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It's a split decision.
Choose Shopify for a broader commerce platform: its plans cover online and in-person selling, and its App Store lists 21,000+ apps. Choose SamCart for a focused setup built around sales pages, checkout, order bumps and one-click upsells. Shopify has a free Agentic option for AI-channel sales, while its paid plans start at CHF 21/month billed yearly. SamCart starts at $79/month, with a 25% yearly-billing discount advertised. Compare currencies, payment fees and plan limits before switching.
01Side by side
| SamCart | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $79/month; $59.25 annual equivalent | CHF 29/month; CHF 21 billed yearly |
| Free plan | No free plan listed | Agentic: CHF 0/month for AI-channel sales |
| Best for | Product businesses focused on sales funnels | Stores selling across online, retail and social channels |
| Core strength | Sales pages, checkout, bumps and upsells | Multichannel commerce and centralized operations |
| Learning curve | Review ease-of-use score: 7/10 | Review ease-of-use score: 8/10 |
| Integrations and data | Plan includes one marketplace | App Store lists 21,000+ commerce apps |
| Team and seat costs | Core: 1 seat; Pro: 10 seats | Basic: no staff accounts; Grow adds 5 |
| Support | Custom plan includes dedicated manager and priority support | Review support score: 5/10 |
SamCart Choose SamCart if
- Choose SamCart if checkout upsells and order bumps drive sales.
- Choose SamCart if you sell courses, memberships or digital products.
- Choose SamCart if you want pages, checkout and subscriptions together.
Shopify Choose Shopify if
- Choose Shopify if you sell online, in person and on social channels.
- Choose Shopify if you want access to its 21,000+ commerce apps.
- Choose Shopify if international selling and store operations matter.
02Pricing compared
SamCart starts at $79/month on Core, or $59.25/month when paid yearly, based on its advertised 25% annual discount. Core includes one team seat and limited AI usage; Pro costs $199 monthly or $149.25 yearly and adds 10 seats, unlimited AI usage, A/B testing, upsells and order bumps. SamPay is listed at 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, with tax collection adding 50 basis points on Core or 35 on Pro.
Shopify’s Basic plan is CHF 29 monthly or CHF 21 yearly; Grow is CHF 79 or CHF 59, and Advanced is CHF 359 or CHF 269. Its Agentic plan is CHF 0 for AI-channel sales, while Plus starts at EUR 2,100 monthly. Shopify also lists third-party transaction fees of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced. These currencies and fee structures make a direct price comparison misleading.
03Features and depth
SamCart is the more focused sales and checkout toolkit. It includes sales pages, checkout, subscription billing and reporting, with order bumps and one-click upsells designed to add offers during or after checkout. Its AI Assistant generates business content, while Pages AI builds a page from a description. It also supports digital and physical products, courses, memberships, events and services, with course hosting and subscription recovery.
Shopify covers more parts of commerce: online and in-person sales, social and AI channels, payments, fulfillment, retail management and international selling. Its AI store creation and Sidekick tools sit alongside Shopify Markets and built-in shipping tools. The App Store lists more than 21,000 commerce apps. The trade-off is focus versus breadth: SamCart puts sales-page conversion tools front and center, while Shopify is built to manage a wider store and channel mix. Shopify’s available integrations may extend its capabilities, but app costs are not specified on the vendor's site.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The simpler fit depends on what you need to manage. SamCart’s scope centers on pages, checkout, offers and product delivery, so it may suit a business that does not need Shopify’s broader retail and channel toolkit. But check the plan limits: Core has one team seat and limited AI usage, while A/B testing, upsells and order bumps are listed on Pro.
Shopify offers AI store creation and a centralized admin for payments, fulfillment and retail, but its broader options can mean more decisions. Its plans specify staff accounts, inventory locations and transaction fees, so compare those with your operating needs before switching. Shopify also offers a three-day free trial; SamCart’s free-trial status is not published on the vendor's site.
Questions people ask
Is there better than Shopify?
There is no single better choice for every store. Shopify fits businesses that need online and in-person sales, multiple channels and a large app ecosystem. SamCart is a closer fit if sales pages, checkout, order bumps and one-click upsells matter more than broader store operations.
Is SamCart good?
SamCart has a focused set of tools for selling products, including sales pages, checkout, upsells, subscription recovery and course hosting. Our our review scores it 7/10 overall. Check the seat and AI limits on Core, and compare payment and tax fees, before choosing a plan.
Can you make $10K a month on Shopify?
Shopify’s pricing and feature details do not establish what a store can earn. Revenue depends on the business and its sales, costs and margins; the platform does not guarantee a monthly income. Compare plan fees, payment rates and any app costs against your own financial targets.
What is the downside of using Shopify?
The main cost caveat is that the subscription is not the whole bill. Shopify lists third-party transaction fees from 2% on Basic to 0.6% on Advanced, and POS Pro costs CHF 69 per location monthly. App costs vary and are not published on the vendor's site.