Looking for the best shopping cart software for selling courses, digital products, coaching, or subscriptions? ThriveCart is our top pick for most sellers because it combines checkout, funnels, affiliate management, course hosting, and upsells in one platform. It also gives sellers a low-cost monthly option alongside the one-time pricing option outlined below.
If you’re in a hurry, ThriveCart is the easiest choice for most creators and digital sellers. If you need something more specialized, though, there are other strong options worth considering.
That’s what this comparison is for.
We’ll compare ThriveCart, SamCart, Systeme.io, Spiffy, Cartfuel, and PayKickstart based on features, pricing, transaction fees, affiliate tools, checkout experience, and who each platform is actually best suited for.
Best Shopping Cart Software: Comparison Table
| Tool | Best for | Transaction fee | Affiliate management | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ThriveCart (Top Pick) | All-around checkout, funnels, and courses | 0% | Yes, built-in, automated payouts | $47/mo or $495 lifetime |
| SamCart | Premium, conversion-optimized checkout | $0 added on top of SamPay | Yes, on Pro plan and up | $79/mo |
| Systeme.io | All-in-one funnels, email, and courses | 0% | Yes, built-in | Free plan; paid from $17/mo |
| Spiffy | Mobile-first checkout | 0% | Yes, built-in (manual payouts) | $99/mo |
| Cartfuel | Embeddable payment forms | 0% | No | $97/mo |
| PayKickstart | Subscription billing with affiliates | 0% | Yes, built-in | $20/mo |
Features and pricing change, so confirm current details on each vendor’s website before you buy.
1. ThriveCart — Best Overall (Top Pick)
ThriveCart is a checkout and sales platform built to help you sell courses, coaching, SaaS, and digital products with high-converting checkout pages, order bumps, and upsell funnels. It’s fully hosted, so there’s no separate hosting or plugin setup involved, and it’s one of the most established names in the checkout software space.
What sets ThriveCart apart from most competitors on this list is how much is bundled into a single price. Course and community hosting, an affiliate center with automated commission payouts, order bumps, and upsell funnels all come standard, without needing to add separate tools or pay extra for each one. In July 2026, ThriveCart also moved from a lifetime-only pricing model to monthly plans, while still keeping the one-time lifetime license available for its Standard plan.
For most creators and course sellers, that combination of low cost, bundled features, and a one-time pricing option makes ThriveCart the easiest overall recommendation on this list, which is why it’s our top pick.
Key Features of ThriveCart
- Checkout page builder: Create high-converting, customizable checkout pages without touching code.
- Order bumps and upsell funnels: Add one-click upsells, downsells, and bump offers to increase average order value.
- Built-in affiliate center: Recruit and manage affiliates, with automated commission payouts handled directly in ThriveCart.
- ThriveCart Academy: Every plan bundles course and community hosting alongside checkout tools.
- A/B testing: Test different checkout page variations to see what converts best.
- Global tax handling: Automatically calculates and collects tax across the US, Canada, EU, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and other regions.
- Flexible pricing: Choose monthly billing or the still-available one-time lifetime license for the Standard plan.
Starting price: $47/month ($37/month billed annually), or $495 one-time lifetime license for the Standard plan.
2. SamCart
SamCart is a premium checkout platform built around conversion optimization, with AI tools, a courses app, and a reputation for some of the fastest checkout experiences in the industry. It’s positioned toward sellers who want a polished, high-performing checkout and are willing to pay more for it.
SamCart overhauled its pricing in 2026, replacing its older Launch, Grow, and Scale tiers with two plans, Core and Pro, plus a custom Enterprise option. Every plan includes SamCart’s full checkout builder and courses app, but some of the most conversion-focused tools, including one-click upsells, order bumps, A/B testing, and the affiliate center, are reserved for the Pro plan and above.
That makes SamCart a strong option for sellers who are ready to invest in a premium checkout experience, but it’s worth noting the entry-level Core plan doesn’t include upsells, order bumps, or affiliate management, features that come standard on several other platforms in this list at a lower price.
Key Features of SamCart
- CheckoutOS: A fast, mobile-first checkout experience built specifically to maximize conversions.
- AI tools: AI-assisted page design, sales copywriting, and product creation included on every plan.
- Courses App and members area: Host and sell courses with a built-in members area, no third-party platform needed.
- 1-click upsells and order bumps: Available on the Pro plan, used to increase average order value after checkout.
- Affiliate Center: Build and manage your own affiliate program, available on the Pro plan and above.
- Cart abandonment recovery: Automatically recover lost sales with built-in abandonment emails and follow-ups.
