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ThriveCart alternatives in 2026

Looking for a ThriveCart alternative? Our top pick is SamCart — SamCart covers the same job as ThriveCart, usually at a lower entry price. Below, 12 checkout tools compared on price, transaction fees, and who they actually suit, plus a calculator to see real costs at your scale.

People usually leave ThriveCart over: high upfront cost vs. monthly carts; no free trial — pay to access; pro+ features now carry an annual fee.

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Top alternative: SamCart

★ Top pick

SamCart

Conversion-focused checkout pages with 1-click upsells and zero platform fees.

Why it fits: SamCart covers the same job as ThriveCart, usually at a lower entry price.

From $59/mo
Score
Txn fee 0% platform fee
  • No platform fee — keep your revenue minus processing
  • Strong upsell/bump tooling that lifts AOV
  • Pricier entry point than pay-per-sale carts
Course and digital-product sellers optimizing conversionCreators who want upsells without a revenue cut

ThriveCart vs the alternatives

Including ThriveCart itself, so you can see exactly what you'd gain or give up.

Tool Score From Free Txn fee Best for Visit
ThriveCart Pay-once lifetime checkout with upsells, affiliates and zero platform fees.
$495 0% platform fee (only Stripe/PayPal processing) Creators wanting to own their cart outright Visit
SamCart ★ Top pick Conversion-focused checkout pages with 1-click upsells and zero platform fees.
$59 0% platform fee (only Stripe/PayPal processing) Course and digital-product sellers optimizing conversion Visit
Payhip Sell courses, downloads and memberships free — pay only a small fee per sale.
Free Lowest 5% (Free); 2% (Plus); 0% (Pro) Creators selling downloads or simple courses Visit
Lemon Squeezy Merchant-of-record checkout that handles global tax and VAT for digital products.
Free Lowest 5% + 50¢ per sale (merchant of record) SaaS and software sellers wanting tax handled Visit
FastSpring Enterprise merchant of record for selling software and SaaS globally.
Free Lowest ~5.9% + 95¢ per sale (merchant of record) Software and SaaS companies selling worldwide Visit
Paddle All-in-one merchant of record for SaaS billing, tax and global payments.
Free Lowest 5% + 50¢ per sale (merchant of record) SaaS companies selling globally Visit
Stan Store Link-in-bio storefront for creators to sell digital products and bookings.
$25 0% platform fee (only Stripe/PayPal processing) Instagram/TikTok creators selling from a bio link Visit
Whop All-in-one platform to sell digital products, memberships, and gated communities
Free Lowest 2.7% + $0.30 card processing Creators selling gated Discord/Telegram communities Visit
Sellfy Launch a storefront for digital products, courses and subscriptions in minutes.
$22 0% Creators selling downloads and simple courses Visit
Podia Simple all-in-one for solo creators: courses, downloads, email, and community.
$42 5% (Mover); 0% on Shaker and up Solo creators and teams of one Visit
SendOwl Simple flat-rate checkout for digital downloads with no revenue cut.
$32.5 0% (flat monthly plans, no revenue share) Sellers of ebooks, files and license-key software Visit
PayKickstart Subscription-and-affiliate checkout platform with no revenue share.
$99 0% (flat monthly plans, no revenue share) Subscription and SaaS-style digital sellers Visit
Gumroad Sell digital products and courses with no monthly fee — pay per sale.
Free Lowest 10% + $0.50 per direct sale (plus processing) Indie creators selling ebooks, templates, and lightweight courses Visit

Score is our composite of independent user ratings, value, and feature breadth — how we score. Prices are entry-tier estimates; verify current pricing on each site.

Monthly cost compared

checkout tools — monthly cost

These plans are flat-rate, but sales fees aren't — drag your monthly sales to see the real cost, cheapest first.

Exact $/mo:

    Every alternative, reviewed

    1

    SamCart

    Conversion-focused checkout pages with 1-click upsells and zero platform fees.

    From $59/mo
    Score
    Txn fee 0% platform fee
    • No platform fee — keep your revenue minus processing
    • Strong upsell/bump tooling that lifts AOV
    • Pricier entry point than pay-per-sale carts
    Course and digital-product sellers optimizing conversionCreators who want upsells without a revenue cut
    2

    Payhip

    Sell courses, downloads and memberships free — pay only a small fee per sale.

