Big Cartel vs Shopify Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| Big Cartel | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $15/mo | $39/mo |
| Number of plans | 2 | 4 |
| Free plan | — | |
| Free trial | ||
| Pricing model | flat-rate | flat-rate |
Platinum
Popular- Support for custom domains
- Sell physical and digital products
- Print shipping labels and track orders
- Customize your shop design
- Easy-install apps for print-on-demand & more
Diamond
- Recover abandoned carts
- Schedule product drops
- Password-protect products
- Connect to 7,000+ apps with Zapier
- Priority support from humans
Basic
- Sell online, in person, and in AI chats
- Card rates from 2.9% + 30¢ USD
- Built-in AI assistant
- Millions of tokens
- Earn up to $5,000 in credits
Grow
- Card rates from 2.7% + 30¢ USD
- Up to 5 staff accounts
- Up to 87% off shipping
- Earn up to $7,500 in credits
Advanced
- Card rates from 2.5% + 30¢ USD
- Up to 15 staff accounts
- Live 3rd-party shipping rates
- Tailor your store by region
- Earn up to $10,000 in credits
Plus
- Card rates from 2.25% + 30¢ USD
- Unlimited staff accounts
- Fully customizable checkout
- Up to 200 POS Pro locations
- Unlimited B2B catalogs
- Priority 24/7 phone support
Big Cartel vs Shopify FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- Big Cartel starts lower at $15/mo, compared to $39/mo for Shopify.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Big Cartel has a free plan. Shopify doesn't — though they do offer a free trial.
- How do they charge?
- Both use a flat-rate model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Big Cartel: This is budget territory compared to Shopify or BigCommerce — Big Cartel is explicitly courting indie artists and small-batch makers who'd bounce off a $39+/mo Shopify plan. They're not trying to win enterprise or even serious mid-size retail; they're the low-commitment option for someone testing if their craft can be a business. Shopify: Shopify sits mid-to-premium against BigCommerce and WooCommerce, banking on ecosystem lock-in (apps, themes, Shop Pay) rather than being the cheapest checkout in town. The $1/month-for-3-months trial hook is clearly aimed at poaching indecisive sellers from Wix or Squarespace before they even compare real pricing.
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