E-commerce & Retail · head to head
Big Cartel vs Square
Big Cartel
E-commerce & Retail
Straightforward pricing, no surprises
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Square has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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; Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Big Cartel and Square actually diverge.
| Attribute | Big Cartel | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | POS (Mobile app), Web |
| Founded | Unknown | 2009 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-commerce & Retail).
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 Square does not also cover.
Only in Square
- Payment processing
- Point of sale
- Invoicing
- Payroll
- Banking
- QuickBooks
- WooCommerce
- Wix
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Big Cartel
No use cases recorded yet. See the Big Cartel review.
Square
- Accept payments with all-in-one POS applicationnot Big Cartel
- Online ordering and basic website creationnot Big Cartel
- Invoicing and appointment bookingnot Big Cartel
- Staff scheduling and loyalty programmesnot 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
Square
- Plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
- Processing fees differ by tier but exact rates not detailed
- Free plan pricing mentioned but specific features for Plus unclear
- Text marketing charged at 3¢ per message after first 500 included
Pricing, plan by plan
Big Cartel
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Big Cartel review.
Square
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Square review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Big Cartel if
Nothing in the data separates Big Cartel from Square on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose Square if
- You need payment processing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on POS (Mobile app), Web.
- You also want point of sale.
Questions people ask
- Is Big Cartel or Square better?
- Neither clearly leads. Big Cartel starts at On request and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Big Cartel or Square?
- Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Big Cartel and Free for Square.
- Does Big Cartel or Square run on more platforms?
- Big Cartel runs on Web. Square runs on POS (Mobile app), Web.
- Can I use Square for free?
- Yes. Square has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Big Cartel starts at On request.
- What can Big Cartel do that Square cannot?
- Square covers Payment processing, Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll.