ThriveCart is one of the most popular checkout and cart platforms for online creators, but it’s not the right fit for everyone. Maybe you want email marketing built in, would rather start on a free plan, or are put off by ThriveCart’s move to monthly plans. Or you just want to compare your options before committing to a shopping cart platform. Whatever the reason, you’re not stuck.
In this guide, we’ve rounded up 9 of the best ThriveCart alternatives — covering everything from all-in-one funnel builders like Systeme.io, to course platforms like Kajabi and Teachable, to simple digital-download tools like Gumroad and Payhip. For each one, we’ll break down key features, pros and cons, pricing, and who it’s actually best for, so you can find the platform that fits your business instead of forcing your business to fit the platform.
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The Best ThriveCart Alternative: Systeme.io
If you only want one name before reading the full list, it’s Systeme.io. ThriveCart is a checkout-first platform, so you still need to bolt on an email marketing tool, a funnel or website builder, and an automation layer around it. Systeme.io covers those gaps in one dashboard: built-in email marketing and automation, sales funnels, course and membership hosting, affiliate management, a blog and website builder, and 0% transaction fees on every plan.
That all-in-one setup is what makes it the best ThriveCart alternative for most creators. You pay for one platform instead of three or four, your contacts, funnels and sales data live in one place, and you can start on a permanent free plan before spending anything. Paid plans start at $17/month.
👉 Try Systeme.io free, then keep reading to see how the other eight options compare.
Comparison Table: ThriveCart Alternatives at a Glance
Short on time? Here are the quick picks:
- Best overall: Systeme.io
- Best for checkout conversion: SamCart
- Best for premium course businesses: Kajabi
- Best for beginner course creators: Teachable
- Best for email marketing plus funnels: GetResponse
- Best for digital product delivery with tax and invoicing: EasyTools
- Best for zero-commitment selling: Gumroad
- Best free plan to start with: Payhip
- Best for digital and physical products: Sellfy
| Tool | Best For | Starting Price | Free Plan/Trial | Transaction Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | All-in-one funnels on a budget | Free / $17/mo (Startup) | Permanent free plan | 0% on all plans |
| Sellfy | Simple digital + physical product sales | $29/mo ($22/mo annual) | 14-day free trial | 0% on all plans |
| SamCart | High-converting checkout pages | $79/mo ($59/mo annual) | 7-day free trial | 0% (revenue-based pricing) |
| Kajabi | Full course + marketing platform | $179/mo ($143/mo annual) | 14–30 day free trial | 0% via Kajabi Payments |
| Teachable | Beginner-friendly course creation | Free (10%+$1/sale) / $39/mo | Free plan with $1 + 10% fee per sale | 7.5% (Starter) → 0% (Builder+) |
| GetResponse | Email marketing + funnels combo | $19/mo (1,000 contacts) | 14-day free trial | N/A (subscription-based) |
| EasyTools | No-code digital product delivery + billing | Free / $79/mo (Creator) | Free Starter plan (checkout only) | 5% (Starter) → 2% (Creator) → 1% (Professional) |
| Gumroad | Zero-commitment, sell-anything simplicity | Free (no monthly fee) | Single free account, no product/revenue caps | 10% + $0.50/sale (30% via Discover) |
| Payhip | Free-to-start digital sales | Free / $29/mo (Plus) | Free Forever plan, no credit card required | 5% (Free) → 2% (Plus) → 0% (Pro) |
ThriveCart Overview: Pricing, Features and Who It’s For
Before comparing the alternatives, it helps to know exactly what you’d be replacing.
What Is ThriveCart?
ThriveCart is a shopping cart and checkout platform built for creators, coaches, course sellers and digital product businesses. Its main job is turning more of your visitors into paying customers at checkout, with upsells, order bumps and subscription tools built in, and it charges 0% platform fees on every plan (Stripe and PayPal processing fees still apply).
ThriveCart Pricing Structure
- Standard: $47/month billed monthly, or $37/month billed annually. Includes the ThriveCart Academy Starter plan: unlimited courses and students, up to 2,000 community members, and 100 GB of video storage.
- Standard lifetime deal: a one-time $495 payment for the Standard plan, so there’s no recurring bill (here’s our full ThriveCart lifetime deal breakdown). Only the Standard plan keeps the lifetime option; Pro+ is subscription-only. Availability can change, so confirm on ThriveCart’s pricing page.
