ThriveCart and SamCart are both checkout-first platforms, but they price their best tools very differently. ThriveCart Standard costs $47 a month, $444 a year or $495 once and already includes one-click upsells and downsells, an order bump, A/B split testing and sales tax automation. SamCart Core costs $79 a month, and its upsells, order bumps, A/B testing and Affiliate Center are on the $199 Pro plan.
The short answer: ThriveCart is better value for course creators, coaches and digital sellers who want upsells without a big monthly bill. SamCart suits sellers who want an AI assistant that writes and designs pages, wider wallet options and a team of up to 10 on one plan, and do not mind paying for it.
ThriveCart vs SamCart at a Glance
| ThriveCart | SamCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Standard $47/mo or $444/yr | Core $79/mo ($59/mo billed yearly) |
| Upper plan | Pro+ $87/mo or $804/yr | Pro $199/mo ($149/mo billed yearly) |
| Lifetime option | Standard for $495 one-time | Not listed |
| Free trial | 30 days | 7 days |
| One-click upsells | Standard and up | Pro only |
| Order bumps | 1 on Standard, multiple on Pro+ | Pro only |
| A/B testing | Standard and up | Pro only |
| Affiliate center | Pro+ | Pro |
| Courses | Academy Starter included | Courses App included |
| Team seats | Multi-user permissions on Pro+ | 1 on Core, 10 on Pro |
| Platform fees on sales | 0% | None on SamPay or Stripe; tax collection 50 or 35 bps |
| Built-in email marketing | No | No |
In This Article
- ThriveCart vs SamCart at a Glance
- What Is ThriveCart?
- What Is SamCart?
- Pricing Compared
- Payment Processing and Fees
- Checkout, Order Bumps and Upsells
- Subscriptions and Recurring Billing
- Page Building and Design
- Courses and Communities
- Affiliate Programs for Your Own Products
- Integrations and Email
- Physical Products
- Reporting and Analytics
- Team Access and Support
- Example: Selling a $297 Course With an Upsell
- Pros and Cons
- Which Should You Choose?
- Use Cases by Business Type
- Switching Between ThriveCart and SamCart
- Alternatives to Both
- Our Verdict
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is ThriveCart?
ThriveCart is a shopping cart and checkout platform for digital products, courses, coaching, subscriptions and physical goods. You build checkout pages, add bumps and upsells, then embed the checkout on your own site or use ThriveCart's hosted pages.
Its current plans add ThrivePages for simple pages, advanced subscriptions with anchored billing and retention offers, and ThriveCart Academy for courses and communities. It is best known for selling a lifetime license, which it still offers for Standard. Our ThriveCart review covers it in full.
What Is SamCart?
SamCart is a checkout platform that has grown into a digital business platform. Alongside its checkout ("CheckoutOS"), it now includes an AI Assistant that writes sales copy and designs pages, ebooks and courses, plus sales pages, link-in-bio pages, a Courses App and a customer portal.
SamCart sells monthly or yearly subscriptions only. Its biggest selling tools, upsells and bumps, sit on the Pro plan. Our ClickFunnels vs SamCart comparison covers SamCart against a full funnel builder.
Pricing Compared
ThriveCart Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | What It Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $47/mo | $444/yr | Checkout, 1 bump, upsells and downsells, A/B testing, cart recovery, tax automation, Academy Starter |
| Pro+ | $87/mo | $804/yr | Multiple bumps, dunning, subscription upgrades, Affiliate Center, JV contracts, custom domains, multi-user permissions, Academy Growth |
| Lifetime (Standard) | $495 one-time | - | Standard features under ThriveCart's lifetime terms |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Dedicated account manager, migration, volume processing rates |
Both subscription plans list a 30-day free trial. ThriveCart's terms define "lifetime" as the lifetime of the software in its current version and say some upgrades may need extra purchases. More detail is in our ThriveCart pricing guide.
