SamCart vs ThriveCart

Both products take a card payment for a digital product. The difference is where the extra offer is included.

ThriveCart calls the first plan Standard. The homepage includes one order bump, one-click upsells and downsells, and A/B split testing on that plan, plus ThrivePages and ThriveCart Academy Starter. That add-on sits on the checkout form, before the buyer pays. The one-click step is the offer that appears after payment, so the buyer does not enter the card again. A split test compares two versions of that checkout.

Affiliate tools require Pro+. Affiliates and automated payouts are on Pro+, and so is subscription dunning. Extra bumps, custom branding, a custom domain, and Academy Growth are on Pro+ as well. Standard is the base plan, and Pro+ is where affiliates, dunning, and extra bumps are included.

SamCart reserves those same offers for Pro. The pricing page lists Core, then a higher tier described as everything on Core plus more. That higher tier is Pro. The added features are one-click upsells, order bumps, A/B testing, Subscription Saver, and the Affiliate Center. The API and third-party processors are in that same Pro list. Core remains a hosted checkout. It is the wrong plan if the bump is the main thing you need.

Core is the SamCart plan to choose when you are selling a course. Courses are included on Core, and so are the AI tools that build pages and products. CheckoutOS is the hosted checkout included with both SamCart plans. If you want courses and AI-generated pages, and you can add the bump later, stay on Core. If you need the bump immediately, compare Pro with ThriveCart Standard.

ThriveCart Academy is training bundled with the license. Academy Starter is included with Standard, and the Growth bundle is included with Pro+. SamCart's course area is where your buyers log in, and Core includes it.

ThriveCart runs the checkout page, the bump, and the offer after payment. Broadcasts stay in the email service you already pay for.

Buyers who already own the lifetime option have written that affiliate management was not part of that purchase. It required an additional fee. The one-time license ends the monthly software fee. Those buyers still paid extra for the affiliate program. If affiliates are part of your launch, budget for Pro+.

Public reviews that compare the two checkouts describe the checkout features as similar. People argue about the monthly bill, and about which tier includes affiliate management. Commenters still call SamCart's base price high, because the bump is reserved for the plan above it.

Which scenario fits you

If SamCart Pro is outside your budget and you need the bump now, choose ThriveCart Standard. That plan includes one bump, an upsell after payment, and two checkout versions. The homepage says the platform fee on sales is zero.

If you are ready to pay for SamCart Pro because you want Subscription Saver and your own affiliate program, choose SamCart. Core already includes courses and AI page-building tools.

If you want to avoid a recurring software fee, choose ThriveCart's lifetime license. It is still listed on the homepage next to the monthly plans. Affiliate management and dunning still require Pro+, even when someone already bought that one-time license and later wants an affiliate program.

When you read a comparison published by either vendor, use that vendor's own price list. ThriveCart's article about SamCart still claims that SamCart's price increases automatically when monthly revenue crosses set thresholds. SamCart's pricing page shows two flat tiers. SamCart's article about ThriveCart still describes a one-time Standard license, with features held behind a yearly Pro+ add-on. ThriveCart's own pages list the monthly Standard and Pro+ prices, and they still sell the lifetime license.

SamCart's monthly plans, ThriveCart's monthly plans, and ThriveCart's lifetime license are the three pricing options.

The first is SamCart, billed every month. Core is the cheaper SamCart plan. Pro is the plan that adds the bump. Annual billing discounts Core and Pro. SamCart advertises that discount on its pricing page, and the feature set is the same either way.

The second is ThriveCart, also billed every month. The rates are on ThriveCart's monthly pricing post. Standard is the cheaper monthly plan and Pro+ costs more. Each has a lower price on annual billing and a higher price month to month. Use the annual price if you expect to stay for a year. Use the month-to-month price if you might cancel. New monthly signups get 30 days free. SamCart advertises 7 days.

The third is ThriveCart's lifetime license, still listed on the homepage beside the monthly plans. It suits a buyer who wants to avoid a checkout subscription. Affiliates and dunning remain a Pro+ purchase, separate from that one-time license.

Card processing is separate from the software price in all three cases. ThriveCart adds no platform fee of its own. The card processor still charges its fee. SamCart prints a SamPay rate for Core and for Pro. That page lists the SamPay rate as SamCart's processing fee, with no additional platform fee. Tax collection on the same page is 50 basis points on Core and 35 basis points on Pro. Third-party processors are on the Pro list, along with the API.

I would choose ThriveCart if you mainly need a checkout. Standard already includes one bump, upsells and downsells after the purchase, and an A/B test on the checkout. ThriveCart's platform fee on sales is zero.

I would choose SamCart if your budget covers Pro. That plan includes the bump, Subscription Saver, and the affiliate center. Core already includes courses and the AI page tools. Buying Core and then learning that the bump is on Pro is an expensive misreading of the price list.

The deciding factor is SamCart's higher plan. If that monthly fee is out of reach, choose Standard. If you plan to pay for Pro so that courses, AI-built pages, and an affiliate program are in one account, choose SamCart.