Zakeke offers several product configuration tools, including a great 3D configuration tool for any eCommerce business trying to showcase its customizable products in real time. If you don't want to rely on static images that your customers may not be totally convinced by and can't picture the end product with, a 3D configurator like Zakeke's might be the one for you.

Many businesses use Zakeke for their product configuration, but is it the best configuration option available, especially across industries?

We've listed down ten alternatives to Zakeke and which industry/ies they'd work best for so you can have a better idea of what your business might need. When we say alternatives to Zakeke, we mean alternatives to their product configuration, specifically in 3D, for a visual commerce platform.

We'll touch on which industries they're best for (some examples of businesses too), their pros, cons, and main feature/s. The difference in features will also be discussed, if there are any particularly standout things the configurators are good or bad at.

| Company    | Industry                                | Main Pro                                                       | Main Con                                       |
|------------|-----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| Tiny Easy  | Tiny homes, Container Homes, ADU’s      | Sleek, interactive, and representative of the end product because it's fully 3D | Exclusive to the small home industry           |
| Kickflip   | eCommerce (gaming goods, sporting goods, fashion) | Has an add to cart button immediately on the configurator        | Is not 3D                                      |
| Threekit   | Automotive, furniture, electronics      | Goes through options step by step, not overwhelming              | Not fully 3D, load time is quite long          |
| Cylindo    | Furniture                               | Simple interface                                                | 3D rotation is not always seamless             |
| Spiff3D    | eCommerce (shoes to furniture to sporting goods) | Wide range of possibilities with the industries it can cater to  | Loading time to get to the actual configurator is very long |
| Expivi     | eCommerce (shoes to furniture to equipment) | Fully 3D model that rotates, moves when you go to the next option | Interface could be cleaner                     |
| Shedpro    | Sheds and barns                         | Fully 3D, lots of options, has quotation ready                   | Interface could be cleaner                     |
| Idea Room  | Sheds and carports                      | Fully 3D, lots of options, has quotation ready                   | Interface could be cleaner                     |
| Elfsquad   | Equipment/manufacturing                 | Lots of options                                                 | Not fully 3D                                   |
| Vectary    | eCommerce (fashion to medical to building) | Very impressive 3D model                                        | Loading time is long, not a very intuitive interface

About Zakeke

Main features: Zakeke has many configuration options—2D, 3D, augmented reality, virtual try-on, visual product customizer,  etc. It casts a wide net in terms of what it offers and the industries it serves. 

Which industry benefits the most: eCommerce (shoes to furniture to wearables)

Pros

• Embedded directly onto site and not stuck behind a button or paywall

• Can zoom in and out of 3D assets and model and opt for full screen view

• Material selection is fairly intuitive

• Can submit details, share design on socials, and provides print-ready files via PDF

• Has an augmented reality feature on mobile

• Some have undo/redo

• Direct add-to-cart integration

• Can be set up my business themselves, which is good and ties in with different integrations and shopping platforms

• Plug-and-play eCommerce solution

• Dynamic pricing is helpful

Cons

• Load speed sometimes slow

• Can't fully change/rotate some configurations

• Can't display an interface with a fuller range of products

• No real guidance to the interface, which can make the configurator feel less engaging (not great for the customer experience)—buttons and choices can be overwhelming as they're all displayed simultaneously

• CTA is hidden, which can be confusing

Zakeke is a widely popular solution for many eCommerce sites looking to show off their customizable products.While we appreciated the variety of industries Zakeke covers, we also noted that their configuration tools worked best for simpler products compared to more complex ones.

We noticed that it's relatively easy to set up yourself, which is great if you and your business want to change its placement or move where it's embedded. The downside to this is that not everyone places it on visible parts of their websites, and without a marketing plan to go with the configurator, it can easily get lost in the noise.

Still, it's a widely used and widely trusted solution for many sites—and not just their 3D product configurator. This social trust is comforting as it proves it can get the job done for most industries and affects decision-making values in your customers. Its breadth of work speaks for itself, as well as the visual shopping experience it provides and how it brings products to life.

However, we want to find some alternatives to Zakeke for anyone looking for 3D product configuration that may fit better—whether it's because you're in a niche industry or because you want different features.

Top 10 Alternatives to Zakeke

Tiny Easy

Main features: Purpose-built for the tiny home industry to help tiny home builders market and sell more homes and streamline their production and sales process. It's got a simple and intuitive interface that guides the user through designing/configuring the home in the builder’s product range, so there's little to no room for confusion or error for maximum conversions.

Which industry benefits the most: Tiny homes, modular homes, ADUs, and tiny houses on wheels

Pros

• Simple, clean, sleek interface

• Very intuitive as it guides the user (for example, if you're choosing a skylight option, it moves towards the roof to show you the skylight rather than leaving you to drag the model around to find it)

• Their team develops an effective marketing implementation plan by analyzing your website and marketing channels to determine where the best place for the configurator is and how it can be best implemented for maximum ROI

• They set up the Configurator for you and guide you through the process step-by-step for a plug and play experience.

• The base software is constantly updated and revisited, so the configurator keeps increasing its ROI over time.

• Options are displayed in a neat and orderly way without being overwhelming

• The model is fully 3D and even comes with intuitive waypoints so you can see what parts of the house would look like as if you were seeing it in person.

Cons

• It is not a great fit for industries like eCommerce selling furniture, clothing, hardware, etc. since it’s specifically made for the small home industry.

Tiny Easy's 3D product configurator is a complete platform made specifically for building tiny homes. It's a solution that any tiny house, tiny home on wheels, modular home, or ADU business or builder/s will appreciate, as it removes all the guesswork for them and their customers and makes the marketing, sales, design, and build process simpler, cleaner, and more streamlined.