SamCart Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Billed Yearly | What It Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | $79/mo | $59/mo | Unlimited pages, products and checkouts, AI Assistant (limited usage), Courses App, cart abandonment, Integration Engine, 1 seat |
| Pro | $199/mo | $149/mo | 1-click upsells and order bumps, A/B testing, Subscription Saver, Affiliate Center, advanced analytics, API and third-party processors, 10 seats |
| Done For You | Custom | Custom | White-glove service, account manager, priority support, best processing rates |
SamCart says yearly billing saves 25%, and every new account starts with a 7-day free trial. There is no contract, and you can cancel any time.
Cost Over Three Years
List prices on each vendor's site, November 2026. SamCart yearly totals as shown on its pricing toggle ($711 and $1,791 a year). Processor fees and email tools not included.
The fair comparison is plan to plan by feature. If you need one-click upsells, the cheapest ThriveCart option is Standard or the $495 lifetime license; the cheapest SamCart option is Pro at $149 a month billed yearly.
Payment Processing and Fees
| ThriveCart | SamCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee on sales | 0% | None on SamPay or Stripe |
| US card rate shown | 2.9% + $0.30 (processor fee) | 2.9% + 30c on SamPay |
| Tax collection | Sales tax automation included | 50 bps on Core, 35 bps on Pro |
| Processors | Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.Net | SamPay, Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Authorize.net, Easy Pay Direct |
| Wallets and BNPL | BNPL, split pay, pay-what-you-want, crypto on Pro+ | Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe Link, PayPal, Venmo, Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm |
ThriveCart says its fees "represent processor fees passed on from Stripe, PayPal and Authorize.Net." SamCart says it adds nothing over card-company charges on SamPay and Stripe, while "there may be small added fees" with some other processors. SamCart's third-party processor support is a Pro feature.
Checkout, Order Bumps and Upsells
This is the single biggest difference between the two.
- ThriveCart Standard includes one order bump, one-click upsells and downsells, A/B split testing and abandoned cart recovery. Pro+ adds multiple bumps.
- SamCart Core includes checkouts and cart abandonment emails, but no upsells, no order bumps and no A/B testing. Those need Pro.
Both platforms let buyers accept an upsell without re-entering card details, and both let you embed checkout on your own website. SamCart also lists embeds in WordPress, emails and bio links. If raising average order value is your main goal, ThriveCart gives you the tools at the lowest price.
Subscriptions and Recurring Billing
Both handle subscriptions, payment plans and free or paid trials.
| ThriveCart | SamCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscriptions and payment plans | Standard | All plans |
| Failed payment recovery | Dunning on Pro+ | Subscription Saver on Pro |
| Upgrades and downgrades | 1-click subscription changes on Pro+ | Customer portal to manage subscriptions |
| Retention offers | Standard | Not listed |
| Customer self-service portal | Yes | Yes |
For memberships and SaaS-style billing, ThriveCart's anchored subscriptions and retention offers on Standard are a strong point. SamCart's Subscription Saver uses retry logic and outreach to recover failing subscriptions, but only on Pro.
Page Building and Design
SamCart has the stronger page tools. Its AI Page Designer and AI Sales Copywriter build sales pages, link-in-bio pages, opt-in pages and microsites, and its AI Document Designer creates ebooks and course outlines. Core has limited AI usage; Pro has unlimited.
ThriveCart focuses on checkout design, with templates and a visual editor for carts, plus its newer ThrivePages for simple pages. Most ThriveCart users still build sales pages in WordPress, a funnel builder or another page tool. If you need full funnels, compare ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels.
Courses and Communities
| ThriveCart Academy | SamCart Courses App | |
|---|---|---|
| Included on entry plan | Yes (Academy Starter) | Yes |
| Courses and students | Unlimited | Courses and members area |
| Communities | Up to 10 communities, 2,000 members on Standard | Not listed as a separate feature |
| Video | 100 GB on Standard, 500 GB on Pro+ | Limited on Core, unlimited on Pro |
| Extras | Quizzes, certificates, gamification, drip, bundles | Drip content, progress tracking |
ThriveCart's course and community tools go further on paper, especially for community-led programs. For a dedicated course platform, see our best online course platforms guide.
Affiliate Programs for Your Own Products
- ThriveCart: the Affiliate Center with automated payouts and JV contracts is on Pro+ ($87 a month). JV contracts let you split revenue with partners automatically.
- SamCart: the Affiliate Center is on Pro ($199 a month).
