ThriveCart vs. SamCart

Get more from your checkout without the success penalty!

SamCart's new plan gives every user the full toolset but the more you earn, the more you pay. ThriveCart rewards growth instead of penalizing it. With simple payment plans and zero commissions, ThriveCart offers a more impactful checkout, upsell, and affiliate experience.

Explore ThriveCart
Trustpilot logoTrustpilot
4.6/5
G2 logoG2
4.6/5
Product Hunt logoProduct Hunt
5/5
Capterra logoCapterra
4.7/5
VS
ThriveCart
ThriveCart
SamCart
SamCart
Capterra
5/5

If you're serious about making money online, this is the best funnel builder.

Switched from SamCart

Why · Cost

I can't say enough about what this offers. It pretty much does everything and more than all of the funnel builders.
Lawrence B.
Managing Member, Internet
Capterra
5/5

Excellent for selling a digital product.

Considered SamCart — chose ThriveCart
ThriveCart's pricing was better than SamCart's and the features were more in line with what I wanted. The landing pages, checkouts, order bumps, and upsells had a big impact on revenue — my small shop saw a 50% increase within a few months of getting started.
Verified Reviewer — Personal Finance Blogger
Internet / Blogging
Capterra
5/5

Low-code, high-quality online cart solution.

Considered SamCart — chose ThriveCart

Why · Single payment for lifetime access; SamCart lacked Google Pay & Apple Pay at the time

You can craft almost any offer type you need — free trial, split payment, flexible subscriptions, recurring sales, discount offers, even 'pay what you want.' Mobile sales are a breeze since all the checkout and cart pages are fully responsive.
Steve D.
Owner, E-Learning
Capterra
5/5

A shopping cart app worth the investment.

Considered SamCart — chose ThriveCart

Why · SamCart didn't offer the cart and checkout customization I wanted

What I liked most was how much I could customize my sales pages — down to the colors, fonts, even how the cart deployed (stand-alone page vs. pop-up). I also loved the built-in countdown timers, coupon codes, and affiliate marketing.
Kristin P.
Brand Strategist & Design Consultant
Capterra
5/5

ThriveCart makes it a smooth shopper experience.

Considered SamCart — chose ThriveCart
SamCart is good too, but ultimately I liked what ThriveCart had to offer for my long-term strategies. Great value for anyone selling digital and physical products through funnels — and the customer support is excellent.
Michael F.
Entertainment
Trustpilot
5/5

Switched from SamCart after two years.

Switched from SamCart (after 2 years)

Why · Rising costs at SamCart

After two years on SamCart, the rising costs pushed me to move — ThriveCart's one-time license made the math obvious.
Jenny
Course Creator / Template Buyer
G2

No sales fees, no subscription — just lifetime access.

Switched from SamCart

Why · Didn't want sales fees or a monthly subscription

The carts are fully responsive and the company prides itself on excellent customer support. We switched from SamCart to ThriveCart because we didn't want to pay fees on every sale or a monthly subscription — the one-time fee for lifetime access plus the free Affiliate Center sealed it.
Follow Your Detour
Travel / Business Blog
Capterra
5/5

If you're serious about making money online, this is the best funnel builder.

Switched from SamCart

Why · Cost

I can't say enough about what this offers. It pretty much does everything and more than all of the funnel builders.
Lawrence B.
Managing Member, Internet
Capterra
5/5

Excellent for selling a digital product.

Considered SamCart — chose ThriveCart
ThriveCart's pricing was better than SamCart's and the features were more in line with what I wanted. The landing pages, checkouts, order bumps, and upsells had a big impact on revenue — my small shop saw a 50% increase within a few months of getting started.
Verified Reviewer — Personal Finance Blogger
Internet / Blogging
Capterra
5/5

Low-code, high-quality online cart solution.

Considered SamCart — chose ThriveCart

Why · Single payment for lifetime access; SamCart lacked Google Pay & Apple Pay at the time

You can craft almost any offer type you need — free trial, split payment, flexible subscriptions, recurring sales, discount offers, even 'pay what you want.' Mobile sales are a breeze since all the checkout and cart pages are fully responsive.
Steve D.
Owner, E-Learning
Capterra
5/5

A shopping cart app worth the investment.

Considered SamCart — chose ThriveCart

Why · SamCart didn't offer the cart and checkout customization I wanted

What I liked most was how much I could customize my sales pages — down to the colors, fonts, even how the cart deployed (stand-alone page vs. pop-up). I also loved the built-in countdown timers, coupon codes, and affiliate marketing.
Kristin P.
Brand Strategist & Design Consultant
Capterra
5/5

ThriveCart makes it a smooth shopper experience.

