Best 7 SamCart alternatives for selling digital products [2024]

SamCart, a shopping cart and checkout platform, is a popular choice for many digital entrepreneurs looking to streamline their checkout process and boost conversions. Despite its popularity, users often encounter limitations such as high costs, restricted features, and design flexibility - leading them to search for SamCart alternatives.

If you're selling digital products and looking for a more cost-effective solution without sacrificing functionality, then we can help. The good news is there are numerous alternative platforms that cater specifically to digital sellers, offering great customization options, enhanced features, and, importantly, lower pricing!

In this article, we will explore what makes SamCart popular and why people consider other options. We’ll review seven competitive SamCart alternatives—including our own platform Checkout Page.

We'll highlight key features, pricing, which types of users each is best suited for, and potential limitations.

🏆 Lastly, we’ll present our winning choices for best SamCart alternatives.

SamCart’s features for selling digital products

SamCart is popular for a reason—it offers a good array of features tailored for selling digital products, including:

• Checkout pages: Customizable easy-to-use checkout page templates that maximize conversion rates. You can create one-step or multi-step checkouts.
• Digital delivery: Automated delivery of digital content, such as eBooks, courses, and software, immediately after purchase.
• Subscriptions and payment plans: Options to create subscription services or payment plans for customers, allowing for recurring billing.
• Upsells and cross-sells: Tools to create one-click upsells and cross-sells, increasing average order value after the initial purchase.
• Coupons and discount codes: Ability to create promotional codes to encourage purchases.
• Affiliate management: A built-in affiliate management system allows you to create and manage your own affiliate programs, helping to drive sales.
• Analytics and reporting: Comprehensive analytics tools to track performance metrics, sales, and customer behavior.
• Integrations: Compatible with various email marketing tools, CRMs, and other 3rd party software solutions.

Why look for a SamCart alternative?

With all its robust and popular features, why are we exploring SamCart alternatives, you might ask? Let’s take a look at two key factors that the platform's users don’t love so much.

Cost

With it’s cheapest plan starting at $79 per month, SamCart’s pricing is pretty steep when compared to many of its competitors:

Features vs cost

Another drawback of SamCart is what is not included in their starter plan, Launch. While it does offer essential features for customizing your checkout experience, key functionalities such as one-click upsells, add-ons and affiliate management are only available with the Grow or Scale plans, which jump to $159 or $319 per month.

This means that to fully utilize SamCart’s potential and maximize your revenue, you’ll need to invest in a more expensive plan, which can be a significant barrier for those just starting out or on a tighter budget.

Best 7 SamCart alternatives for selling digital products

1. Checkout Page

We might be a bit biased, but we’re truly excited about how easy and cost-effective it is to start selling digital products with Checkout Page! Our no-code solution allows you to craft attractive single-product pages in moments.

You can easily share and embed your checkout pages using features like pop-ups, responsive checkouts, and QR codes, all designed to streamline the purchasing process for you and your customers.

With Checkout Page, you can create effective sales funnels and offer one-click upsells to boost your revenue. Plus, you can host an unlimited number of downloads, providing your customers with instant access to their purchases.

Our platform operates with a low monthly subscription and imposes no fees on sales, making it a fantastic option for maximizing your profits.

🔑 Key features:

✅ Create unlimited checkout pages
✅ Sell subscriptions and memberships online
✅ Sell unlimited digital products and offer instant file delivery to your buyers
✅ Multi-step checkout pages and forms
✅ One-click upsells
✅ Offer discount codes and coupons
✅ Rich customization options
✅ Send data with Zapier or Webhooks
✅ Outstanding customer support from our founders
✅ Enjoy low flat monthly subscription fees and ZERO fees on sales

💳 Pricing

Subscription model

Launch: $29/month (up to $3k sales volume)

Grow: $99/month (up to $10k sales volume)

Scale: $239/month (up to $30k sales volume)

🙂 Get two months free when you pay annually.

See our full pricing

🏆 Great for: Digital sellers who prioritize versatility, ease of use, and rich customization alongside a truly budget-friendly pricing structure.

😞 Less good for: Those looking for integrated email marketing capabilities or a platform that allows you to create a full website rather than individual checkout pages.

