The Cratejoy Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Cratejoy in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Cratejoy
The Insider’s Guide
Store builder and marketplace for subscription box businesses
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among online store builders, read from Cratejoy’s own pages.
Made by Cratejoy · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Cratejoy’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Cratejoy’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.6
GPA, above 5 of the 80 other online store builders we grade
Cratejoy is an ecommerce platform built around recurring subscription boxes. Sellers can list on its consumer Marketplace only, or run their own branded site that also lists on the Marketplace, with renewal, shipping and customer tools for subscriptions.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Cratejoy, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You set up the boxes, site and billing yourself.
- 1
Best for subscription box sellers
Cratejoy is a store platform for subscription boxes, with a marketplace listing and your own site from $24.99 a month billed yearly.
- 2
Paid plans start at $24.99 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $24.99 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly).
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
Subscription renewals and shipping
Advanced rebilling and shipping features and built-in customer management tools aimed at recurring boxes.
- 5
Marketplace listing
Sellers list on Cratejoy's consumer Marketplace, which the vendor says draws about 4 million monthly page views.
- 6
Your own website
Essentials and Advanced include a custom site built on responsive templates, with app integrations and an API.
- 7
A 1.6 GPA, above 5 of 80
That is against the other online store builders we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace Cratejoy you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Cratejoy at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid, from $24.99 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Cratejoy
- Category
- Online Store Builders
- Our grade
- 1.6 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for subscription box sellers
Cratejoy is a store platform for subscription boxes, with a marketplace listing and your own site from $24.99 a month billed yearly. Every plan adds a 1.25% plus $0.10 fee per transaction, and marketplace orders carry a 15% referral fee.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | $24.99 a month billed yearly ($29 monthly) is inside the category's $20 to $89 range. Fees of 1.25% plus $0.10 an order come on top of every plan. |
| Free plan and trial | F | No free plan and no trial is listed, so you pay from the start. |
| Features | C | Renewals and shipping, a marketplace listing, your own website, dunning and tax. It does the box job fully and is a narrower job than a general store, and the vendor does not position it for one-off products. |
| Ease of use | C | You set up the boxes, site and billing yourself. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web only, with TaxJar the only listed integration. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Cratejoy is for
- Fits if you sell subscription boxes and want a marketplace plus your own site
- Works for new box sellers who want recurring billing without custom development
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you sell a lot, since each order adds 1.25% plus $0.10 on every plan
- Not for you if you sell one-off products, as the plans are built for recurring boxes
- Skip it if you want a trial, because none is listed
- Watch out: marketplace orders and renewals carry a 15% referral fee, and monthly billing costs more on every plan
Good to know
Good for
- Subscription box businesses that want to sell on a marketplace as well as their own site
- New box sellers who want recurring billing and shipping tools without custom development
Worth knowing
- Every plan adds a transaction fee of 1.25% + $0.10 on top of the monthly price.
- Marketplace orders and renewals carry a 15% referral fee, which applies to Essentials and Advanced too.
- The plans are built for recurring boxes; the vendor does not position them for general one-off product stores.
- Prices shown are the yearly-billed rate; paying monthly costs more on every plan.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$24.99
A month to start
Cratejoy is a paid product, starting at $24.99 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly).
No free plan and no trial is listed, so you pay from the start.
Marketplace Only
$24.99
per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
A listing on the Cratejoy Marketplace plus subscription tools. Adds 1.25% + $0.10 per transaction and a 15% referral fee on every order and renewal.
Essentials
$59
per month, billed annually ($79 billed monthly)
Your own custom website and themes plus a Marketplace listing. Adds 1.25% + $0.10 per order; Marketplace orders also carry the 15% referral fee.
Advanced
$159
per month, billed annually ($199 billed monthly)
Everything in Essentials, plus native TaxJar integration, advanced dunning, a referral app and priority support. Same transaction and referral fees.
Read from sell.cratejoy.com on Nov 13, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Lower rate for yearly billing
The pricing page shows each plan cheaper when paid yearly: $24.99 vs $29, $59 vs $79 and $159 vs $199 per month.
Stated on sell.cratejoy.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Store builder and marketplace for subscription box businesses. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, online store.
Renewals and shipping, a marketplace listing, your own website, dunning and tax.
- Subscription renewals and shipping
- Advanced rebilling and shipping features and built-in customer management tools aimed at recurring boxes.
