Shopify vs. SamCart: Which Platform is Better for Selling Online?

Quick verdict: Shopify is better for building a full online store with multiple products, while SamCart is the smarter choice if you’re selling one product, a digital offer, or a course.

Shopify and SamCart are both popular choices for entrepreneurs who want to sell online, but they serve very different purposes. Shopify is a comprehensive ecommerce platform that helps you build, manage, and scale a full storefront. SamCart, on the other hand, is a checkout-focused tool built for conversion — ideal for sales funnels, single-product pages, and digital offers.

At first glance, both platforms allow you to accept payments, set up offers, and promote products online. But once you dig deeper, the differences become clear. Shopify is a multi-product ecommerce engine; SamCart is a lean, focused sales platform designed to increase order value at the checkout stage.

If you’re not sure which one fits your needs, we’ve broken it down by pricing, features, design, product types, and more — so you can make the right call for your business.

Shopify

Starts at $39/month

Shopify is a fully hosted ecommerce platform known for its flexibility, scalability, and massive app ecosystem. It allows users to build an entire online storefront, manage orders and inventory, and integrate with major marketing and shipping tools.

Pricing Tiers:

• Basic Shopify – $39/month

• Shopify – $105/month

• Advanced – $399/month

• Shopify Plus – Enterprise (starts at ~$2,000/month)

• 3-day free trial

What’s Included in the Basic Plan:

• Unlimited product listings

• Online storefront builder

• Multichannel selling (e.g., Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok)

• Access to 8,000+ apps via Shopify App Store

• Built-in SEO and blogging tools

• 2.9% + 30¢ transaction fee via Shopify Payments

• 2% extra fee for third-party payment gateways

• 24/7 customer support (live chat, email)

SamCart

Starts at $59/month

SamCart is a streamlined solution built for marketers and creators who want a fast, conversion-optimised way to sell one or a few products. It doesn’t offer storefront or catalogue features like Shopify, but it shines in upselling, checkout customisation, and funnel-building.

Pricing Tiers:

• Launch – $59/month

• Grow – $119/month

• Scale – $299/month

• No free trial, but a 7-day trial for $1

What’s Included in the Launch Plan:

• One-page checkout templates

• Unlimited digital or physical products

• Built-in upsell, downsell, and order bump tools

• Affiliate management centre

• A/B testing tools (available on higher tiers)

• Stripe and PayPal integration

• 3.1% + 30¢ average transaction fees (via Stripe)

• No added transaction fees from SamCart

Plans & Pricing

Shopify offers more affordable entry-level pricing and supports more complex ecommerce operations. SamCart starts at a higher price and focuses exclusively on sales optimisation features.

Shopify is more flexible and cost-effective if you need an actual online store with multiple pages, product filtering, and multichannel features. SamCart, while more expensive upfront, is ideal if you’re focused on getting the highest conversion rate possible for single-product sales pages or digital offers.

Winner: Shopify
Better pricing structure, more scalable for traditional ecommerce.

Features

Both Shopify and SamCart offer ecommerce features, but their priorities are different. Shopify is built for managing and scaling stores with many SKUs, while SamCart is focused on optimising every part of the customer’s checkout experience.

Shopify Key Features:

• Inventory and order management

• Discount code creation

• Multilingual/multicurrency support

• Built-in SEO, blog, and CMS tools

• App integrations (email, loyalty, shipping, etc.)

• Point-of-sale (POS) for retail

SamCart Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop checkout page builder

• Pre-designed, mobile-optimised templates

• One-click upsells and order bumps

• Real-time A/B testing (Grow & Scale plans)

• Subscription billing and trials

• Affiliate centre for managing partner sales

Shopify offers broader functionality across ecommerce categories. However, SamCart provides deeper control over checkout customisation and revenue optimisation features.

Winner: Tie
Shopify wins on breadth. SamCart wins on checkout precision.

Store Design

Shopify offers extensive design flexibility, which makes it ideal for businesses looking to establish a strong brand presence. SamCart limits design to checkout and sales pages, which may work well for lean product strategies but lacks full storefront support.

Shopify Design Tools:

• 100+ store themes (free and paid)

• Theme editor with HTML/CSS access

• Customisable product, cart, and homepage layouts

• Drag-and-drop sections

• Built-in mobile responsiveness

SamCart Design Tools:

• Pre-built, high-converting sales page templates

• Drag-and-drop content builder

• Focused on checkout-only (no catalog, homepage, or blog)

• Mobile-optimised templates for funnel efficiency

If you need a complete website experience, Shopify is the better choice. If your entire business revolves around converting traffic on a single offer or page, SamCart keeps things simple and effective.

Winner: Shopify

Selling Physical vs. Digital Products

Your product type matters when choosing between Shopify and SamCart. Shopify is built to handle inventory and fulfilment logistics for physical products. SamCart is designed with digital creators and service providers in mind.

Shopify Strengths:

• Product variants and inventory tracking

• Integration with shipping carriers

• Local pickup and delivery options

• Physical POS systems for in-person sales

SamCart Strengths:

• Instant file delivery for digital products

• Subscription billing for courses or memberships

• Built-in video hosting on higher plans

• One-time and recurring payments

While Shopify supports digital products, you’ll need to rely on apps for features like video hosting or gated content. SamCart handles digital sales natively with fewer external tools.

Winner: Shopify for physical products, SamCart for digital

Payment Processing

Both platforms offer smooth payment integrations, but Shopify offers better built-in rates through its native processor.

Shopify’s own gateway offers more competitive fees. SamCart’s reliance on Stripe means slightly higher transaction costs, especially at lower sales volumes.

Winner: Shopify

Marketing Tools

Shopify offers more traditional marketing infrastructure, while SamCart focuses on conversion rate optimisation.

Shopify Tools:

• Built-in blog

• Product reviews

• Email marketing via apps

• SEO-friendly URLs and metadata

• Abandoned cart recovery

SamCart Tools:

• A/B testing and split tests

• Countdown timers

• Conversion tracking

• Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics integration

• Built-in affiliate management

SamCart does more to squeeze revenue from traffic. Shopify supports more organic growth and audience building.

Winner: Tie
Choose Shopify for long-term SEO and content. Choose SamCart for short-term sales performance.

Support

Both platforms offer customer service, but Shopify provides better access across all pricing levels.

Shopify’s support is more consistent across all plans. SamCart reserves live chat for premium users.

Winner: Shopify

Recent Improvements

Staying up-to-date is critical for both platforms, and Shopify has been more active with new releases.

Recent Shopify Updates:

• Linkpop (Instagram bio link tool)

• International tax automation

• Native AI product descriptions

• Centralised multistore management

Recent SamCart Updates:

• Visual editor overhaul

• Better Stripe subscription management

• New integrations with tools like HubSpot and MailerLite

While SamCart is evolving, Shopify’s regular updates across core features and third-party apps give it the edge.

Winner: Shopify

Final Verdict: Shopify vs. SamCart

Bottom Line

If you’re building a full ecommerce brand with a growing catalogue, multichannel sales, and long-term customer relationships, Shopify is the clear winner. It’s more flexible, scalable, and better equipped for physical goods and SEO.

If you’re selling a single digital product, course, or coaching offer, and your priority is squeezing every drop of revenue from a high-converting funnel, SamCart gives you a cleaner, simpler path to sales.