PayKickstart vs ThriveCart (2026): which should you pick?

Pick PayKickstart if

• Fits if you sell courses or coaching with recurring billing and affiliates
• Works for sellers who prefer to keep their own payment processor

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want tax handled for you, as you set up tax profiles and it is not described as a merchant of record
• Watch out: prices could not be read, so check them before you start the trial
• Watch out: what happens after the 14-day trial depends on the plan you pick

Pick ThriveCart if

• Fits if you'd rather pay $495 once than pay every month
• Works for course sellers who want checkout, funnels and hosting together

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you need affiliates, dunning or custom domains, which need Pro+ at $87 a month
• Not for you if you just want a simple store page, as it's built around checkouts and funnels
• Tight if you rely on order bumps or a big community: Standard allows 1 bump and 2,000 Academy members
• Watch out: Pro+ bought outright is $790 once and then $295 a year from year two
• Watch out: there's no free plan, and your own Stripe, PayPal or Authorize.net fees apply

PayKickstart

• Plan prices could not be read: its pricing page blocked automated access, so none are listed here.
• Its help pages describe tax profiles you set up yourself, and none of the pages read call it a merchant of record.
• The home page offers a free 14-day trial; what happens after it depends on the plan chosen.

ThriveCart

• ThriveCart takes 0% of sales, but payments run through your own Stripe, PayPal or Authorize.net account, whose processing fees apply.
• The affiliate center, multiple order bumps, dunning and custom domains all need Pro+ at $87 a month or $804 a year.
• The lifetime Standard licence costs $495 once; Pro+ bought outright costs $790 and then $295 a year from year two.
• Checkout pages offer paid add-ons, such as $69 courses and a $19 one-time offer, which are optional.

PayKickstart

Checkout and upsells

Hosted checkout pages with one-click upsells, order bumps, coupons, exit intent offers and multi-currency support.

Subscription management

Recurring billing and subscription tools, including pausing subscriptions and carrying a trial period over an upgrade or downgrade.

Revenue retention

Dunning management, cancellation retention flows and cart abandonment recovery, plus ringless voicemail and SMS features.

Affiliate management

Lead and sales referral tracking, affiliate verification, affiliate coupon codes and a marketplace where affiliates find products to promote.

Tax and accounting

Invoices, sales and VAT tax profiles, an in-house EU VAT calculation and QuickBooks Online and Xero integrations.

Payment processors

Help pages cover connecting Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH and SEPA debit, and its own Connect payments.

ThriveCart

Checkouts and funnels

Modal, single-page or multi-step checkouts, order bumps, one-click upsells and downsells, and a visual page editor for whole funnels.

Payment options

Cards, PayPal, buy now pay later through Afterpay, Klarna, Affirm or ThrivePay Installments, multi-currency pricing and crypto on Pro+.

Subscriptions

Trials, renewals, upgrades and cancellations, a fixed monthly billing date, subscription bumps at checkout and retention offers before cancelling.

ThriveCart Academy

Courses with drip content, quizzes and certificates, plus branded communities, included with every subscription; limits rise from Starter to Growth.

Affiliates on Pro+

Recruit affiliates, set commissions, track referrals and pay affiliates automatically, with joint venture contracts for partners.

Digital delivery and tax

Instant delivery with expiring download links, plus sales tax calculation and collection with tax-inclusive pricing.

PayKickstart

Pricing could not be confirmed. See paykickstart.com.

ThriveCart

• Standard$37

  per month, billed annually ($47 monthly)

  Unlimited products and funnels, 1 order bump, upsells, A/B tests, cart recovery, sales tax tools, and Academy Starter for 2,000 community members.

• Pro+$87

  per month ($804 billed yearly)

  Adds multiple order bumps, the affiliate center with automatic payouts, dunning, custom domains, team permissions and the Academy Growth plan.

• Standard lifetime$495

  one-time

  A ThriveCart Standard account for a single payment with no subscription, offered beside the monthly and yearly plans.

• Pro+ hybrid$790

  one-time, then $295 a year from year 2

  Pro+ bought on its own page for a one-time $790, followed by a $295 yearly subscription from the second year.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For high-volume sellers: volume-based processing rates, unlimited team seats, a dedicated account manager, migration and white-glove setup.

PayKickstart

No public discounts listed.

ThriveCart

• Annual discount

  Save 20% on Standard with yearly billing

  ThriveCart's checkout lists Standard at $444 a year ($37 a month) as a 20% saving on $47 a month; Pro+ is $804 a year instead of $87 a month.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Standard licence for $495

  ThriveCart sells a Standard account for a one-time payment of $495 instead of a monthly or yearly subscription.

• Nonprofit

  Special pricing for schools and charities

  Schools and registered charities can fill in a form on ThriveCart's site, and its support team will be in touch about special pricing.