Big Cartel and Shopify are two popular website builders in the eCommerce industry. They offer users valuable features and tools to build their own eCommerce stores to sell different products and services. But which platform is best for your business?
In this Big Cartel vs Shopify review, we will compare these two eCommerce platforms. For instance, we will compare their design flexibility, features, pricing, customer support, security, payment options, ease of use, and plugins. So, let us get started!
| Big Cartel | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | Provides super useful prompts that make it easy to navigate the platform. However, you require HTML coding skills to edit themes | A fair, user-friendly and intuitive interface but has a steep learning curve |
| Design flexibility | Limited design customisation featuring about 19 free themes | Wide variety of design customisation options, capabilities, and flexibility; 11 free themes and 80+ paid themes |
| Payment options | No in-built payment processor but integrates with PayPal and Stripe | Has an in-built payment processor and integrates with 100+ third-party payment gateways |
| Pricing | Three pricing plans: Free plan, Platinum plan ($9.99/month, and Diamond plan ($19.99/month | A free three-day trial and three pricing plans; £25, £65, and £344 per month |
| Plugins and integrations | 1500+ apps | 6000+ apps |
| Customer support | Email support available during workdays between 8 am EST to 6 pm EST, video tutorials, articles, and social media | 24/7 available via email, live chat, phone and live chat, and social media |
| Best for | Artists and small businesses | All business sizes (small, medium, and large) |
Sections
Overview of both platforms
Big Cartel is a cloud-hosted eCommerce platform that provides solutions to independent artists and small businesses. It has a free pricing plan that features free hosting and themes for website design. It also has all the essential features required to create a standalone eCommerce store. It only supports small businesses, which is why it accounts for only 0.1% of the eCommerce market. However, it is less competitive compared to other eCommerce platforms.
Shopify is one of the biggest giants in the eCommerce market. It provides solutions to any eCommerce business size and type. For instance, even with the platform’s basic pricing plan, users get all the essential tools and features required to build a standalone store and sell their products online. It caters to over 2 million stores in 175 countries and accounts for 7.83% of the eCommerce market.
Design
Both Big Cartel and Shopify offer design flexibility. However, Shopify offers more design themes and templates.
Big Cartel provides a simple design with a generally clean appearance. However, its design capabilities and flexibility are limited. It also has a limited number of themes and templates. Big Cartel also lacks vital design features and tools like image and video zoom. Furthermore, it is challenging to personalise the themes and templates on Big Cartel. For instance, editing might require you to have coding skills.
On the other hand, Shopify has various design features and tools that help your eCommerce store stand out. With 11 free and 80+ premium themes, Shopify constitutes design prowess for everyone, even beginners. All of its themes are completely mobile-optimised. For instance, you have full control over your store’s appearance on any screen.
Features
Shopify offers more eCommerce features and tools compared to Big Cartel.
Big Cartel has a limited range of features, including shipment, inventory tracking, reporting, SEO, and integration features. But it does not have an in-built analytics feature, but you can use a third-party service, Google Analytics, for detailed business reporting. Besides, it does not have an abandoned cart recovery feature.
Shopify is highly rated for offering nearly the features required to start, run, and grow an online store. These include shipment, customer support, inventory tracking, and app integration features. It also provides advanced features, such as analytics, unlimited bandwidth, POS, etc. Besides, Shopify has an abandoned cart recovery feature, which allows you to remind customers about the products pending in their cart.
Plugins and Integrations
Both Big Cartel and Shopify offer plugins and app integrations. Shopify edges Big Cartel by having its own app store with over 5,000 apps.
Big Cartel does not have a colossal app and plugin store. However, it integrates with 50+ apps and plugins for various eCommerce purposes like email campaigns, store management, marketing, etc. You can also sync Big Cartel with Zapier, which allows you to integrate up to 3,000 apps and plugins into your store. However, integrating with Zapier incurs an additional monthly fee.
Shopify has an app store known as the Shopify app store, where you can get 5,000+ apps and plugins. These apps and plugins are designed for various purposes, including wholesale, accounting software, store management, marketing, POS, etc. Almost half of them are free, while the premium apps and plugins, whose costs start from $2.99. However, the premium apps provide a free trial, allowing users to try them before integrating them into their store.
