Choosing the right platform to power your online store is a big decision. If you are reading this post, you probably have narrowed down the options to Big Cartel vs Wix. But, between the two platforms, who’s the winner?
Don't worry; we're here to help you break the tie. In this head-to-head comparison, we'll dissect the key aspects of Big Cartel vs Wix, putting their strengths and weaknesses under the microscope. More specifically, you will further understand these aspects of both platforms:
- Pricing;
- Ease of use;
- Website builder tools;
- Themes & apps;
- eCommerce features;
- Payment & transaction fees;
- Hosting & performance;
- Marketing & SEO;
- Customer support;
- Security.
Big Cartel vs Wix: Quick Summary
When putting Big Cartel vs Wix on the table, Wix quickly earned our hearts. Its powerful feature set and high level of customizability make it the best option for medium-sized businesses. But that doesn't mean Big Cartel should be written off – it's still a fantastic option for independent creators with simpler product offerings.
Let's figure out which one might be your perfect match:
Does Big Cartel suit your business?
Big Cartel caters to creators and smaller businesses seeking a simple and affordable eCommerce solution. The minimalist approach might lack the bells and whistles of more robust platforms, but its straightforward nature and transparent pricing make it incredibly approachable for beginners. With no hidden fees and clear pricing tiers, you can easily manage the overall costs to run your business.
Big Cartel pros | Big Cartel cons |
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Best for: Selling handmade goods, limited-edition products, art prints, clothing, and other unique items where simplicity and a focus on aesthetics are key. | |
Does Wix suit your business?
At the same time, Wix strikes the perfect balance between ease of use and advanced eCommerce features, making it a viable option for medium-sized businesses. With its flexibility, medium-sized businesses can tailor their sites to fit evolving needs without being bogged down by complexity or needing heavy technical expertise.
Wix pros | Wix cons |
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Best for: Businesses of all sizes selling a wide range of products, from physical goods and digital downloads to services and subscriptions. | |
Pricing (Big Cartel Wins)
To start the competition between Wix vs Big Cartel, we will first take a look at the pricing plans offered by both platforms. I've seen firsthand how some platforms come with hidden fees or restrictions that can catch you off guard, so digging into the details is essential. Trust me, knowing the ins and outs of pricing will help you find a solution that truly supports your business goals.
Big Cartel pricing
First, Big Cartel offers 3 clear-cut plans ideal for smaller businesses or those seeking simplicity. Compared to most eCommerce platforms, the pricing range is quite affordable. Plus, you can dip your toes in their forever-free plan before making any commitments to the premium options.
- Free: $0/month (5 products);
- Platinum: $15/month (50 products);
- Diamond: $30/month (500 products).
While these licensing fees are a great starting point, it’s important to consider additional essential costs as well. You might want to budget for the following:
- Domain name: $10 – $20/year;
- Website Design (optional): $3,000 – $10,000/on-time payment;
- App and tool: $0-$40/app/month;
- Payment processing fee: 2.9% + 30¢;
- Marketing fees: $100 – $10,000+ depending on your budget & channels.
Wix pricing
While Wix does provide a forever-free plan, we should mention that it doesn’t support online selling. If you are looking to sell products online, you will want to check out their three eCommerce-focused plans:
- Core: $29/month;
- Business: $36/month;
- Business Elite: $159/month.
What we love about these plans is that they let you sell up to a whopping 50,000 products – so you’ve got plenty of room to grow. And if you're not quite ready to commit, I recommend signing up for their 14-day free trial to explore all the features and see if Wix truly fits your business.
- Domain name: $14.95/year after the first free year;
- Theme and design: $150-$500;
- App and tool: $5 – $50+/app/month;
- Payment processing fee: 2.9% + $0.30/transaction;
- Marketing fees: $100 – $10,000+ (varies based on your strategy, channels, and budget).
The Verdict
In the Big Cartel vs Wix pricing battle, Big Cartel wins over Wix when it comes to affordability, especially for smaller stores or those just starting. Nevertheless, the ultimate choice needs to depend on your budget, desired features, and long-term goals.
Ease of Use (A tie)
Now that we’ve covered the pricing plans, the next big factor to consider is ease of use. No matter how affordable or feature-packed a platform is, if it’s difficult to work with, your progress will slow down. From my experience, the simpler the platform is to navigate, the quicker you can focus on what matters – growing your business.
Join us to see the difference between Big Cartel vs Wix!
Big Cartel ease of use
Big Cartel stays true to its name, keeping things simple from the get-go. After choosing your plan, the signup process is a breeze. All you need is an email address, a password, a shop name, and a shop URL—then you're good to go. (If you've opted for a paid plan, you'll need to enter your billing information, too).
