SendOwl vs ThriveCart
We give SendOwl a 2.4 GPA and ThriveCart a 2.6, out of 4.0. ThriveCart grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
SendOwl
Checkout and delivery for downloads, licenses and subscriptions
ThriveCart
Checkout, funnel and course platform with a lifetime licence option
How we grade them
| 2.4GPASendOwlFair | 2.6GPAThriveCartGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CLaunch stops at $10k of sales a year, less than a year of $1,000 a month, so it's Grow at $72.50 a month billed yearly, with no cut: $72.50. That's close to this category's dearest tenth. Stripe or PayPal fees come on top and aren't counted. | BThe lifetime Standard licence is $495 once, with no cut of sales. Spread over two years, as we do for one-off prices, that's well under the yearly plan's $888 for the same two years ($444 + $444) and under two years of this category's middle price. Processor fees aren't counted. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. There's a free trial with every feature but a limit on orders until support lifts it; the listing gives no length and doesn't say it needs a card. | CNo free plan, but a 30-day free trial on the monthly and yearly plans, longer than most here. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. |
| Features | BDownloads, subscriptions, drip courses, license keys, streaming, PDF stamping and locking, upsells, cart recovery, affiliates and tax calculation, all on every plan. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the job. | BCheckouts, order bumps, one-click upsells, A/B tests, subscriptions with retention offers, buy now pay later, sales tax, and courses and communities through Academy. Nothing's missing from the job; affiliates and custom domains need Pro+. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. It's built to plug into your own site or Shopify, so there are carts, checkout templates and payment accounts to wire up first. | CNo App Store rating on record. A visual editor helps, but you're building checkouts, funnels and courses and linking Stripe, PayPal or Authorize.net before anything sells. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Stripe, PayPal, Shopify, Square, Zapier, Mailchimp, Kit and WordPress, plus webhooks and an API. No phone or desktop app is listed. | BWeb, with Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, Zapier, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Mailchimp and HubSpot. No phone or desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | adding digital delivery to a site you already run | paying once for checkouts, funnels and courses |
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: SendOwl and ThriveCart. How we grade
Price against what you get
SendOwl starts at $0.83 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ThriveCart starts at $37 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and SendOwl starts $36.17 a month lower. Of the other tools for selling digital products on the chart, 2 score higher than SendOwl for less, and 2 score higher than ThriveCart 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
- SendOwl starts at $32.50 per month for up to $10k sales a year, billed annually ($39 monthly). ThriveCart starts at $37 per month, billed annually ($47 monthly).
- SendOwl also covers online store.
- ThriveCart also covers online courses, community and a/B testing.
At a glance
| SendOwl | ThriveCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $32.50 per month for up to $10k sales a year, billed annually ($39 monthly) | $37 per month, billed annually ($47 monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial with all features but limits on orders until support lifts them; length not stated | 30-day free trial on the monthly and yearly plans |
| Web | ||
| Made by | SendOwl | ThriveCart |
| Price read from | sendowl.com | thrivecart.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
SendOwl
- Sellers adding digital delivery to a site or Shopify store
- Software sellers who need license keys issued at checkout
- Creators who want every feature without a cut of each sale
ThriveCart
- Course sellers who want checkout, funnels and course hosting together
- Creators who would rather pay once than pay every month
- Sellers who run affiliate programs and upsell funnels
Worth knowing
SendOwl
- No free plan; plans are capped by orders and sales over the trailing 12 months, and going over moves you up a tier.
- Downloads past the monthly bandwidth allowance cost $1 per GB; the pricing page gives two different allowances for Launch and Grow.
- Stripe or PayPal processing fees come on top, and SendOwl acts as a technology provider rather than the merchant of record.
- Business plans, from $299 a month, are needed once yearly sales pass $100,000.
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.
Key features
SendOwl
- Checkout anywhere
- Payment links, an embeddable cart, a modal checkout, three checkout templates and custom fields, with custom CSS and JavaScript.
- Many digital product types
- Downloads, subscriptions, bundles, courses with drip content, software with license keys, streaming audio and video, pre-orders and tip jars.
- File protection
- PDF stamping with the buyer's details, PDF and Office document locking, download and time limits, and fraud filters.
- Sales tools on every plan
- Upsells and cross-sells, cart abandonment emails, an affiliate program, coupons, pay-what-you-want pricing and gifting.
- Integrations and API
- Stripe and PayPal, with Apple Pay and Klarna through Stripe; Shopify, WordPress, Notion and Linktree; Zapier, webhooks and an API.
- Tax and reporting
- Automatic sales tax and EU VAT calculation, tax reports by country, and reports on income, subscriptions, upsells and affiliates.
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.
Plans
SendOwl
Launch$32.50
per month for up to $10k sales a year, billed annually ($39 monthly)
Up to 5,000 orders a year, unlimited products and storage, and every feature. 10 GB of download bandwidth a month on the plan card (20 GB in the FAQ).
Grow$72.50
per month for up to $36k sales a year, billed annually ($87 monthly)
Up to 25,000 orders a year, with every feature. 20 GB of bandwidth a month on the plan card (30 GB in the FAQ).
Scale$132.50
per month for up to $100k sales a year, billed annually ($159 monthly)
Up to 50,000 orders a year and 50 GB of download bandwidth a month, with every feature.
Business$299
per month and up, for up to $200k in sales a year
Business plans for higher volumes, up to $5M+ in yearly revenue, with priority support.
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.
Ways to pay less
SendOwl
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
SendOwl's pricing page gives two months free on yearly billing: Launch $32.50 a month instead of $39, Grow $72.50 instead of $87, Scale $132.50 instead of $159.
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.
