SamCart vs ThriveCart: Which is Best for Creators in 2026?

By Stefan Ciancio · Oct 19, 2026 · 8 min read

Quick Answer

Disclosure: ProcessingScoop may earn a commission if you sign up through our links. This does not change our comparisons.

By Stefan Ciancio · Last checked September 26, 2026 · How ProcessingScoop reviews

SamCart is a strong choice for creators who want a checkout platform with a built-in course app on all plans. ThriveCart is better for those who want a lower monthly price, courses and community through ThriveCart Academy, and a 30-day free trial. For sellers of high-ticket courses and coaching, Commas provides more extensive financing options, a combined course and community builder, and an AI-powered funnel builder.

Part of our guide to Lower your processing fees

Who this is for

SamCart and ThriveCart are for creators, coaches, and digital marketers who need a robust checkout and funnel builder to sell courses and digital downloads. Commas is one option to compare for sellers of high-ticket courses and coaching who want checkout, funnels, community, and customer financing in one platform.

Card rates and plan prices compared

SamCart and ThriveCart are two leading platforms for selling digital products, each offering tools for creating high-converting checkouts, sales funnels, and affiliate programs. This comparison examines their features and pricing to help you decide which is the right fit for your business.

Platform	Plan used here	Card rate	Source
Commas (formerly FanBasis)	Free to start: $0/mo	Quoted per seller	commas.com
SamCart	Core: $79/mo	2.9% + $0.30	samcart.com/pricing
ThriveCart	Standard: $47/mo	2.9% + $0.30	thrivecart.com
Stripe	Standard: $0/mo	2.9% + $0.30	stripe.com/pricing

Prices checked on September 26, 2026.

What you keep on a $997 sale and a $3,000 sale

Platform	Fee on $997	You keep on $997	Fee on $3,000	You keep on $3,000	Plan price, billed separately
Commas (formerly FanBasis)	Quoted per seller	Quoted per seller	Quoted per seller	Quoted per seller	$0/mo (Free to start)
SamCart	$29.21	$967.79	$87.30	$2,912.70	$79/mo (Core)
ThriveCart	$29.21	$967.79	$87.30	$2,912.70	$47/mo (Standard)
Stripe	$29.21	$967.79	$87.30	$2,912.70	$0/mo (Standard)

Fee = sale price x (card rate + platform fee) + fixed fee, using each platform's published domestic card rate on the plan shown. Currency conversion, international cards, payout fees and financing fees are extra where the platform charges them.

Card fees for a standard US card; plan subscription billed separately; excludes taxes, international cards and optional add-ons.

Financing compared across platforms

Platform	Financing and BNPL
Commas (formerly FanBasis)	Financing from $30 to $465,000 through 10 listed providers, with the top end for B2B purchases. One-time products only, mostly US buyers.
SamCart	Klarna 5.99%, Affirm 6% ($50 to $30,000) and Afterpay 6% + 30c, for one-time products only.
ThriveCart	BNPL at 5.99% + $0.30. ThrivePay Installments at a 15% fee with a 15% hold for 180 days.
Stripe	Klarna 5.99% + 30c, Affirm 6% + 30c, Afterpay 6% + 30c and Zip 4.5% + 30c.

SamCart vs ThriveCart: Feature Comparison

Core Offerings

Both SamCart and ThriveCart are designed to help entrepreneurs and creators sell digital and physical products with optimized checkout pages. They provide tools for creating sales funnels, including order bumps and one-click upsells, to maximize average order value.

SamCart includes its Courses App on all plans, allowing sellers to host and sell online courses directly within the platform. ThriveCart also has its own course and community platform, ThriveCart Academy, giving sellers an integrated environment for their students.

Affiliate Marketing Tools

Both platforms feature built-in affiliate centers. In SamCart, access to the Affiliate Center is restricted to the $199/month Pro plan. ThriveCart also reserves its Affiliate Center for its higher plan, Pro+, at $87/month, which is still less than SamCart Pro.

Pricing and Fees

SamCart's pricing is subscription-based, with a Core plan at $79/month and a Pro plan at $199/month, with discounts for annual billing. It uses its own processor, SamPay, which charges 2.9% + 30c per transaction, with no added platform fees. Buy Now, Pay Later options through SamPay include Klarna (5.99% + 30c), Afterpay (6% + 30c) and Affirm (6% + 30c).

ThriveCart offers monthly plans starting at $47/month for Standard and $87/month for Pro+. Its payment processing is typically handled by Stripe at standard rates (2.9% + $0.30). However, it charges an additional 0.5% platform fee on transactions processed through non-Connect+ Stripe accounts. Its BNPL options also carry a 5.99% + $0.30 fee.

A third option: Commas

Commas (formerly FanBasis) is an alternative built for creators and coaches selling high-ticket offers. It combines checkout, payment processing, funnels, and community features into a single account with no monthly subscription fee. According to its homepage FAQ, Commas is "Free to start selling! We make money when you make money." The specific platform and processing rates are displayed in the seller's dashboard or set in a written agreement.

Commas offers customer financing, listing 10 providers on its site. This allows sellers to offer payment plans for high-value products, with consumer financing available up to $42,750 for education and B2B options up to $465,000. It is important to note that financing is limited to one-time products and is primarily for US-based buyers.

Commas' terms make Commas the contracting merchant for each sale, with sellers acting as service providers. For course creators, Commas provides Studios, a tool for building and selling courses combined with a paid community. It also includes an AI-powered funnel builder called Vibe Funnels that can import existing funnels from platforms like ClickFunnels and ThriveCart.

