SamCart vs ThriveCart: pricing, features and who each one suits
Prices and features checked on each vendor's own pages. Sources at the foot.
ThriveCart is cheaper at each step on list price: Standard is $47 a month and Pro+ is $87, against SamCart Core at $79 and Pro at $199. SamCart bundles a courses app and its own payment processing, and lists A/B testing on Pro; ThriveCart lists it from Standard. ThriveCart bundles its Academy courses and community and has a lifetime option. Which one suits depends on whether you need those extras, or only a checkout.
Prices
Both vendors sell on monthly plans. List prices in US dollars, read on 9 October 2026.
| SamCart | ThriveCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Core, $79 per month | Standard, $47 per month, or $37 per month on annual billing |
| Higher plan | Pro, $199 per month | Pro+, $87 per month, or $67 per month on annual billing |
| Yearly option | Yearly toggle labelled 25% off | Annual billing as above ($444 and $804 a year) |
| Top tier | Done For You, custom price | Not listed in the July 2026 pricing announcement |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial | 30-day free trial on new plans |
| One-time licence | Not listed on the pricing page | Lifetime option still offered, per the 15 July 2026 announcement. Price not stated there. |
The comparable steps are Core against Standard ($79 against $47 a month) and Pro against Pro+ ($199 against $87 a month). Compare the plan that has the features you need, not the entry plans, because the features that most sellers want sit on the higher plan with both vendors.
Features by plan
What each vendor's own pages list, and the plan it sits on.
| SamCart | ThriveCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Order bumps and upsells | Listed under Pro, not Core | Standard lists order bumps and upsells, with 1 bump offer. Pro+ lists multiple order bumps. |
| Affiliate management | Affiliate Center listed under Pro | Affiliate Center and automated payouts listed under Pro+ |
| Subscription recovery and changes | Subscription Saver listed under Pro | Subscription dunning and one-click upgrades and downgrades listed under Pro+ |
| A/B testing | Listed under Pro | A/B Split Testing listed under Standard, and so included on Pro+ |
| Courses | Courses app listed on Core | ThriveCart Academy bundled (Starter on Standard, Growth on Pro+) |
| Tax | Tax collection fee of 50 bps on Core, 35 bps on Pro | Sales tax automation on both plans. Tax-inclusive pricing listed under Pro+. A sales-tax surcharge of 0.5% on Standard and 0.35% on Pro+ accounts created after May 2026 applies when a transaction is eligible for tax calculation and collection. |
| Team seats | 1 on Core, 10 on Pro, unlimited on Done For You | Not stated on the pages read for this page |
| Payment processing | SamPay at 2.9% + 30c, "no added fees". Third-party processors and API listed under Pro. | Runs on your Stripe connection. See fees below. |
| Checkout on your own site | Embedded and popup checkout documented ("Checkout Anywhere") | Custom domain documented in its help centre. Not re-checked in detail for this page. |
Fees on top of the plan
- SamCart: SamPay processing is listed at 2.9% + 30c with "no added fees" on Core and Pro. Tax collection is listed at 50 bps on Core and 35 bps on Pro.
- ThriveCart: from 8 October 2026 a 0.5% External Platform Fee applies to transactions on Stripe Legacy and Stripe Enhanced connections; it does not apply to Stripe Connect+. Connect+ consolidates charges such as a 0.7% subscription fee on recurring payments, Stripe Radar ($0.07 per transaction) and Adaptive Acceptance (0.08%). A sales-tax surcharge of 0.5% on Standard and 0.35% on Pro+ accounts created after May 2026 applies when a transaction is eligible for tax calculation and collection. ThrivePay Installments are separate from Stripe charges and carry a 15% installment fee and a 15% reserve hold.
Compare three lines for your own sales: the plan price, any platform fee, and the processing rate. If you take many small payments, run the numbers with the Stripe cost audit.
Who each one suits
SamCart suits you if
- you want checkout, pages and a courses app in one hosted account;
- you want A/B testing, an affiliate center and Subscription Saver from one vendor, and Pro's price is acceptable;
- you want to be paid through SamPay rather than set up a separate processor.
ThriveCart suits you if
- you want a lower monthly price for order bumps, upsells and an affiliate center, with the affiliate tools on Pro+;
- you want courses and community bundled through ThriveCart Academy;
- you prefer a one-time lifetime licence option, and have checked its current price with ThriveCart.
SamCart documents checkout embedded on your own site (Checkout Anywhere), so where checkout runs is not the deciding factor. If you already have a site, a course host and email that work, and want only a checkout with upsells, order bumps and deadline offers at a flat fee, the next section describes where Plandalf fits.
A third option: a flat-fee checkout on your own site
Plandalf is neither of these. It is a branded checkout that opens on your own site and runs on your own Stripe or PayPal account, with upsells, order bumps, coupons and deadline offers on one plan at $49 a month or $490 a year. Plandalf takes 0% of your sales. Processing fees are Stripe's or PayPal's. Plandalf does not host courses or build sales pages, so keep your course platform and site.
If you are leaving one of them, the dedicated pages go through price, features and migration in detail:
- SamCart alternative: Plandalf vs SamCart
- ThriveCart alternative: Plandalf vs ThriveCart
- Gumroad alternatives
- Plandalf Checkouts and Promos
Start your 14-day free trial (no card required)
FAQ
Which is cheaper, SamCart or ThriveCart?
On list prices read on 9 October 2026, ThriveCart is lower at each step: Standard is $47 a month against SamCart Core at $79, and Pro+ is $87 a month against SamCart Pro at $199. The plans are not identical, so compare the features you need. Payment processing is charged on top with both.
Does SamCart or ThriveCart charge a percentage of sales?
SamCart lists a SamPay processing rate of 2.9% + 30c and tax collection at 50 bps on Core and 35 bps on Pro. ThriveCart lists a 0.5% External Platform Fee on Stripe Legacy and Stripe Enhanced connections from 8 October 2026, which does not apply to Stripe Connect+. Connect+ itself carries consolidated charges such as a 0.7% subscription fee on recurring payments, and a sales-tax surcharge (0.5% on Standard, 0.35% on Pro+ accounts created after May 2026) applies when a transaction is eligible for tax collection. ThrivePay Installments carry a 15% fee and a 15% reserve hold (its help article, updated 29 August 2026).
Does ThriveCart still sell a lifetime licence?
Its 15 July 2026 announcement says the lifetime option is still available alongside the new monthly plans. That post does not give a lifetime price.
Which plan do I need for order bumps and upsells?
SamCart lists one-click upsells and order bumps under Pro ($199 a month). ThriveCart lists order bumps and upsells in Standard, with one bump offer, and multiple order bumps in Pro+.
Is there a third option that is not SamCart or ThriveCart?
Yes. Plandalf is a branded checkout that runs on your own site and your own Stripe or PayPal account, at $49 a month or $490 a year on one plan, with 0% of sales taken by Plandalf. It does not host courses or build sales pages.