Big Cartel makes it easy for you to create a unique online store where artists and manufacturers can sell their creations. An alternative to selling on large online platforms like Etsy, Big Cartel is a free and intuitive e-commerce website builder that allows creative users to create their own online e-commerce presence. You can get started with Big Cartel’s Gold plan for free.
However, although Big Cartel is a good service, it may not suit the needs of some users. That is why here we offer you the Top 9 Best BigCartel Alternatives Compared so that you can choose the one that best suit your projects.
1.- Square – BigCartel Alternatives
Square’s free ecommerce website builder is perfect for businesses that want to sell both online and in person, in a retail setting, or at markets or fairs. With Square, you get a simple business website with unlimited product listings, a built-in payment system, and an easy-to-use website editor that makes building and managing your online store a breeze.
Square is completely free. There are no startups or monthly fees. Your only cost is Square’s credit card processing fee, which is 2.9% plus 30 cents for every online sale you make.
If you decide to take advantage of the advanced features of the Square Online Store, such as a custom domain, cost-per-shipment calculators, site statistics, and built-in shipping labels, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan. Square’s paid plans range from $15 to $45 per month which is a good alternative to BigCartel.
Pros
- It’s easy to use.
- Allows you to publish unlimited products in your store.
- It allows to promote free coupon codes.
- Square’s website builder automatically integrates with Square Payments.
- Offers advanced fraud protection.
Cons
- You are limited to using only Square Payments.
- Their free plan does not allow you to include product reviews.
2.- WooCommerce – BigCartel Alternatives
WooCommerce is the best free ecommerce website builder for WordPress users who want to host an online store on their website. It’s the most customizable free ecommerce website builder on this list, although it comes with a slightly steep learning curve. WooCommerce is a good solution for technical-savvy WordPress website owners or those who have developer support. But it is not that difficult either.
Unlike other ecommerce website builders on this list, WooCommerce is not a completely free solution if you don’t already have a WordPress site. In other words, it is not an independent e-commerce website platform since it must be linked to a website already developed in WordPress but if you already have one, then you can add it for free.
Pros
- Supports unlimited products.
- It integrates seamlessly with your WordPress website.
- It allows you to sell subscriptions, physical and digital products.
- It offers you an incredible variety of themes.
- Create a blog along with your WooCommerce store.
- Show reviews and ratings of products in your store.
- It allows you to accept a wide variety of payments.
Cons
- You must have a self-hosted WordPress site to run WooCommerce.
3.- FreeWebStore – BigCartel Alternatives
FreeWebStore is the best free ecommerce website builder for users who want lots of store layout options. It offers 45 stylish, modern and mobile-friendly store themes, each of which you can customize to create the look you want. Get up to 30 product listings in the free version. FreeWebStore is also compatible with many top-tier payment gateways and offers you free SSL throughout the site.
As for its pricing, FreeWebstore charges a 2% transaction fee per sale, in addition to the credit card payment processor fees. Plans paid with FreeWebStore range from $20 to $50 per month and allow you to add more product listings while lowering your transaction fees.
If you don’t need to list more than 30 products, the free account is all you need. However, it is always good to know that you can expand your site for a reasonable fee as it grows, that is why, FreeWebStore is a great alternative to BigCartel.
Pros
- It is easy to set up and use.
- Sell digital and physical products.
- Easily change the layout of your store.
- Includes a free Facebook store.
- Create a blog.
- Provide accurate shipping quotes.
- Helps you manage your inventory.
Cons
- You can only list 30 products for free.
- There is no built-in shipping label printing on the free plan.
- You also can’t embed social media icons on product pages.
4.- Ecwid – BigCartel Alternatives
Ecwid is the best site for marketers who want to add a free ecommerce store to their existing website. Ecwid provides a separate online store, but most users integrate free Ecwid stores into existing Wix, Weebly, or WordPress websites. You can even publish a store on multiple websites to sell through different brands online.
As for its price, it offers a free plan with which you can enter up to 10 products and you can launch an independent store or connect it to an existing website. In fact, if you have a Wix or Weebly website, Ecwid is the best way to add ecommerce features for free. Both Wix and Weebly offer these ecommerce features, but only with additional fees.
You’ll also find payment options ranging from $15 to $99 per month, although the company often offers promotions so you can save up to 30% off standard rates. Each level of the premium plan unlocks additional features, such as social media sales integrations, discount coupons, and even a mobile store app. It’s nice that they can be easily added as you grow by simply upgrading to a paid plan.
Pros
- It offers shared social networks and sales integrations.
- Sell simultaneously on multiple sites.
- Their free plan offers many sales tools and benefits.
- The free site includes built-in SSL.
- Integrates with the best shipping software to streamline order fulfillment and shipping processes.
Cons
- The free plan only allows you to list 10 products.
- You cannot sell digital products on the free plan.
5.- Strikingly – BigCartel Alternatives
With Strikingly you can create an ultra-modern website with e-commerce capabilities. You can only sell a single product or service in the free version, but that might be all you need to get started, still, it is another good alternative to BigaCartel.