Ease of Use
Both Big Cartel and Shopify have a friendly user interface that is easy to use. However, Shopify’s drag-and-drop editor provides immense user flexibility.
Building a new store with Big Cartel is straightforward. For instance, you will only be required to upload an image of your product. You can then set the product price and choose a suitable store theme. This platform also provides tips, suggestions, and guides on navigating around and making the most of the platform. The overall interface is user-friendly, and most of Big Cartel’s features are easily accessible. However, making advanced edits requires some coding skills.
Shopify has a clean user interface. For instance, there is a menu and toolbar on the interface’s left side, consisting of clickable links to different features provided by Shopify. It also comes with a drag-and-drop editor, offering immense user flexibility regarding the layout of the store’s pages.
Payment Options
Shopify edges out Big Cartel by offering 80+ third-party gateways. However, Big Cartel does not charge any transaction fee Big Cartel does not have a built-in payment gateway. It solely depends on external payment processors to accept payments. For instance, it integrates with two major payment options, Stripe and PayPal. This platform does not charge payment processing fees. However, you will still be required to pay a certain fee to your preferred payment option.
Shopify integrates with over 80 payment gateways and processors, including major ones like Square, PayPal, Google Pay, Stripe, etc. One major downside of the Shopify payment options is that you will be charged a hefty payment processing fee. But you can avoid paying these transaction charges using the in-house payment option, Shopify Payments.
Security
Shopify edges Big Cartel by being PCI DSS compliant and offering two-factor authentication Big Cartel is not the most advanced. But still, its store has an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate for an encrypted layer. The rest of the security features are optional. This platform also allows users to review connected apps & active devices, change their passwords, and add a backup phone number. It is vital to note that Big Cartel is not PCI DSS compliant and does not use 2-factor authentication.
Shopify is automatically secure. For instance, users are not responsible for handling their site’s security. The platform protects you against cyber threats and payment fraud. All Shopify pricing plans include SSL (Security Socket Layer) certificate to encrypt users’ sensitive information and transactions. Besides, it is PCI DSS compliant.
Customer Support
Both Big Cartel and Shopify offer responsive and professional customer support. Shopify edges Big Cartel by offering phone support available 24/7.
Big Cartel offers customer support only via the help centre and email. It does not have live chat and phone support. The email support is responsible but not available 24/7 (you can only access it during workdays between 8 am EST to 6 pm EST. It also features helpful video tutorials and articles. Besides, you can reach out to Big Cartel via their incredibly active social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
All Shopify pricing plans provide responsive and professional 24/7 customer support via various channels, including;
- Phone
- Social media
- Live Chat
- Community forum
- Video tutorials
- Help centre
You can also get advanced specialist support by subscribing to the Shopify Plus pricing plan. For instance, you will be assigned a dedicated support agent.
Pricing
Both Big Cartel and Shopify offer fantastic value. Big Cartel edges Shopify by offering a free plans and cheaper pricing plans.
Big Cartel provides three pricing plans, one free plan and two premium plans. If you are a beginner looking to sell online for the first time, you can register for the free plan, which allows you to sell five products monthly. The paid plans are;
- Platinum plan: It costs $9.99 per month and allows you to sell up to 50 products.
- Diamond Plan: It costs $19.99 monthly and allows you to sell up to 500 products.
This platform does not charge any listing fee.
Shopify provides three pricing plans whose cost starts from £25/month to £344/month. It also offers custom plans. The breakdown of Shopify pricing plans is as follows;
- Basic: £25 per month
- Shopify: £65 per month
- Advanced: £344 per month
For new and inexperienced users, Shopify provides a free 3-day trial that you can use before registering for a paid plan.
Conclusion
Both Big Cartel and Shopify are professional and easy eCommerce platforms for selling products. However, when we tested the two platforms, Shopify edged Big Cartel in almost all categories.
Big Cartel scores 2.8/5 stars on Trustpilot and 4.2/5 stars on Capterra
Shopify scores 1.7 stars on Trustpilot and 4.5 stars on Capterra
Overall, Shopify is the best choice as it provides lots of design customizations, 70+ payment gateways, and features. It is also an ideal option if you have many products to sell. However, if you are an artist or a small business, you may be better off choosing Big Cartel for its free pricing plan.