Considered SamCart — chose ThriveCart
SamCart is good too, but ultimately I liked what ThriveCart had to offer for my long-term strategies. Great value for anyone selling digital and physical products through funnels — and the customer support is excellent.
Michael F.
Entertainment
Trustpilot
5/5

Switched from SamCart after two years.

Switched from SamCart (after 2 years)

Why · Rising costs at SamCart

After two years on SamCart, the rising costs pushed me to move — ThriveCart's one-time license made the math obvious.
Jenny
Course Creator / Template Buyer
G2

No sales fees, no subscription — just lifetime access.

Switched from SamCart

Why · Didn't want sales fees or a monthly subscription

The carts are fully responsive and the company prides itself on excellent customer support. We switched from SamCart to ThriveCart because we didn't want to pay fees on every sale or a monthly subscription — the one-time fee for lifetime access plus the free Affiliate Center sealed it.
Follow Your Detour
Travel / Business Blog

How ThriveCart has helped our sellers

75K+

Businesses powered — about 1.5% of the creator economy trusts ThriveCart to grow.

70M+

Products sold — digital, courses, and physical, with tools built to scale.

$8B+

In processed sales, driven by high-converting checkouts, upsells, and optimized funnels.

118%

Average increase in AOV with ThriveCart's one-click upsells, bumps, and funnel logic.

Why ThriveCart wins

Scale your revenue, not your software bill

Four reasons creators move from SamCart to ThriveCart — and stay.

No penalty for growth

Unlimited revenue potential, every advanced feature included, no tier upgrades waiting at $3k, $4k, $5k, or $10k+ a month.

Predictability

Unlike SamCart, ThriveCart never takes a commission on your sales. Your cost stays the same whether you make $1,000 or $1M — no surprise amount on your invoice tied to your monthly revenue.

Ownership & control

Full control over your business data, funnels, and customer records. No platform rent. No exit penalty.

Selling power, included

Advanced checkouts, upsells, order bumps, affiliate, and analytics — in one license, not stacked add-ons.

The bottom line: SamCart's "pay more as you grow" model can feel flexible, but it penalizes the success you're working for. ThriveCart gives you full control, unlimited revenue potential, and access to advanced tools — for one simple decision.

Features

Feature comparison — Apples to Apples

Capability by capability, so you can see exactly where each platform sits before you commit.

Capability
ThriveCart
SamCart
CHECKOUT
Checkout Customization
Fully customizable, high-converting pages
Flexible layouts, moderate customization
1-Click Upsells & Downsells
Order Bumps
Single (Standard) or up to 6 (Pro+)
Sales Funnel Builder
Built-in funnels with advanced logic
Basic funnels & post-purchase upsell flows
A/B Testing
Native built-in split testing
Rotate between control & variation pages
Cart Abandonment Recovery
Custom Receipts & Thank You Pages
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscription Management
Advanced recurring billing & dunning (Pro+)
Subscription saver & basic management
PAYMENTS
Multiple Payment Options
Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Authorize.net, BNPL
Stripe, PayPal, SamPay, Authorize.net, Braintree, Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm
Stored Credit Cards
Saved via gateways
Payment Routing
Route between multiple processors
Automatic routing
COURSES & CONTENT
Built-in Course Hosting
ThriveCart Learn (basic) & Learn+ (advanced)
Course builder, video hosting, quizzes
Drip Content
Instant, trial-based, or rebill-based (Learn+)
Date-based scheduling
Communities
GROWTH
Affiliate Management
Integrated affiliate center (Pro+)
INTEGRATIONS
Custom Integrations
Zapier, API, webhooks, direct integrations
API, webhooks & native integrations

Honest read: Both platforms cover the basics of modern checkout. ThriveCart pulls ahead on funnel depth, upsell mechanics, and subscription tooling — and packages everything for one decision instead of a tier upgrade every time you grow.

Our pricing plans

Whether you're just starting out or are looking for an upgrade, we've got a plan for you. Buy ThriveCart with or without advanced offerings, or upgrade anytime after.

ThriveCart Standard

Great to get started

Checkout & Cart

  • Customized Cart and Checkout Pages
  • Checkout in 100+ Countries

Sales & Funnels

  • Unlimited Products & Funnels
  • 1 Bump Offer
  • 1-Click Upsells & Down Sells
  • Advanced Funnel Automation
  • A/B Split Testing
  • Abandon Cart Recovery

Payments & Billing

  • Integrations with Payment Processors
  • Buy Now Pay Later, Split Pay, Pay-As-You-Like & Subscription Billing

Learning

  • Course Hosting

Integrations

  • 100+ Direct Integrations

0% fees on sales and 24/7 365 world class support.

