Big Cartel vs Volusion: Full Features Breakdown 2025

If you're trying to decide between Big Cartel vs Volusion, you're likely weighing two very different platforms. One is built for simplicity and creatives on a budget. The other leans toward structure and built-in tools for growing businesses.

To help you make the right choice, we’ve compared both platforms across these key areas:

• Pricing;
• Ease of use;
• Templates & customization;
• eCommerce features;
• Marketing & SEO tools;
• Apps & integrations;
• Support & security.

Keep reading for the details!

Big Cartel vs Volusion: An Overview

What is Big Cartel?

Big Cartel is a simple eCommerce platform built specifically for independent artists, makers, and small businesses. It keeps things minimal on purpose. You won’t find enterprise-level complexity here. Instead, Big Cartel offers just enough flexibility to help small shops launch and operate with confidence.

Today, Big Cartel is home to over 92,000 active websites worldwide, a number that has steadily grown over the years. This continued growth reflects just how well its simplicity resonates with creative entrepreneurs.

Want a deeper look at Big Cartel? Check out our full Big Cartel review now.

What is Volusion?

Volusion is a solution aimed at small to mid-sized businesses that need more robust tools to operate and grow. It offers a structured backend with eCommerce tools tailored, such as inventory tracking, product variants, shipping rules, and built-in analytics.

Though its market share has declined in recent years with the rise of newer competitors, Volusion still powers a solid number of online businesses – over 4,000 websites. It may not have kept pace with the latest trends in design or flexibility, but for some businesses, its focused, business-oriented environment still checks the right boxes.

Curious to learn more about Volusion? Read our full Volusion review now.

Volusion vs Big Cartel: Which Platform is Better?

Before we dive into the full comparison, here’s a quick overview of how Big Cartel vs Volusion stack up across all the key areas.

We've scored each platform out of 10 in every category to give you a snapshot of which one performs better. A perfect 10 means the platform excels and offers something extra. Lower scores reflect missing features, limited flexibility, or trade-offs that might matter depending on your needs.

With a total score of 54/70, Volusion wins overall in our Big Cartel vs Volusion comparison. It provides more robust eCommerce features, better customization, and broader integration options.

Nevertheless, each platform still caters to a particular group of merchants. Here are our suggestions:

• Big Cartel is ideal for artists, indie brands, and small sellers who want something simple, affordable, and easy to launch.
• Volusion is better for growing businesses that need built-in tools, more control, and are ready to invest in long-term operations.

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Pricing (Big Cartel Wins)

Big Cartel pricing

There’s no doubt Big Cartel is one of the most budget-friendly platforms out there. The fact that you can launch a store and start selling for free is a big win, especially for artists and creators just starting out.

Here’s a quick look at the three Big Cartel pricing plans:

• Gold ($0/month): Sell up to 5 products with 1 image per product. Includes basic features like order management, free themes, and real-time stats.
• Platinum ($15/month): Supports up to 50 products with 5 images per item. Adds inventory tracking, discount codes, and Google Analytics integration.
• Diamond ($30/month): Designed for scaling stores with up to 500 products and 25 images per item. Offers top-tier support and all available features.

Across all plans, there are no Big Cartel transaction fees, and you can use Stripe or PayPal without any platform-added charges. What’s more is that all of their themes are free, and there are no pricey apps, so you can keep your costs low from day one with Big Cartel.

Volusion pricing

Volusion offers four pricing plans based on your store size and expected revenue:

• Personal ($35/month): Includes up to 100 products, 1 staff account, and a $50K annual GMV (gross merchandise volume) cap. Support includes live chat and email.
• Professional ($79/month): Raises the limit to 5,000 products, 5 staff accounts, and a $100K GMV cap.
• Business ($299/month): Removes product limits, allows up to $400K GMV per year, and supports 15 staff accounts with live chat, email, and phone support.
• Prime (Custom pricing): Designed for high-volume stores with unlimited products and GMV. Offers VIP-level support and unlimited staff accounts, with pricing based on your sales volume.

At first glance, Volusion’s pricing sits at the higher end of the market. The starting plan alone costs more than Big Cartel’s most expensive tier, and even compared to platforms like Shopify or Wix, it’s relatively steep.

However, this is just the upfront cost. In the long run, Volusion is more cost-effective in terms of total cost of ownership. Many features that require third-party apps on other platforms – such as reporting, product variants, and advanced inventory tools – are already included.

For merchants who want everything in one place without stacking extra costs, this bundled approach can lead to long-term savings.

Ease of Use (A Tie)

Big Cartel ease of use

Big Cartel makes it incredibly easy to get started. All you need to do is choose a plan, then enter your email, password, shop name, and custom URL. If you're opting for a paid plan, you'll also need to provide your billing details.

Then, answer a few questions about your business and you're taken to the Big Cartel dashboard, where a Getting Started checklist appears. This will guide you through key setup steps, such as:

• Complete onboarding survey;
• Verify email address;
• Set your location and currency;
• Create your product catalog;
• Enable checkout.

Once that’s done, you can start exploring Big Cartel’s main admin area, which is refreshingly minimal. There are only five core sections, making the interface extremely easy to navigate.

Volusion ease of use

Volusion offers a 14-day free trial, allowing you to explore the platform before committing to a paid plan. Creating an account takes just a few seconds; simply enter your email and password, and you're in.

Once inside the dashboard, you’re greeted by a helpful step-by-step setup wizard. It guides you through the essentials of launching your store, such as selecting a theme, uploading your logo, and adding your first products. The onboarding flow creates a clear sense of progress, helping first-time users build confidence as they progress.