- Pro+: $87/month billed monthly, or $67/month billed annually. Adds the affiliate center, subscription upgrades and dunning, advanced reporting, and the Academy Growth plan (up to 10,000 community members and 500 GB of video storage).
- Enterprise: custom pricing, with white-glove setup, unlimited team seats, and the Academy Scale plan.
New monthly subscribers also get a 30-day free trial.
Core Feature Positioning
ThriveCart is checkout-first. Customizable checkout pages, one-click upsells, order bumps and subscription tools sit at the center. ThriveCart Academy (courses and community) and the affiliate center on Pro+ are built around that core, and recent additions like ThrivePages, Advanced Adaptive Pricing, Subscription Bumps, Anchored Subscriptions and Retention Offers push it further toward a full sales and retention platform.
What it doesn’t include is a native email marketing platform, so most ThriveCart users pair it with a separate email tool. That gap is the main reason people start looking at all-in-one alternatives.
Where ThriveCart Tends to Fit Best
- Creators, coaches and course sellers whose top priority is checkout conversion, upsells and order bumps
- Sellers who would rather pay $495 once on the Standard plan than carry another monthly subscription
- Businesses that already have an email platform, or are happy to pair one with their cart
- Launch-driven and affiliate-driven businesses that can use the Pro+ affiliate center and subscription tools
It fits less well if you want email marketing, funnels and a website under one login, or a free way to start. That’s where the alternatives below come in. If ThriveCart does sound like your fit, you can try ThriveCart before deciding.
The 9 Best ThriveCart Alternatives, Reviewed
1. Systeme.io — Best Budget-Friendly ThriveCart Alternative
Systeme.io is an all-in-one platform for building sales funnels, running email marketing, hosting courses, and managing affiliate programs — all without needing to stitch together separate tools. It’s positioned as one of the most affordable “everything in one dashboard” options on the market, making it a natural first stop for creators moving away from ThriveCart’s checkout-only focus.
Key Features
- Drag-and-drop sales funnel and page builder
- Built-in email marketing and automation
- Course and membership hosting
- Affiliate program management
- Blog and website builder included
- 0% transaction fees on every plan
Pros
- Genuinely free permanent plan (not just a trial)
- Extremely low-cost paid tiers compared to competitors
- Replaces 4–5 separate tools (funnels, email, courses, affiliates)
- No transaction fees at any tier
Cons
- Funnel and page designs feel less polished than dedicated checkout tools like SamCart
- Automation and contact limits tighten quickly on lower tiers
- Fewer advanced checkout optimization features (A/B testing, upsell flows) than ThriveCart or SamCart
Best For Solopreneurs and new creators who want a single, low-cost platform instead of paying for separate checkout, email, and course tools.
Pricing
- Free: $0/month
- Startup: $17/month ($170/year billed annually)
- Webinar: $47/month ($470/year billed annually)
- Unlimited: $97/month ($970/year billed annually)
- 0% transaction fees on all plans
2. SamCart — Best ThriveCart Alternative for Checkout Conversion
SamCart is a dedicated checkout and cart optimization platform, making it the closest direct competitor to ThriveCart on this list. It’s built specifically around maximizing conversions at the point of sale, with embeddable checkout pages, upsell flows, and subscription management — rather than trying to be an all-in-one marketing suite. If you’re weighing other checkout platforms, see our full list of SamCart alternatives.
Key Features
- “Checkout Anywhere” embeddable checkout pages (drop into any site with one line of code)
- 1-click upsells, order bumps, and A/B testing
- Cart abandonment recovery and subscription saver tools
- Built-in affiliate management
- Stripe and PayPal integration for one-time and recurring payments
- 0% platform transaction fees (revenue-based subscription pricing instead)
Pros
- Checkout pages are purpose-built for conversion, arguably the strongest in this category
- No transaction fees on any plan
- Easy to embed into an existing website or funnel without rebuilding it
- Strong upsell/order bump tools baked into every paid plan
Cons
- No free plan — only a 7-day trial
- Pricing scales with revenue, so costs climb as your sales grow
- More expensive out of the gate than Systeme.io, Sellfy, or Payhip
- Not an all-in-one platform — no built-in email marketing or course hosting, so you’ll likely still need separate tools
Best For Creators and businesses whose main priority is checkout conversion — replacing ThriveCart’s core function directly rather than consolidating multiple tools into one platform.
