Big Cartel Free Trial

Big Cartel Free Trial 2025 – Access All Features

Big Cartel does not offer a traditional free trial, but it provides a free Gold plan that allows you to start selling online at no cost. This free plan is perfect for artists and small business owners starting their online selling journey.

The free plan is available on Big Cartel’s Gold plan. Moreover, the platform currently offers a 20% discount on annual subscriptions.

In this article, we’ll cover the features, limitations, and tips for maximizing the benefits of the free plan, as well as discuss pricing plans with discounts and help you determine if Big Cartel is the right fit for your business.

Big Cartel Free Trial: In A Nutshell

Not a traditional free trial, but a free Gold plan is best for every user, from beginners to professionals. You can access all the basic features available without any cost.

You don’t need credit card details to sign up for the free plan, which means you can sign up for BigCartel freely and start your online store without worrying about your finances.

Additionally, Big Cartel offers a special Holiday Selling Toolkit and a 40-minute webinar that covers essential topics, including shipping deadlines, discounts, promotions, and marketing strategies.

This holiday support is available to all plan users, including those on the free plan. 

How To Sign Up For The Big Cartel Free Trial?

Since the Big Cartel free trial is not available, we’ll see the signup process for the free plan, where you can explore all the essential features.

Step 1: Open Big Cartel’s official website.

Step 2: Click “Open your shop” on the screen.

Step 3: The pricing page will appear. Choose the free plan and click “Select.”

Step 4: Provide your shop name, URL, email address, and password, and click “Sign up.”

You have now signed up for the Big Cartel free plan and can use its core features to build your online store.

Big Cartel Free Trial Features

The free Gold plan in Big Cartel gives you essential tools to begin your online selling journey. You can list your products, accept payments, and customize your store layout without spending any money.

Here are the main features:

• 5 Product Listings: You can showcase up to 5 products in your store, complete with basic details such as price, description, and one image per product. This limitation helps you focus on your best-selling items while learning the platform’s features and understanding how online selling works for your business.
• 1 Image Per Product: Each product can display one photo to represent your item. While this may seem limited, it encourages you to select the best product image that showcases what you’re selling. You can still update or change this image whenever needed.
• Product Variant Groups: Create different options for your products, such as sizes, colors, or styles. This feature lets you offer variations without using additional product slots, making it easier for customers to choose exactly what they want from your limited inventory.
• Mobile Apps Access: Manage your store on the go using Big Cartel’s iOS and Android apps. You can check orders, update products, and monitor sales from your phone, giving you the flexibility to run your business from anywhere at any time.
• Sales Tax Autopilot: The platform automatically calculates the correct sales tax for each order based on location. This feature saves you time and prevents errors in tax collection, ensuring you stay compliant with tax regulations without manual calculations.
• Import Products: Transfer your existing products from other platforms, such as Etsy, Squarespace, and Shopify, to your Big Cartel store. This feature makes it simple to move your business without starting from scratch, saving you time in setting up your new shop.
• Free SEO-Optimized Templates: Choose from basic templates designed to help your store show up in search results. These templates are mobile-friendly and professionally designed, helping you create an attractive online presence without hiring a designer or needing to know how to code.

Limitations Of Big Cartel Free Trial

Although free access comes with various features, it does have limitations compared to the paid subscription. Take a look at the constraints while using the free plan.

• No Free Trial: Big Cartel’s free trial is not active on premium plans to access advanced tools.
• Limited product listings: You can list a maximum of 5 products, which may be too restrictive if you have a large inventory.
• No Access to Analytics: You only gain access to a basic sales dashboard, lacking detailed reporting and customer insights.
• Single product photo: Each product can have just one image.
• No bulk product management: You’ll need to edit each product individually, which can be time-consuming even with just 5 items.
• No inventory management: There’s no automatic stock tracking in the free plan.
• Basic promotional features: You can’t access advanced marketing tools like audience targeting or cart recovery.
• Simple store design options: Customization is limited to basic templates without advanced design capabilities or custom domains.

Making The Most Of Your Big Cartel Free Trial

As there is no free trial for you to access advanced features, the free plan comes with certain limitations. In this section, we’ll explore the tips to maximize your success with the Gold plan’s features:

• Select your top-selling items that represent your brand best.
• Since you only get one image per product, capture professional-looking images to highlight your brand.
• Write simple, informative details about each product, including size, materials, and usage.
• Enable multiple payment options to make purchasing convenient for customers.
• Organize your store page to make navigation easy and appealing.
• Set competitive prices that cover your costs while staying attractive to potential customers.

Big Cartel Pricing And Plans: Who Is It Best For?

Big Cartel offers three plans to its users, namely, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. You can check the features and pricing of each one in the following table.

The plans cater to various business sizes, ranging from beginners to established sellers.

Let’s take a closer look at each Big Cartel plan;

1. Gold Plan

This plan is perfect for artists and crafters who have just started an online business. It includes basic selling tools like one product image, payment processing, and mobile app access. The gold plan is ideal for testing the platform without any financial commitment.

2. Platinum Plan

This package is designed for growing businesses that need more features. It includes inventory tracking, shipping tools, marketing features, and the ability to sell both online and in person. The custom domain and advanced template options add a professional touch.

3. Diamond Plan

The Diamond plan is built for established sellers managing large inventories. This plan includes advanced features like abandoned cart recovery, prioritized support, ad audience targeting, and extensive analytics reporting. It is perfect for scaling businesses.

Furthermore, Big Cartel does not offer refunds on its monthly subscriptions but you can ask for a full refund on annual subscriptions within 14 days of its cancelation.

Big Cartel Discount: Is It Available 

You can earn some extra dollars by purchasing the annual plans of BigCartel subscriptions. The yearly subscriptions offer a 20% discount to users, providing some relief to their wallets.

This means you can save $36 per year on the Platinum plan and $72 per year on the Diamond plan. The Gold plan remains free regardless of the billing cycle.

This is best for established sellers committed to growing their business for the long term. 

Big Cartel Free Trial: Is It Worthy?

The free Gold plan is a great starting point for new sellers. Although it is not a free trial, the free plan is ideal for new users and those with a limited budget.

You get basic selling tools without spending money, making it perfect for testing if online selling is right for you.

While the 5-product limit is restrictive, you still gain access to important features, including payment processing and mobile app capabilities. Plus, you can upgrade to paid plans anytime when your business grows.

Which Is Better, Shopify or Big Cartel?

Big Cartel is better for small artists and creators who need simplicity and affordability, while Shopify suits established businesses wanting to scale.

Big Cartel offers a free Gold plan with 5 products and no transaction fees, with paid plans starting at just $9.99/month. Shopify lacks a free plan, starting at $29/month, and charges transaction fees of 0.5-2%.

Big Cartel offers essential features ideal for beginners, including easy product listings, mobile apps, and basic customization options. While Shopify offers more advanced features, Big Cartel’s simplicity and lower costs make it ideal for small businesses just starting their online journey.

Conclusion: Big Cartel Free Plan Is The Best Opportunity For New Users

Big Cartel’s free Gold plan provides an excellent opportunity for solo entrepreneurs and small business owners to start selling online with no financial commitment.

The free plan includes all the basic features, such as payment processing, mobile app access, and store customization. Apart from that, a 20% discount on annual subscriptions is also a great option for users planning to scale their business.

Start with the Big Cartel free plan, which will be your best starting point for determining whether this platform aligns with your goals.

FAQs