Square Online vs Big Cartel

Square Online is an all-in-one ecommerce and website builder platform that allows businesses of all sizes—especially those already using Square’s POS system—to build professional online stores with ease.

With drag-and-drop editing, theme templates, custom fonts, and site elements like banners, item badges, and configurable layouts, it gives freedom to control branding and design.

Stores can connect custom domains (in paid plans), remove Square branding, list unlimited products, manage inventory, sync with physical store operations, and integrate with social media and Instagram.

Big Cartel is a lightweight e-commerce platform designed especially for artists, makers, and creative entrepreneurs who want to sell their work online without unnecessary complexity. It offers easy store setup, free themes, and HTML/CSS customization so you can build a shop that reflects your aesthetic.

The platform supports selling both online and in person, accepts multiple payment methods (cards, PayPal, wallets, etc.), enables inventory tracking and shipping options, and offers promotional tools like discount codes.

Big Cartel has a free plan (limited products, basic features) and tiered premium plans that increase number of listed products, image uploads, domain control, and access to features like app integrations, real-time stats, and deeper customization.