E-Commerce · head to head
Big Cartel vs Spree Commerce
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Big Cartel custom domain support is not included on the free Gold plan; it is listed as a Platinum-tier feature; Spree Commerce multi-vendor marketplace, B2B commerce and multi-tenant white label modules are Enterprise Edition only and licensed separately from the open source core
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Big Cartel and Spree Commerce actually diverge.
| Attribute | Big Cartel | Spree Commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | Unknown | 2007 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Big Cartel
Nothing recorded that Spree Commerce does not also cover.
Only in Spree Commerce
- Multi-store support
- Multi-currency
- Multi-language
- REST API
- GraphQL support
- Mobile-ready
- SEO optimization
- Flexible taxonomy
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Big Cartel
- E-commerce store creationnot Spree Commerce
- Physical and digital product salesnot Spree Commerce
Spree Commerce
- E-commerce platforms with zero platform fees and no vendor lock-innot Big Cartel
- Self-hosted shopping experiences on AWS, GCP, Azure, or on-premise infrastructurenot Big Cartel
- Deployments requiring predictable costs that don't scale with revenuenot Big Cartel
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Big Cartel
- Custom domain support is not included on the free Gold plan; it is listed as a Platinum-tier feature
- Abandoned cart recovery, product drop scheduling and Zapier integration are restricted to the top Diamond tier at $30/month
- Platinum's paid billing starts automatically after a 7-day free trial rather than requiring an active opt-in to convert
Spree Commerce
- Multi-vendor marketplace, B2B commerce and multi-tenant white label modules are Enterprise Edition only and licensed separately from the open source core
- Enterprise Edition pricing is quoted per customer depending on modules and scale, with no published rate
- Support with guaranteed response times and a success manager comes only with Enterprise Edition
- The free Community Edition is self hosted, so hosting, upgrades and Ruby on Rails maintenance are the operator's responsibility
Pricing, plan by plan
Big Cartel
Free- GoldFree
- Free tier with limited features
- Platinum$15/month
- Custom domains
- Physical and digital product sales
- Shipping label printing
- Diamond$30/month
- All Platinum features plus abandoned cart recovery
- Product drop scheduling
- Password-protected products
Spree Commerce
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full platform access
- Community support
- All core features
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Premium support
- Custom development
- SLA guarantees
Which should you pick?
Choose Spree Commerce if
- You need multi-store support.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want multi-currency.
Questions people ask
- Is Big Cartel or Spree Commerce better?
- Neither clearly leads. Big Cartel starts at Free and Spree Commerce at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Big Cartel or Spree Commerce?
- Big Cartel starts at Free and Spree Commerce at Free.
- Does Big Cartel or Spree Commerce run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Big Cartel for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Big Cartel best used for?
- Big Cartel is most often used for e-commerce store creation, physical and digital product sales. Of those, e-commerce store creation and physical and digital product sales are not what Spree Commerce is typically brought in for.
- What can Big Cartel do that Spree Commerce cannot?
- Spree Commerce covers Multi-store support, Multi-currency, Multi-language, REST API.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Big Cartel: How much does Big Cartel cost?
Big Cartel offers a free Gold plan with limited features. Paid plans start at $15 per month for Platinum and $30 per month for Diamond. Both paid plans include a 7-day free trial and have no commitment.
SourceSpree Commerce: Is Spree Commerce free?
Yes, Spree Commerce is free and open source under a BSD 3-Clause license. The core platform has zero platform fees and no GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) cuts or transaction fees, and sandbox access is free without requiring a credit card.
SourceBig Cartel: What features does the Diamond plan add?
The Diamond plan at $30 per month adds abandoned cart recovery, product drop scheduling, password-protected products, Zapier integration with 7,000+ apps, and priority human support compared to Platinum.
SourceSpree Commerce: What is Spree Commerce's pricing model?
Spree Commerce operates as free open-source software. Users self-host on their choice of infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure, or on-premise), so costs are based on the hosting infrastructure selected rather than platform subscription fees. An Enterprise Edition is available with optional dedicated support, but specific pricing is not published.
SourceBig Cartel: Can I cancel Big Cartel anytime?
Yes, Big Cartel explicitly offers no commitment and allows cancellation anytime on paid tiers.
SourceSpree Commerce: Are there transaction fees with Spree Commerce?
No, Spree Commerce charges zero transaction fees. Unlike SaaS e-commerce platforms that take a percentage of sales, Spree offers predictable costs that don't scale with revenue, giving merchants full control over their margins.
SourceRelated pages
More on Spree Commerce
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