If you plan to recruit affiliates, ThriveCart reaches that feature for $112 less per month at list price.
Integrations and Email
Neither platform includes email newsletters or broadcasts, so you will need an email tool either way.
| ThriveCart | SamCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Native integrations | 100+ listed, including ActiveCampaign, AWeber, Kit, Drip, GetResponse, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Moosend, Ontraport | Integration Engine with ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Drip, AWeber, Keap, Ontraport and more |
| Zapier | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks and API | API access listed | Webhooks and Zapier listed; API on Pro |
| Physical product fulfillment | Kunaki, Vervante, Shippo, ShipStation (some via Zapier or API) | Shipping zones, rates, inventory and carrier integrations |
For an email tool that pairs well with either cart, see our best email marketing software for funnels.
Physical Products
SamCart is the better fit for physical goods. Its features page lists shipping address collection, tax calculation, inventory management, shipping zones and carrier integrations. ThriveCart sells physical products too and connects to fulfillment services, but it is built mainly for digital offers.
Reporting and Analytics
| ThriveCart | SamCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Core reports | Churn and retention insights, LTV analysis and cohort reporting listed on its features page | Business reporting on all plans |
| Advanced reports | Pro+ sales and reporting tools, funnel comparisons and business intelligence reporting on Pro+ | Advanced Reporting with offers, tax and LTV reports on Pro |
| Subscription analytics | Pro+ | Advanced analytics on Pro |
| UTM tracking | Pro+ | Marketing analytics with UTM and referral reports |
| Ad pixels | Not listed on the pricing table | Smart Pixel Tracking for Facebook Ads, Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager |
Both keep advanced reporting on the upper plan. If you run paid ads, check that the pixel and UTM features you rely on are on the plan you pick, and add a click tracker such as ClickMagick if you need cross-channel attribution.
Team Access and Support
- Team seats: SamCart Core includes 1 seat and Pro 10 seats. ThriveCart lists multi-user permissions on Pro+.
- Support: ThriveCart lists "24/7 365 world class support" on its plans. SamCart lists email and chat support on Core and Pro, with Dedicated Live Support available for $19 a month (9-5 CT, Monday to Friday).
Example: Selling a $297 Course With an Upsell
A coach sells a $297 course with a $47 bump and a $197 one-click upsell, and wants an affiliate program in year two.
| Need | ThriveCart Plan | SamCart Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Course checkout plus bump and upsell | Standard ($444/yr) or Lifetime ($495 once) | Pro ($149/mo billed yearly) |
| Course hosting | Academy Starter included | Courses App included |
| Affiliate program in year two | Pro+ ($804/yr), or Pro+ Annual for lifetime holders | Already on Pro |
On list prices, ThriveCart is the cheaper route at every stage. SamCart earns its higher price only if you will use its AI page and product builder or need its seats and wallet options.
Pros and Cons
ThriveCart
Pros
- Upsells, a bump and A/B testing from $47 a month
- Lifetime option for Standard at $495
- 30-day free trial
- Course and community hosting included
- Affiliate Center and JV contracts on Pro+ at $87
Cons
- No built-in email marketing
- Limited page building compared with SamCart
- Only one order bump on Standard
- Lifetime terms tie to the current version of the software
SamCart
Pros
- AI assistant that writes copy and designs pages and products
- Wide wallet and BNPL options including Venmo
- Strong physical product and inventory tools
- 10 team seats on Pro
- No contract and 25% off yearly
Cons
- Upsells, bumps and A/B testing only on the $199 Pro plan
- Only a 7-day free trial
- Tax-collection fee in basis points
- No lifetime plan listed
Which Should You Choose?
Choose ThriveCart If
- You want one-click upsells and bumps on the entry plan.
- You prefer a one-time lifetime payment to another monthly bill.
- You sell courses, memberships or communities and want them included.
- You want an affiliate program for less than $200 a month.
- You already have a website and an email tool.
Choose SamCart If
- You want AI to build your sales pages, ebooks or course outlines.
- You sell physical products and need inventory and shipping tools.
- You want Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo and several BNPL options at checkout.
- You need up to 10 team members on one plan.
- Your budget easily covers $149 to $199 a month.
