5 Best BigCartel alternatives for growing online stores

BigCartel is great for artists and small businesses. It becomes restrictive once you have more visitors to your store, more items, and actual growth.

If you require more SEO, checkout control, marketing, or scalability, a platform change is a good idea. The correct platform will enable you to sell more without increasing the daily friction.

This guide showcases the 5 best BigCartel alternatives for expanding online businesses, with reasons to make the switch and which platform is best suited for each.

Quick comparison: BigCartel alternatives

What to look for in a BigCartel alternative

Here’s what to check when considering BigCartel alternatives, with a focus on the most important areas that enable store expansion:

Scalability and product limits

• Unlimited Products: The first reason to abandon BigCartel is its restrictive product limit (5 to 50 products). The best substitute should provide unlimited products from the very start, even for the basic package.
• Inventory Management: Search for advanced features that monitor inventory levels, handle product variations (e.g., size and color), and support mass imports and edits, which are essential as your inventory size increases.

Pricing and transaction fees

• Platform Fees vs. Payment Fees: Understand the difference. All platforms charge standard credit card processing fees (about 2.9% + 30¢).

The best alternatives do not have any additional transaction fees (such as Shopify’s 2% fee for not using its payment gateway or Squarespace’s 3% fee on its lowest e-commerce plan).

• Transparent Pricing Tiers: Avoid platforms that charge hidden fees or have a sharp price jump once you exceed a certain level of sales revenue (as with BigCommerce and Sellfy). You want to be able to budget accordingly.

Marketing and sales tools

BigCartel provides discount codes. That is it. For growing businesses, there are many needs, including abandoned cart recovery, email marketing, customer segmentation, and upselling functionality.

Search for features that boost sales and help cut costs on additional apps.

Abandoned Cart Recovery: Automatically emails customers who left items in their cart.

Email Marketing Integration: Seamlessly syncs customer lists for newsletters.

Discounts & Coupons: Robust flexibility in offering promotions (e.g., BOGO, free shipping codes).

Multi-channel and international selling

Selling on Instagram, TikTok, Amazon, or eBay? You need seamless integrations. BigCartel doesn’t support multi-channel selling well. 

A growing store needs to sell where its customers shop. Look for one-click integrations with:

Social Media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Shops, Pinterest)

Marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Etsy)

As you scale internationally, you need features such as multi-currency display, automatic tax calculations (VAT and sales tax), and shipping profiles for different regions.

Ease of use vs customization

BigCartel is nice and simple, but ultimately pretty limiting. The alternative you choose needs to hit that balance between ease of use and customization:

• Ease of Use: With a clean, intuitive dashboard, setting up is easy, leaving more of your time to do what’s most important: selling.
• Customization (Design & Function): The flexibility to adjust a store design using a code-free “drag and drop” editor is an important feature. For a customer with higher requirements, it is critical to determine whether the platform offers a comprehensive app store or the ability to customize via code or CSS edits.

1. Shopify – Best for scalable, multi-channel growth

Shopify is the best all-in-one commerce solution, designed to help you grow your business from the first sale to sales of millions. It has a robust backend system for inventory, shipping, and payment processing, unlike BigCartel’s basic functions.

It is perfect for serious businesses looking to automate their operations to market to all platforms: social media, marketplaces, and web, without technical issues. 

Main Features

• Unlimited Products: Sell an infinite number of digital or physical goods with variant support (size, color, material).
• Omnichannel Selling: Built-in integrations to sell directly on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, and eBay.
• Abandoned Cart Recovery: Automatically emails customers who leave without checking out to recover lost sales.
• App Ecosystem: Access to over 8,000 apps for reviews, dropshipping, loyalty programs, and advanced design.

Pricing

The starting price for the basic plan is $16/mo (billed yearly) or $22/mo (billed monthly). 

2. BigCommerce – Best for high-volume sellers with no transaction fees

BigCommerce is a powerful “open SaaS” platform built for established businesses that need enterprise-level features out of the box. It stands out by allowing you to use your preferred payment provider without penalty fees. 

It offers more native features than Shopify, meaning you rely less on paid apps, though the learning curve is slightly steeper.

Main Features

• Zero Transaction Fees: Use PayPal, Stripe, or Square without paying an extra percentage to the platform.
• Single-Page Checkout: optimized checkout process designed to increase conversion rates.
• Real-Time Shipping Quotes: Built-in integrations with major carriers (USPS, UPS, FedEx) to show accurate rates.
• Multi-Currency Support: Automatically show prices in the customer’s local currency.

Pricing

The starting price is $29/mo (billed yearly) or $39/mo (billed monthly). Limit: $50k sales/year.

WiserReview is a review management platform that helps BigCartel stores collect authentic customer feedback and display it where buyers make decisions. It uses easy embed codes and requires no integration.

3. Squarespace – Best for design-first online stores

Squarespace is the go-to choice for creatives, artists, and photographers who prioritize visual aesthetics above all else. Its award-winning templates ensure your store looks like a high-end boutique from day one. 

While it started as a website builder, its commerce features are now robust enough for most small- to medium-sized businesses selling physical or service-based products.

Main Features

• Drag-and-Drop Builder: The “Fluid Engine” editor allows precise placement of elements without code.
• Integrated Email Marketing: Send on-brand newsletters and product announcements directly from the dashboard.
• Scheduling Tools: Built-in ability to sell appointments, classes, or consultations alongside products.
• Inventory Management: Easy tools to track stock, manage backorders, and print shipping labels.
• Social Media Integration: Sync products to Facebook and Instagram for shoppable posts.

Pricing

The starting price is $16/mo (billed yearly) or $25/mo (billed monthly). 

4. Wix – Best for beginners and budget-conscious sellers

Wix gives you total creative freedom with an unstructured editor that lets you place text, images, and buttons anywhere. It is perfect for beginners who want a unique site quickly. 

Its e-commerce plans (“Core” and above) are packed with value, offering features like abandoned cart recovery and dropshipping integration that often cost extra on other platforms.

Main Features

• Wix Stores: A native e-commerce engine to manage products, orders, and payments.
• Wix ADI (AI Design): Artificial Intelligence that can build a custom store for you in minutes based on your answers.
• Multichannel Inventory: Sync inventory with Amazon, eBay, and social shops.
• Wix App Market: Huge library of free and paid widgets (chatbots, pop-ups, loyalty programs).
• Automated Sales Tax: Calculates sales tax automatically for transactions.

Pricing

The basic plan starts at $17/mo, and the core plan is $29/mo. 

5. Sellfy – Best for creators and digital product sellers

Sellfy is the most straightforward solution and is designed specifically with the transfer of digital products (ebooks, music, presets) and print-on-demand merchandise.

As a YouTuber, musician, or visual artist trying to sell merchandise without having to physically handle it, Sellfy is a solution that takes care of printing and shipping for you.  

Main Features

• Digital Product Hosting: Securely host files up to 10GB and automatically deliver download links to buyers.
• Built-in Print-on-Demand: Create custom apparel/mugs; Sellfy prints and ships them when orders come in.
• Video Streaming: Sell video on demand (rentals) or subscriptions directly from your store.
• Embed Options: “Buy Now” buttons and product cards you can embed on any other website or blog.
• Marketing Tools: Built-in email marketing and discount code generation.

Pricing

The starter plan is of $22/month, or $29/month (billed monthly), Limited to $10k sales/year.

Wrap up

BigCartel is a good start, but it will hold you back as your business grows.

Platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Wix, and Sellfy offer you more control, better sales tools, and the ability to scale.

The best choice depends on your aim. Use Shopify or BigCommerce for business and multi-channel selling, Squarespace or Wix for design and simplicity, or Sellfy if digital goods are your core business.

Regardless of which platform you choose, reviews are still the driving force behind trust and conversions. WiserReview is a tool that enables you to manage customer reviews for your store, so your growth platform and social proof work in harmony.