2. ThriveCart

ThriveCart is an online shopping cart and checkout platform designed to help businesses sell their products and services, particularly digital goods. It offers a variety of features that facilitate the sales process. ThriveCart is particularly popular among online entrepreneurs, course creators, and digital marketers looking for a comprehensive solution to manage their online sales effectively.

🔑 Key features:

✅ Easily create embeddable carts with drag and drop functionality

✅ Create one-click upsell sales funnels

✅ Offer trials, subscriptions, and courses

✅ Share data with other tools that you use

✅ Offers sales tax calculation functionality

💳 Pricing

Lifetime Account: $495**

Note this is a special offer currently and is subject to change

🏆 Great for: ThriveCart’s one-time fee for lifetime access can save you thousands of dollars in annual transaction fees.

😞 Less good for: Although ThriveCart offers good value for its features, the one-time payment model may not suit everyone, especially those just starting out or looking for a low-cost monthly solution.

3. PayKickstart

PayKickstart is an online platform designed for selling digital products and managing subscriptions. It offers a range of features to simplify the e-commerce process, including customizable checkout pages and tools for handling recurring payments.

PayKickstart places a strong emphasis on its affiliate marketing functionality. The platform includes robust tools for managing affiliate programs, allowing users to recruit, track, and pay affiliates effectively.

🔑 Key features:

✅ Leads and sales referral tracking for affiliate management
✅ Track and manage subscriptions
✅ Offer secure and encrypted digital downloads
✅ Set up order bumps and one-click upsells
✅ Setup custom tax profiles per country you sell in to collect sales tax and VAT
✅ Wide range of third-party integration options

💳 Pricing

Subscription-based model

Starter: $99 per month / $79 per month if billed annually
Growth: $199 per month / $159 per month if billed annually
Scale: Request a quote via their website. All plans offer a 14-day free trial.

Fees: No transaction fees on any plan if using the PayKickstart Connect payment processor. For other processors, fees apply.

See PayKickstart's full pricing features

🏆 Great for: Users looking to manage affiliate programs easily will appreciate PayKickstart’s built-in affiliate management system, which allows for tracking and compensating affiliates effectively.

😞 Less good for: Those looking for an all-in-one solution that includes extensive marketing automation, CRM capabilities, and advanced email marketing features might find PayKickstart less comprehensive.

4. SendOwl

SendOwl is a straightforward platform that helps people sell digital products online. Whether you’re offering eBooks, software, or online courses, SendOwl provides the tools to make your sales process smooth and hassle-free.

With features like secure file delivery, customizable checkout options, and integration with various payment gateways, it’s designed to support creators in sharing their products with customers.

🔑 Key features:

✅ Built-cart templates
✅ Custom checkout fields
✅ Sell product bundles consisting of various file types
✅ Release products over time with drip files, suitable for courses
✅ Supports audio and video streaming of any file size
✅ Personalize your storefront
✅ Offer discount codes and coupons

💳 Pricing:

Sendowl offers 3 plans, and each costs 1$ per month for the first two months, and then:

Starter: $18/month + 5% fee per order & 10GB storage
Growth: $37/month + $0.47 fee per order & 100GB storage
Pro: $89/ month + $0.28 fee per order & 200GB storage

All plans come with a 7-day free trial

See full pricing information

🏆 Great for: Creators who want to create a storefront and are looking for a solution that allows them to promote a variety of digital formats.

😞 Less good for: Enterprises requiring advanced features such as extensive customization, multi-product inventory management, or detailed analytics may find SendOwl's offerings somewhat limited.

5. ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels is a platform designed to help creators and entrepreneurs build effective sales funnels tailored for selling digital products. It simplifies the process of guiding potential customers from interest to purchase, providing tools to create landing pages, set up automated email sequences, and manage payments seamlessly.