$495

One time payment

SAVE $948+/YEAR VS SAMCART

ThriveCart Pro+

Scale without limits

Includes Standard, plus:

  • Includes ThriveCart Standard

Revenue Optimization

  • Pro+ Sales & Reporting Tools
  • Multiple Order Bumps (↑ 30% AOV increase)
  • Crypto Payments (↑ 7% AOV increase)
  • Tax Inclusive Pricing (↑ 22% sales increase)
  • Sales Tax Automation
  • QR Codes
  • Coupons Offers & Analytics
  • UTM Tracking

Advanced Subscriptions

  • Subscription 1-Click Upgrades & Downgrades
  • Subscription Dunning
  • Subscription Analytics & Funnel Comparisons

Affiliates & Partnerships

  • Affiliate Center & Automated Payouts
  • Joint Venture Platform & Automated Payouts

Customization & Admin

  • Custom Branding & Domains
  • Multi-user Permissions
  • Business Intelligence Reporting

0% fees on sales and 24/7 365 world class support.

$790

then $295/year from year 2

Checkout

Where the ThriveCart checkout pulls ahead

Most platforms treat the cart as a form. ThriveCart treats it as the highest-leverage pixel in your funnel — shaped, tested, and tuned to convert.

01 — REVENUE

A cart built to convert.

Multi-step checkout with 100+ payment options. Multiple order bumps on a single cart. Funnel-level A/B testing built in — not stitched together by rotating two pages and hoping for clean data.

  • Multi-step checkout with 100+ payment options
  • Multiple order bumps on a single cart (up to 6 on Pro+)
  • 1-click upsells & downsells
  • Funnel-level A/B testing
  • Cart abandonment recovery
  • Coupons & promotions

Where ThriveCart pulls ahead — SamCart's funnels are positioned as basic post-purchase flows, and its A/B testing rotates control vs. variation rather than full funnel-level split testing.

A cart built to convert.

02 — FINANCE

ThrivePay Instalments — built in, not bolted on.

A native financing product that lets your buyers pay over 3, 6, or 12 months while you get paid in full on day one. No third-party BNPL redirect. No credit checks for the buyer.

  • Paid upfront, in full — ThriveCart funds the transaction
  • Interest-free for the customer
  • No loans, no credit checks, no third-party handoff
  • Runs on the same checkout as your standard offers

Where ThriveCart pulls ahead — SamCart supports third-party BNPL providers (Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm) but does not offer a native instalment product that pays you in full upfront.

ThrivePay Instalments — built in, not bolted on.

03 — RETENTION

Subscriptions built for the long tail.

Cart conversion is 20% of the equation. The other 80% is the second, third, and twelfth payment. ThriveCart Pro+ treats every step of the subscription lifecycle as a product surface you can configure.

  • Full lifecycle management
  • Advanced recurring billing & dunning (Pro+)
  • Failed payment recovery via email dunning
  • Customer self-service for plan changes & billing

Where ThriveCart pulls ahead — SamCart provides a subscription saver and basic management; advanced dunning workflows and retention surface configuration are not packaged the same way.

Subscriptions built for the long tail.

04 — OPERATIONS

Tax and ops, handled natively.

Tax, refunds, invoices, and customer self-service turn into a bookkeeping problem at year-end or a support load that scales linearly with revenue. ThriveCart handles them natively so you don't notice them.

  • Global tax automation (VAT, GST, sales tax)
  • Invoicing and refunds in seconds
  • Centralized, branded customer hub
  • Customer self-service for billing & personal info

Where ThriveCart pulls ahead — SamCart doesn't offer native global tax automation or a branded customer self-service hub.

Tax and ops, handled natively.

INTRODUCING THRIVEACADEMY

Build, sell, and grow courses and community — Everything you need living in one simple place

ThriveCart Academy is sold separately from ThriveCart with plans starting at $37/mo billed annually.
Built with a community-first approach, students experience a branded community, consume courses, create discussion threads, earn achievements, and track progress — all in one platform.

Community lives inside the lesson

In most platforms, the community is an add-on. Students click into a course to learn, then click out to talk. Two surfaces, two reasons to drop off. In ThriveCart Academy, the discussion is the lesson page — threaded replies sit underneath the video, so the question gets answered exactly where it came up.

Drives

EngagementLTV
Community lives inside the lesson

Lesson 4 · Discussion

32 threaded replies

@mention

Live activity feed

See what's actually inside ThriveCart

You've seen the comparison. Now claim a license, own the checkout, and stop paying more every time a launch goes well.

Tekpon logo
9.5/10
G2 logo
4.6/5
Capterra logo
4.7/5
TrustRadius logo
9.4/10
Trustpilot logo
4.5/5
Product Hunt logo
5/5

FAQ

Got Questions? We've Got Answers

Everything you need to know before choosing between ThriveCart and SamCart.

Still weighing it up?

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