Pricing
- Launch: $79/month ($59/month billed annually)
- Grow: $159/month ($119/month billed annually)
- Scale: $319/month ($239/month billed annually)
- 0% transaction fees on all plans (7-day free trial, no free plan)
3. Kajabi — Best Premium ThriveCart Alternative for Course Creators
Kajabi is a premium all-in-one platform built around online courses, memberships, and knowledge-based businesses — bundling website building, email marketing, sales funnels, and community features into a single tool. It targets creators who want to run their entire business from one dashboard, but its 2025 pricing overhaul pushed it firmly into premium territory, making it the most expensive option on this list. If that price tag is a sticking point, our guide to Kajabi alternatives covers cheaper options built for course creators.
Key Features
- Full course, membership, and community hosting
- Built-in email marketing with unlimited sends on every plan
- Sales funnel and landing page builder
- Native affiliate program (Growth plan and up)
- Advanced automations and marketing pipelines
- Branded mobile app (included on Growth and Pro)
- 0% transaction fees via Kajabi Payments
Pros
- Genuinely replaces course hosting, email marketing, funnels, and website tools in one platform
- Unlimited email sends included at every tier — a real cost-saver versus paying for a separate email tool
- Polished, professional student/course experience
- No transaction fees when using Kajabi Payments
Cons
- By far the priciest platform in this roundup — entry price starts at $179/month
- No free plan and limited free trial (14–30 days depending on offer)
- 2025 pricing overhaul cut contact limits on the entry plan while raising the price
- Using your own Stripe account instead of Kajabi Payments adds a 2% surcharge
- Overkill if you just need a checkout tool rather than a full course platform
Best For Established course creators and coaches who want a complete, done-for-you business platform and are willing to pay a premium to avoid stitching together separate tools.
Pricing
- Basic: $179/month ($143/month billed annually)
- Growth: $249/month ($199/month billed annually)
- Pro: $499/month ($399/month billed annually)
- 0% transaction fees via Kajabi Payments (2% surcharge if using your own Stripe)
4. Teachable — Best ThriveCart Alternative for Beginner Course Creators
Teachable is one of the most approachable platforms for creators launching their first online course. It strips away much of the complexity of all-in-one platforms like Kajabi, focusing on course creation and delivery with a straightforward pricing ladder — including a genuinely free way to test the waters before committing to a paid plan. Want to compare more course platforms first? Here are our top Teachable alternatives.
Key Features
- Course and coaching product creation with unlimited video hosting
- Custom domain support on all plans
- Built-in AI course-creation tools
- Community features and integrated email marketing (Growth plan and up)
- Affiliate program (Growth plan and up)
- Tiered transaction fees that drop to 0% on higher plans
Pros
- Free plan lets you publish and sell a real course before paying anything
- Simple, intuitive course builder — one of the easiest platforms to learn
- Builder plan removes transaction fees at a relatively affordable price point
- 7-day free trial available on every paid plan
Cons
- Free and Starter plans carry steep per-sale fees (10%+$1 and 7.5% respectively) that eat into revenue fast
- No true “unlimited everything” plan until Advanced, which jumps to $399/month
- Checkout and upsell tools are less conversion-focused than dedicated cart platforms like SamCart or ThriveCart
- Course/product caps on lower tiers can force an early upgrade
Best For New course creators who want to test-drive selling a course for free (or cheap) before investing in a pricier all-in-one platform.
Pricing
- Free: $0/month (10% + $1 per sale)
- Starter: $39/month ($29/month billed annually, 7.5% per-sale fee)
- Builder: $89/month ($69/month billed annually, 0% fee)
- Growth: $189/month ($139/month billed annually, 0% fee)
- Advanced: $399/month ($309/month billed annually, 0% fee)
5. GetResponse — Best ThriveCart Alternative for Email Marketing
GetResponse started as an email marketing platform and has expanded into a broader marketing suite with landing pages, automation workflows, and webinar hosting built in. For creators moving off ThriveCart, it’s less of a direct checkout replacement and more of a way to consolidate your email marketing and funnel-building into a single subscription — with commerce features layered on top.
