Big Cartel vs soona
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Best for: Hobbyist makers — jewelry creators, printmakers, crafters — launching their first online shop on the free $0/month plan, Bands and musicians who want to sell merchandise directly to fans without paying for retail features they won't use
Read the full Big Cartel reviewBest for: Ecommerce brands that need a steady flow of product photos, videos, and UGC, Amazon and Shopify sellers who want listing-ready assets without manual formatting
Read the full soona reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
Big Cartel vs soona: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose Big Cartel if
- You need a storefront, not content production.
Choose soona if
- You need listing-ready photos and videos in 24-72 hours.
- You sell on Amazon or Shopify and run Meta ads.
- You want unlimited usage rights and live shoot approval.
Big Cartel vs soona: pros and cons
Big Cartel
Big Cartel strips ecommerce back to the basics artists actually need: a customizable storefront, product listings, order management, and flat pricing from $0 to $90 a month with no hidden fees. The intentionally minimal toolset and $90/month ceiling mean big catalogs will outgrow it. Overall, it's a low-risk launchpad for creative side hustles and first shops.
Pros
- A free plan at $0 per month lets you open a real store with no upfront investment, which is rare among ecommerce platforms
- Flat monthly pricing from $0 to $90 with no hidden fees keeps costs predictable instead of fluctuating with your sales
- The interface is simple enough for non-technical creatives to launch a shop quickly without developer help
Cons
- The feature set is intentionally minimal, so sellers who need advanced shipping rules, marketing automation, or a large app ecosystem may outgrow it
- The $90 per month top plan is the pricing ceiling, and high-volume stores with large catalogs may find better value on platforms built for scale
- Third-party review coverage is thin, which makes it harder to benchmark long-term user satisfaction before committing
soona promises agency-style product content without the wait: you join shoots live, approve selects on the spot, and get edits back in 24-72 hours. Just remember production costs stack on top of every plan, and there's no free trial to test the waters. Overall, it's a smart pick for ecommerce brands that shoot often and want speed.
Pros
- Turnaround of 24-72 hours versus the 2-6 weeks typical of traditional shoots, with Standard plan members receiving free premium edits and assets within 24 hours
- Join shoots remotely from the platform and approve selects in real time, so you can redirect the photographer on the spot instead of requesting paid reshoots later
- Unlimited usage rights and royalty-free models are included on every asset, eliminating per-channel licensing fees when reusing content
Cons
- Production costs are excluded from every plan—members still pay $39 per photo, $93 per video clip, and models/styling from $79 per hour, so costs scale quickly with shoot volume
- Memberships bill annually and no free trial or money-back guarantee is advertised on the pricing page, so evaluating quality requires paying for at least one $149 Studio pass
- The workflow depends on attending live shoots and approving selects in real time, which doesn't suit teams wanting fully hands-off production
Big Cartel and soona in detail
Big Cartel
Big Cartel is a hosted ecommerce website builder designed for DIY makers and artists. It provides the core tools of an online store — product listings, a customizable storefront, and order management — in a package simple enough for someone with no technical background. The platform's entire focus is helping independent creatives sell their goods and grow from a first sale into a sustainable shop.
Standout features
- Customizable Storefront Themes
- Product and Inventory Management
- Order Management
- Built for Creative Sellers
Use cases
- Launching a First Shop for Handmade Goods
- Selling Band Merchandise Directly to Fans
- Selling Art Prints and Photography
- Testing a Side Hustle Before Going Professional
soona
soona is an all-in-one creative platform for ecommerce brands. It handles photo, video, and UGC production in one place.
You plan a shoot, select models, and join the live session remotely. Photographers shoot while you approve selects in real time.
Standout features
- Plan a shoot in minutes, not days
- Join live and approve selects in real time
- 24-hour edits, ready for every channel
- Photo, video & UGC in one platform
- Optimize with AI and performance analytics
Use cases
- Refresh Amazon & Shopify listings
- Launch new SKUs fast
- Keep Meta ads fresh
- Replace agency shoots on a small team
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | Big Cartel | soona |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | $15/mo Tools to grow your sales | $13/mo Basic membership |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| Money-back guarantee | Not stated | Not stated |
| Annual billing savings | — | — |
| Pricing model | Flat price | Flat price |
| Cost for 1 user | $15/mo Tools to grow your sales plan, billed monthly | $13/mo Basic membership plan, billed annually |
| Cost for 5 users | $15/mo Tools to grow your sales plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $13/mo Basic membership plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 10 users | $15/mo Tools to grow your sales plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $13/mo Basic membership plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 25 users | $15/mo Tools to grow your sales plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $13/mo Basic membership plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Plans | 3 | 4 |
| Prices checked | Checked Oct 12, 2026 | Checked Oct 13, 2026 |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. | Tracking prices since Sep 8, 2026. No price change detected yet. |
- Cheapest plan that fits each team size. Per-user plans are multiplied by the number of users (respecting stated minimums and seat packs). Plans that include some users cost their base price plus the extra-user price for each user beyond those included. Flat-priced plans with no stated user limit are counted as one licence per user.
Cheaper for your team size
Not enough published prices to compare team costs: check each vendor's pricing page.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.
More comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Which tool has better integrations?
soona connects with Amazon, Shopify, Canva, and Walmart on every plan. Big Cartel's integrations aren't detailed in available sources, so that's unknown.