SamCart vs ThriveCart
Two checkout-first platforms for creators. SamCart sells monthly plans with AI and courses. ThriveCart sells monthly, yearly or a one-time lifetime licence.
| At a glance | SamCart | ThriveCart |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $79 a month (Core), $59 billed yearly. | $47 a month (Standard), or $495 once for lifetime. |
| Free trial | 7 days, full access. | 30 days. |
| Transaction fee | None on SamPay or Stripe. Small added fees on other processors. | 0% from ThriveCart. Processor fees pass through. |
| Built for | Digital product creators who want checkout, courses and AI in one place. | Course makers and community builders who want a cart with a lifetime option. |
| Verdict | Pick it for AI tools and processor routing per product. | Pick it for the lifetime price and a longer trial. |
SamCart vs ThriveCart side by side
With ElasticFunnels as a third column. Where a vendor does not publicly state a capability, we say so.
| SamCart | ThriveCart |  ElasticFunnels | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order bumps and one-click upsells | YesOrder bumps and one-click upsells on Pro only. | YesOne-click upsells and downsells. One bump on Standard, several on Pro+. | YesOrder bumps, one-click upsells and downsells on every plan. |
| Payment gateways | SamPay, Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Authorize.net and Easy Pay Direct. | Stripe Connect+, PayPal, Authorize.net and ThrivePay installments. | YesStripe, NMI, PayPal, Klarna and Authorize.net. |
| Routing across merchant accounts | PartialAssign products to processors and rotate merchant accounts. Decline fallback not publicly stated. | PartialSeveral accounts per processor, assigned per product. Routing not publicly stated. | Yes6 routing algorithms, and soft declines cascade to the next MID on your NMI account. |
| Subscriptions and failed-payment recovery | YesSubscriptions. Subscription Saver retries on Pro. | YesSubscriptions, split-pay and trials. Failed-payment dunning on Pro+. | YesSubscriptions and installment plans, with retry ladders and retention offers on cancel. |
| A/B split testing | PartialCheckout pages on Pro, winner picked by hand. Their help says prices cannot be split tested. | YesHosted checkouts only, from one A/B URL, with an automatic winner. | YesServer-side under one URL, on every plan and any step. Winners are called on sales with a p-value. |
| Multi-step funnel builder | PartialPages, sites and post-purchase upsell flows. No general funnel canvas described. | PartialCheckouts with funnel sequencing. Their page builder is on the roadmap, not confirmed live. | YesMulti-step funnels, an AI builder that builds any page you describe, and import of any page from its URL. |
| AI page builder | YesAI page, copy and document designers. Usage limited on Core. | PartialThriveAI page builder is on the roadmap. | YesDescribe any page, from a VSL to a quiz, or paste a URL. The AI builder writes it or clones it. |
| CRM and pipelines | PartialCustomer records with order history, tags and notes. | PartialCustomer hub and self-service portal. No CRM pipelines yet. | YesCustom entities, pipelines and a built-in call center, on every plan. |
| Email and SMS | PartialCart-abandonment emails. Marketing email through integrations. No native SMS. | NoNo native email or SMS yet. Autoresponder integrations. | YesAutomations with email, SMS and webhook actions; SMS and calls go through Twilio. Built-in email templates on every plan. |
| Courses and memberships | YesCourses app and members area on both plans. | YesThriveCart Academy courses and communities. | YesA members area with course delivery, on every plan. |
| Affiliate program for your products | YesAffiliate Center on Pro. | YesOn Pro+, with second-tier support and automated payouts. | YesAffiliate portal, postbacks with a delivery log, commission groups. You send the payouts. |
| Sales tax and VAT | YesSales tax, VAT and GST, for a small per-transaction fee. | YesVAT, GST and sales tax, for a per-transaction fee. | YesNative, including EU VAT validation and reverse charge. |
