Best SamCart Alternatives in 2026

The main SamCart alternatives are ThriveCart for a one-time lifetime licence, Kajabi for courses with checkout built in, Payhip and Lemon Squeezy for lower-cost selling, and Shopify for a full store.

SamCart is a checkout-page tool built around order bumps and upsells, starting at $79 a month. People switch to avoid the monthly fee, to get courses and checkout in one place, or because they need a full store. Here is what each alternative does differently.

The best SamCart alternatives

ThriveCart

Checkout and upsell tool sold as a one-time lifetime licence.

Best for: Sellers who would rather pay once

Pricing: Lifetime licence (one-time payment)

Pros: No monthly fee; Bumps, upsells and affiliates; Built-in course area

Cons: Large one-time cost; Dated interface; Lifetime-deal support risk

Kajabi

Courses, coaching and checkout in one platform.

Best for: Course businesses

Pricing: Basic $143/mo billed yearly ($179 monthly)

Pros: Checkout plus course hosting; 0% transaction fee; Email and funnels

Cons: Expensive; Less checkout flexibility; Learning curve

Payhip

Simple digital product checkout with a free plan.

Best for: Smaller sellers who want to cut costs

Pricing: Free plan with 5% fee; Plus $29/mo with 2% fee; Pro $99/mo with no Payhip fee

Pros: Free plan; Upsells and coupons; Handles EU VAT

Cons: Fewer funnel features; Simple design; Fees on lower plans

Lemon Squeezy

Merchant of record with hosted checkout.

Best for: International digital sales

Pricing: No monthly fee; 5% + 50¢ per sale (merchant of record, handles sales tax)

Pros: Handles sales tax globally; No monthly fee; Subscriptions

Cons: 5% + 50¢ per sale; Fewer upsell options; Software-leaning

Shopify

Full store with checkout and many upsell apps.

Best for: Sellers with many products

Pricing: Basic $19/mo billed yearly ($25 monthly)

Pros: Excellent checkout; Physical and digital; App store

Cons: Upsells need apps; More setup; Monthly fee plus apps

Prices come from each vendor's public pricing page and are not individually dated, so they may have changed. Confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to SamCart?

ThriveCart is the closest feature match without a monthly fee. Kajabi if you also host courses. Payhip or Lemon Squeezy if you mainly want to pay less.

Is there a free alternative to SamCart?

Payhip has a free plan (5% per sale), and Lemon Squeezy has no monthly fee (5% + 50¢ per sale). ThriveCart is a one-time payment rather than free.

Can I move from SamCart to an alternative?

Recreate your products and checkout pages in the new tool and update every buy link. Active subscriptions are the hard part: if both tools use the same Stripe account they can sometimes continue; otherwise customers need to sign up again.

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