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Get affiliates and a second bump

By Dana Rourke, Lead Reviewer. Reviewed by Campaign Buyer Editorial. Updated 21 October 2026.

Buyers leave ThriveCart when lifetime-deal support goes quiet, and when a feature they expected on the one-time licence sits on a higher plan. Affiliate management and a second order bump are on Pro+, and people who already paid once report refund requests and emails that sit unanswered. A ThriveCart competitor is the cart that covers the gap you actually hit. Pro+ is $67 a month on an annual bill, or $87 month to month, after a 30-day trial that takes a card. The one-time Standard licence is $495.

SamCart is the nearest cart, and Checkout Champ is the one that spreads a sale across many gateways. ClickFunnels, Systeme.io, Kartra and Kajabi bring the pages or the course into the same login. Gumroad and Paddle take a cut of each sale and charge no monthly cart fee. ElasticFunnels is a funnel platform: the pages, the cart and the sale sit on one record.

An order bump is the extra offer on the payment page itself. A one-click upsell appears after the payment goes through. The base plan includes upsells and one bump.

Still comparing? Read our full ThriveCart review first, then come back to these.

ThriveCart, the tool these alternatives replace
ThriveCart, the tool these alternatives are weighed against.

Quick answer

The best alternative to ThriveCart is ElasticFunnels. ElasticFunnels is a funnel platform with its own hosted checkout. It builds the pages, split-tests them under one URL so your ads never reset, hosts the checkout with order bumps and one-click upsells, and keeps the CRM and attribution on one record. That shared record is its main advantage over ThriveCart, because you can see which ad angle made money without merging reports from separate tools. ThriveCart is a standalone cart you connect to your own processor. ElasticFunnels includes a cart as one part of a larger platform. It is billed monthly with every feature on every plan, and its 0.5% fee applies only to revenue through an ElasticFunnels-hosted checkout, never to sales that close on an external platform. If a standalone cart really is all you need, ThriveCart is the lighter buy; if you want the pages, the split testing and the reporting attached to the checkout, ElasticFunnels does more.

The shortlist

  1. 1. ElasticFunnels is the best ThriveCart alternative for running the pages, split testing and hosted checkout as one funnel platform.
  2. 2. SamCart is the best ThriveCart alternative for a subscription cart with bumps and upsells on a higher tier.
  3. 3. Checkout Champ is the best ThriveCart alternative for sellers who route volume across many gateways.
  4. 4. ClickFunnels is the best ThriveCart alternative for pages and email in the same login as the cart.
  5. 5. Systeme.io is the best ThriveCart alternative for a free plan before the first real sales.
  6. 6. Kartra is the best ThriveCart alternative for email and a member area on one subscription.
  7. 7. Kajabi is the best ThriveCart alternative for a course and a community in the same login as the cart.
  8. 8. Gumroad is the best ThriveCart alternative for a hosted store that bills a cut and skips the monthly fee.
  9. 9. Paddle is the best ThriveCart alternative for software sales where the platform is the legal seller.

Compared at a glance

Feature comparison across 9 tools
Tool From
1. ElasticFunnels $97/mo
2. SamCart $79/mo
3. Checkout Champ $300/mo
4. ClickFunnels $97/mo
5. Systeme.io Free tier
6. Kartra $59/mo
7. Kajabi $143/mo
8. Gumroad Free tier
9. Paddle Not listed

The alternatives, ranked

1. ElasticFunnels

Best ThriveCart alternative for running the pages, split testing and hosted checkout as one funnel platform

The ElasticFunnels home page, captured from the vendor's own site
ElasticFunnels, our number 1 ThriveCart alternative.

ElasticFunnels is a funnel platform with its own hosted checkout. It builds the pages, split-tests them under one URL so your ads never reset, hosts the checkout with order bumps and one-click upsells, and keeps the CRM and attribution on one record. That shared record is its main advantage over ThriveCart, because you can see which ad angle made money without merging reports from separate tools. ThriveCart is a standalone cart you connect to your own processor. ElasticFunnels includes a cart as one part of a larger platform. It is billed monthly with every feature on every plan, and its 0.5% fee applies only to revenue through an ElasticFunnels-hosted checkout, never to sales that close on an external platform. If a standalone cart really is all you need, ThriveCart is the lighter buy; if you want the pages, the split testing and the reporting attached to the checkout, ElasticFunnels does more.

