services automate tasks like creating shipping labels, tracking orders, and updating inventory, saving you time and effort.
You can also personalize invoices and packing slips with your logo and custom text. This personal touch can go a long way in building customer loyalty.
4. Checkout
Checkout is the final step in the buying journey, and to enhance your customer experience, Volusion offers the Premium Checkout feature. New customers go through a simple two-step process while returning customers enjoy a one-step checkout for faster transactions. This streamlined design reduces cart abandonment and boosts conversion rates, helping businesses drive more sales.
Even though Premium Checkout comes at an additional cost, it’s a worthwhile investment if you’re considering Volusion. Many merchants have reported an increase in completed orders, making it a valuable upgrade for improving the checkout experience and maximizing sales.
Apps & Integration
Our scoring: 4.4/5
Next up, the Volusion review will go through the apps and integration available to grow your store. This platform has an app marketplace with about 80 apps. These apps help with things like dropshipping, customer support, and analytics. While the selection isn’t as big as what you’ll find on Shopify, it covers the basics that most small businesses need.
Among these, Zapier stands out as one of the most powerful and highly recommended integrations. It connects Volusion to over 1,000 apps, making it easy to automate tasks like sending order confirmations or syncing customer data with email marketing tools such as Klaviyo and Mailchimp.
SEO & Marketing
Our scoring: 3.8/5
With Volusion, you get basic SEO tools to help your store show up in search results. You can add meta titles, descriptions, and keywords to optimize each page. If you’re familiar with coding, you can go a step further by customizing meta tags using HTML for better search engine performance.
However, advanced SEO editing is limited on Volusion. Unlike some other platforms, it doesn’t offer built-in tools for structured data, automatic sitemaps, or deeper customization options. This can make it harder to fine-tune your SEO strategy, especially if you're looking for more flexibility in optimizing your store for search engines.
For marketing, there are tools for creating discounts, promotions, and email campaigns. These features are easy to set up, making them beginner-friendly. However, they don’t offer the advanced options or flexibility that larger businesses might need, especially compared to platforms like Magento.
One big downside is that Volusion doesn’t have a blogging feature. Blogging is an important way to improve SEO and connect with your customers, so not having this option can be challenging if content marketing is part of your strategy or if you want to scale your business.
Security
Our scoring: 4/5
Volusion has had its fair share of security challenges. In 2019, a major data breach exposed customer payment details across thousands of stores due to malicious code injected into its system. This raised serious concerns about whether Volusion could truly protect sensitive data.
So, after these security incidents, does Volusion now live up to its promises?
On paper, the platform offers strong security features to safeguard your store and customer data. It is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant, ensuring secure payment processing. It also uses AES-256 encryption for sensitive data and TLS v1.2 for secure transfers.
Every store comes with a 256-bit SSL certificate to protect online transactions, while tools like a web application firewall (WAF) and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) work to block cyber threats. Regular penetration testing helps detect and fix vulnerabilities before they become serious risks.
With these measures in place, Volusion seems to have strengthened its security, but past breaches serve as a reminder that no system is completely immune. If security is a top priority for your business, it’s always best to stay informed and take additional precautions, such as enabling multi-layer security measures and monitoring transactions closely.
Help & Support
Our scoring: 4.2/5
Getting help when you need it is easy with Volusion’s support options. The Volusion Help Center is available 24/7 and is packed with resources like articles, FAQs, and tutorials. Whether you’re setting up your store or troubleshooting an issue, this self-service knowledge base is perfect for finding quick answers.
For direct assistance, Volusion offers multiple support options, but access depends on your plan. Live chat support is available 24/7 through the Merchant Center dashboard, providing real-time help when needed. If you prefer email, you can contact the team at [email protected].
Phone support, however, is only available for Business and Prime plans. Users on these tiers can call (800) 646-3517, Monday to Friday, from 8 AM to 7 PM Central Time. If you're on a lower-tier plan, you’ll need to rely on live chat or email for assistance.
While Volusion’s support covers the basics, the quality of help can vary. Some representatives lack the technical knowledge needed to resolve complex issues, leading to delays in getting clear answers. Additionally, response times can be inconsistent, with some users experiencing long waits for resolutions.
Another drawback that we found when conducting this Volusion review is that it does not have a user forum or community support system. Unlike other platforms that offer spaces for users to exchange tips and solutions, Volusion lacks this peer-to-peer resource, making it harder to find shared experiences or troubleshooting advice outside of direct support channels.
Is Volusion Ready for 2025 and Emerging AI Trends?
In 2025, many eCommerce platforms are adopting AI tools to improve how stores run and connect with customers. Platforms like Shopify and Wix now offer features like personalized product recommendations, automated marketing, and smart chatbots. However, our research in the Volusion review indicates that this platform hasn’t added these advanced AI features yet.
That said, Volusion still provides essential automation tools. It integrates with Zapier, allowing merchants to sync data, automate emails, and streamline workflows. While AI doesn't power these tools, they still help reduce manual tasks and improve efficiency.
If you're looking for cutting-edge AI features, Volusion might not be the best choice. However, for small businesses that don’t heavily rely on AI, Volusion still provides enough automation to handle everyday operations effectively. If simplicity and core eCommerce functions are your priority, the platform remains a workable option for running an online store.
Volusion Review: FAQs
Is Volusion secure?
Yes, Volusion prioritizes security to protect your store and customer data. It is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant, uses AES-256 encryption for sensitive information and includes 256-bit SSL certificates for secure transactions.
How does Volusion work?
Volusion is an eCommerce platform that helps you create and manage an online store. It provides tools for product listings, inventory management, payment processing, and marketing. With an easy-to-use dashboard, you can add products, customize your site, manage orders, and integrate with various apps to streamline your operations.
Is Volusion free?
No, Volusion is not free. It offers several pricing plans starting at $35/month for the Personal Plan. However, it does provide a free trial for new users to explore the platform before committing to a paid plan.
What is the maintenance fee for Volusion gateway?
The Volusion Gateway charges a monthly maintenance fee of $10.00 in addition to transaction fees, which are based on the processing rates for credit card payments.
Can Volusion grow with my business?
Volusion can grow with your business, but there are some limits. Each plan has an annual sales cap, so as your sales increase, you’ll need to upgrade. It has the basics to support growth, but if you’re planning to scale fast, platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce might give you more flexibility.
Key Takeaways
We hope you found this Volusion review helpful in understanding what the platform has to offer. While Volusion comes with some solid features, it also has its limitations, especially when compared to other platforms. Be sure to weigh the pros and cons carefully, and take advantage of free trials to find the platform that works best for your store.
If you’re still exploring options, we have more reviews on other eCommerce platforms for you to check out.