Big Cartel vs WooCommerce
Big Cartel
bigcartel.com
WooCommerce
woocommerce.comSide by side
| Figure | Big Cartel | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $15/mo | $2.42/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 4 |
| Spec score · No-Code E-Commerce Platforms | 9.2 (#1) | 8.7 (#11) |
| Spec score · Ecommerce platforms | 9.1 (#14) | 9.5 (#1) |
| Spec score · B2C eCommerce Software | 9.1 (#2) | 8.6 (#10) |
| Spec score · Shopping Cart Software | 9.1 (#2) | 8.6 (#8) |
| Spec score · Small Business eCommerce Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.7 (#10) |
| Abandoned cart recovery | Yes | Yes |
| App marketplace | Yes | Yes |
| Digital products | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Hosting model | hosted | self-hosted |
| Payments | Payments can include cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Cash App, Amazon Pay, Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm, PayPal, Venmo, and PayPal Pay Later through Stripe and PayPal. | The platform supports cards, bank transfers, checks, cash on delivery and gateways including WooPayments, Stripe, PayPal, Square and Amazon Pay. |
| Sales channels | omnichannel | omnichannel |
| Transaction fee | none | payment_only |
| What it does | Big Cartel provides online shops for independent creators, artists, and brands to sell physical, digital, and membership products. | WooCommerce is an open-source ecommerce platform and WordPress plugin for selling physical products, digital goods and services. |
Plans
Big Cartel
- GoldFree
- Platinum$15 a month
- Diamond$30 a month
- GoldFree
- Platinum$15 a month
- Diamond$30 a month
WooCommerce
- WooCommerce coreFree
- WooCommerce mobile appFree
- Typical hosting$25 a month
- Extensions$29 a year
In their own words
Big Cartel
Big Cartel is a hosted shop platform for independent creators, artists, and brands selling physical, digital, or membership products. Sellers select a template, add products, connect Stripe or PayPal, and can launch at a custom web address without coding or plugins. Big Cartel states that it charges no transaction fees. Payments through Stripe and PayPal can include cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Cash App, Amazon Pay, Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm, PayPal, Venmo, and PayPal Pay Later. Its free mobile app supports in-person tap-to-pay or cash sales, with orders and inventory syncing to the online shop. The platform lists more than 60 apps, including print, shipping, analytics, and shopping services. All listed plans support product imports from Etsy, Squarespace, and Shopify. The API is version 1, supports OAuth 2.0, and offers APIs and webhooks for integrations. Gold is free for up to five products and one customizable store template. Platinum costs $15 a month for up to 50 products; Diamond costs $30 a month for up to 500 products.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is free, self-hosted software for running an online store with omnichannel sales channels. Its core plan costs nothing, billed free with no monthly subscription. The plan lists unlimited products, unlimited orders, and unlimited APIs, allowing catalog and order volume without those stated caps. WooCommerce supports digital products as well as general online-store sales, includes abandoned-cart recovery, and provides an app marketplace. The listed transaction fee is payment-only. Because the hosting model is self-hosted, the store runs on hosting managed by the user rather than a hosted WooCommerce environment. WooCommerce is made by WooCommerce, founded in 2005 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA. The combination of omnichannel selling, digital-product support, recovery tools, and extensible apps gives store operators a broad core setup without a subscription charge. Hosting management remains part of choosing this model.