Choose Big Cartel for a small, simple creator shop. Choose Shopify for a business that needs broader selling channels, deeper inventory tools, international commerce, or room to scale.
The better platform depends less on which builder has more features than on whether you need a low-overhead storefront or a full commerce operating system. Big Cartel is usually the cheaper and less intimidating choice for artists, makers, apparel sellers, and creators with a limited catalog. Shopify costs more, but its larger ecosystem and stronger operational tools make it the better default for a growth-oriented store.
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Big Cartel vs Shopify at a glance
| Category | Big Cartel | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Artists, makers, and small creator shops | Growing or complex ecommerce businesses |
| Free plan | Yes; Gold allows up to five product listings | No permanent free plan; promotional trials may be available |
| Paid entry price | Platinum: $15/month displayed | Basic: $39/month monthly billing or $29/month annual-billing equivalent displayed |
| Catalog | Best for small, straightforward catalogs | Unlimited product selling is advertised |
| Apps and integrations | Smaller, curated integration directory | Much larger app ecosystem |
| In-person selling | Suitable for occasional markets and pop-ups | Stronger POS and staff workflows |
| International selling | Possible through payment, shipping, and integrations | Stronger native localization and market tools |
| Overall fit | Low-cost simplicity | Breadth, customization, and scale |
Prices and features change, and Shopify’s availability and payment options can vary by country. The figures below refer to the United States pricing displayed on the vendors’ pages and should be checked before subscribing.
Our short verdict
Big Cartel is the better choice if your store is mainly a polished online home for a small collection of products. Its free Gold plan can be enough for a creator selling five or fewer products, while the $15 and $30 paid plans add capabilities such as custom domains, broader design customization, inventory tools, abandoned-cart recovery, scheduled drops, and additional integrations. See Big Cartel’s current plan details.
#1 Best Overall
- DURABLE POS CASH DRAWER: Volcora cash register drawer measures 13"x13.25"x4", voltage is at 12-24 VDC. Our money drawer has a heavy duty durable metal frame that is an ideal cash register for small businesses and even big establishments too.
- 4 BILL 5 COIN SLOTS: Our small cash register has a built in cash tray that comes with a removable coin tray to maximize the partitions to 4 bill slots and 5 coin slots. The front panel has 1 media compartment for large bills, checks, and receipts storage without opening the drawer.
- SECURED CASHIER REGISTER: Our cash box with money tray and lock is secured with 3-position key lock: 1-manual open, 2-auto open by printer/POS, 3-lock. Perfect as cash registers for business, our package includes 6 keys for additional backup.
- CONNECTIVITY AND COMPATIBILITY: Our cash drawer suits the point of sale system for small business. Just connect the cash drawer to a receipt printer via the RJ11 / RJ12 cable included in the package, and then to your POS to automatically open or close cash trays. Our cash drawers can be used with most major receipt or thermal printer brands. Compatible with Star, Citizen, JAY, and Bixolon. (No USB port, so CANNOT be connected to POS directly via USB)
- 100% LIFETIME GUARANTEE: Contact us if you are not satisfied with our cash drawer tray for checkout counter and we will send you a new replacement.
Shopify is the better choice if ecommerce is becoming a central business operation. It is more suitable when you need a large catalog, multiple sales channels, unified online and physical inventory, advanced marketing, staff permissions, localized international storefronts, specialized apps, or custom integrations. Shopify’s broader feature set also makes it less likely that you will need to migrate later.
Pricing: Big Cartel is cheaper, but the subscription is not the whole cost
Big Cartel plans
| Plan | Displayed price | Positioning |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | $0 | Up to five product listings and a basic storefront |
| Platinum | $15/month | Paid entry plan with physical and digital products, custom domains, shipping labels, and more design control |
| Diamond | $30/month | Adds features including abandoned-cart recovery, scheduled product drops, password-protected products, Zapier connectivity, and priority support |
The Big Cartel Gold plan includes online selling, card and PayPal acceptance, sales-tax tools, real-time statistics, product variants, and one template. The five-listing limit is the important restriction: it works for a tiny catalog, not for a shop with dozens of separate products.
Big Cartel advertises no platform or listing fees on its comparison materials. That does not mean selling is fee-free. The payment provider still charges processing fees, and shipping, domains, print-on-demand, advertising, and other connected services may add costs.
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| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual-billing equivalent displayed |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39/month | $29/month |
| Grow | $105/month | $79/month |
| Advanced | $399/month | $299/month |
| Plus | From $2,300/month | Enterprise-oriented |
These are the US prices currently displayed on Shopify’s pricing page. The lower figures are annual-billing equivalents, not the month-to-month price. Shopify also advertises a three-day trial followed by a temporary promotional period; promotions can change and should not be treated as the normal cost of the service.
