SamCart alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and when to stay

SamCart is a capable platform that pairs checkout with course hosting. The catch most people hit is the tier. Its Core plan starts at $79 a month, but order bumps, one-click upsells, affiliate tools, A/B tests and the API are on Pro, at $199 a month.

If those Pro tools are the reason you chose SamCart, that's $2,388 a year for the features that lift your order value. Here's what else is out there.

The alternatives at a glance

Prices are from each company's own pricing page, checked on September 30, 2026 (ThriveCart and SamCart on September 14). Card processing fees from Stripe or PayPal apply on top where a tool uses your own account.

1. Swipefast

Swipefast is a focused checkout: order bumps, one-click upsells, subscriptions, payment plans, coupons and affiliate tracking on one $49 plan, with 0% taken from your sales. It connects to your own Stripe or PayPal, and to the email tool and course platform you already use.

• Choose it if: you want SamCart's Pro-style checkout features without the Pro price, and you're happy hosting courses elsewhere.
• Skip it if: you want courses hosted in the same account as your checkout. Swipefast sends buyers to your course platform instead.

2. ThriveCart

ThriveCart is the most established checkout here, with bumps, one-click upsells and downsells, split payments, subscriptions, cart recovery and tax tools. It now sells monthly plans, at $47 a month or $37 a month billed yearly.

• Choose it if: you want a long feature list and a big user base behind it.
• Skip it if: you want something quick to learn. There's a lot in it, and that takes time to set up well.

3. Kajabi

Kajabi runs the whole business: website, courses, community, email and funnels. Basic is $179 a month, or $143 billed yearly, rising to $499 a month for Pro.

• Choose it if: you like SamCart's course hosting and want even more of the business in one place.
• Skip it if: the checkout is what you want to improve. Kajabi is a bigger move than a checkout switch.

4. Podia

Podia bundles courses, downloads, coaching, community and email. Mover is $42 a month billed yearly with 5% fees. Shaker, at $84 a month billed yearly, has no fees and adds affiliates and upsells.

• Choose it if: you want courses and checkout together for less than SamCart Pro.
• Skip it if: you need deep control over the checkout itself.

5. Payhip

Payhip has the same features on every plan and changes only the fee: 5% on Free, 2% on Plus at $29 a month, and 0% on Pro at $99 a month.

• Choose it if: you're earlier on and would rather pay per sale.
• Skip it if: you're selling steadily. At about $1,000 a month in sales, a 5% fee costs as much as a $49 plan.

6. Lemon Squeezy

Lemon Squeezy acts as merchant of record, handling sales tax and VAT worldwide, for 5% + 50¢ per sale with no monthly fee. Swipefast can run checkouts through a Lemon Squeezy account, so you can keep tax handled and still add order bumps and upsells.

• Choose it if: international tax is the part you most want off your plate.
• Skip it if: your prices are high. A percentage fee grows with every sale.

When to stay on SamCart

• You host your courses in SamCart and your buyers are happy there.
• You use the Pro tools every month: A/B tests, the affiliate centre and the API.
• Your funnels work. A switch should remove real friction, not just save a few dollars.

If you do move, rebuild your best-selling checkout first, test it with a real purchase, and keep SamCart running until your last payment-plan buyers are finished. Our migration checklist covers every step.