Once signed up, you're greeted by the Big Cartel dashboard. Unlike other platforms that grant you immediate dashboard access, Big Cartel requires you to work through the guide's steps before unlocking the full admin area. Fortunately, the setup guide is well-designed and walks you through the essential tasks to get your store up and running.
The Big Cartel admin dashboard itself is remarkably simplistic, featuring only five main sections. This minimalist design makes it incredibly easy to navigate and keeps things straightforward, but it also shows the platform’s more limited feature set compared to others.
Wix ease of use
Similar to Big Cartel, the signing up process on Wix is quite simple. You can either use your email address or connect with social media accounts to sign in.
What sets Wix apart is its innovative ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) tool, which takes the guesswork out of website creation. After signing up, I was asked to input some information about my business, such as the logo template, store theme, or pages I wanted to include on my website. From then on, the ADI tool will do the magic and lay out the basic foundation for your Wix store.
Adding to that, the Wix admin dashboard is generally easy to navigate, though the layout does tend to change every few months. Thankfully, the ever-present sidebar navigation menu ensures you'll always be able to find what you're looking for.
The Verdict
In the Big Cartel vs Wix ease-of-use showdown, it's a tie! Big Cartel triumphs with its sheer simplicity, perfect for beginners. Wix, while slightly more complex, offers a visually intuitive and feature-rich experience for crafting sophisticated stores.
Website Builder Tools (Wix Wins)
Next up, let’s talk about the website builder tools. Whether you’re after something simple or more customizable, the right tools can make a big difference in how your site looks and functions.
Big Cartel website builder
Big Cartel keeps things super simple – almost too simple, in my opinion. Don't expect any fancy drag-and-drop editors here. Instead, you will be working with pre-designed themes and tweaking the basics within their dashboard. It's great if you want a streamlined process, but I found it really limited my creativity.
On the plus side, Big Cartel's themes are inherently mobile-responsive, so your store will automatically adjust to different screen sizes. However, you don't have much control over how the mobile version looks, which might make it difficult for businesses to create an ultimate mobile experience.
Wix website builder
In contrast, Wix takes website design to the next level. Their standard editor is widely praised for its drag-and-drop functionality, which makes customization incredibly accessible. You can add, move, resize, and style elements with ease – no coding required.
But Wix doesn't stop there. They offer the ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) editor for those who prefer a more guided approach. Just answer a few questions, and ADI generates a personalized website tailored to your needs. For more advanced users, there's Corvid by Wix, which unlocks the power of JavaScript and Wix APIs, allowing for complex functionality and integrations.
Wix goes the extra mile with its dedicated mobile editor. I’ve found it incredibly helpful to preview how my site looks on smartphones and tablets before making it live. Plus, it’s easy to fine-tune the design to ensure a smooth and consistent experience for users, no matter what device they’re using.
The Verdict
Having spent time on both Drupal vs Wix, I can confidently say that Wix is the clear winner in this category. Big Cartel's simplicity has its merits, but it just can't compete with the sheer power and versatility of Wix's website-building tools.
Themes & Apps (Wix Wins)
The right theme sets the tone for your entire store, while apps help you extend its functionality. Both Big Cartel vs Wix offer different levels of customization through their themes and apps, so let’s see how they measure up in building the perfect eCommerce experience for your store.
Big Cartel themes & apps
Compared to other eCommerce platforms, the number of themes and apps offered by Big Cartel is much fewer. They keep things streamlined with a curated selection of 19 well-designed themes. They nail that indie aesthetic the platform is known for, and it's a huge plus that all themes are free, even on the free plan. However, this limited selection might not sit well with users who want a wider variety of design choices.
As for the Big Cartel app store, you will find the essentials for marketing, print-on-demand, automation, etc. But with only around 30 direct integrations, you might not find the specific tools or niche services your business requires. Also, be aware that some integrations, particularly those through Zapier, could involve extra costs and setup.
Wix themes & apps
Starting with the number of themes, Wix has over 800 options for business owners to choose from – which is a massive number. But here's the catch: you have to choose your theme wisely right from the start. Unlike some platforms that allow you to switch themes on the fly, Wix locks you into your initial choice.
If you have a change of heart down the road and want to switch themes, be prepared for a bit of a hassle. You will need to create an entirely new site under the same account, transfer your premium plan to that site, and customize the template all over again. This is quite time-consuming for anyone.