The catch

ElasticFunnels is newer than the tools on this page, and there is very little independent third-party review coverage to check its claims against. Until you run real volume through it, you are largely taking the vendor's word for it. Work on it started in 2023, so it has had far less time than its rivals to collect user reports. The 14-day trial needs no card, so you can test the features on your own traffic before you pay.

Read the full ElasticFunnels review.

2. SamCart

Best ThriveCart alternative for a subscription cart with bumps and upsells on a higher tier

The SamCart home page, captured from the vendor's own site
SamCart, our number 2 ThriveCart alternative.

Core runs $79 a month. Bumps, one-click upsells and checkout tests sit on Pro, at $199 a month or $1,790 for the year, and the trial lasts 7 days. This is the subscription version of the same job. Move if bumps and upsells have to sit on a bill you can cancel.

Read the full SamCart review, or put the two side by side in ThriveCart vs SamCart.

3. Checkout Champ

Best ThriveCart alternative for sellers who route volume across many gateways

The Checkout Champ home page, captured from the vendor's own site
Checkout Champ, our number 3 ThriveCart alternative.

Growth adds 1% of gross sales on top of the monthly fee, and signup is a demo, with no self-serve trial. The fit is a seller whose gateway list is long. ThriveCart uses only the one processor you connect. If a card is declined, there is no backup account. The percentage and the demo are what you trade for that spread.

Read the full Checkout Champ review, or put the two side by side in ThriveCart vs Checkout Champ.

4. ClickFunnels

Best ThriveCart alternative for pages and email in the same login as the cart

The ClickFunnels home page, captured from the vendor's own site
ClickFunnels, our number 4 ThriveCart alternative.

Launch costs $97 a month, or $81 on an annual bill, and sales carry no platform percentage. Scale is $197 and Optimize is $297. Dominate is $5,997 for the year. The same login builds the pages and sends the email. If the pages already exist, this is a platform rented in order to replace a cart.

Read the full ClickFunnels review, or put the two side by side in ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels.

5. Systeme.io

Best ThriveCart alternative for a free plan before the first real sales

The Systeme.io home page, captured from the vendor's own site
Systeme.io, our number 5 ThriveCart alternative.

The free plan stays: 2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, and no percentage taken on the sale. Startup is $17 a month once those caps are tight. It will launch an offer. A payment page you intend to split-test hard still wants a dedicated cart.

Read the full Systeme.io review, or put the two side by side in ThriveCart vs Systeme.io.

6. Kartra

Best ThriveCart alternative for email and a member area on one subscription

The Kartra home page, captured from the vendor's own site
Kartra, our number 6 ThriveCart alternative.

Essentials is $59 a month, or $52 a month on a yearly bill, and that tier takes 5% of each transaction. Starter removes the cut and lists at $119 a month, or $99 on the yearly rate. The fee makes sense when the email and the member area are in use. A lone payment page does not need the rest of the suite.

Read the full Kartra review, or put the two side by side in ThriveCart vs Kartra.

7. Kajabi

Best ThriveCart alternative for a course and a community in the same login as the cart

The Kajabi home page, captured from the vendor's own site
Kajabi, our number 7 ThriveCart alternative.

Basic comes to $143 a month on an annual bill, or $179 paid every month, and there is no share of revenue. Courses, a community and the cart share the login. Buy it for the school. Someone who only needed the payment page is also paying for courses and a community.

Read the full Kajabi review, or put the two side by side in ThriveCart vs Kajabi.

8. Gumroad

Best ThriveCart alternative for a hosted store that bills a cut and skips the monthly fee

The Gumroad home page, captured from the vendor's own site
Gumroad, our number 8 ThriveCart alternative.