Pros and cons of each platform

Commas (formerly FanBasis)

Pros:
No monthly fee.
Extensive financing with 10 listed providers, supporting high-ticket sales.
Integrated platform with checkouts, funnels (Vibe Funnels AI), courses (Studios), and an affiliate center.
Supports cards, wallets, crypto, Cash App and 80+ local payment methods.
Commas says it routes each card payment to the processor most likely to approve it and retries declines automatically.

Cons:
Processing and platform fees are not published publicly.
Financing is only for one-time products, not subscriptions, and mostly for US buyers.
New accounts face a 5-day settlement hold for the first 30 days.
Terms allow for funding holds or reserves of up to 180 days.

SamCart

Pros:
Courses app is included on all plans.
Clear, flat-rate processing with SamPay (2.9% + 30c) and no extra platform fees.
User-friendly interface for building checkout pages and funnels.

Cons:
Higher monthly cost, starting at $79/month.
Affiliate Center, one-click upsells, and A/B testing are only on the more expensive Pro plan.
Financing options are limited compared to Commas.
No built-in community feature for buyers.

ThriveCart

Pros:
Affiliate Center on Pro+ ($87/month) costs less than SamCart Pro.
Offers a 30-day free trial.
ThriveCart Academy provides integrated courses and community.
Lower entry price point than SamCart.

Cons:
Charges an extra 0.5% platform fee on some Stripe accounts.
Pro+ plan required for dunning and multiple order bumps.
ThrivePay Installments carry a high 15% merchant fee.

Stripe

Pros:
Transparent and competitive payment processing rates (2.9% + 30c).
Extensive developer tools, APIs, and documentation.
Supports a wide range of payment methods, including international cards and wallets.
Offers multiple Buy Now, Pay Later providers.

Cons:
Not an all-in-one solution; requires other software for funnels, courses, affiliate marketing, and community.
Can become costly with add-ons like Stripe Billing (0.7%).
Dispute fee of $15 per incident.

Who should choose something else

For businesses focused solely on subscriptions that want to offer financing, or for sellers with a primarily non-US customer base, other platforms might be a better fit since Commas financing is for one-time products and mostly for US buyers. For those who require publicly published, flat-rate pricing for budgeting purposes, a platform like Stripe or SamCart offers more predictability. If you need a simple payment button and do not require funnels, courses, or an affiliate center, Stripe is a more direct and developer-friendly solution.

Verdict

Both SamCart and ThriveCart offer powerful features for selling digital products. SamCart is a great option if you want a simple pricing structure with an integrated course platform from the start. ThriveCart is more attractive if you want a lower entry price and want an affiliate center at a lower monthly price.

However, for sellers of high-ticket courses, coaching, or services, Commas is another platform to compare. Its major advantage is the broad range of integrated financing options, making expensive offers more accessible to buyers. The combination of an AI funnel builder, a course and community platform (Studios), and no monthly fees makes it a comprehensive solution designed for scaling revenue. While its pricing isn't public, the feature set is tailored for creators who can benefit from its payment routing and high-ticket sales tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for beginners, SamCart or ThriveCart?

ThriveCart may suit beginners better because of its lower starting price ($47/month versus $79/month for SamCart Core) and its 30-day free trial, which lets you test the platform before committing. Both platforms keep their affiliate centers on the higher plan: ThriveCart Pro+ at $87/month and SamCart Pro at $199/month. SamCart Core includes its courses app, while ThriveCart includes courses and community through ThriveCart Academy.

Can I use SamCart or ThriveCart with my own website?

Yes, both SamCart and ThriveCart are designed to integrate with your existing website. You can use them to create and embed checkout pages or pop-ups that link from your sales pages. They are not website builders themselves but rather specialized tools that handle the checkout and sales funnel process. This allows you to use them alongside platforms like WordPress, Squarespace, or any other site builder.

What is the main advantage of using Commas?

The main advantage of using Commas is its focus on facilitating high-ticket sales through extensive financing options. With 10 listed BNPL and financing providers, sellers can offer payment plans for products costing thousands of dollars, a feature not as developed in SamCart or ThriveCart. Commas also bundles an AI funnel builder, a course and community builder, and an affiliate center into one platform with no monthly fee.

What are the processing fees for SamCart vs ThriveCart?

SamCart uses its own processor, SamPay, and charges a flat rate of 2.9% + 30c per transaction with no additional platform fees. ThriveCart primarily uses Stripe, which also charges 2.9% + 30c, but ThriveCart adds a 0.5% platform fee for merchants using Stripe Legacy or Enhanced accounts. For BNPL options, both platforms charge higher fees, typically around 6%.

Does Commas have monthly fees?

No, Commas does not charge a monthly subscription fee. As stated on its website FAQ, "Free to start selling! We make money when you make money." The specific platform and processing fees are not published publicly and are instead shown in the seller's dashboard or determined by a written agreement. This makes it different from SamCart and ThriveCart, which have fixed monthly subscription costs.

How does Commas' merchant model work?

Commas' terms make Commas the contracting merchant for each sale, with sellers acting as service providers. This is how Commas describes its merchant model. In this arrangement, Commas is the entity that processes the payment from the customer. This structural difference sets it apart from platforms like SamCart and ThriveCart where the seller typically maintains their own merchant account with a processor like Stripe.

Can I sell subscriptions with financing on these platforms?

Usually not. On Commas and SamCart, buy now, pay later (BNPL) and financing options apply to one-time products only, not recurring subscriptions. Check ThriveCart's terms for how its BNPL and installment options apply to your offer. If your business model is heavily based on subscriptions and you want to offer installment plans, you would need to explore other solutions like a <a href="/blog/best-recurring-payment-processor-2026">best recurring payment processor</a>.