When it comes to expanding your store's functionality, there are 800 apps available in the Wix App Market covering a huge range of functions. Whether you want to improve your SEO, manage email marketing, or explore countless other features, Wix offers an app for just about everything, with pricing options to accommodate every budget.
The Verdict
It is obvious that Wix is the clear winner when it comes to themes and apps. If you thrive on having a ton of choices and want the freedom to truly customize your store with a huge range of apps, Wix has you covered.
eCommerce Features (Wix Wins)
Since you are considering running your online business on Big Cartel vs Wix, it would be a good call to focus on the nitty-gritty of eCommerce features. They are the key to helping you streamline the working process and customer experience.
For this section, we will cut through the noise and dive straight into a side-by-side comparison of the features that really matter, more specifically:
- Inventory management;
- Order management;
- Abandoned cart recovery;
- Automated sales tax;
- Report and analysis.
Inventory management
Big Cartel excels in product creation with one of the simplest interfaces I’ve encountered, allowing you to quickly add new items. This ease of use is a significant plus for many creatives looking to manage their online stores efficiently.
However, it’s important to note that you're limited to physical products, which might feel restrictive for those in the creative community who often sell digital work. Additionally, once Big Cartel generates a URL for your product, it cannot be changed later, which becomes a drawback if you’re looking to optimize your listings.
Wix, by contrast, offers a more comprehensive inventory experience. In more detail, organizing products is straightforward with its “collections” system, and the platform even provides a bulk editor for managing stock. However, it does have a couple of limitations—there are no sub-collections, and while stock can be edited in bulk, other product details still require individual edits.
Orders management
Similarly, Big Cartel applies its simplicity style to order management. Right from the dashboard, you can handle all the essentials: send purchase confirmation emails, track orders, print shipping labels, and even export order history in bulk as a CSV file. Each order page offers basic management features for fulfilling and completing orders, making the entire process simple and efficient.
Wix also excels in order management, offering a streamlined system with helpful tools. Their bulk actions allow for efficient updating of fulfillment statuses, printing of order information, and exporting of orders in bulk. The ability to filter orders by fulfillment status makes managing your workflow a breeze.
Abandoned cart recovery
Unfortunately, Big Cartel doesn't offer a built-in abandoned cart recovery feature. To recapture those lost sales, you would need to rely on a third-party integration.
Wix, on the other hand, includes a built-in abandoned cart recovery feature that allows you to automatically send personalized emails to customers who left items in their carts, encouraging them to complete their purchases.
Automated sales tax
When it comes to sales tax, Big Cartel offers a more limited solution compared to Wix. The platform integrates with TaxJar to automatically calculate and file sales taxes. But this functionality is restricted to orders within the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and only if transactions are in U.S. dollars.
Wix, in contrast, provides a more comprehensive and global approach to sales tax. By integrating with Avalara, Wix ensures accurate, geo-specific tax rates are automatically applied to every transaction, regardless of location. This seamless integration streamlines the checkout process for your customers and simplifies sales tax management for your business.
Report & analytics
Big Cartel provides basic sales reports and analytics to give you insights into your store's performance. You will be able to track key stats like total sales, product performance, traffic sources, and order details. However, if you require more in-depth data analysis or custom reporting options, you'll likely need to look elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Wix offers a much more comprehensive suite of reporting and analytics tools that allow you to delve deeper into your store's performance. You can track key metrics like conversion rates, average order value, and customer lifetime value, as well as generate custom reports to gain more granular insights.
The Verdict
When it comes to eCommerce features between Big Cartel vs Wix, Wix once again takes the lead. While Big Cartel offers simplicity, Wix excels in providing features that streamline operations, optimize sales, and deliver in-depth data insights, making it a more powerful choice for growing businesses.
Payment & Transaction Fees (Wix Wins)
You've got products to sell, but how will customers pay? Both Big Cartel vs Wix offer various payment gateway integrations, each with its own set of transaction fees. Let's break down your options so you can find the most cost-effective way to get paid.
Big Cartel payment
When running your business on Big Cartel, you've got PayPal, Stripe, Venmo (if you have a PayPal Business Account), and Apple Pay (which requires Stripe) for payments. While these choices cover the major bases, I found the limited selection a bit restrictive. If your business relies on a more specialized payment provider or you cater to customers who prefer alternative payment methods, Big Cartel might not cut it.
If you're considering a POS system with Big Cartel, the hardware and features available will depend on the payment gateway you select. Therefore, it's crucial to do thorough research before making your choice.
On the plus side, Big Cartel deserves a round of applause for not charging any transaction fees on sales, regardless of which payment gateway you use. This is a major win for sellers, as those pesky transaction fees can really eat into your profits.