In case you need to include more products on your ecommerce website, you can opt for one of Strikingly’s paid plans, ranging from USD $ 8 to USD $ 49 per month, billed annually. Each paid plan allows you to build your online store using more complex store features. If you plan to manage different brand lines, Strikingly’s multi-tier plans can be an inexpensive solution.
With Strikingly’s website editor, you can create a simple website in less than 30 minutes. You don’t need great technical skills or graphic designer talent to create an online store. Simple Store’s single page template is modern and you can add multiple content sections to market your services, your products, and your social media links.
Pros
- It is easy to set up and use.
- It helps you connect with site visitors.
- Includes 24/7 live chat.
- Includes built-in e-commerce functionality.
Cons
- It lacks shipping integrations.
- Its free plan only allows you to list a single product.
6.- MyOnlineStore – BigCartel Alternatives
MyOnlineStore is based in the European Union (EU) and is widely considered the best free e-commerce website builder for anyone focused on EU sales.
MyOnlineStore includes some notable sales features on its free e-commerce website. You get powerful built-in language translation for both site visitors and back-end administration. You can also sort your orders by language or country. Its design tools are top-notch and include a state-of-the-art drag-and-drop editor for easy customization.
It allows you to publish 25 products in its free version. Like many other free ecommerce website builders on this list, MyOnlineStore also offers paid versions, but unlike the others, the features are not limited in the free plan. You can access almost all the online sales tools, sales management, and site features in the free plan so this is another great BigCartel alternative.
The only thing you won’t get with the free plan is advanced search engine optimization (SEO) features. Paid plans range from € 24 to € 49 per month and allow you to enroll more products. They also come with dedicated customer support and a site-wide SSL certificate.
Pros
- It is ideal for international sales.
- Offers effective search engine optimization (SEO).
- It presents very nice designs.
- It is easy to set up and use.
- It offers affordable prices.
Cons
- It lacks the built-in icons for social media sharing.
7.- Shopify – BigCartel Alternatives
In the case of Shopify, this is ideal for those who have a medium or large company while BigCartel is more for those who are just starting out or small companies. Still, Shopify allows you to start from scratch although if you are not sure, you can try it for free for 14 days. As for what it offers, in case you still do not have a name for your online store, Shopify offers a name generator and in turn, a logo generator to give a graphic image to your company.
Also, here you can create a name or domain for your website and then, if you need dropshipping, you can implement it. But its service does not end here, you can also choose many themes and customize them and adapt to PC and mobile viewing.
With this platform you can sell physical products, courses, digital products, event tickets, services and more. To use it, you do not need to have technical knowledge, and it is ideal if you have a physical store and need to create a showcase on the internet.
Pros
- You can have an online store and a blog.
- You can create as many products as you want.
- Its free plan offers two free employee accounts.
- You can create purchase orders manually.
- All plans offer an SSL certificate for free.
- Recovery of abandoned carts.
- You can add apps to your store.
- It is available in different languages.
Cons
- For many, the price is still high.
- High commission per product transaction in the most basic plan.
- Store cannot be migrated. You can only use Shopify within their platform.
8.- Wix – BigCartel Alternatives
Wix is a system to make your first online sale by designing a virtual store in a very simple way and connecting the payment platforms without technical difficulties. Yes, the payment platforms accepted by Wix is its strong point since it accepts a large number of payment methods but in order to accept online payments you will have to upgrade from the free plan to the “eCommerce Plan”.
Wix Stores is a good option for people who do not have advanced computer skills or do not have the time to learn how to set up their own online store.
It meets all the characteristics that an individual entrepreneur or small online business may require in terms of online sales. It is an interesting option for all those who already have a physical business and are thinking of starting to sell online quickly without getting entangled with technical issues.
Pros
- You can create your online store using pre-designed and mobile ready templates.
- You will not need to know anything about programming or code.
- You can connect payment platforms such as PayPal and receive payments by credit card.
- It allows you to choose if you want to sell to the whole world, to a country or to several countries specifically.
- Offer a secure Checkout for you and your client.
Cons
- Advanced users should know that the online store will be on the Wix servers.
- It is intended only to sell physical products.
9.- Magento – BigCartel Alternatives
Magento is an opensource platform or framework for e-commerce, with which all kinds of projects and developments related to e-commerce can be carried out. This platform allows the construction of a totally personalized and tailored site so that you have absolute control over the functionalities and options of both the website and the sales channel.
It is a framework that is very focused on people with a certain level of knowledge about web design and development, unlike other creation methods for online stores such as BigCartel.
Pros
- Offer marketing tools.
- It has a control panel for the review of Reports, Statistics and reports about your store.
- Fully customizable and scalable design.
- It offers the possibility of choosing between multiple shipping methods for the products you offer.
- It allows you to administer and manage customer reviews and ratings on your website.
Cons
- You will need a server that is powerful.
- Its system can be difficult for some to understand.