# Alternatives to Big Cartel Simple stores for artists. Big Cartel ranks #5 of 9 in E-commerce platforms, with an Alt Score of 78. It is proprietary, freemium from $15/month and available on Web, iOS and Android. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/big-cartel/ Category: E-commerce platforms ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Independent artists, makers, and small creative businesses (jewelry makers, illustrators, bands, printmakers, etc.) who want to sell online without technical or design skills. - **What you get**: A hosted online store with customizable templates, support for physical goods, digital products, print-on-demand, and in-person sales, plus built-in tools for discounts, payments, analytics, and social media integration. A free tier is available alongside paid plans with more products and features. - **How it works**: Sign up, pick a store template, add products (or import them from another platform), configure shipping and payment settings, then promote the store to start selling. ## Profile - **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-10) - **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-10) - **Starts at**: $15/month (verified 2026-07-10) - **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-10) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [Medusa](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/medusa.md) | 91 | MIT | Web | | 2 | [WooCommerce](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/woocommerce.md) | 91 | GPL-3.0 | Web | | 3 | [BigCommerce](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bigcommerce.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Web | | 4 | [Saleor](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/saleor.md) | 82 | BSD-3-Clause | Web | | 5 | [OpenCart](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/opencart.md) | 78 | GPL-3.0 | Web | | 6 | [PrestaShop](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/prestashop.md) | 78 | OSL-3.0 | Web | | 7 | [Shopify](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/shopify.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | | 8 | [Adobe Commerce](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/adobe-commerce.md) | 73 | OSL-3.0 | Web | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | E-commerce platforms checklist | Big Cartel | Medusa | WooCommerce | BigCommerce | Saleor | OpenCart | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Freemium | OSS + paid hosting | OSS + paid hosting | Subscription | OSS + paid hosting | Free | | Starts at | $15/month | $29/mo (Medusa Cloud Develop plan) | ? | $29/month | $1,599/mo | ? | | License | Proprietary | MIT | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-3.0 | | Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web | Web | Web | Web | Web | | Hosted vs self-hosted | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | | Transaction fees | No | No | No | No | Partial | No | | Themes & storefront customization | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | | Payment gateways | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Multi-currency & tax | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Inventory management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Headless API | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | | App / plugin ecosystem | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Digital products | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | POS integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ## Sources Sources for Big Cartel. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **License**: Proprietary — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “C. Proprietary Rights and License” - **Pricing model**: Freemium — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Try selling online with zero risk” - **Starts at**: $15/month — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “$15/mo” - **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Big Cartel is an easy-to-use ecommerce platform where do-it-yourselfers turn their passion into profit with all the tools you need to start and scale your online store, right in one place.” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “© 2026 Big Cartel, LLC” - **Hosted vs self-hosted**: No — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “myawesomeshop.bigcartel.com” - **Transaction fees**: No — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “No Big Cartel transaction fees” - **Themes & storefront customization**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “A Big Cartel theme consists of 9 built-in pages and is made up of HTML, CSS, Javascript, and a combination of filters and variables.” - **Payment gateways**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Big Cartel integrates with Stripe and PayPal, allowing you to offer multiple payment options to your customers.” - **Multi-currency & tax**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “To ensure that our platform is accessible to businesses across the globe, we've made it a priority to offer a wide range of supported currencies.” - **Inventory management**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Put away your spreadsheets and Post-it Notes, Big Cartel's inventory tracking makes inventory management easier.” - **Headless API**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Integrate Big Cartel into an existing application or service, create an add-on to extend our core features, or code something up you'd like in your own shop.” - **App / plugin ecosystem**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “These add-ons, apps, extensions, and integrations from Big Cartel and a few friends will help you get the most out of your shop.” - **Digital products**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Buyers get an instant download link when they purchase.” - **POS integration**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Accept card payments in person (iOS)” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/