The core difference between Multi-Vendor and Sharetribe is in the
type of solutions.
Multi-Vendor is a licensed online marketplace platform (with one-time payment), while
Sharetribe is a hosted solution (with monthly or semiannually payment), however, it also has the open source version. Differences between the hosted and open source versions of Sharetribe you can find in the article:
https://help.sharetribe.com/subscriptions/answers/differences-between-the-hosted-and-open-source-versions-of-sharetribe Both types of solutions have their own pros and cons.
For instance, hosted solutions have no installation and upgrade issues, your web marketplace will be hosted by the software developer (in our case, by a Sharetribe team). However, it is a benefit and consideration at the same time, because you can forget about any source code modifications. Besides, monthly or semiannually based payment for your platform might be expensive for long-term projects.
For example, a Pro Plan for Sharetribe solution (the simplest plan) suggests fees as $119 per month. So
just 1 year of using Pro Plan
Sharetribe costs
$1,428 almost like the
lifetime Multi-Vendor license that costs
$1,450. At the end of the article, I will talk in more details about the costs of launching, maintaining and expanding business on both e-commerce platforms.
At this rate, I can conclude, that hosted solutions are more suitable for temporary projects or web-stores with a minimal standard set of features. In other words, if you stop paying, you will lose your Internet shop. Simple as that.
Speaking about
licensed shopping carts, there are plenty of advantages. Any licensed multi vendor ecommerce systems are very customizable due to the open access the source code. The last one pushes back the limits of possibilities of your online marketplace. You or any third-party developer can make any modifications in your project.
Moreover, as a rule, the code is clearer than in free open source solutions and web store plugins meaning the high-security level of software. But for all that, launching expenses are higher than for hosted solutions.
It is important to note that with a
licensed solution you will be the owner of your business as against the
hosted one where you just
'rent' your site.