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Big Cartel vs Ecwid: a free 5-product plan against a $5 plan for 10 products
Updated Oct 15, 2026
Big Cartel's Gold plan is free for up to 5 products and uses your own Stripe or PayPal account. Ecwid Starter is $5 a month for up to 10 products, with Lightspeed Payments at 2.9% + 0.30 USD. Neither adds a transaction fee. Big Cartel adds discounts, inventory and your own domain at $15 a month; Ecwid adds them on Venture, $29 a month paid annually.
At a glance, by our score
- Lowest price
#4 Big Cartel
Makers with up to 5 products who want a free plan and pay only Stripe's or PayPal's fees
7.0/10GoodOur scoreVisit Big CartelOn bigcartel.com #8 Ecwid by Lightspeed
Very small shops with up to 10 products, at $5 a month
6.0/10FairOur scoreVisit Ecwid by LightspeedOn ecwid.com
Big Cartel's lowest monthly price is lower than Ecwid by Lightspeed's, checked Sep 27, 2026 and Sep 25, 2026.
Side by side
| Criterion | Big Cartel | Ecwid by Lightspeed |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 7.0/10GoodOur score #4 of 10 | 6.0/10FairOur score #8 of 10 |
| Fees per sale (30%) | 6.8 / 10 | 6.8 / 10 |
| Plan price (25%) | 10.0 / 10 | 10.0 / 10 |
| Included (20%) | 0.0 / 10 | 0.0 / 10 |
| Using another payment provider (15%) | 10.0 / 10 | 10.0 / 10 |
| Free trial (10%) | 10.0 / 10 | 0.0 / 10 |
| Price from | $0 / month | $5 / month |
| Best for | Makers with up to 5 products who want a free plan and pay only Stripe's or PayPal's fees | Very small shops with up to 10 products, at $5 a month |
| Visit | Visit Big CartelOn bigcartel.com | Visit Ecwid by LightspeedOn ecwid.com |
Who should pick which
- Big Cartel: Makers with up to 5 products who want a free plan and pay only Stripe's or PayPal's fees
- Ecwid by Lightspeed: Very small shops with up to 10 products, at $5 a month
Big Cartel and Ecwid both sell small, cheap store plans. Big Cartel starts free and relies on Stripe or PayPal for payments. Ecwid by Lightspeed starts at $5 a month and has its own processor, Lightspeed Payments.
At a glance
| Big Cartel | Ecwid | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan and price | Gold: $0 | Starter: $5 a month |
| Fees on a $50 online card sale | No processor of its own: Stripe from 2.9% + 30¢, about $1.75 | 2.9% + 0.30 USD with Lightspeed Payments: about $1.75 |
| Using another payment provider | 0% transaction fees; Stripe and PayPal only | No transaction fees on any plan |
| Included on the entry plan | Up to 5 products and SSL; no discounts, inventory tracking, abandoned-cart emails or own domain | Up to 10 products and a free company.site address with TLS; no coupons, inventory tracking, abandoned-cart emails or own domain |
| Free plan or trial | Gold is free; Platinum has a 7-day trial | Its US pages don't mention a free plan or trial |
Prices from Big Cartel's Gold plan page and pricing page, read Sep 27, 2026, and Ecwid's pricing page, read Sep 25, 2026.
Price
Big Cartel Gold is $0 for up to 5 products. Ecwid Starter is $5 a month for up to 10 products, the same price billed monthly or annually: $60 a year.
The next step up is where they part. Big Cartel Platinum is $15 a month or $144 a year and lifts the limit to 50 products, with discounts, inventory tracking and a custom domain. Ecwid's next plan, Venture, is $29 a month paid annually and adds discount coupons, inventory tracking and connecting your own domain. Big Cartel Diamond is $30 a month or $288 a year for up to 500 products.
Card fees are close. A $50 sale costs about $1.75 through Stripe on Big Cartel or Lightspeed Payments on Ecwid. PayPal on Big Cartel is 2.99% plus $0.49, about $1.99. Neither company adds its own transaction fee: Ecwid says it doesn't charge setup or transaction fees on any plan, and Big Cartel advertises 0% transaction fees.
Where they differ
- A free plan. Big Cartel Gold is free with no credit card, and Platinum has a 7-day trial. Ecwid's US pages list four paid plans and don't mention a free plan or trial; the only free offer we found is 6 months of Venture for nonprofits.
- Which processors Starter can use. Ecwid's plans table leaves "70+ payment methods" unticked for Starter, and its Lightspeed Payments page doesn't say which plans can use it. Our flags record this as unclear, so check before you build. Big Cartel is plain: Stripe and PayPal only.
- What the cheapest plan leaves out. Both entry plans lack discounts, inventory tracking, abandoned-cart emails and your own domain. Ecwid Starter gives a free company.site address with a TLS certificate; every Big Cartel shop is SSL-encrypted.
- Abandoned carts. Big Cartel keeps abandoned cart emails for Diamond. Ecwid starts abandoned carts recovery on Business, $49 a month paid annually, with 2 staff accounts and phone support.
- Wholesale. Ecwid Business has customer groups that give wholesale clients a storewide discount, and order quantity limits; it has no separate wholesale price lists. We found no wholesale features on Big Cartel's pages.
Who should pick which
Pick Big Cartel if 5 products is enough to start and you want to pay nothing until you need a custom domain, discounts or inventory. Platinum adds all three for less than Ecwid's Venture.
Pick Ecwid if you need up to 10 products for $5 a month, want your processor and store from one company, or expect to need wholesale customer groups later.
Compare the rest in our ecommerce platform ranking and platform fees compared.