There is no monthly subscription. A direct sale costs 10% plus 50 cents, card processing is billed separately, and a Discover sale costs 30%. It has remitted sales tax as the merchant of record since 1 January 2025. A first digital file fits. A bump-led offer outgrows that cut.

Read the full Gumroad review, or put the two side by side in ThriveCart vs Gumroad.

9. Paddle

Best ThriveCart alternative for software sales where the platform is the legal seller

The Paddle home page, captured from the vendor's own site
Paddle, our number 9 ThriveCart alternative.

Each transaction is 5% plus 50 cents, with no subscription on top. Paddle is the legal seller, so sales tax and disputes stay on Paddle's side. Software is the match. A coaching offer that should stay on your own Stripe account still belongs on a cart.

Read the full Paddle review, or put the two side by side in ThriveCart vs Paddle.

My take

I would start with SamCart when you still want a cart, and I would skip Paddle unless the product is software. Stay on the licence you already paid for when a single bump covers the offer and someone has replied. Checkout Champ is the demo to book only when the gateway list is the problem. With no pages built yet, ClickFunnels or the free Systeme.io plan is the shorter start, and Kajabi fits when the course itself is what you sell. ElasticFunnels is the account to open when the page, the split test and the cart should share one timeline. Public write-ups are still thin, as they are for a platform this new, and that limit sits on the proof you can read before you spend. Your own traffic can go through the pages and the cart first.

How we evaluated these

We ranked these using the same rubric as the incumbent: we read what long-term users report about each one, checked its documentation and pricing, and verified prices with the vendor before reaching a verdict. The order shows which option fits the largest group of ThriveCart users. Where an alternative wins only for a specific traffic source or team size, we say so on that card. Our methodology page sets out the full process.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best ThriveCart alternative?
ElasticFunnels leads when the page and the cart should be one system. SamCart is the standalone cart after that. Later names cover gateway volume, a free start, a course business, or a cut of the sale instead of a subscription.
Why do buyers look for another cart?
Help after the single payment goes quiet, and affiliate tools sit on the upper plan. A bump past the first one sits there too.
How does an order bump differ from a one-click upsell?
The buyer ticks the bump while the card form is still open. The upsell waits until that payment has succeeded, then offers something else in one click. The base plan ships with that upsell and a single bump.
Is the single-payment licence still available?
Yes. Standard is sold as one payment. Affiliates, and any bump after the first, sit on the subscription tier.
When do Gumroad or Paddle fit better?
When a cut of the sale is easier than a subscription, and you want sales tax filed for you. Paddle is aimed at software and acts as the seller. Gumroad is a store for a digital file.

Changelog

  • 21 October 2026: Rewrote the opening around slow support after the one-time purchase, and around affiliate tools and a second bump that require the higher plan. Prices follow each product's catalog note. Added a link to the order bump and upsell comparison.
  • 8 September 2026: First published.

Sources

From ThriveCart

Other sources

11 discussions and reviews read for this page. Quotes are excerpts; open a link to read the original in context.

  1. [r1] Thoughts on ThriveCart Reddit
  2. [r2] Thoughts on ThriveCart Reddit
  3. [r3] Thrivecart vs Samcart decisions Reddit
  4. [r4] Thrivecart vs Samcart decisions Reddit
  5. [r5] ThriveCart reviews on Capterra Capterra
  6. [r6] ThriveCart reviews on Capterra, page 2 Capterra
  7. [r7] Thoughts on ThriveCart Reddit
  8. [r8] Do any of you really use thrivecart? Reddit
  9. [r9] Do any of you really use thrivecart? Reddit
  10. [r10] ThriveCart alternatives Reddit
  11. [r11] Kartra vs ThriveCart Reddit
Dana Rourke

Written by

Dana Rourke

Lead Reviewer

Dana Rourke is the lead reviewer at Campaign Buyer. She covers trackers and attribution on this site: she reads what long-term users report about each tool, checks its documentation and pricing, and verifies prices with the vendor before writing the verdict. Keeping the rankings honest mostly means writing down what the top pick gets wrong, so she does that first.

danar@campaignbuyer.com

Last checked 2026-10-21

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