Use Cases by Business Type
| Business | Better Fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Course creator on a budget | ThriveCart | Upsells and Academy on Standard, lifetime option |
| Membership or community | ThriveCart | Retention offers, anchored subscriptions, communities |
| Ecommerce with inventory | SamCart | Inventory, shipping zones, carrier integrations |
| Creator starting from scratch | SamCart | AI builds product, pages and copy |
| Affiliate-driven launches | ThriveCart | Affiliate Center and JV contracts on Pro+ |
| Team-run digital business | SamCart Pro | 10 seats included |
Switching Between ThriveCart and SamCart
- 1List every product, price, bump, upsell and coupon
- 2Export customers and purchase history
- 3Rebuild checkouts and upsell flows in the new platform
- 4Connect your payment processor and run a test order
- 5Plan how active subscriptions will keep billing
- 6Reconnect your email tool and course access
- 7Update every sales page button and ad link
Active subscriptions are the hard part. Plan the move with your payment processor before you switch off the old checkout.
Alternatives to Both
- Systeme.io: funnels, email, courses and checkout with a free plan. See Systeme.io vs ThriveCart and Systeme.io vs SamCart.
- ClickFunnels: a full funnel builder with pages, checkout and email. See ClickFunnels vs SamCart.
- More options: our best sales funnel software guide.
Our Verdict
ThriveCart wins on value. It puts one-click upsells, an order bump, A/B testing, tax automation and course hosting in a $47 plan, offers a 30-day free trial, and still sells a $495 lifetime license. Its weak spots are page building and the lack of built-in email.
SamCart wins on building and breadth, with AI-made pages and products, more wallets and better physical-product tools, but its key conversion tools cost $199 a month. Choose SamCart if those features matter to you; otherwise, ThriveCart gives you more checkout for less.
Sell With ThriveCart Checkout Pages
Checkout pages, order bumps, upsells and courses, with a 30-day free trial on the monthly plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ThriveCart Better than SamCart?
For most sellers on a budget, yes. ThriveCart Standard includes one-click upsells, an order bump and A/B testing from $47 a month, while SamCart keeps those tools on its $199 Pro plan. SamCart is the better pick if you want its AI page and product builder, more payment wallets and stronger physical-product tools.
Which Is Cheaper, ThriveCart or SamCart?
ThriveCart. Standard is $47 a month, $444 a year or a $495 one-time lifetime payment. SamCart Core is $79 a month and Pro is $199 a month, or $59 and $149 a month billed yearly.
Does SamCart Have a Lifetime Deal?
No lifetime plan is listed on SamCart's pricing page. SamCart sells monthly and yearly subscriptions, with yearly billing at 25% off. ThriveCart offers Standard as a lifetime option for $495.
Do ThriveCart and SamCart Charge Transaction Fees?
ThriveCart says it charges 0% fees and passes on processor fees only. SamCart says it adds nothing on top of processing with SamPay or Stripe, but lists a tax-collection fee of 50 basis points on Core and 35 on Pro, and small added fees may apply with some other processors.
Which Has the Longer Free Trial?
ThriveCart lists a 30-day free trial on Standard and Pro+. SamCart's pricing page says every new account starts with a 7-day free trial with full access.
Can I Sell Courses on ThriveCart and SamCart?
Yes. ThriveCart includes ThriveCart Academy Starter with unlimited courses and students and up to 2,000 community members on Standard. SamCart includes a Courses App with drip content and a members area on every plan.
Which Is Better for Affiliate Programs?
Both include an affiliate center on their higher plan. ThriveCart's Affiliate Center with automated payouts comes with Pro+ at $87 a month, while SamCart's Affiliate Center needs Pro at $199 a month.
Do ThriveCart or SamCart Include Email Marketing?
Neither is an email marketing platform. Both send buyer data to tools such as ActiveCampaign, AWeber, Kit, Mailchimp, Drip and Ontraport, and both offer cart abandonment follow-up.
Test ThriveCart Free for 30 Days
Build one checkout with a bump and a one-click upsell, connect your email tool and run a test order during the 30-day free trial, then decide.
Start a 30-Day ThriveCart Trial