🔑 Key features:

✅ Create drag and drop custom sales funnels without needing coding skills
✅ Create membership areas for delivering online courses
✅ Test different versions of funnels and pages with A/B testing
✅ Add countdown urgency to offers to drive conversions
✅ Create and manage affiliate programs
✅ Create a blog to promote your expertise
✅ Course-building templates to make creating courses simple

💳 Pricing

ClickFunnels offers two pricing plans:

Startup: $97/month or $81 if billed annually
Includes: 3 brand workspaces and 3 team members access
Unlimited: Sales funnels, courses, members, contacts, pages & domains
Pro: $297/month or $248 billed annually

Includes: 10 brand workspaces and 10 team members access
Unlimited: Sales funnels, courses, members, contacts, pages & domains

See full ClickFunnels pricing information

🏆 Great for: Those who need a comprehensive solution for building landing pages, managing email sequences, and processing payments may find ClickFunnels offers a user-friendly all-in-one platform.

😞 Less good for: Those on a budget and those who have limited technical ability. Although ClickFunnels is user-friendly to an extent, individuals who are completely unfamiliar with online marketing concepts might find the learning curve steep.

6. Podia

Podia is a versatile platform designed to help creators sell digital products, online courses, and memberships. It aims to simplify the process for those looking to share their knowledge or artistic creations with the world.

Whether you’re a teacher, artist, or entrepreneur, Podia offers tools that facilitate communication with your audience, including options for email marketing and community building.

Key features:

✅ Allows you to create attractive online courses without any coding skills
✅ Create your own website and online store
✅ Create bundles of courses, downloads, memberships, tickets, coaching and more
✅ Podia Email helps you build an audience with newsletter and sales segmentation functionality
✅ Features for hosting live or recorded webinars
✅ Rich analytics to help you optimize your offerings

💳 Pricing

Podia offers two pricing plans:
Mover: $33/month + 5% transaction fees
Shaker: $75/month + 0% transaction fees
Podia Email: Both plans come with Podia’s email platform for free, although there are fees for sending to more than 100 subscribers.

See Podia's full pricing and features list

🏆 Great for: Educators looking to create and sell online courses will find Podia's course creation tools user-friendly and effective for managing student engagement and content delivery.

😞 Less good for: Though Podia has basic email marketing capabilities, those looking for more extensive marketing automation or customer segmentation may find its tools lacking.

7. Gumroad

Gumroad is a straightforward platform that helps creators sell their digital products online, whether it’s eBooks, music, art, or software. Aimed at artists, writers, and entrepreneurs, Gumroad makes it easy to set up a simple storefront without the hassle of complicated setups.

🔑 Key features:

✅ Quickly create product listings for digital downloads, memberships, subscriptions, and physical goods
✅ Includes email marketing features
✅ Create discount codes and promotional offers
✅ Supports subscription-based products
✅ Users can interact with their customers through comments and feedback
✅ Sellers benefit from marketplace traffic

💳 Pricing

Gumroad has no monthly charge and instead applies a flat 10% fee on every sale made through their platform.

See Gumroad's full pricing

🏆 Great for: Small businesses or startups looking for a user-friendly way to test the market with their products without heavy upfront costs or complex setups.

😞 Less good for: Anyone who is selling regularly and in quantity—those fees really do mount up!

💡Pro tip: Check out our article How Gumroad’s pricing works + a cheaper alternative

Selecting the best SamCart alternative for your business

Given the diverse needs of digital product sellers, selecting a winning platform is challenging. However, after careful consideration, we've narrowed it down to two standout SamCart alternatives that truly excel in helping creators sell their products effectively. And so, the awards for the best SamCart alternatives go to...🥁

🏆 For its rich digital product sales features, cost effectiveness, AND truly outstanding customer support: Checkout Page

🏆 As an all-in-one solution for selling online courses and memberships: Podia

Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to read our reviews of the best Samcart alternatives for your digital sales. In this article, we've looked at SamCart's features and limitations, explaining why many people consider other options. We also explored several platforms designed specifically for digital sellers, sharing their benefits and pricing to help you discover what might work best for you.

Knowing your digital sales needs and goals is key to choosing a platform that fits your requirements and avoids paying for unnecessary features. By focusing on what’s important to you, you can make a smart decision that supports your digital product sales and growth.

If you’re curious about whether Checkout Page could be the right match for your sales goals, we offer a 7-day free trial - no credit card needed! To get you off to a smooth start, we have a library of digital product templates to help you create digital product checkout pages in minutes.