Key Features
- Unlimited email sends on every paid plan
- Landing page and signup form builder
- Marketing automation workflows (expands with higher tiers)
- Webinar hosting (Marketer plan and up)
- AI content generation tools
- Advanced segmentation and contact scoring on higher tiers
Pros
- Strong automation and segmentation tools for the price
- Unlimited monthly email sends included even on the entry plan
- Useful for creators who want funnels and email marketing under one roof rather than paying for a separate ESP
- 14-day free trial with full feature access, no credit card required
Cons
- Not built primarily as a checkout/cart tool — you’ll likely still want a dedicated checkout page or cart for optimized sales flows
- Pricing scales with contact count, so costs climb steadily as your list grows
- No permanent free plan
- Webinar and advanced automation features are locked behind higher tiers
Best For Creators and marketers whose main pain point is juggling separate email marketing and funnel tools — not primarily looking for a checkout replacement.
Pricing
- Starter: from $19/month (1,000 contacts)
- Marketer: from $59/month (1,000 contacts)
- Creator: from $69/month (1,000 contacts)
- Enterprise (MAX): custom pricing
- Pricing scales up with contact list size across all tiers; 14-day free trial available
👉 Start your GetResponse free trial
6. EasyTools — Best ThriveCart Alternative for Digital Product Delivery
EasyTools is a no-code, all-in-one suite built specifically for creators selling and delivering digital products — think ebooks, SaaS licenses, consulting, or conference tickets. Rather than focusing purely on checkout conversion, it bundles the operational side of running a digital business: one-page checkouts (EasyCart), tax and invoicing (EasyBilling), content gating, and a customer subscription portal.
Key Features
- EasyCart: one-page, no-code checkout builder
- EasyBilling: automated tax handling and invoice generation
- Content gating and access management
- Customer portal for managing subscriptions
- Native affiliate program (recruit partners, track clicks, monitor referral sales)
- Powered by Stripe, supporting 100+ currencies
- One-time and recurring billing options
Pros
- Handles the “boring but necessary” back-office work (taxes, invoices, access gating) that many checkout tools leave to you
- No-code setup makes it accessible without technical skills
- Flexible for a wide range of digital product types beyond just courses
- Free Starter plan lets you test checkout before paying anything
Cons
- Smaller player with far less public documentation, reviews, and community support than the other tools on this list
- Free Starter is checkout-only with a 5% transaction fee; unlimited projects and the lowest 1% fee require the $149/month Professional plan
- Lacks the funnel-building and marketing automation features found in Systeme.io or GetResponse
Best For Creators selling digital products who want built-in tax/invoicing automation and content-access management, not just a checkout page.
Pricing
- Starter: $0/month (5% transaction fee) — checkout only, basic setup
- Creator: $79/month ($59/month billed annually, 2% transaction fee) — unlimited checkouts, 3 projects per tool
- Professional: $149/month ($99/month billed annually, 1% transaction fee) — unlimited checkouts, unlimited projects, founder support
7. Gumroad — Best ThriveCart Alternative for Zero-Commitment Selling
Gumroad is the simplest way to start selling digital products online — no monthly subscription, no setup complexity, just list a product and start selling. Instead of a flat fee, Gumroad takes a percentage of each sale, which makes it appealing for creators who want to test an idea without any upfront cost, but worth watching closely as your sales volume grows. If the fees are a concern, our guide to Gumroad alternatives shows lower-fee options.
Key Features
- No monthly subscription fee — pay only when you sell
- Merchant of Record since 2025 (handles global VAT, GST, and sales tax automatically)
- Built-in Discover marketplace for organic product discovery
- Auto-delivery for digital files, licenses, and memberships
- Basic email marketing and affiliate tools included
- Support for one-time and recurring payments
Pros
- Zero cost to get started — no plans, no tiers, no credit card required upfront
- Merchant of Record status removes the headache of manual tax compliance
- Discover marketplace can bring in sales you didn’t have to generate yourself
- No product or revenue caps on the single account tier
Cons
- 10% + $0.50 per direct sale adds up fast at higher volumes — no discount for scale
- Discover marketplace sales jump to a steep 30% flat fee
- Gumroad doesn’t refund its cut on refunded sales, which stings in high-refund niches like courses
- No flat-rate plan option, so costs are unpredictable month to month compared to subscription-based tools
Best For Creators just starting out, testing a new product idea, or selling irregularly — where a percentage-based fee makes more sense than committing to a monthly subscription.
Pricing
- Single free account: $0/month
- Direct sales: 10% + $0.50 per transaction
- Discover marketplace sales: 30% flat (includes processing)
- Standard Stripe/PayPal processing fees apply on top of Gumroad’s cut
8. Payhip — Best Free ThriveCart Alternative to Start With
Payhip offers one of the most generous free tiers in this roundup, letting creators sell digital products, courses, memberships, and even physical goods without paying a monthly fee. As you scale, you can pay more to reduce the per-sale cut — giving you a clear, low-risk path from “just testing it out” to a full 0%-fee setup.