    Free plan Recurring
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 5%
    • Genuine free plan to start selling at no upfront cost
    • All features on every tier — only the fee differs
    • Free plan's 5% fee stacks on processor fees
    Creators selling downloads or simple coursesBeginners wanting to launch free
    3

    Lemon Squeezy

    Merchant-of-record checkout that handles global tax and VAT for digital products.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 5% + 50¢ per sale
    • No tax compliance headache — MoR covers it
    • Zero monthly cost, pure pay-per-sale
    • 5% + extras adds up at higher volume
    SaaS and software sellers wanting tax handledCreators who want zero fixed cost
    4

    FastSpring

    Enterprise merchant of record for selling software and SaaS globally.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee ~5.9% + 95¢ per sale
    • No fixed monthly cost, pay per sale
    • Handles global tax compliance as MoR
    • Higher effective rate on subscriptions
    Software and SaaS companies selling worldwideSellers needing full tax compliance
    5

    Paddle

    All-in-one merchant of record for SaaS billing, tax and global payments.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 5% + 50¢ per sale
    • Single bundled fee covers tax, fraud and processing
    • Built for SaaS and subscription businesses
    • Currency conversion spread raises effective rate
    SaaS companies selling globallySubscription products needing tax compliance
    6

    Stan Store

    Link-in-bio storefront for creators to sell digital products and bookings.

    From $25/mo
    Score
    Txn fee 0% platform fee
    • Made for social/link-in-bio selling
    • No platform cut on sales
    • Limited checkout customization
    Instagram/TikTok creators selling from a bio linkCoaches selling sessions and small products
    7

    Whop

    All-in-one platform to sell digital products, memberships, and gated communities

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 2.7% + $0.30 card processing
    • No monthly fee — free to start, pay per transaction
    • Strong for gated Discord/Telegram communities
    • Effective rate climbs once automation/FX/payout fees stack
    Creators selling gated Discord/Telegram communitiesDigital product sellers wanting zero upfront cost
    8

    Sellfy

    Launch a storefront for digital products, courses and subscriptions in minutes.

    Recurring
    From $22/mo
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • Zero platform transaction fees on all tiers
    • Simple, fast setup with a low learning curve
    • Annual sales caps per tier force upgrades as you scale
    Creators selling downloads and simple coursesPrint-on-demand and merch sellers
    9

    Podia

    Simple all-in-one for solo creators: courses, downloads, email, and community.

    Recurring
    From $42/mo
    Score
    Txn fee 5%
    • All-in-one at a low entry price
    • Clean, beginner-friendly experience
    • 5% transaction fee on the cheapest Mover plan
    Solo creators and teams of oneSelling digital downloads + courses
    10

    SendOwl

    Simple flat-rate checkout for digital downloads with no revenue cut.

    From $32.5/mo
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • No transaction fees on any plan
    • Cheap flat entry price
    • Order and bandwidth caps per tier
    Sellers of ebooks, files and license-key softwareCreators wanting predictable flat pricing
    11

    PayKickstart

    Subscription-and-affiliate checkout platform with no revenue share.

    From $99/mo
    Score
    Txn fee 0%
    • No revenue share on any plan
    • Strong subscription retention/dunning tools
    • Higher entry price than creator carts
    Subscription and SaaS-style digital sellersMarketers running affiliate-driven funnels
    12

    Gumroad

    Sell digital products and courses with no monthly fee — pay per sale.

    Free plan
    From Free
    Score
    Txn fee 10% + $0.50 per direct sale
    • Zero upfront or monthly cost — pure pay-per-sale
    • Dead-simple setup, sell within minutes
    • 10% + $0.50 fee is high vs. flat-fee competitors
    Indie creators selling ebooks, templates, and lightweight coursesGetting started fast

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    Frequently asked questions

    What is the best ThriveCart alternative?

    SamCart is our top ThriveCart alternative for most people — conversion-focused checkout pages with 1-click upsells and zero platform fees. The best choice depends on your budget and goals; see the quick-pick list above.

    Is there a free alternative to ThriveCart?

    Yes — Payhip has a genuinely free plan, making it the cheapest ThriveCart alternative to start with.

    Why switch from ThriveCart?

    Common reasons: high upfront cost vs. monthly carts; no free trial — pay to access; pro+ features now carry an annual fee. If those aren't dealbreakers for you, ThriveCart may still be the right tool — we list its strengths too.