Big Cartel vs Shoprocket (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Big Cartel: it is second in our ranking of online store builders, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Big Cartel grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Big Cartel
Simple online store for artists, makers and independent sellers
Shoprocket
Add a shopping cart and store to an existing website
Which one is for you
Pick Big Cartel if
- Fits if you're an artist, band or maker selling merch or small batches
- Works for a small catalog at a flat $12 a month on yearly billing
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for larger shops, as it's built for small catalogs and keeps its tools simple
- Tight if you stay free, as Gold allows 5 products, one template and no custom domain
- Pricey if you want abandoned-cart recovery, drops, automatic discounts or Zapier, all on Diamond at $24 a month yearly
- Watch out: the pricing pages don't say how many products Platinum and Diamond allow
- Watch out: card and PayPal fees still come from your payment provider, and the Platinum trial lasts 7 days
Pick Shoprocket if
- Fits if you have a site on WordPress or Webflow and want to add a cart
- Works for sellers who want no cut of their sales
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, since none is listed
- Watch out: subscriptions, Instagram, Facebook and eBay channels are marked coming soon
- Tight if you need API access or Zapier, which sit on Business at $790 a year
- Watch out: plan limits on products, staff and sales weren't readable on the page
How we grade them
| 2.8GPABig CartelGood | 2.2GPAShoprocketFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPlatinum is $12 a month on yearly billing ($15 monthly) with your own domain, labels and stock tracking, which sits in the lowest-priced quarter of this category. Prices are flat with no Big Cartel fee on sales, so you only pay your payment provider. | CStarter is $29 a month, or $290 a year, the category's middle. The 70% off banner was not counted. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free Gold plan takes card and PayPal checkout and handles sales tax, but it's 5 products, one template and no custom domain. You'll hit that fast. There's also a 7-day trial of Platinum. | CA 14-day free trial, and no free plan. We didn't read whether a card is asked for. |
| Features | CIt covers the basics: physical and digital products, unlimited labels, stock tracking, in-person sales and print-on-demand apps. But it's a simple toolbox, Google Shopping is the one outside channel named, and the pricing pages don't say how many products paid plans allow. | CEmbedded store, hosted storefront, many product types, multi-currency and promotions. Subscriptions, gift cards and some channels are marked coming soon. |
| Ease of use | A4.74 from about 6,800 App Store ratings, above our line for an A. Pick a template, add your products and the shop is open. | CNo rating on record. You embed it into a site or set up a hosted storefront. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with PayPal, Afterpay, Venmo, Google Shopping and Etsy imports, and Zapier's 7,000+ apps on Diamond. No desktop app, so not an A. | BWeb store that plugs into WordPress, Webflow and Zapier, with Stripe, PayPal and PayU, and API access on Business. |
| Best for | artists and makers selling small runs | adding a cart to a site you already have |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Big Cartel and Shoprocket. How we grade
Price against what you get
Big Cartel starts at $12 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Shoprocket starts at $24.17 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
Big Cartel scores higher and starts $12.17 a month lower. Of the other online store builders on the chart, none scores higher than Big Cartel for less, and 3 score higher than Shoprocket for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Big Cartel also covers shipping labels.
- Shoprocket also covers templates.
At a glance
| Big Cartel | Shoprocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $12 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) | $290 per year ($29 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Gold plan: 5 product listings, one template, card and PayPal checkout, sales tax autopilot and real-time stats, with no credit card required. Custom domains need a paid plan. | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Platinum | 14-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Big Cartel, LLC | Shoprocket Ltd |
| Price read from | bigcartel.com | shoprocket.io |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Big Cartel
- The free Gold plan allows only 5 products and one template, with no custom domain.
- Abandoned-cart recovery, scheduled drops, automatic discounts and Zapier need Diamond at $30 a month, or $24 billed annually.
- The pricing pages do not state how many products Platinum and Diamond allow, beyond saying the paid plans add listings.
- Card and PayPal processing fees come from the payment provider; Big Cartel advertises flat monthly prices with no hidden fees.
Shoprocket
- No free plan; every plan is billed monthly or yearly after a 14-day trial.
- The pricing page shows a banner for 70% off for new users and the plan prices were read without it.
- The comparison table shows its limits as icons, so plan-by-plan limits on products, staff and sales were not readable as text.
- Selling subscriptions, gift cards, Facebook, Instagram and eBay channels are marked coming soon on the site.
Key features
Big Cartel
- Templates and shop design
- Start from a template in Big Cartel's free library and change the design without code. The free Gold plan is limited to the Cosmos template.
- Physical and digital products
- Sell physical goods and downloads with size and color variants, edit products in bulk and import listings from Etsy, Squarespace and Shopify.
- Shipping labels and tracking
- Print unlimited shipping labels with discounts of up to 90% on postage, track shipments and keep count of stock on the paid plans.
- Payments and in-person sales
- Take cards, wallets, Venmo, PayPal and Afterpay online, and sell in person by taking payments on a phone with the iOS and Android app.
- Apps, Zapier and promotions
- Install apps for print-on-demand and product reviews, run discounts and a Google Shopping connection, and on Diamond link 7,000+ apps through Zapier.
Shoprocket
- Embedded store
- A cart and checkout pasted into an existing site, with guides for WordPress, Webflow, Carrd, Ghost, Showit and other site builders.
- Hosted storefront
- A Shoprocket-hosted store for sellers without a website.
- No transaction fee
- Orders are paid straight into your own Stripe, PayPal or PayU account; card processing fees are charged separately by the gateway.
- Many product types
- Physical products, digital goods, license keys, services and donations, with product options and variations.
- Multi-currency and languages
- Multiple currencies, plus 21 languages out of the box with editable text strings.
- Promotions and recovery
- Discount codes and abandoned cart recovery, with an open API and automated webhooks.
Plans
Big Cartel
Gold$0
5 product listings, the Cosmos template, size and color variants, card and PayPal checkout, automatic sales tax and real-time stats.
Platinum$12
per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
Custom domain, physical and digital products, shipping labels and tracking, design changes, apps, in-person sales and inventory tracking.
Diamond$24
per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
Adds abandoned-cart recovery, scheduled product drops, password-protected products, automatic discounts, Zapier and priority support.
Shoprocket
Starter$290
per year ($29 billed monthly)
Entry plan with a 0% transaction fee, sold through embeds or a hosted storefront.
Business$790
per year ($79 billed monthly)
Marked most popular. Its feature list adds automated tax calculation, analytics, abandoned cart recovery, API access, Zapier, gift cards and subscriptions.
Plus$1,990
per year ($199 billed monthly)
The highest listed plan, with the same 0% transaction fee.
Ways to pay less
Big Cartel
- Annual discount
Pay annually to save 20%
Platinum costs $144 a year ($12 a month) against $15 monthly, and Diamond $288 a year ($24 a month) against $30 monthly.
Shoprocket
- Annual discount
17% off with yearly billing
The pricing page shows yearly prices of $290, $790 and $1,990 against $29, $79 and $199 a month, a saving it states as 17%.
- Nonprofit
Package for registered charities
The pricing page says registered charities and non-profit sellers can email support for a dedicated package.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Big Cartel or Shoprocket?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Big Cartel is cheaper to start with: $12 a month, against $24.17 a month when paid by the year for Shoprocket. Big Cartel starts at $12 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly), and Shoprocket starts at $290 per year ($29 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Big Cartel or Shoprocket?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Big Cartel has a free plan. Shoprocket does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Big Cartel and Shoprocket run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Big Cartel lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.