Other costs to include
A realistic comparison should account for:
- Card-processing fees and PayPal or other payment-provider fees.
- Shopify’s additional third-party transaction fee when Shopify Payments is not used.
- Paid themes, apps, email services, reviews, subscriptions, and automation.
- Domain registration.
- Shipping labels, fulfillment, and print-on-demand charges.
- POS hardware and optional POS software.
- Tax, currency-conversion, duties, and international-selling costs.
Shopify’s displayed US online card rates are currently 2.9% plus 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% plus 30¢ on Grow, and 2.5% plus 30¢ on Advanced. The page also lists third-party transaction fees of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, and 0.6% on Advanced when a third-party payment provider is used instead of Shopify Payments. These rates depend on the plan, payment setup, market, and eligibility.
Do not assume Shopify is always more expensive overall. A small store generally pays less with Big Cartel. A growing store may spend less overall with Shopify if its included tools replace several separate services. On the other hand, an app-heavy Shopify store can cost substantially more than its advertised subscription.
Three practical budget scenarios
- Five-product creator store: Big Cartel Gold is the obvious low-fixed-cost option if its design and selling features meet your needs. Shopify Basic would provide more capacity, but may be unnecessary before demand is proven.
- Small growing brand: Compare Big Cartel Platinum at the displayed $15/month with Shopify Basic at $39/month monthly billing or the displayed $29/month annual equivalent. Shopify’s extra cost may be justified if you need stronger inventory, abandoned-checkout recovery, reporting, apps, or sales channels.
- Multi-channel retailer: Shopify Grow or Advanced may be more appropriate depending on payment volume, staff, locations, reporting, and international requirements. The subscription is only one part of the budget.
There is no honest universal break-even point. It depends on order value, order volume, payment provider, billing frequency, app usage, and country.
Ease of setup and everyday use
Big Cartel limits the number of decisions you need to make. That is its main usability advantage. Its Gold page promotes a four-step setup and says a store can launch in 30 minutes or less; that is Big Cartel’s own marketing claim, not an independent time measurement.
Shopify also supports no-code setup from the web or mobile, but it presents more choices: themes, apps, shipping, taxes, sales channels, product organization, analytics, marketing, and payment settings. That breadth is useful once your operation becomes complicated, but it can be distracting for a first-time seller who only needs a handful of products online.
- Fastest path to a basic shop: Big Cartel.
- Easier path to a complex professional operation: Shopify after the learning curve.
- More likely to overwhelm a beginner with unnecessary options: Shopify.
- More likely to require migration if the business expands substantially: Big Cartel.
Design and themes
Big Cartel’s smaller theme library is a strength when you want to launch quickly without comparing dozens of designs. Its official template page lists options including Cosmos, Luna, Netizen, Lunch Break, Picklejuice, Ranger, Neat, Roadie, Sunscreen, Sidecar, Trace, and Foundry. The free Gold plan includes only the Cosmos template; paid plans provide broader template access and customization. See Big Cartel’s template page.
Shopify offers a much broader ecosystem of free and paid themes through its official Theme Store. Current examples displayed there include themes priced at $160, $280, $300, $320, $400, and $420, although the catalog and prices change.
More themes do not automatically mean better design. Big Cartel can be sufficient when strong photography and a clear brand do most of the selling. Shopify is stronger when you need collection merchandising, advanced navigation, filtering, product recommendations, international storefronts, or highly customized layouts.
Products, inventory, and orders
This is where Shopify’s advantage becomes clearest. Shopify advertises unlimited product selling and provides tools for inventory and order management. Its larger ecosystem can also support specialized workflows involving bundles, kits, subscriptions, product personalization, marketplaces, fulfillment, and custom integrations.
Rank #2
- DUAL-SCREEN CHECKOUT: 15.6" capacitive touchscreen for the cashier plus a 13" customer-facing display that shows order details, the total due and your promotions for a faster, more transparent checkout.
- INTEL CORE i5 PERFORMANCE: Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM and a 128GB SSD run POS, inventory and invoicing software smoothly, even during peak hours. Built-in Wi-Fi plus LAN for flexible, cable-free setup.
- WINDOWS 11 READY OUT OF THE BOX: Windows 11 comes pre-installed and ready to use, compatible with Windows-based POS software for retail, restaurants and services. POS software not included.
- CONNECT YOUR PERIPHERALS: 6x USB 2.0, COM/serial, VGA, LAN (RJ45), audio output and DC input for receipt printers, barcode scanners, cash drawers, speakers and external monitors.
