E-Commerce · head to head
Big Cartel vs Swell Commerce
The short version
- Only Big Cartel 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; Swell Commerce each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Big Cartel and Swell Commerce actually diverge.
| Attribute | Big Cartel | Swell Commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $29/month |
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Founded | Unknown | 2019 |
Identical on both: 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 Swell Commerce does not also cover.
Only in Swell Commerce
- Headless architecture
- GraphQL & REST APIs
- Subscription commerce
- Multi-currency support
- Inventory management
- Custom checkout
- Webhook integrations
- Developer-friendly SDK
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Big Cartel
- E-commerce store creationnot Swell Commerce
- Physical and digital product salesnot Swell Commerce
Swell Commerce
- Running a headless commerce backend with APIs for a custom storefrontnot Big Cartel
- Selling subscription products alongside one off purchasesnot Big Cartel
- Operating multi currency stores from one commerce backendnot 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
Swell Commerce
- Each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
- Starter at $29 a month allows 2 admin users and includes only 100,000 API requests and 1GB of storage per month
- Additional API requests cost $5 per 100,000 and extra storage $5 per GB
- Role based permissions and developer support are restricted to the Unlimited plan at $2,250 a month
- Advanced reports and priced currencies require the Standard plan or higher
- Published prices are the billed yearly rates, so monthly billing costs more
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
Swell Commerce
$29/month- Starter$29/month
- Up to $50K annual revenue
- Basic reports
- Up to 5 admin users
- Basic$79/month
- Up to $250K annual revenue
- Most popular plan
- Basic reports
- Standard$299/month
- Up to $1M annual revenue
- Advanced reports
- Up to 15 admin users
- Unlimited$2250/month
- Up to $5M annual revenue
- Unlimited scalability and granular control
- Unlimited admin users
Which should you pick?
Choose Swell Commerce if
- You need headless architecture.
- You also want graphql & rest apis.
Questions people ask
- Is Big Cartel or Swell Commerce better?
- Neither clearly leads. Big Cartel starts at Free and Swell Commerce at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Big Cartel or Swell Commerce?
- Big Cartel has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Big Cartel and $29/month for Swell Commerce.
- Does Big Cartel or Swell 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?
- Yes. Big Cartel has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Swell Commerce starts at $29/month.
- 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 Swell Commerce is typically brought in for.
- What can Big Cartel do that Swell Commerce cannot?
- Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture, GraphQL & REST APIs, Subscription commerce, Multi-currency support.
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.
SourceSwell Commerce: How much does Swell Commerce cost?
Swell offers four tiers starting at $29 per month for Starter and going up to $2,250 per month for Unlimited. Annual billing provides a 25% discount compared to monthly billing. All prices are in USD.
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.
SourceSwell Commerce: What are Swell's revenue tier overages?
Each plan includes a revenue ceiling based on 12-month trailing sales. Starter allows up to $50K with 2% overage, Basic allows $250K with 1.5% overage, Standard allows $1M with 1% overage, and Unlimited allows $5M with 0.4% overage. Custom plans are available for merchants exceeding $10M annually.
SourceBig Cartel: Can I cancel Big Cartel anytime?
Yes, Big Cartel explicitly offers no commitment and allows cancellation anytime on paid tiers.
SourceRelated pages
More on Swell Commerce
Other head to heads
- Big Cartel vs Magento
- Big Cartel vs Shopkeep
- Big Cartel vs Square
- Big Cartel vs BigCommerce
- Big Cartel vs Instacart
- Big Cartel vs Wix eCommerce
- Big Cartel vs WooCommerce
- Big Cartel vs OpenCart
- Big Cartel vs Saleor
- Big Cartel vs Sellfy
- Big Cartel vs Shopware
- Big Cartel vs Spree Commerce
- Big Cartel vs Vendure
- Big Cartel vs Volusion
- Big Cartel vs Wish
- Big Cartel vs Zendrop
- Big Cartel vs Contentful
- Big Cartel vs Medusa
- Big Cartel vs Braze
- Big Cartel vs Oracle Commerce
- Big Cartel vs Shopify
- Big Cartel vs Squarespace Commerce
- Big Cartel vs Checkout.com
- Big Cartel vs CJ Dropshipping
- Big Cartel vs commercetools
- Big Cartel vs eBay
- Big Cartel vs Erply
- Big Cartel vs FastSpring
- Swell Commerce vs Magento
- Swell Commerce vs Shopkeep
- Swell Commerce vs Square
- Swell Commerce vs BigCommerce
- Swell Commerce vs Instacart
- Swell Commerce vs Wix eCommerce
- Swell Commerce vs WooCommerce
- Swell Commerce vs OpenCart
- Swell Commerce vs Saleor
- Swell Commerce vs Sellfy
- Swell Commerce vs Shopware
- Swell Commerce vs Spree Commerce
- Swell Commerce vs Vendure
- Swell Commerce vs Volusion
- Swell Commerce vs Wish
- Swell Commerce vs Zendrop
- Swell Commerce vs Contentful
- Swell Commerce vs Medusa
- Swell Commerce vs Braze
- Swell Commerce vs Oracle Commerce
- Swell Commerce vs Shopify
- Swell Commerce vs Squarespace Commerce
- Swell Commerce vs Checkout.com
- Swell Commerce vs CJ Dropshipping
- Swell Commerce vs commercetools
- Swell Commerce vs eBay
- Swell Commerce vs Erply
- Swell Commerce vs FastSpring