Big Cartel vs Drip
This is a strange comparison because Big Cartel and Drip solve completely different problems. Big Cartel is a simple online store builder for artists. Drip is a powerful email marketing tool for e-commerce brands. Your choice depends entirely on whether you need a storefront or a marketing engine.
Simple Selling for Creative Beginners
Big Cartel excels as a straightforward, commission-free platform tailored specifically for independent artists needing an easy start. We find the generous free plan perfect for testing the waters, but limitations in advanced features and reported issues with support response times make scaling challenging. Overall, this is an excellent, affordable choice for hobbyists or new sellers who prioritize simplicity over complex functionality.
Pros
- Permanently free Gold plan is available for starters ($0).
- No sales commission taken (0% transaction fees).
- Simple, intuitive, and easy to set up for non-coders.
- Designed specifically for independent artists and makers.
Cons
- Platform functionality is limited, especially for scaling (max 500 products).
- Customer support response times can be painfully slow, sometimes taking hours.
- Users report recent platform instability and bugs.
- Paid plans are considered high value for the basic feature set provided.
Powerful for e-commerce, but check the support.
We find Drip to be a highly capable email automation platform built specifically for B2C e-commerce. Its visual builder and smart segmentation are standout features for creating personalized customer journeys. Overall, it's a strong choice for online brands, provided your team can manage the learning curve and verify support levels.
Pros
- Excellent visual workflow builder for automation
- Deep e-commerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce)
- Powerful, behavior-based segmentation tools
- Free migration for large lists (17,500+)
Cons
- Pricing can become expensive as contacts scale
- Some users report slow or inconsistent customer support
- Requires integration with compatible platforms
- Advanced features may have a learning curve
AboutBig Cartel
Big Cartel is an easy-to-use platform designed to help creatives turn their passion into profit. It’s where do-it-yourselfers go to become professionals.
This solution serves independent artists, bands, and makers of all types. Its diverse audience includes painters, jewelry makers, designers, printmakers, and photographers.
The goal is simple: give you the tools you need to sell your stuff and grow your shop. You’ll keep more of what you earn with straightforward pricing and no hidden fees.
AboutDrip
Drip is an email marketing automation platform built for B2C companies that sell online. Whether you're an e-commerce brand, a course creator, or a travel provider, it gives you the tools to move beyond generic newsletters. It's designed to be a powerful yet simple engine for driving revenue through personalization. 💡
Highlights
Feature Comparison
Features Overview
We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.
Core Purpose
Big Cartel builds your store. Drip automates your marketing.
Big Cartel is an e-commerce platform. It helps you list products, process payments, and manage a simple online shop. Think of it as your digital storefront. Drip is a marketing automation platform. It helps you send personalized emails, recover abandoned carts, and segment customers. Think of it as your marketing department. The key difference is fundamental. Big Cartel sells your products directly. Drip helps you market and sell through email. If you need a place to sell, choose Big Cartel. If you need to market better, choose Drip.
Pricing Structure
Big Cartel has simple flat rates. Drip's cost scales with your list size.
Big Cartel costs $0, $15, or $30 per month. You choose a plan based on how many products you list. You save 20% by paying annually. Drip's pricing starts at $39/month for up to 2,500 contacts. The cost increases as your email list grows. All plans include unlimited email sends. Big Cartel's cost is predictable and fixed. Drip's cost can grow quickly as your audience expands. For a small, growing catalog, Big Cartel is cheaper. For a large email list, Drip may cost more.
E-commerce Integration
Big Cartel is the store. Drip connects to your existing store.
Big Cartel is the platform where you list and sell products. It has a built-in mobile app for selling in person. Drip integrates deeply with platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce. It syncs customer and order data for smarter marketing. Big Cartel is a self-contained selling solution. Drip enhances an existing store with email power. You can't use Drip without a compatible store platform. Big Cartel is the store platform.
Email Marketing
Big Cartel has no email automation. Drip is built for it.
Big Cartel focuses on storefront management. It does not offer advanced email marketing or automation features. Drip's core strength is email automation. It offers a visual builder, behavior triggers, and smart segmentation. They claim customers using segments earn 5x more revenue. This is the biggest functional gap. Big Cartel handles the sale. Drip drives the sale through email. For any serious email marketing, Drip is the clear choice.
Ease of Setup
Big Cartel is famously simple. Drip requires store integration.
Big Cartel promises a four-step setup. You pick a template, add products, and start selling. It's designed for non-technical users. Drip requires you to connect a compatible e-commerce store first. Then you set up email workflows and segments. There's a learning curve. Big Cartel is faster to launch a basic shop. Drip takes more time to configure properly. If you want to sell today, Big Cartel is quicker.
Automation Power
Big Cartel has none. Drip automates your entire customer journey.
Big Cartel offers abandoned cart recovery only on its top Diamond plan. It has no broader automation capabilities. Drip provides automated workflows for browse abandonment, welcome series, post-purchase follow-ups, and more. It runs on autopilot. This is a major advantage for Drip. It handles repetitive marketing tasks for you. Drip saves significant time and drives more revenue automatically.
Customer Support
Both have mixed reviews. Big Cartel prioritizes top-tier users. Drip offers live chat at higher tiers.
Big Cartel offers support from real humans. However, users report slow response times, sometimes hours. Diamond plan users get priority support. Drip reports a 97.3% satisfaction score. Live chat responds in under 2 minutes for $99+/month plans. Email replies in under 1.6 hours. Both have areas for improvement. Drip's support metrics are better on paper, but costs more for full access. Response speed seems more consistent with Drip's paid tiers.
Big Cartel costs between $0 and $30 per month with 3 plans: Gold at $0, Platinum at $15/month ($144 annually), and Diamond at $30/month ($288 annually).
Let's explore the details of each plan to find the right fit for your creative business.
Gold
Price: $0/month (It's free) Websites Supported: Not explicitly stated Best For: The basics to sell online Refund Policy: Not explicitly stated Other Features:
- 5 product listings
- One image per product
- Access to 1 template
- Accept cards, PayPal, & more
- 5 product listings
- 1 image per product
- Access to 1 template
- Accept cards, PayPal, Afterpay, & more
- Big Cartel mobile app for iOS & Android
- 50 product listings
- 5 images per product
- Access to template library
- Offer discounts & run promos
- Shipment tracking
- 500 product listings
- 25 images per product
- Access to template library
- Prioritized tech support
- Abandoned cart recovery
Drip pricing: Drip offers a flexible, usage-based subscription starting at $39/month for up to 2,500 people. Pricing scales based on your email list size and includes a 14-day free trial with no credit card required to start browsing its powerful automation tools tool and visual builder.
Your monthly cost increases as your audience grows, but you always get features like unlimited email sends and onsite campaigns. This ensures you only pay for what you actually use while accessing expert support and pre-built marketing playbooks right from the start.
You can cancel your subscription at any time within your billing settings if your business needs change. This model is specifically designed for e-commerce brands looking for deep segmentation and personalized customer journeys without enterprise-level complexity or hidden fees.
Pricing Notes
- Big Cartel's pricing is fixed and predictable based on product listings.
- Drip's cost increases directly with your number of active email contacts.
- Big Cartel has a permanently free plan (Gold) but no traditional trial.
- Drip offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
- For a large email list (e.g., 25,000 contacts), Drip's monthly cost will be significantly higher than Big Cartel's flat fee.
- Big Cartel charges 0% commission on sales. Drip's pricing is based on usage, not sales volume.
Pricing Head-to-Head
User Reviews
Big Cartel's external reviews are sharply divided, reflecting a highly polarized user base, resulting in a low Trustpilot rating (2.3). Many long-term users express deep frustration, citing recent unreliable platform development and high prices for what they consider limited functionality and a basic service (max 500 products).
Recurring negative themes include extremely slow customer support response times, with some users waiting hours for basic replies. Conversely, independent artists and new sellers highly praise the platform for its simplicity and ease of use.
I have used Big Cartel for years and it works perfectly for my artwork. I appreciate the 0% commission on sales, only paying the monthly fee. Their customer service has been quick and helpful whenever I needed it.
We found a mixed bag of user sentiment from Trustpilot, as the Capterra link was inaccessible. Reviews praise Drip's powerful automation and segmentation for driving revenue, with many noting its ease of use for e-commerce.
💡 On the downside, several users report frustration with customer support responsiveness and occasional platform glitches. Pricing is frequently cited as a concern, with some feeling the cost can escalate quickly as contacts grow.
Drip's automation tools are top-notch. We set up abandoned cart sequences that really boosted our recovery rate. The visual builder makes it easy to see the customer journey.
Our Verdict
This isn't a direct fight. Big Cartel and Drip serve completely different needs. Big Cartel is your simple digital storefront. Drip is your sophisticated email marketing machine. Big Cartel's superpower is effortless selling. You can launch a free shop in minutes. It's perfect for artists who want to focus on creating, not tech. Drip's superpower is automated revenue. Its email workflows and segmentation work in the background. It's designed to turn browsers into repeat buyers. The deciding factor is your core problem. Do you need a place to list and sell products? Choose Big Cartel. Do you need to market better to an existing audience? Choose Drip. For a solo artist just starting, Big Cartel is the clear, affordable launchpad. For an established e-commerce brand ready to scale with email automation, Drip is the powerful tool you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Big Cartel and Drip together?
Yes. Big Cartel handles your product sales. Drip can connect to your Big Cartel store (if supported) or another platform to manage email marketing. They solve different parts of the e-commerce puzzle.
Which is cheaper for a small business?
Big Cartel is almost certainly cheaper. Its free plan and $15/month tier beat Drip's starting price of $39/month. Drip's cost grows as your email list grows.
Is Drip worth the cost over Big Cartel?
It depends on your need. If you need advanced email automation to drive sales, Drip's features can provide a strong return. If you just need a simple store, Drip is overkill and more expensive.
Does Big Cartel have email marketing features?
Big Cartel has basic email features for order confirmations. It lacks marketing automation, segmentation, and campaign tools. For serious email marketing, you need a tool like Drip.
Can I migrate my products from Big Cartel to another platform?
Yes. Big Cartel supports product imports from Shopify, Etsy, and Squarespace. You can use this to test Big Cartel before moving to a different storefront.
Which platform is better for recovering abandoned carts?
Drip is better. It includes abandoned cart automation in all plans. Big Cartel only offers this feature on its top-tier Diamond plan ($30/month).
Ready to Choose?
Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.