- Marketplace listing
- Sellers list on Cratejoy's consumer Marketplace, which the vendor says draws about 4 million monthly page views.
- Your own website
- Essentials and Advanced include a custom site built on responsive templates, with app integrations and an API.
- Checkout and currencies
- Secure checkout supporting 138 currencies, with fraud protection included.
- Dunning and tax
- Advanced adds advanced dunning for failed payments and a native TaxJar integration.
- Seller support
- Support by live chat and email, with priority support included on Advanced.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- TaxJar
Cratejoy is made by Cratejoy.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
5/80
Other online store builders it is graded above
Cratejoy's GPA of 1.6 is higher than 5 of the 80 other online store builders we grade, and level with 9.
It stands best on ease of use (C, above 28 of 80) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $24.99 a month, against a middle price of $29.25 for the category: 15 of the 44 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 14 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 81 online store builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. Cratejoy’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 15 of 80
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 80
- CFeaturesAbove 5 of 80
- CEase of useAbove 28 of 80
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 80
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 52 online store builders. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Cratejoy is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Cratejoy you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 66 of the 80 other online store builders grade higher. It costs $299.88 a year.
What you could not
- Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
- It plugs into other products, TaxJar among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. Cratejoy’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Subbly, Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Big Cartel
The 5 tools Cratejoy is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 1.8GPA
Subbly
Free trial · from $59/mo
Store and subscription platform for subscription-box businesses.
- Subbly also covers AI agents, inventory and shipping labels.
- 2.8GPA
Shopify
Free trial · from $29/mo
Hosted commerce platform for online, in-person and social selling.
- Only Shopify lists iOS and Android apps.
- Shopify also covers email campaigns, inventory and shipping labels.
- 2.2GPA
WooCommerce
Free plan
Free, open-source store plugin for WordPress that you host yourself.
- WooCommerce has a free plan. Cratejoy does not.
- Only WooCommerce lists iOS and Android apps.
- WooCommerce is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
BigCommerce
Free trial · from $29/mo
Hosted ecommerce platform with plans set by yearly sales.
- Only BigCommerce lists iOS and Android apps.
- BigCommerce also covers reports and inventory.
- 2.8GPA
Big Cartel
Free plan · from $12/mo
Simple online store for artists, makers and independent sellers.
- Big Cartel has a free plan. Cratejoy does not.
- Only Big Cartel lists iOS and Android apps.
- Big Cartel also covers inventory, digital downloads and shipping labels.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Cratejoy free?
No. Cratejoy is a paid product, starting at $24.99 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly).
How much does Cratejoy cost?
Cratejoy lists 3 plans. Marketplace Only: $24.99 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly).
What platforms does Cratejoy work on?
Cratejoy is available on Web.
Does Cratejoy offer any discounts?
Cratejoy publicly lists the following: Lower rate for yearly billing.
Does Cratejoy have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Cratejoy is listed for Web.
Does Cratejoy have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Cratejoy is listed for Web.
Is Cratejoy open source?
Cratejoy is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Cratejoy have an API?
Yes. Cratejoy offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Cratejoy integrate with?
Cratejoy's listing names TaxJar. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Cratejoy?
Cratejoy is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to Cratejoy?
The closest alternatives to Cratejoy in our directory are Subbly, Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Big Cartel.
How does Cratejoy compare with other online store builders?
Cratejoy's GPA of 1.6 is higher than 5 of the 80 other online store builders we grade, and level with 9.
Is Cratejoy good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Cratejoy C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $24.99 a month, against a middle price of $29.25 for the category: 15 of the 44 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Cratejoy?
To replace Cratejoy you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Cratejoy’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Cratejoy's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Cratejoy. Prices change, so check cratejoy.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Cratejoy, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/cratejoy
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Cratejoy: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/cratejoy
Know someone choosing between online store builders?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/cratejoy/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded online store builders after Cratejoy, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Online Store Builders Insider's GuideEvery one of the 84 online store builders we grade, compared
- Big Cartel Insider's GuideSimple online store for artists, makers and independent sellers2.8 GPA
- Shopify Insider's GuideHosted commerce platform for online, in-person and social selling2.8 GPA
- BigCommerce Insider's GuideHosted ecommerce platform with plans set by yearly sales2.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Cratejoy’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Cratejoy is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Cratejoy. Prices and plans change: check cratejoy.com before you buy.