- PREMIUM FANLESS ALUMINUM BUILD: Aluminum alloy base and screen back covers with silent fanless cooling that limits dust buildup; a sturdy stand keeps the screen steady during heavy touch use. 1-year manufacturer warranty.
Big Cartel is well suited to a straightforward catalog. Its paid plans add inventory tracking, bulk product editing, product imports, and related management tools. Current Big Cartel materials also list physical and digital products, product drops, print-on-demand connections, and other creator-focused tools. However, the five-product ceiling on Gold makes the free plan unsuitable for a larger catalog, and exact paid-plan limits should be checked before signup.
Ask these questions before choosing:
- How many separate products and variants will you carry?
- Will inventory need to stay synchronized across a website, marketplace, and physical shop?
- Do you need bundles, kits, personalization, subscriptions, or purchase orders?
- Will several staff members manage orders or inventory?
- How often will prices, products, and stock levels change?
- Do you need low-stock alerts, multiple inventory locations, or supplier workflows?
For a small print, art, craft, or apparel catalog, Big Cartel is usually sufficient. For a frequently changing, multi-channel, or operationally complicated catalog, Shopify is the safer long-term choice.
Payments and transaction fees
Shopify Payments is built into Shopify’s plans, but availability varies by country. When it is not available or you choose another provider, Shopify’s additional third-party transaction fee can materially affect the comparison. Check Shopify Payments and the pricing page for eligibility, payout rules, and current rates.
For illustration, a $30 online order on the displayed Basic US rate of 2.9% plus 30¢ would incur approximately $1.17 in card-processing fees before considering taxes, refunds, currency conversion, or any other charges. That is an illustration of the rate structure, not a universal quote. A different provider, country, plan, or payment method will change the result.
Big Cartel supports payment options including cards, PayPal, and Afterpay through its connected tools. The relevant payment processor still charges its own fees. Big Cartel’s lack of an advertised platform or listing fee should never be interpreted as free payment processing.
Payment details matter especially when:
- You sell low-priced products, where the fixed per-order fee is significant.
- You have high average order values, where percentage fees become more consequential.
- You sell internationally and face currency conversion, duties, or cross-border card costs.
- You need a payment provider with particular fraud, payout, or regional requirements.
Marketing, SEO, and selling channels
Shopify offers a deeper native marketing and commerce ecosystem. Its current plan comparison lists customer segments, marketing automations, abandoned-checkout recovery, discount codes, gift cards, email campaigns, marketplace and social selling, and international selling tools, with availability varying by plan.
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Big Cartel is more capable than older comparisons often suggest. Its materials list discounts, promotions, advertising tools, Google Shopping, and abandoned-cart recovery on Diamond. Its app directory includes integrations for email marketing, reviews, blogging, live chat, analytics, social advertising, print-on-demand, shipping, and automation.
The important distinction is whether a feature is native, included in your plan, available only through an app, or dependent on a particular country or payment setup. Shopify’s larger ecosystem provides more options, but apps can add monthly costs, configuration work, conflicts, and separate support relationships.
For SEO and marketing, compare:
- Editable titles, meta descriptions, URLs, and redirects.
- Blogging and content publishing.
- Product structured data and search presentation.
- Email capture and automated campaigns.
- Abandoned-cart or abandoned-checkout recovery.
- Reviews, discounts, gift cards, and product recommendations.
- Google Shopping, Meta, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest connections.
- Analytics and conversion tracking.
It is inaccurate to say Big Cartel has no SEO capability. A better conclusion is that Shopify offers a deeper native and app-based marketing ecosystem, while Big Cartel may require more integrations or simpler workflows.
In-person selling
Big Cartel lists in-person selling and payments from a phone among its features, making it a reasonable choice for occasional craft fairs, markets, and pop-ups.
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- Occasional event selling: Either platform may work; Big Cartel may be enough.
- Permanent retail or multiple locations: Shopify.
- Detailed staff and inventory workflows: Shopify.
International selling
Shopify lists translated storefronts, local currencies, Shopify Markets, local payment methods, local domains, and duties and tax estimation among its global-selling capabilities. Some features require Shopify Payments or particular plans.
Big Cartel can support international orders through payment, shipping, and third-party integrations, but it should not be treated as equivalent to Shopify’s native localization and market-management tools without checking the exact setup.
Rank #3
- iPad to POS in Minutes: Slide in an iPad and download the included Square point of sale app to get started. No training or service visits needed.
- Your entire business in one place: Power every part of what you do, all on one device. That’s payments, your website, daily reporting, and so much more.
