Big Cartel vs Squarespace: Which Is Better in 2026?

Big Cartel is an ecommerce platform built specifically for artists, makers and independent creators who want to sell online without the cost or complexity of a big commerce suite. Home to roughly 3 million shops that together list around 6 million products and have sold more than $2.5 billion, it has spent years focused on one audience: people who make things and want a simple, affordable way to sell them.

What is Big Cartel?

Big Cartel lets you launch a clean, customizable online store in four straightforward steps: choose a template, add your products, configure your store settings and start promoting. There's no coding required, and the templates are designed to put the work — the art, the product, the craft — front and center rather than burying it in clutter.

Who it's for

The platform is made for jewelry makers, printmakers, painters, designers, ceramicists, illustrators, photographers, publishers and every other kind of independent creator. If you're a solo maker or a small creative business that finds mainstream ecommerce platforms overwhelming or overpriced, Big Cartel is built with you in mind.

Key features

• Customizable store templates that need no coding
• Selling of physical goods, digital products and print-on-demand merchandise
• Product import from Shopify, Etsy and Squarespace
• Social selling across Instagram, Facebook and Google Shopping
• In-person sales through the mobile app
• Dashboard analytics and order management
• An app marketplace to extend your store

Sell everywhere

Big Cartel doesn't confine you to a single storefront. You can sell physical and digital products, offer print-on-demand items, push products to Instagram, Facebook and Google Shopping, and even take payments in person at markets or pop-ups through the mobile app. For makers who sell both online and at events, that flexibility keeps everything in one place.

Pricing

Pricing is deliberately simple and creator-friendly. There's a free tier to get started (with a 7-day premium trial), then Platinum at around $15/month and Diamond at around $30/month for shops that are scaling up. Crucially, Big Cartel is known for straightforward pricing with no hidden fees, so makers keep more of what they earn.

Support and philosophy

Big Cartel prides itself on "real humans, not chatbots" for support, reflecting a long-standing, creator-first philosophy. Rather than chasing enterprise clients, the company has stayed focused on independent artists, which shows in both the product's simplicity and the way it treats its customers.

Getting started and growing

Opening a Big Cartel shop is quick even if you've never built a website. You pick one of the customizable themes, add your products with photos and descriptions, set up shipping and payments, and share your store — no developer, no monthly minimum to begin. If you're moving from another platform, product import from Shopify, Etsy and Squarespace saves you from re-entering your catalog by hand.

As your shop grows, the dashboard gives you the numbers that matter — orders, views and sales trends — while the app marketplace lets you bolt on extra capabilities only when you need them. That "start simple, add later" approach keeps the platform approachable for first-timers while still supporting makers who are turning a hobby into a real business.

Why choose Big Cartel

If you're a maker who wants to sell without wrestling a complicated platform or paying steep fees, Big Cartel is one of the best-fitting options available. Its simple setup, transparent pricing, multi-channel selling and genuinely human support make it a home for creative businesses rather than a one-size-fits-all store builder.

Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder and business platform that lets anyone create a polished, professional website — and run a business on it — without writing code. Famous for its beautifully designed templates, it has helped 14 million entrepreneurs across 200+ countries build sites and, collectively, earn over $36 billion.

What Squarespace is

Squarespace combines a drag-and-drop website builder with integrated business tools: ecommerce, appointment scheduling, invoicing, email and SMS marketing, memberships and more. You start from designer-made templates (or let Blueprint AI generate a custom site), then manage your website, payments, bookings and marketing from one unified dashboard — no separate tools required.

Who it's for

Squarespace serves a broad range: creative professionals like photographers, designers and artists; service providers such as consultants, coaches and real-estate agents; ecommerce businesses; educators; beauty and wellness pros; nonprofits; and anyone building a portfolio or personal brand. Its design-forward approach especially appeals to those for whom how the site looks really matters.

What it offers

• Drag-and-drop editor with professionally designed templates
• Blueprint AI website builder for rapid setup
• Ecommerce with unlimited product listings and payments
• Appointment scheduling, invoicing and client management
• Email and SMS marketing campaigns
• Memberships, paywalls and donation tools
• Built-in SEO tools and an analytics dashboard
• Custom domains, business email and an Extensions marketplace

Design that looks professional by default

Squarespace's enduring reputation is built on design. Its templates are genuinely beautiful and mobile-responsive out of the box, so even a non-designer ends up with a site that looks like it was professionally made. For creatives and brands where visual impression is part of the value — a photographer's portfolio, a boutique's storefront — that guaranteed polish is a major reason to choose Squarespace over builders that can look generic or amateur.

A whole business, not just a site

Squarespace has grown well beyond web pages into running a business. The same platform handles selling products, booking appointments, sending invoices, collecting payments, running email and SMS campaigns, and offering paid memberships — all from one dashboard. For a solo entrepreneur or small business, that integration means you don't stitch together a website builder, a scheduler, a payment tool and a mailing platform; it's all in one place, working together.

Built to be found and to grow

A great site needs traffic, so Squarespace includes SEO tools, AI visibility features, an analytics dashboard, and social-media integration to help you get discovered and understand your audience. Custom domains (with a free year on annual plans), business email via Google Workspace, and an Extensions marketplace for shipping, inventory and finance tools round it out — so the site can grow with the business rather than being outgrown.

AI that builds a head start

Squarespace's Blueprint AI — recognized as one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2025 — generates a customized, on-brand site from a few prompts, giving you a real starting point instead of a blank template. You describe your business and get a tailored design, copy and structure you can then refine in the drag-and-drop editor. For someone who finds the blank page the hardest part of launching, that AI head start removes the intimidation while still leaving you full control over the final result.

Why choose Squarespace

For entrepreneurs, creatives and small businesses who want a beautiful, professional website plus the tools to run their business from it, Squarespace is a leading all-in-one choice. Its award-winning design and templates, AI-assisted building, integrated ecommerce, scheduling and marketing, and built-in SEO make it a practical way to look polished and operate professionally online — without code, and without juggling a dozen separate tools.