- A/B testing: Test pages, prices, and offers, available on the Pro plan and above.
Starting price: $79/month (Core). Pro, which adds upsells, order bumps, A/B testing, and the affiliate center, starts at $199/month. SamCart does not add its own fee on top of its SamPay processor.
Read Our Thrivecart vs SamCart comparison here
3. Systeme.io
Systeme.io is an all-in-one marketing platform that goes beyond checkout to include funnel building, email marketing, course hosting, and affiliate program management, all in one place. It’s one of the most budget-friendly options on this list, and it’s one of the few platforms here that offers a genuine, permanent free plan.
Where ThriveCart and SamCart focus specifically on checkout and funnels, Systeme.io positions itself as a full replacement for several separate tools: your funnel builder, your email marketing platform, your course host, and your affiliate program manager. For sellers just starting out or working with a tight budget, that combination at a low monthly price is a significant draw.
The tradeoff is that Systeme.io’s checkout and page builder tools are generally considered less polished and less conversion-focused than dedicated checkout platforms like ThriveCart or SamCart. If checkout performance is your top priority, it’s worth weighing that against the savings from Systeme.io’s all-in-one approach.
Key Features of Systeme.io
- Funnel builder: Build complete sales funnels without needing coding or technical skills.
- Email marketing: Built-in email marketing and automation, included even on lower-tier plans.
- Course and membership hosting: Host and sell courses and memberships directly within the platform.
- Built-in affiliate program: Recruit and manage affiliates without a separate tool.
- 0% transaction fees: Systeme.io does not take a cut of your sales on any plan, including the free one.
- A/B testing: Test funnel pages and offers to improve conversion rates.
- Custom domains: Connect your own domain across funnels and pages.
Starting price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $17/month (Startup), with Webinar at $47/month and Unlimited at $97/month.
Read our Systeme vs ThriveCart comparison here.
4. Spiffy
Spiffy is a checkout and revenue platform built mobile-first from the ground up, positioned toward more established businesses selling higher-ticket products, services, subscriptions, and coaching. It’s a Stripe Verified Partner with deep CRM and marketing automation integrations.
Spiffy’s defining feature is its mobile-first design, built specifically around streamlined inputs and fewer steps for buyers checking out on their phones. It also stands out for its integration depth, connecting natively with CRM and automation platforms like HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Kajabi, and GoHighLevel, which goes beyond what most checkout-focused platforms offer.
Spiffy doesn’t host courses or content directly, instead integrating with dedicated course platforms, and its entry price is notably higher than several other tools on this list. It’s best suited to businesses that are already established and want deep automation and a mobile-optimized buying experience, rather than sellers just getting started.
Key Features of Spiffy
- Mobile-first checkout: Streamlined inputs and fewer steps, designed for mobile from the start.
- Checkout flows: Present post-purchase upsell offers tuned for after a customer completes their first purchase.
- Payment plans and subscriptions: Offer installment financing, deposits, and recurring billing on flexible cycles.
- Custom domain and embeddable checkout: Host checkout on your own domain, embed it in-page, or trigger it as a popup.
- Built-in affiliate program software: Flexible commissions, a branded affiliate portal, tracking links, and performance dashboards.
- CRM and automation integrations: Connects natively with HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Kajabi, GoHighLevel, and more.
- 0% platform transaction fees: No added fee from Spiffy on top of your payment gateway.
Starting price: $99/month (Pro), or $74/month billed annually.
Check our Thrivecart vs Spiffy comparison here
5. Cartfuel
Cartfuel takes a different approach than the other tools on this list: rather than a standalone checkout platform, it’s an embeddable payment form that bolts onto a website or funnel builder you already have, such as ClickFunnels or WordPress.
If you already have a site or funnel built and just want a better, upsell-capable way to collect payments within it, Cartfuel is designed specifically for that use case, without requiring you to rebuild your funnel elsewhere. It includes conversion tools like countdown timers and a coupon generator that aren’t core features on some of the other platforms here, along with direct CRM integration.
The main limitation is that Cartfuel doesn’t offer built-in affiliate management for your own products, and it has no course or content hosting. Its pricing is also revenue-based rather than flat, with a notably higher entry price than ThriveCart.
Key Features of Cartfuel
- Embeddable payment forms: Add Cartfuel’s optimized checkout to any website, landing page, or funnel builder in minutes.
- One-click upsells: Increase average order value with upsells added directly to the payment flow.
- Countdown timers: Add urgency to your checkout to encourage faster purchase decisions.
- Coupon generator: Create and manage discount codes for your offers.
