E-commerce & Retail · head to head
Magento vs Big Cartel
Magento
E-commerce & Retail
Open-source ecommerce platform for enterprise retail
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Big Cartel
E-commerce & Retail
Straightforward pricing, no surprises
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Magento has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Magento magento Open Source is available under the OSL v3 license as a free self-hosted edition, but Adobe sells a separate proprietary Adobe Commerce edition with additional B2B, page builder and cloud features not included in the open source code; Big Cartel custom domain support is not included on the free Gold plan; it is listed as a Platinum-tier feature
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Magento and Big Cartel actually diverge.
| Attribute | Magento | Big Cartel |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | open-source | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Founded | 2008 | Unknown |
Identical on both: platforms (Web), 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 Magento
- Multi-store management
- Advanced product catalog
- Customer segmentation
- Order management system
- Inventory management
- Progressive Web App
- GraphQL API
- Security & compliance
Only in Big Cartel
Nothing recorded that Magento does not also cover.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Magento
- Magento Open Source is available under the OSL v3 license as a free self-hosted edition, but Adobe sells a separate proprietary Adobe Commerce edition with additional B2B, page builder and cloud features not included in the open source code
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Magento
Free- Magento Open SourceFree
- Unlimited products
- Multiple storefronts
- Advanced marketing
- Adobe Commerce$20000/year
- All Open Source features
- 24/7 enterprise support
- Managed cloud hosting
Big Cartel
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Big Cartel review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Magento if
- You need multi-store management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want advanced product catalog.
Choose Big Cartel if
Nothing in the data separates Big Cartel from Magento on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Magento or Big Cartel better?
- Neither clearly leads. Magento starts at Free and Big Cartel at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Magento or Big Cartel?
- Magento has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Magento and On request for Big Cartel.
- Does Magento or Big Cartel run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Magento for free?
- Yes. Magento has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Big Cartel starts at On request.
- What can Magento do that Big Cartel cannot?
- Magento covers Multi-store management, Advanced product catalog, Customer segmentation, Order management system.