Disclosure: We sometimes use affiliate links in our content, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. This helps us offset the costs of paying our writing team and keeping this website running. Thanks for your support!
It’s no secret that online stores have taken over the world. A recent study found that global eCommerce sales will reach $4 trillion by 2021. With such a high demand for online shopping, it’s no surprise that there are now more options than ever before when choosing an online store builder.
So, which one is the best option for your business? In this blog post, we’ll compare Shopify and Big Cartel to help you decide which platform is right for you.
What is Shopify?
Shopify was founded in 2006 by Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake. It is a Canadian eCommerce platform that provides online store builders and shopping cart software. Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms on the market, with over a million active users.
It’s simple to use, and there are tons of templates and themes to choose from, so you can create a store that looks exactly the way you want. Plus, Shopify comes with built-in features like payment processing, shipping tools, and SEO optimization so you can start selling right away.
Shopify also has a massive community of users who are always happy to help out. If you ever have any questions or need help setting up your store, the Shopify team is always available to provide support.
What is Big Cartel?
Big Cartel was founded in 2005 by Matt Wigham and Jacob Thames. It is an American eCommerce company that provides online store builders for artists and small businesses. Big Cartel is designed specifically for small business owners, with a focus on simplicity and ease of use.
There are only a few templates to choose from, but they are all very sleek and modern. Plus, Big Cartel comes with features like payment processing, order management, and shipping labels so you can start selling right away.
Related: Samcart Review: How to 3X Your Revenue?
Shopify Vs Big Cartel: Pricing
Shopify pricing plans: Basic, Shopify, and Advanced. The Basic plan starts at $29 per month and includes a limited number of features. The Shopify plan starts at $79 per month and includes all of the features of the Basic plan plus a few extra options. Finally, the Advanced plan starts at $299 per month and includes all of the features of the Shopify plan plus even more options.
Shopify Payments and pay no transaction fee. If you choose an external payment gateway, there will be additional 2%, 1%, or 0.5% fees for the Basic, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify plans, respectively.
Big Cartel pricing plans: Free, Platinum, Diamond. The free plan includes basic features like payment processing, order management, and shipping labels. If you’re looking for a platform with more features, you’ll need to upgrade to the paid plan, like Platinum (9.99$ per month) and Diamond (19.99$ per month).
Shopify Vs Big Cartel: Ease of Use
Shopify is straightforward to use, especially when compared to Big Cartel. With Shopify, you can easily create an online store and manage your products and customers from one central location. Additionally, Shopify offers a wide range of features that make it easy to customize your store and cater to your specific needs.
Big cartel is also as easy to use as Shopify. It offers tons of features that make it easier to manage your store, such as the ability to create and manage discounts. However, it lacks many of the features that Shopify offers. Additionally, big cartel doesn’t have nearly as many themes and plugins available, making it more challenging to customize your store.
Overall, Shopify is the better option for those looking for an easy-to-use platform with a wide range of features and customization options. If you’re willing to put in the extra effort, the big cartel can be a decent option, but it’s not nearly as user-friendly as Shopify.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel: Web Design
Shopify has a huge selection of templates and themes to choose from, making it easy for you to create a Shopify store that looks exactly the way you want. Shopify’s templates are all very sleek and modern, making your store look professional and up-to-date.
Big Cartel does not have nearly as many templates or themes to choose from. While the available templates are all very sleek and modern, there isn’t as much variety as Shopify. Additionally, many of Big Cartel’s themes are designed specifically for artists or small businesses, which may not be a good fit for your business.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel: Payment Processing
Both Shopify and Big Cartel come with built-in payment processing, so you can start selling right away. However, Shopify has more options when it comes to payment processing. You can use Shopify to accept payments through PayPal, Stripe, Square, and more. Shopify Payments pricing is 2.7 percent per transaction for in-person transactions and 2.9 percent plus 30 cents per transaction for online purchases, with discounts available by upgrading your subscription plan.
Big Cartel only supports two payment options: Stripe and PayPal. Because these are third-party services, you’ll need to create a Stripe or PayPal account to start taking payments. Still, you may select to utilize both processors to allow your consumers to pay using whichever processor they choose. You’ll need to use Stripe to take payments.
There are no transaction costs with Big Cartel. Instead, you’ll only be charged the charges levied by your processor. Stripe transaction fees, for example, start at 2.9 percent plus 30 cents per transaction for online transactions. The expenses for PayPal begin at 3.49 percent plus 49 cents for each transaction.
Big Cartel Vs Shopify: SEO Optimization
Seo is an essential part of the online world and an eCommerce store. Shopify is the clear winner when it comes to SEO optimization. With Shopify, you can optimize your store for search engines with just a few clicks of the mouse. Additionally, Shopify offers built-in tools that help you improve your website’s ranking and attract more consumers.
Big Cartel does not offer any SEO optimization features. This means that you’ll need to put in extra effort to make sure your store is visible to consumers who are searching for products like yours. If you’re looking for a platform to help you improve your website’s SEO ranking, then Shopify is the better choice.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel: Add-Ons and Integrations
Shopify offers a huge range of add-ons and integrations, making it easy to connect your store with the tools you need to succeed. For example, you can use Shopify to connect with email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, accounting software like QuickBooks, and more. In addition, you can use Shopify App Store to download Free and Paid Ecommerce plugins to grow your business and improve your Marketing and Sales.
Big Cartel app store also enables you to connect with over 500 integrations that range from email marketing to customer support and a variety of other services. To boost sales, you can connect your store to the Facebook Shop, MailChimp, Instagram, ShipRobot, and other social networks. Although, the big cartel does not have nearly as many add-ons and integrations available on Shopify’s app store.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel: Community and Support
Shopify has a huge community of users who are always happy to help out. If you ever have any questions or need help setting up your store, the Shopify team is always available to provide support.
Big Cartel also has a supportive community of users. However, it doesn’t come close to matching the size and scope of Shopify’s community. Both Big Cartel and Shopify provide a wealth of support material, including frequently asked questions, instructional articles, video lessons, and developer documentation.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel: Abandoned Cart Recovery
Abandoned cart recovery is a feature that allows you to recover lost sales by sending customers who abandon their shopping carts an email reminder about their unfinished purchases.
Shopify comes with built-in abandoned cart recovery, so you can automatically send reminders to customers who abandon their shopping carts. Big Cartel does not have this feature, which is a significant drawback of Big Cartel.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel: Product Uploads
The inventory on Shopify is impressive. You can add single items or bulk upload, and there’s no limit to the number of goods you may include on your site. This makes it more scalable than Big Cartel in terms of scalability.
On the other hand, Small enterprises may profit from Big Cartel store by selling single components. You can offer up to five items on the free plan, while the most expensive subscription allows you to sell up to 500 items. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to mass upload items, so you must enter each one separately. Therefore, Big Cartel is unsuitable for large or expanding companies due to combined factors.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel: Social Media Integration
Shopify provides over 80 distinct app integrations for popular social media networks like Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp. It should be helpful to everyone who needs to interact with customers on social networks and a website.
The app integrations for Big Cartel users are a little more restricted. Still, they handle significant functions: you’ll be able to create a Facebook Store with Big Cartel integration and Instagram shopping advertisements.
Other applications from the web automation service Zapier may also link Big Cartel members to Twitter, MailChimp, and WordPress, among other platforms.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel: Sales Features
For its sales characteristics, Shopify came in first. It not only accepts online payments, but it also has over 100 payment options to pick from! It also has a large app market to add whatever you want to your eCommerce site.
Here are the core eCommerce features available with Shopify:
- Unlimited products Uploads
- Discount codes
- Team accounts
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Finance reports
- Customer support
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Mobile POS
In terms of functionality, Big Cartel fell short. Its capabilities are better suited to enterprises that deal with a small number of items. This is in stark contrast to Shopify’s scalable architecture, which caters to everything from small merchants to major companies.
Below are the eCommerce features available with Big Cartel:
- Up to 25, 100, or 500 products, depending on the plan
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Discount codes
- Free themes
- Bulk editing
- Inventory tracking
- Shipment tracking
- Google Analytics
Shopify Vs Big Cartel: Shipping Options
When it comes to shipping, Shopify and Big Cartel both offer various options. For example, with Shopify, you can use the built-in shipping calculator to get real-time quotes from major carriers, or you can connect your store to a third-party shipping provider.
Big Cartel also offers a shipping calculator and the ability to connect to a third-party shipping provider. However, Big Cartel’s shipping options are more limited than Shopify’s.
Overall, Shopify is the better option for more comprehensive shipping options.
Related: Best Softwares for Small Business
Final Thoughts
Shopify is the better option for those looking for a more comprehensive eCommerce solution. It is more scalable, has more sales features, and offers more shipping options. On the other hand, Big Cartel is better suited for small businesses that deal with a limited number of products.
Do you have any experience with Shopify or Big Cartel? Let us know in the comments below!