Key Features
- Sell digital downloads, courses, memberships, and physical products
- Built-in email marketing and affiliate program on every plan
- Customizable, branded checkout pages
- PDF stamping, download limits, and IP restrictions for content protection
- Multi-currency and multi-language support
Pros
- Free Forever plan is genuinely usable, not just a trial — no credit card required
- Clear upgrade path: pay more, keep more of each sale
- Same core feature set across all three plans (no feature-gating between tiers)
- Very low $1 minimum withdrawal threshold
Cons
- Free plan’s 5% transaction fee eats into revenue quickly once sales pick up
- No annual billing discount on any plan — you pay the same rate every month regardless of commitment
- Reaching 0% fees requires the $99/month Pro plan, which is pricier than some competitors’ equivalent tiers
- Fewer advanced funnel/upsell features than dedicated checkout tools like SamCart
Best For Creators who want to start completely free and don’t mind a small per-sale fee until their revenue justifies upgrading to a lower-fee plan.
Pricing
- Free Forever: $0/month (5% transaction fee)
- Plus: $29/month (2% transaction fee)
- Pro: $99/month (0% transaction fee)
- No annual billing option; no free trial (Free Forever plan serves as the trial)
9. Sellfy — Best ThriveCart Alternative for Digital and Physical Products
Sellfy is built for creators and small businesses who want to sell digital products, print-on-demand physical goods, and subscriptions from one branded storefront. Unlike Gumroad or Payhip, Sellfy charges a flat monthly subscription with 0% transaction fees across every plan — trading a free entry tier for predictable, revenue-cap-based pricing.
Key Features
- Unlimited digital, physical, and subscription products
- Print-on-demand integration
- Custom storefront with your own branding
- Discount codes and coupon creation
- Email marketing credits (2,000 on Starter, 50,000 on Premium) and PDF stamping
- Cart abandonment recovery, product upselling, and affiliate marketing (Business plan and up)
Pros
- 0% transaction fees on every plan — no surprise cuts as you scale
- Supports both digital and physical products, unlike most tools on this list
- Predictable flat-rate pricing makes budgeting simple
- 14-day free trial with no credit card required
Cons
- No permanent free plan — you have to pay from day one after the trial
- Annual sales caps per plan (e.g., $10K/year on Starter) mean you’ll need to upgrade as you grow, regardless of the flat fee
- Upselling and cart abandonment tools are locked behind the Business plan, and there’s still no A/B testing like SamCart or ThriveCart
Best For Creators selling a mix of digital and physical products who want flat, predictable pricing with zero transaction fees instead of a percentage-based model.
Pricing
- Starter: $29/month ($22/month billed annually) — up to $10K/year in sales
- Business: $79/month ($59/month billed annually) — up to $50K/year in sales
- Premium: $159/month ($119/month billed annually) — up to $200K/year in sales, with priority support, free product migration, and 20GB max file size
- 0% transaction fees on all plans; 14-day free trial
ThriveCart vs. Systeme.io: Head-to-Head
For creators who want the lowest possible cost and are willing to trade some checkout polish for an all-in-one toolkit, here’s how ThriveCart stacks up against Systeme.io directly.
| ThriveCart | Systeme.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly subscription ($37–$87/mo) or $495 one-time lifetime deal (Standard plan only) | Monthly/annual subscription (Free–$97/mo) |
| Starting price | $37/month billed annually ($47 monthly), or $495 one-time | $0/month (free plan) |
| Long-term cost | Lifetime deal on Standard means no recurring bill; Pro+ is subscription-only | Recurring monthly or annual cost indefinitely |
| Transaction fees | 0% | 0% |
| Checkout & upsells | Advanced, purpose-built for conversion | Functional but less polished |
| Email marketing | Requires third-party integration | Built in |
| Course/membership hosting | Included via ThriveCart Academy | Included |
| Affiliate management | Affiliate center on Pro+ | Included on all paid plans |
| Free trial/plan | 30-day free trial for new monthly subscribers | Permanent free plan available |
| Best for | Creators who want to pay once and never think about it again | Creators who want to start at $0 and consolidate multiple tools |
The verdict: If you’re selling consistently and expect to use a checkout tool for years, ThriveCart‘s $495 lifetime deal on the Standard plan will almost certainly work out cheaper long-term — there’s no monthly bill eating into margins. But if you’re just starting out, want to test the waters without upfront cost, or need email marketing and funnels bundled in from day one, Systeme.io‘s free plan removes the barrier to entry entirely, and its $17/month Startup plan would take about two and a half years to add up to ThriveCart’s $495.