Wix payment
Meanwhile, Wix partnered with 70+ payment methods, supporting a wide range of countries. The exact lineup varies depending on your location, but you can generally count on having the essentials: credit card processing, PayPal, and manual payments.
Depending on your payment provider's offerings, you may also select additional options like Apple Pay, cryptocurrency payments, recurring billing, BNPL (buy now, pay later), payments for CBD products, and more. Normally, the Wix fees for selling range from 2.9% + $0.30 to 3.9% + $0.30 per transaction for these payment gateways.
Wix also offers its in-house payment gateway, named Wix Payments. In the US, Wix Payments charges a fixed rate of 2.9% + $0.30 for all major credit cards and popular payment methods. This rate might differ slightly for other countries and payment types.
The Verdict
For sheer variety and flexibility, Wix easily takes the crown in this round between Big Cartel vs Wix. Their extensive list of payment options ensures you can cater to a global audience and provide a seamless checkout experience.
Hosting & Performance (Wix Wins)
You have poured your heart into your online store, but none of that matters if customers are met with a sluggish site. Don’t worry; we have done some digging into the hosting and performance of Big Cartel vs Wix to help you make the decision.
Big Cartel hosting
Big Cartel keeps things surprisingly quiet about its hosting infrastructure, which is a bit concerning for a platform aimed at online businesses.
Based on my tests, a typical Big Cartel store loaded in around 2 seconds on both mobile and desktop. The page speed scores were 58/100 for mobile and 89/100 for desktop. While those numbers aren't bad, the lack of transparency about their speed optimization strategies and Core Web Vitals improvements is a definite drawback.
Wix hosting
On the other hand, a standard Wix site took around 4 seconds to load on both mobile and desktop, with page speed scores of 20/100 for mobile and 54/100 for desktop.
Although these scores are lower than Big Cartel, Wix clearly outlines its speed optimization strategies, focusing on key areas like media optimization, code simplification, content distribution networks, etc. You can find everything you need to know to enhance your Wix website speed here.
The Verdict
In the Big Cartel vs Wix performance face-off, Wix wins me over. Even though Wix's page speed scores are lower than Big Cartel's, its transparent and well-documented hosting optimization strategies are a significant advantage.
Marketing & SEO (Wix Wins)
Attracting customers and growing your online business requires a solid marketing strategy. Your platform should be your ally in growth, providing tools and features that empower you to reach the right audience, no matter your marketing expertise.
Big Cartel marketing features
Big Cartel takes a more hands-off approach to marketing, providing the essentials but leaving more advanced strategies up to you. You can offer discount codes and run promotions, but don't expect built-in tools for email marketing, social media management, or abandoned cart recovery. Some of the popular apps that you can integrate to extend these capabilities are MailChimp, Omnisend, or Privy.
On the SEO front, Big Cartel covers the basics. You can customize your page titles, meta descriptions, and product URLs, but the platform lacks more sophisticated SEO features like automated sitemaps, schema markup, or in-depth analytics.
If you're a fan of content marketing, Big Cartel's blogging capabilities are, unfortunately, non-existent. You will need to rely on a third-party blogging platform or integrate your store with a separate website if you want to leverage content to drive traffic and engagement.
Wix marketing features
Wix takes a much more comprehensive approach, offering a suite of built-in marketing tools to empower your business growth. Instead of relying on third-party integrations, you can manage key marketing activities directly within your Wix dashboard.
- Email marketing: There’s a built-in marketing app called Wix Email Marketing for you to use. I was seriously impressed by how easy it was to create professional-looking emails without any design experience.
- Social media: You can expand your store reach by connecting with social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, etc. Besides the integration, I could schedule posts, track performance, and even create shoppable posts that link directly to product pages on my site. It is quite a time-saver not having to rely on third-party apps.
- SEO: Their Wix SEO Wiz tool basically walked me through all the essential steps, like setting up my sitemap, optimizing my product descriptions, and choosing the right keywords. I also loved that I could track my search engine rankings right from my dashboard.
- Blogging: Its blogging features allowed me to easily create, format, and publish blog posts without any technical headaches. I could even add images, videos, and even products from my store directly into my posts.
The Verdict
This round is a clear victory for Wix. As I write this comparison between Big Cartel vs Wix, I realized that Big Cartel's simple marketing approach suits some, but Wix's full range of tools lets you take a more strategic path to grow your store. And this is a plus point for Wix!
