Big Cartel vs WooCommerce
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Quick verdict: Pick Big Cartel if you're an artist wanting a simple, commission-free shop; choose WooCommerce if you need deep customization and room to scale without limits.
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: Existing WordPress site owners who want to add a full store without leaving their current CMS or learning a separate admin., Businesses that need complete ownership of their data, code, and hosting choices rather than a rented SaaS storefront.
Read the full WooCommerce reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
Big Cartel vs WooCommerce: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose Big Cartel if
- You're an artist or maker selling a small catalog.
- You hate transaction fees and hidden charges.
Choose WooCommerce if
- You need unlimited customization with no product ceiling.
- You want to sell on Amazon and TikTok too.
- You're comfortable with WordPress and technical upkeep.
Big Cartel vs WooCommerce: 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
WooCommerce
WooCommerce gives you a free, open-source store that runs inside WordPress, with full control over data, code, and hosting. It's deeply extensible, but you'll handle security, backups, and performance yourself, and hosting plus extension costs add up. Overall, it's a strong pick for WordPress users who value ownership over turnkey convenience.
Pros
- The core plugin is free and open source, so the software itself costs nothing and the code can be audited or modified freely.
- Runs on WordPress, giving stores the CMS's editor, theme system, SEO plugins, and huge third-party ecosystem in one admin.
- You own the store outright — catalog, customer data, and order history live in your own database on hosting you choose and control.
Cons
- Self-hosted means you are responsible for hosting, security, updates, backups, and performance tuning — there is no turnkey managed environment.
- Costs beyond the free core accumulate quickly — hosting, premium themes, and paid extensions each add fees, and combined plan spending can range up to roughly $99,693 for large-scale setups.
- Troubleshooting often involves plugin or theme conflicts, and support is thinner than the bundled, vendor-backed help that dedicated SaaS platforms include in their plans.
Big Cartel and WooCommerce 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
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a free, open-source ecommerce platform distributed as a WordPress plugin. Once activated, it adds product management, cart and checkout, payment and shipping options, and order administration to an existing WordPress installation. Functionality is extended through an official marketplace of free and paid extensions, and the codebase can be audited or modified by anyone. Stores can be as simple as a few physical products or as complex as subscription, membership, and wholesale operations.
Standout features
- Open-Source Core Built on WordPress
- Flexible Product and Catalog Management
- Payments, Shipping, and Taxes
- Extension Marketplace and Developer Extensibility
Use cases
- Launching a First Online Store
- Adding Commerce to an Existing WordPress Site
- Content-Led Commerce
- Custom and Headless Commerce Projects
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | Big Cartel | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | $15/mo Tools to grow your sales | $2.42/mo Extensions: Add à la carte |
| 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/moCheaper Tools to grow your sales plan, billed monthly | $25/mo Hosting: Choose your provider plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 5 users | $15/mo Tools to grow your sales plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $25/mo Hosting: Choose your provider plan, billed monthly · 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) | $25/mo Hosting: Choose your provider plan, billed monthly · 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) | $25/mo Hosting: Choose your provider plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Plans | 3 | 3 |
| Prices checked | Checked Oct 24, 2026 | Checked Oct 24, 2026 |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. | Tracking prices since Oct 16, 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
For 1 user (billed monthly), Big Cartel costs $15/mo vs WooCommerce at $25/mo.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell more than 500 products?
Not on Big Cartel; its Diamond plan caps you at 500 listings. WooCommerce has no platform limits, so scaling depends only on your hosting capacity.
Which one is easier for beginners?
Big Cartel. Its four-step setup and code-free templates get you selling fast. WooCommerce's open-source flexibility demands more technical know-how and ongoing maintenance.