Big Cartel vs Ecwid by Lightspeed
A side-by-side look at Big Cartel and Ecwid by Lightspeed. On our scoring, Ecwid by Lightspeed comes out ahead — but the right pick depends on your priorities.
| Platform | Ecwid by LightspeedAll-in-one | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| SellingScene score | 3.8/5 | 4.2/5 |
| User rating | 3.9 | 4.2 |
| Reviews | 690 | 1,080 |
| Pricing | ||
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Pricing model | free up to 5 products + paid tiers | free plan + paid tiers |
| Transaction fees | 0% (processing applies) | 0% (processing applies) |
| Hosting & setup | ||
| Hosting type | Fully hosted (SaaS) | Embeddable widget |
| Free trial | Free plan available | Free plan available |
| Staff accounts | Single account | By plan |
| Product limit | 5 / 50 / 500 by plan | 5 free; unlimited on paid |
| Payments & security | ||
| Payment gateways | Stripe, PayPal | 70+ payment providers |
| SSL included | Yes | Yes |
| PCI compliant | Yes | Yes |
| Gift cards | No | Yes |
| Catalog & content | ||
| Themes / templates | Customizable themes | Inherits host site design |
| App marketplace | Limited integrations | App market & integrations |
| Multi-currency | No | Yes |
| Multi-language | No | Yes |
| POS included | No | Yes |
| Abandoned cart recovery | No | Yes |
| Built-in blog | No | No |
| Tools & flexibility | ||
| Drag-and-drop editor | No | No |
| API access | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Support channels | Email & help center | Email, chat, phone (higher tiers) |
| Actions | Read review | Read review |
Why pick Big Cartel?
Big Cartel is purpose-built for artists who want a clean, no-fuss shop without commerce overwhelm, and the free plan is genuinely useful. Its hard product limits and minimal features mean growing brands will outgrow it.
Best for: Artists and makers with small product counts
Read the full Big Cartel reviewWhy pick Ecwid by Lightspeed?
Ecwid is the easiest way to bolt a real store onto a site you already own, syncing one catalog across web, social, and marketplaces. It is not meant to be your primary site builder, so design control stays limited.
Best for: Adding a cart to a site you already have
Read the full Ecwid by Lightspeed review