Customer Support (Wix Wins)
Running an online business is a 24/7 job, and sometimes you need a little help. Whether it's a technical glitch or a question about features, reliable customer support can be a lifesaver. Continue reading to see how you can ask for help between Big Cartel vs Wix:
Big Cartel customer support
Instead of relying on bots and automated responses, Big Cartel has a small team of 10 dedicated support agents ready to answer your questions and resolve issues. You can reach them via email at [email protected], and from my experience, they typically respond within a couple of hours.
However, one downside is their limited support availability. While they offer 24/7 email support during weekdays, weekends are a different story. You'll only be able to reach them from 8 AM to 6 PM EST on Saturdays and Sundays.
Wix customer support
With Wix, you can contact their customer support via the 24/7 live chat or callback options for English-speaking users (support hours vary for other languages). These methods can be easily accessed from your Wix dashboard, though be prepared to navigate past a chatbot before reaching a human agent.
Wix also boasts an extensive help center with articles, FAQs, and video tutorials covering a wide range of topics. However, I've sometimes found their resources to be a bit overwhelming and difficult to navigate, especially for beginners.
The Verdict
While I applaud Big Cartel's helpful support team, Wix takes the win for me in this round between Big Cartel vs Wix. When I'm grappling with a time-sensitive issue on my online store, knowing that Wix's support team is available at all time frames makes all the difference.
Security (Wix Wins)
Data breaches and security vulnerabilities are a real threat in the online world. You need a platform that takes security seriously. Here are the security measures applied by Big Cartel vs Wix:
Big Cartel security
Big Cartel provides a free SSL certificate for all shops and custom domains, which encrypts sensitive information transmitted between your store and your visitors' browsers. They also emphasize their adherence to strict data processing protocols in line with data protection laws.
However, there's a crucial detail to note: while Big Cartel facilitates secure payment processing through PCI-compliant third-party gateways like PayPal and Stripe, the platform itself is not PCI-compliant. This means that while your customers' payment information is secure during transactions, Big Cartel doesn't handle or store that data directly.
Wix security
When putting Big Cartel vs Wix together, Wix secures you with the following measures:
- Free SSL certificate
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Global CDN
- PCI-compliant servers
From the list of security measures implemented by Wix, we can see that they prioritize a multi-layered approach to safeguarding your online store. They combine essential security features like SSL certificates and PCI-compliant servers with performance-enhancing measures like unlimited bandwidth and a global CDN that indirectly contribute to a more secure environment.
The Verdict
It is obvious that Wix’s security measures are more comprehensive in this competition between Big Cartel vs Wix. While Big Cartel certainly doesn't ignore security, Wix goes the extra mile to provide a more secure environment for both store owners and their customers.
Big Cartel vs Wix: FAQs
Is Big Cartel a good site to sell on?
Yes, Big Cartel can be a great site to sell on, especially if you're a creator, artist, or small business owner who values simplicity and affordability. It's incredibly easy to use, has transparent pricing with no transaction fees, and offers a clean, minimalist aesthetic that's perfect for showcasing unique products. However, if you need advanced features, tons of customization options, or plan to scale significantly, Big Cartel might feel limiting in the long run.
Does Big Cartel take a cut of sales?
The good news is that Big Cartel doesn't take a cut of your sales. You'll only pay the monthly fee for your chosen plan and any transaction fees charged by your payment gateway (like Stripe or PayPal). This makes Big Cartel a very cost-effective option, especially compared to platforms that tack on their own transaction fees.
How do I transfer my Big Cartel to Wix?
While there's no one-click solution to migrate your Big Cartel store directly to Wix, the process can be streamlined with the right method. You can export your Big Cartel products as a CSV file for importing into Wix but this can be a headache if you have limited technical skills and time.
To avoid that situation, our advice is to consider a dedicated migration service like LitExtension. With 12+ years of experience, we are dedicated to migrating all of your data accurately, and seamlessly with the utmost level of security from Big Cartel to Wix.
Can I use an existing domain with Wix?
Absolutely! Wix allows you to connect an existing domain name to your Wix site, either by transferring your domain registration to Wix or by connecting it via pointing. They provide step-by-step instructions to guide you through the process, making it relatively straightforward to use your own custom domain with your Wix online store.
Final Verdict
As our in-depth comparison between Big Cartel vs Wix has revealed, Big Cartel's limited customization options, lack of essential features, and reliance on third-party integrations ultimately hold it back. Thus, Wix consistently outshines its competitors across various crucial aspects of building and running a successful online store.
If you are considering a migration to Wix, LitExtension experts are here to help. With our #1 eCommerce migration service, we will perform a smooth and hassle-free transition for your store.
For more eCommerce insights, we have a collection of blog posts focusing on eCommerce platforms and a community group waiting for you. Check them out now!