Your customers can go from their 3D model built on the website to having the key to their dream home in their hands much faster than if they had to go through several sit-down “design” meetings, make mock-ups, make changes, etc. A seamless design and sales process like this makes for happy customers who trust you and are willing to pay more! 

They also do constant feature upgrading to ensure that the Configurators improve over time to further increase the ROI of the software.

The tiny house configurator empowers your customer to take matters into their own hands. They choose everything from the start of choosing the design to the finish, like choosing their flooring, tapware, upgrades, etc., to personalize to their heart's content. This is especially important as homes are incredibly personal, so giving your customer the feeling of designing their own home is an effective way to increase sales and reduce time spent on leads.

Kickflip

Main features: Integrations with several different eCommerce sites like Shopify are simple, and they have augmented reality so you can visualize the customized products in real time.

Which industry benefits the most: A variety of eCommerce businesses, like gaming goods, customizable sports gear, and fashion (beyond just custom t-shirt prints)

Pros

• Easy native integration with eCommerce websites

• Add to cart button makes it simple for anyone trying to customize a product and get to checkout right away

• Generally very user-friendly, learning curve isn't too steep

• Allows for a lot of options

Cons

• Does not utilize a fully 3D model, but images stitched together, which makes for a less immersive shopping experience

• May be pricey compared to Zakeke

Threekit

Main features: The rendering in their product configurator is quite realistic, although not fully 3D. Still, there are a lot of interactive features, such as augmented and virtual reality. Seamless integration with eCommerce platforms is also a plus.

Which industry benefits the most: A variety of eCommerce businesses, like automotive, furniture, and electronics

Pros

• Photorealistic renders are beautiful and high-definition, making for immersive displays

• Software integrates seamlessly with eCommerce sites 

• Each option is explored step by step, which makes the experience manageable and not too overwhelming

Cons

• Not fully 3D

• Loading time is quite long

Cylindo

Main features: 3D models are beautifully photorealistic and the interface is very sleek but simple. It's also one of the more user-friendly configurators out there, making sales with custom configurations a breeze.

Which industry benefits the most: Furniture

Pros

• Incredibly easy and straightforward to use

• Intuitive interface

• Beautifully rendered 3D models

• Affordable pricing compared to others

Cons

• Some 3D models do not spin or move seamlessly

• May not be able to present as many options compared to others (if you have tons of features, it may not be for you)

Spiff3D

Main features: Has an augmented reality feature and covers a wide variety of industries. It is, however, the one that took the longest to load—so if you have a lot of options, this may not be the one for you.

Which industry benefits the most: A variety of eCommerce businesses, from shoes to sporting goods to furniture

Pros

• Wide range of industries

• Setup is quick and user-friendly

• Price is a little more affordable

Cons

• Loading time took many times longer than other alternatives (and Zakeke), likely because performance is affected by the number of options

Expivi

Main features: Fully interactive 3D experience that embraces augmented reality as well. The 3D model that Expivi creates is interactive and engaging.

Which industry benefits the most: A variety of eCommerce businesses, like equipment to furniture

Pros

• Higher levels of customization compared to Zakeke and other competitors

• More realistic rendering

• Fully 3D model

Cons

• More expensive and can be more complex

• Interface/instructions hub is a little cluttered

Shedpro

Main features: Specialized for shed design, so this industry will really get the most out of it, though some other builders use it for carports as well. They also offer pre-designed templates that you can customize, making the process a little simpler for anyone looking to build a shed without the stress of too many steps and options.

Which industry benefits the most: Sheds, carports, and barns

Pros

• Templates make it easier for customers

• Fully 3D

• Has a dynamic pricing calculator that shows you how much your quotation is in real time

• Very user-friendly

Cons

• Limited to sheds, so may not be useful to industries outside of that business

Idea Room

Main features: A more flexible option compared to Shedpro while still maintaining a solid foothold in the shed and carport industry. It also focuses on other building materials, making it more versatile but not as broad as Zakeke.

Which industry benefits the most: Sheds, building materials, and carports

Pros

• Fully 3D

• Lots of features and options

• Has quotation at the ready 

Cons

• Not as many options unique to shed design like Shedpro

• Interface is a little cluttered

Elfsquad

Main features: A 3D configurator that focuses specifically on the manufacturing business, making building and manufacturing equipment more personalized. Configures products in real time to avoid errors with quotations.

Which industry benefits the most: Equipment and manufacturing

Pros

• Lots of options for the configurators

• Clean interface

• Easy to use

Cons

• Not fully 3D for some configurators

Vectary

Main features: The most hyper realistic in terms of models, although sometimes it doesn't load properly or buttons don't work. Very beautiful and renders are almost cinematic. Has augmented reality and virtual reality capabilities.

Which industry benefits the most: eCommerce businesses in fashion, furniture, medical equipment, and building equipment

Pros

• Beautiful 3D models, hyperrealistic

• Incredible interface

• Information about the product at the touch of a button is very cool

Cons

• Hard to tell if it's just interactive or an actual configurator

• Long loading time and not very intuitive

Conclusion

When looking for a 3D product configurator for your business, you want to find the best one. So which one's the best one, especially as an alternative to Zakeke?

Hint: It all depends on your industry and what you need.

If you're looking for sheds, you wouldn't stray too far into the more general configurators as you already have a niche one for you. Alternatively, if you're in the tiny home industry and want to entice your customers, you'd want to stick to something more purpose-built for your business, making the Tiny Easy 3D configurator the best fit for you.

If you're looking to set your business apart in the tiny home industry with a 3D product configurator, we're the ones you want. Schedule a call with us to learn more or book a demo—we'll be waiting for you!