- Direct CRM integration: Connect Cartfuel to your CRM to keep customer data in sync.
- Customer analytics: Track performance and purchase behavior across your payment forms.
- 0% platform transaction fees: No added fee from Cartfuel on top of your payment gateway.
Starting price: $97/month (Growth plan, for companies generating $5,000-$10,000/month in revenue).
6. PayKickstart
PayKickstart is a billing, checkout, and subscription management platform built for SaaS companies and subscription-based businesses. It focuses heavily on automating recurring billing, reducing churn through dunning management, and handling global tax compliance, alongside a built-in affiliate management system.
Where ThriveCart and SamCart lean toward one-time and course-based sales, PayKickstart is built with recurring revenue as the primary use case. Its subscription and dunning tools are more specialized than what you’ll find on general-purpose checkout platforms, and it offers flat, predictable monthly tiers starting at the lowest entry price of any tool on this list.
If your business runs primarily on subscriptions rather than one-time course or coaching sales, PayKickstart’s specialization in that area is likely to serve you better than a more generalized checkout platform.
Key Features of PayKickstart
- Checkout page builder: Build and customize checkout pages for one-time and recurring products.
- Built-in affiliate center: Recruit, track, and pay affiliates with automated commission payouts.
- Subscription and dunning management: Automate recurring billing and recover failed payments to reduce churn.
- Global tax handling: Automatically manage VAT, GST, and sales tax for international customers.
- Revenue analytics: Track billing, retention, and affiliate performance from mobile-responsive dashboards.
- Broad integrations: Connects with Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, Zapier, and major course platforms.
- 0% transaction fees: PayKickstart does not take a cut of sales on its core shopping cart platform.
Starting price: $20/month (Standard).
Why We Recommend ThriveCart as the Best Overall Choice
Across the six platforms compared here, ThriveCart offers the strongest balance of price and included features. It charges 0% in transaction fees, bundles course hosting into every plan at no extra cost, and includes a fully automated affiliate center, features that cost extra or require a higher-tier plan on several competitors on this list.
ThriveCart is also the only platform here still offering a one-time lifetime license, letting you avoid ongoing subscription costs entirely if you choose the Standard plan’s $495 option. Combined with its low monthly starting price and established reputation for checkout conversion, that makes it our top recommendation for most course creators, coaches, and digital sellers.
How to Choose the Right Shopping Cart Software
Choosing the right platform comes down to what you’re selling and which parts of your sales process you need the software to handle.
- Course creators and coaches on a budget: ThriveCart or Systeme.io
- Premium, conversion-focused checkout and willing to pay more: SamCart
- Subscription or SaaS business: PayKickstart
- Already have a website or funnel built: Cartfuel
- Established business with higher-ticket offers wanting mobile-first checkout: Spiffy
If you want the broadest mix of checkout, funnels, courses, upsells, and affiliate tools without stacking several different platforms, ThriveCart is the strongest overall choice.
Final Verdict
For most course creators, coaches, and digital sellers, ThriveCart is the best overall shopping cart software in 2026, combining 0% transaction fees, bundled course hosting, built-in affiliate management, and the flexibility of monthly or one-time lifetime pricing.
If you’re on a tighter budget or want a true all-in-one platform, Systeme.io is a strong free-to-start alternative. If you’re running a subscription-based business, PayKickstart is purpose-built for that. And if checkout polish and AI tools matter most to you and budget is less of a concern, SamCart is worth a close look.
Features and pricing are subject to change. Always verify current details on each vendor’s official website before purchasing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best shopping cart software for beginners?
ThriveCart and Systeme.io are both strong starting points. ThriveCart offers a low-cost or one-time pricing option with checkout, funnels, and course hosting all bundled in. Systeme.io offers a genuine free plan if you want to test the waters before paying anything.
Which shopping cart software has the lowest fees?
ThriveCart, Systeme.io, Spiffy, Cartfuel, and PayKickstart all charge 0% in platform transaction fees. SamCart does not add its own fee on top of its SamPay processor either, though its monthly plan prices are higher than the others.
Is ThriveCart better than SamCart?
ThriveCart is generally the better value for most sellers, with a lower starting price, bundled course hosting, and affiliate management included from the entry plan. SamCart may appeal more to sellers specifically prioritizing its AI tools and premium checkout experience and willing to pay more for Pro-tier features like upsells and affiliate management.
Do any of these offer a free plan or trial?
Systeme.io offers a permanent free plan. ThriveCart offers a 30-day free trial on its monthly plans. SamCart offers a 7-day free trial. Spiffy offers a 30-day money-back guarantee rather than a free trial.