Navigation within the Volusion admin is also well-organized. Categories are clearly labeled and placed exactly where you’d expect, making it easy to jump between products, orders, design, and settings. Even for beginners, the interface feels approachable and free of unnecessary clutter.

Templates & Customization (Volusion Wins)

Big Cartel templates & customization

Big Cartel provides a small collection of just over 10 free, mobile-responsive themes. These templates are clean and modern, but the selection is very limited compared to most current eCommerce platforms.

Each theme comes with 15 ready-made presets, offering different font and color combinations you can apply with a single click. Through the updated settings panel, you can tweak fonts, colors, buttons, images, layout, and social media links. These tools cover the basics well and are easy to use, even if you have no design background.

For advanced users, there’s also a code editor where you can fully edit the HTML to reflect your brand’s aesthetic better. Overall, Big Cartel keeps things simple on the surface, but still provides room to grow if you want to enhance the design.

Volusion templates & customization

Compared to Big Cartel, Volusion offers a wider variety of themes, including around 24 free pre-built designs you can apply to your store. If you’re looking for more options, there’s a broader library of about 40 eCommerce themes in total, including 11 free themes and 34 premium options priced at $180 each.

Customization is handled through the Site Designer, a drag-and-drop editor that uses a block-based system. You can move sections around, swap images or text, and add new content blocks – all without touching code. It also allows you to adjust fonts, colors, and other styling elements to match your brand better.

For advanced users, the File Editor in the admin panel supports HTML and CSS customization. You can also add JavaScript to create interactive elements or make specific tweaks; however, Volusion limits where scripts can be used to ensure PCI compliance and maintain security standards.

eCommerce Features (Volusion Wins)

If you're planning to sell online using Big Cartel or Volusion, it’s important to know what features each platform actually offers. We've put together a detailed comparison table below to help you understand exactly how they stack up:

A key highlight from the comparison table is the difference in checkout and order management. Big Cartel offers a very basic checkout experience with no support for customer accounts or saved carts. This might be fine for quick, one-time purchases, but it limits functionality for repeat buyers or larger stores. In contrast, Volusion supports customer accounts, order histories, and a more flexible checkout flow – making it better suited for businesses that rely on building customer relationships and managing higher order volumes.

Marketing & SEO Features (Volusion Wins)

Big Cartel marketing & SEO features

To access any marketing or SEO tools on Big Cartel, you’ll need to be on a paid plan. But even then, the options are fairly limited. You can create discount codes and run basic promotions, but there are no built-in tools for email marketing, social media management, or recovering abandoned carts. To fill those gaps, you’ll need to connect with third-party apps like Mailchimp, Omnisend, or Privy.

On the SEO side, Big Cartel covers only the essentials. You can edit your page titles, meta descriptions, and product URLs, which helps with basic search visibility. However, the platform lacks advanced features such as automated sitemaps, schema markup, and built-in analytics tools that you’ll find in more SEO-focused platforms.

And if you’re planning to drive traffic through content, there’s a catch – Big Cartel doesn’t support blogging. You’ll need to set up a separate blog using platforms like WordPress or connect to an external site to run a content strategy.

Volusion marketing & SEO features

In contrast, Volusion gives you a decent range of built-in tools to help with marketing. You can set up discounts, coupon codes, and promotions to drive sales. There are also features for product reviews, social sharing buttons, and basic email marketing integrations, which help keep customers engaged.

On the SEO front, Volusion lets you customize your page titles, meta descriptions, and URLs. The platform also automatically generates sitemaps and supports canonical tags, helping improve your search rankings and avoid duplicate content issues. These features aren’t advanced by enterprise standards, but they’re solid for small to mid-sized businesses looking to build organic visibility.

Apps & Integration (Volusion Wins)

Big Cartel apps & integration

Big Cartel offers a compact collection of over 30 third-party apps, organized into categories like sales, marketing, promotions, design, and product sourcing. The selection is limited – especially compared to larger platforms with hundreds of integrations – but it covers the basics well.

What’s nice is that Big Cartel puts in the effort to make these integrations approachable. Each app comes with a detailed setup guide, helping users understand exactly how to connect and use the tool effectively.

Volusion apps & integration

Volusion features an app marketplace with around 80 integrations, covering core areas like dropshipping, customer support, email marketing, shipping, and analytics. It’s not as extensive as what you’d find on Shopify or WooCommerce, but it does offer more variety than Big Cartel.

Support & Security (A Tie)

Big Cartel support & security

Big Cartel offers 24/7 customer support through in-app messaging for users with an account. If you're not logged in, you can still reach out via email. The platform also offers a help center featuring step-by-step guides, FAQs, and troubleshooting articles to assist you in resolving common issues independently.

On the security side, all Big Cartel shops come with a free SSL certificate, including those using custom domains. Payments are processed through PCI-compliant third-party processors, such as PayPal and Stripe, ensuring secure checkout experiences for customers.

Volusion support & security

Volusion offers several ways to get help, including live chat, email support, and a knowledge base with tutorials and setup guides. However, the level of support depends on your pricing plan.

Similar to Big Cartel, your Volusion website is also offered free SSL certificates for guaranteed security. The platform is also PCI DSS compliant, meaning it meets the required industry standards for processing payment information securely.

Big Cartel vs Volusion: FAQs

Conclusion

So that’s everything you need to know in the Big Cartel vs Volusion comparison. We hope this breakdown has helped you find the right home for your online store, whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale.

And remember, your first platform doesn’t have to be your forever platform. As your business grows, you can always switch to a better fit using our LitExtension migration service – safe, seamless, and trusted by thousands of merchants worldwide.

For more eCommerce insights, please head to our blog posts or join our community group!