ThriveCart vs. SamCart: Head-to-Head
Since SamCart and ThriveCart are both dedicated, checkout-first platforms, this comparison is the closest apples-to-apples matchup on the list.
| ThriveCart | SamCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly subscription ($37–$87/mo) or $495 one-time lifetime deal (Standard plan only) | Monthly subscription, scales with revenue ($79–$319/mo) |
| Starting price | $37/month billed annually ($47 monthly), or $495 one-time | $79/month |
| Long-term cost | No recurring bill on the lifetime deal; fixed monthly rate otherwise | Recurring, and increases as your sales grow |
| Transaction fees | 0% | 0% (revenue-based subscription instead) |
| Checkout page builder | Highly customizable, embeddable | “Checkout Anywhere” embeddable pages, similarly strong |
| 1-click upsells & order bumps | Included on all plans | Included on all plans |
| Cart abandonment recovery | Not a core feature | Included |
| Subscription/dunning tools | Subscription upgrades and dunning on Pro+ | Subscription Saver tool included |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial for new monthly subscribers | 7-day free trial |
| Best for | One-time cost, long-term checkout ownership | Ongoing access to newer conversion features without a big upfront payment |
The verdict: These two are the most directly comparable tools on this list — both are checkout-first, both skip transaction fees, and both offer strong upsell/order bump functionality. The real decision comes down to cash flow and features: ThriveCart’s $495 lifetime deal on the Standard plan beats SamCart’s cost within about 6 months at the $79/month tier, making it cheaper over any multi-year horizon. SamCart, on the other hand, offers cart abandonment recovery and subscription-saving tools out of the box, and its lower barrier to entry ($79/month vs. $495 upfront) suits creators who’d rather not commit a lump sum before they’ve proven their offer converts.
How to Choose the Best Alternative to ThriveCart?
With 9 platforms on the table, the right pick really comes down to what you’re actually trying to replace: ThriveCart’s checkout, or your entire tech stack. Start by weighing these five things:
- Pricing model: flat monthly subscription, percentage per sale, or a one-time payment. Costs behave very differently as your sales grow.
- Transaction fees: 0% on a paid plan, or a 5–10% cut that looks free until you start selling.
- What you sell: online courses, digital downloads, memberships, or physical products.
- What you need built in: email marketing, funnels, affiliate management and tax handling, versus paying for separate tools.
- Checkout depth: upsells, order bumps, A/B testing and cart recovery, if conversion is your main priority.
Here’s how to match your situation to the right tool.
If you want the cheapest possible way to get started → Systeme.io or Payhip. Both offer genuinely usable free plans (not just trials), so you can launch and start selling before spending a dollar. Systeme.io is the better fit if you also need funnels and email marketing bundled in; Payhip is better if you just need a simple digital product storefront.
If checkout conversion is your top priority → SamCart. It’s the closest direct match to ThriveCart’s core strength — high-converting, embeddable checkout pages with strong upsell and order bump tools. If you’re mainly replacing ThriveCart because of its checkout features specifically, start here. To see how it stacks up against other carts, read our breakdown of alternatives to SamCart.
If you want to pay once and never think about a monthly bill again → Stick with ThriveCart itself, whose Standard plan still offers a $495 lifetime deal, or budget for SamCart/Sellfy knowing you’re trading a one-time cost for ongoing flexibility. None of the other 8 alternatives on this list offer a true one-time-payment model.
If you’re selling online courses or memberships as your core business → Kajabi (if budget allows and you want everything — courses, email, community, funnels — in one premium platform) or Teachable (if you want a simpler, more affordable way to launch your first course before scaling up). Still comparing course platforms? Browse these alternatives to Kajabi and other Teachable competitors.
If you’re selling simple digital downloads (ebooks, templates, presets, etc.) → Gumroad (zero commitment, pay only when you sell) or Payhip (free to start, predictable fee structure as you scale). Choose Sellfy instead if you also want to sell physical or print-on-demand products alongside digital ones. For more options in this category, see these platforms like Gumroad.