| Analytics | YesRevenue reporting. LTV and UTM reports on Pro. | YesRevenue, churn and LTV. Funnel and UTM analytics on Pro+. | YesDashboards from 70+ card types. Every sale tied to its ad, campaign and variant. |
| API and webhooks | YesAPI, webhooks and Zapier on Pro. | YesAPI and webhooks. | YesREST API, webhooks and the ef CLI. |
| AI coding agents and CLI | Not publicly statedAPI for orders and customers, not pages. | Not publicly statedAn official MCP server is on its roadmap. | YesClaude Code or Codex builds pages, runs split tests and reads results via the ef CLI. |
| Starting price | $79 a month (Core), $59 billed yearly. | $47 a month (Standard), or $495 once for lifetime. | From $97 a month on Starter. Split testing and checkout on every plan. |
| Free trial | 7 days, full access. | 30 days. | 14 days. |
| Transaction fee | None on SamPay or Stripe. Small added fees on other processors. | 0% from ThriveCart. Processor fees pass through. | 0.5% on ElasticFunnels-hosted checkouts only. |
How we source this. Every SamCart and ThriveCart cell comes from their own pricing pages and help centres, last checked on 25 September 2026. Where they do not publicly state a capability, we say so rather than claim they lack it. Prices are in US dollars and change often, so check both vendors before you buy. If anything here is out of date, email [email protected] and we will correct it. SamCart is a trademark of SamCart, LLC. ThriveCart is a trademark of its owner. ElasticFunnels is not affiliated with either.
SamCart pricing vs ThriveCart pricing
SamCart is a monthly or yearly subscription. ThriveCart also sells a one-time lifetime licence.
SamCart
Billed by plan, monthly or yearly
- Core$79 a month, $59 yearly
- Pro$199 a month, $149 yearly
- EnterpriseCustom
- Tax collection0.5% on Core, 0.35% on Pro
- Free trial7 days
ThriveCart
Monthly, yearly or lifetime
- Standard$47 a month, $444 a year
- Pro+$87 a month, $804 a year
- Standard lifetime$495 one time
- EnterpriseCustom
- Tax calculation0.5% on Standard, 0.35% on Pro+
- Free trial30 days
Which to pick for paid traffic
Both are carts first. The pricing model is the biggest difference.
Pick SamCart if
You want AI page and copy tools, several processors assigned per product, and bumps, upsells and testing on the Pro plan.
Pick ThriveCart if
You want to pay once, split test hosted checkouts with an automatic winner, and run affiliates with second-tier commissions on Pro+.
A third option: ElasticFunnels
A cart takes the order. Paid traffic also needs the pages before it and a way to save the card that declines.
- Soft declines cascade to the next MID on your NMI account
- Pages, presells and split tests under one URL around the checkout
- Recovery calls on declined rebills from the built-in call center
- An affiliate portal with postbacks and commission groups
SamCart vs ThriveCart FAQ
Is ThriveCart really a one-time payment?
ThriveCart sells a Standard lifetime licence for $495 once, next to monthly and yearly plans. Its own comparison page states the one-time price. SamCart is monthly or yearly only.
Which has order bumps and one-click upsells?
Both. SamCart puts bumps and one-click upsells on Pro. ThriveCart includes one-click upsells and downsells on both plans, with one bump on Standard and several on Pro+.
Which one split tests checkouts?
Both, on hosted checkouts. SamCart tests on Pro and you pick the winner. ThriveCart alternates two checkouts from one A/B URL and picks the winner automatically at the end date.
Can either cascade a declined card to another merchant account?
Neither publicly states it. SamCart assigns products to processors and rotates merchant accounts. ThriveCart connects several accounts per processor, assigned per product. ElasticFunnels cascades soft declines to the next MID on your NMI account.
Where does ElasticFunnels fit?
It adds what a cart does not do: presell pages and split tests under one URL, MID cascading, recovery calls from the built-in call center and an affiliate portal.
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