- No extra readers required: Super fast built-in payments mean far fewer cords, zero fears of disconnecting, and a cleaner counter from here on out.
- Keep selling, even offline: Keep taking payments with offline payments even when your Wi-Fi or connectivity is down. Just reconnect to the internet within 24 hours to upload transactions. Terms and conditions apply.
- Stay powered even without power: if you need to unplug or if you lose power, Square Stand can run off a full iPad battery. iPad-powered mode only on USB-C compatible version.
For a domestic seller who occasionally ships abroad, either platform may be workable. For localized pricing, translated storefronts, regional domains, duties, tax estimates, and multiple country markets, Shopify is the stronger choice.
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Shopify says it integrates with “1000s of apps,” and its App Store covers shipping, email, reviews, subscriptions, fulfillment, analytics, customer service, accounting, and many specialized operations.
Big Cartel’s smaller, curated directory includes services such as Omnisend, Fera, Printify, Printful, ShipStation, Zapier, Google Analytics, and social-shopping tools. The smaller ecosystem helps keep a store lean, but it also makes a missing specialized feature more likely to require a workaround.
Shopify’s flexibility can become a liability if a store depends on too many paid apps. Before installing one, ask whether the feature is already included, what it costs after any free period, whether it affects checkout or site speed, and who supports it if something breaks.
Who should choose Big Cartel?
Choose Big Cartel if most of these statements describe your business:
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- You mainly sell your own art, apparel, prints, crafts, or digital products.
- You want the lowest practical fixed cost.
- You prefer a small number of setup decisions.
- Your brand is driven by product photography and a straightforward storefront.
- You do not need sophisticated inventory, wholesale, subscriptions, complex discounts, or multi-location retail.
- You can manage occasional international orders through your payment and shipping setup.
- You are comfortable adding an integration if a marketing or fulfillment feature is missing.
Big Cartel is particularly compelling for a creator validating demand. Just remember that saving on the monthly subscription can eventually be outweighed by workaround costs, manual administration, or the disruption of migrating to another platform.
Who should choose Shopify?
Choose Shopify if any of these requirements are likely within the next 12 to 24 months:
- A large or rapidly changing catalog.
- Multiple online sales channels or marketplace synchronization.
- Unified online and physical inventory.
- Multiple stores, locations, or staff members.
- Advanced reporting, customer segmentation, or marketing automation.
- Bundles, subscriptions, complex product options, or sophisticated discounts.
- Localized currencies, translations, domains, duties, or international markets.
- Specialized apps, custom integrations, APIs, or developer support.
- A business where moving product, customer, order, review, and SEO data later would be costly.
Shopify is not only for large companies. Its Basic plan is positioned for solo entrepreneurs, but it may still provide more machinery than a five-product creator needs. The right reason to select Shopify is not prestige; it is a foreseeable need for breadth and operational depth.
Migration: switching is more than importing products
Big Cartel says sellers can import products from Etsy, Squarespace, and Shopify. That can be useful if you want to move to a simpler platform, but a product import is not a complete business migration.
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Before switching, audit:
- Customer records and consent status.
- Order history and accounting records.
- Product URLs, redirects, and search rankings.
- Reviews and review-media files.
- Discount codes and gift cards.
- Subscriptions and recurring-payment relationships.
- Blog posts, email lists, analytics history, and tracking tags.
- Inventory mappings, tax settings, shipping rules, and custom integrations.
Migration risk is one reason to choose based on your expected business trajectory rather than only the first month’s price.
When neither platform is the right fit
- Etsy: Worth considering when built-in marketplace discovery matters more than owning a standalone storefront.
- Squarespace: A possible fit for a content-led brand site with lighter commerce requirements.
- Wix: Useful when visual site-building flexibility is the priority.
- WooCommerce: A flexible option for people willing to manage WordPress hosting, updates, security, and maintenance.
- BigCommerce: Worth investigating when you want substantial built-in commerce functionality and a different fee structure.
These alternatives solve different mismatches; they are not automatically cheaper or easier.
Final recommendation
For a five-product artist or maker shop, start with Big Cartel. Its free plan and low-cost paid tiers are difficult to justify replacing with Shopify when the business does not need Shopify’s larger system.
For a store intended to become a serious multi-channel ecommerce operation, start with Shopify. Its higher subscription is easier to defend when it replaces separate tools, supports staff and inventory workflows, enables international expansion, or prevents an expensive migration.
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Make the decision around the next 12 to 24 months. Big Cartel minimizes overhead today; Shopify reduces the risk of outgrowing your platform tomorrow.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