If email marketing and automation matter as much as checkout → GetResponse. It’s less of a direct checkout replacement and more of a way to consolidate your email list, automation workflows, and landing pages into one subscription instead of paying for a separate ESP.
If you need built-in tax handling and content-access gating for digital products → EasyTools. It’s a smaller, less-documented platform, but its focus on invoicing, VAT/tax automation, and content gating fills a gap the bigger names don’t specifically solve.
Quick gut-check: If you’re not sure yet, start with whichever free plan best matches your product type (Systeme.io for funnels/courses, Payhip or Gumroad for simple digital downloads) — all three let you test real sales before committing to a paid plan.
Conclusion: The Best ThriveCart Alternatives in 2026
If we had to pick just one alternative to recommend, it’d be Systeme.io. It’s the platform that most closely matches what makes ThriveCart appealing in the first place — low cost, straightforward setup — while going further by bundling in email marketing, course hosting, and affiliate management that ThriveCart doesn’t include natively. You can start on the permanent free plan, prove out your offer, and only start paying once you’re actually making sales, which makes it one of the lowest-risk ways to move off ThriveCart.
That said, “best” really depends on what you need most:
- Want the closest match to ThriveCart’s checkout-first approach? SamCart is your pick.
- Running a premium course or coaching business and want everything in one (pricier) platform? Go with Kajabi.
- Just testing an idea with a simple digital download? Gumroad, Systeme io or Payhip let you start at $0.
- Want email marketing and automation at the center of your funnels? Try GetResponse.
Whichever you choose, the good news is that none of these 9 platforms require a long-term commitment to try — most offer a free plan or a no-risk trial, so there’s nothing stopping you from testing Systeme.io (or any runner-up) against your actual product before fully switching over.
👉 Ready to get started? Try Systeme.io free — no credit card required, and you can have your first funnel live in under an hour.
ThriveCart Alternatives: Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free ThriveCart alternative?
Yes — several. Systeme.io offers a genuinely permanent free plan (not just a trial) that includes funnels, email marketing, and course hosting. Payhip, Gumroad, and EasyTools also let you start for $0/month, though they take a percentage of each sale (5%, 10%+$0.50, and 5% respectively) instead of charging a subscription fee — and EasyTools’ free Starter plan is checkout-only.
What’s cheaper than ThriveCart?
If you’re comparing monthly costs, Systeme.io ($17/month), Sellfy ($29/month), and Payhip’s Plus plan ($29/month) all come in below ThriveCart’s $47/month Standard plan (billed monthly). That said, ThriveCart’s own pricing starts at $37/month billed annually ($47 monthly), and its $495 lifetime deal on the Standard plan can work out cheaper than any monthly subscription over a multi-year timeframe, since there’s no recurring bill once you’ve paid.
Do these alternatives support affiliate management like ThriveCart?
Most do. Systeme.io, Kajabi, Teachable (Growth plan and up), SamCart, Payhip, and Gumroad all include built-in affiliate program tools. Sellfy includes affiliate marketing on its Business plan and up, and EasyTools has a native affiliate program built in, so you can recruit partners, track link clicks, and monitor referral sales without external tracking plugins. GetResponse is the odd one out, since it’s an email and funnel platform rather than a checkout tool, so check its current affiliate options directly.
Can I migrate from ThriveCart easily?
It depends on how much you’ve built inside ThriveCart. Simple product catalogs and customer lists typically export as CSV files that most alternatives can import. Funnels, upsell sequences, and checkout page designs, however, generally need to be rebuilt manually in the new platform, since there’s no direct one-click migration tool between ThriveCart and any of these 9 alternatives.
Which ThriveCart alternative is best for beginners?
Systeme.io and Teachable are the most beginner-friendly options on this list. Both offer free plans with straightforward setup, so you can launch your first product without a steep learning curve or upfront cost.
Do any of these alternatives charge transaction fees, like ThriveCart doesn’t?
Yes — this is one of the biggest differences to watch for. ThriveCart, Systeme.io, SamCart, Sellfy, and Teachable’s higher tiers all charge 0% transaction fees. Gumroad (10%+$0.50 or 30% via Discover), Payhip’s Free and Plus tiers (5% and 2%), EasyTools (5% Starter, 2% Creator, 1% Professional), and Teachable’s Free and Starter plans (10%+$1 and 7.5%) all take a cut of each sale on top of — or instead of — a monthly fee.